....My '91's bumper is pushed down about a 1/2 inch, so you can see that metal stripping that is supposed to be hidden by the moulding in the back...Once it gets warmer out, I'm going to replace the bumper.

Okay, the pry-bar method sounds good to me. Manolo, could you describe the best spot/method for leverage? Thanks.

The others told you what you should do.

What I have done on both my bricks is crawl underneath with a long pry bar and pop it back out to its origial position. I know it's wrong, but there is only so much I will do on a car that is worth less than $2k. While I am 'fessing up, I also remove the bulb when the air bag light comes on rather than spending the $$ to put in a new air bag after it is 15 years old and replace the sensor when it fails.

I appreciate safety, but keep in mind my frame of reference - I grew up when there were no seat belts in cars and dash boards were metal, and I rode a motorcycle for many years.

Porta-power/rope/chain method is just going to tear the bumper off. Don't ask... Replace the shock with a junkyard one. Mind the old one doesn't pop free while working around it - lots of potential for damage stored up in that gas charge.
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Chris, Dartmouth NS Canada 70 M-B 280SE, 83 245DL, 84 244 turbo, 90 780 turbo, 92 VW Golf, 90 740 Rex/Regina

Make sure the sheet metal where the bumper shock mounts isn't bent up. If the sheet metal isn't bent, replace the absorber, this is the safest thing to do. You might be able to put a jack in there and push the absorber to original length, but these pieces are an integral part of the car's safety system... far beyond the 5MPH bumper rating.

They ensure that the bumper stays in line with the car to ensure that it grabs all the available sheetmetal for energy absorbtion during significant impacts. I can't recall if this is on the back bumper, but the front bumper even has notches on the back edges to ensure it grabs the fenders.

jorrell