I build some crazy ass shit at times and nerf bars are always part of the program. When I was building Little T I started out with just a plain nerf bar and a buddy of mine said you have to put a set of wheely bars on that dam contraption. So I fit the wheely bars onto the nerf bar. If your wondering what the hell those things are. There handicap scooters used at different car shows. A guy can walk 5, or 10 miles at some of the bigger shows, so I took the scooter thing one step beyond the usual. Every time I build one of these things someone comes along and wants to buy it for there collection. Any honest to goodness Hot Roder wouldn't be caught out in there ride without a good set of nerf bars.
Yep, something I think about a lot! Have some ideas in my head for our 34', but kinda think I'm over thinking it...making me a little gun shy on trying it.
Mr. Norwell is absolutely correct in post #42 above. Some cars need to keep their bumpers and some cars need to lose the bumper, but still need something to fill the space so they don't look too naked or vulnerable.
This was mentioned earlier, and a few pics show it, was puting your inital in the nerf, just done at random. Was there any history to it or reason, or was it just a personal styling cue?
^^^^These are nerf bars...anything else is a guard. Grille guard, tire guard, whatever you call a rearend guard. If they ( nerf bars) are connected, they are now BUMPERS.
If you dig nerf bars, I am known as a nerf bar freak in my artwork. You folks should check out my site and scroll the pages........hope they give you some ideas about styling with nerf bars. They can be constructed with heat and round rods solids, or with the help of bender tools, lighter weight tubing can be used. Using mesh backdrops is cool, too. I got hooked on these thanks to my friend Joe Bailon and his cars when I went to my first Grand National Roadster Show in Oakland circa about 1961.
That was someone elses solution... that was off an old Hot Rod... I bought it off of ebay and I bid like 700.00 for it so I made sure I would get it,,, I'm glad it didn't start a bidding war
Once again I am learning to never to say "NEVER" I thought I never saw a 37 Ford I liked...your father's coupe has proved me wrong! Nice coupe!
Again (see my previous post), most oval track racers still call the protective stuff on the front and rear of their racers bumpers. The nerfs were often made the same way but are mounted on the sides of the car or frame rails. Old straight line racers also call their rear bumpers push bars, didn't need nerfs for single pass racing and normally deleted anything heavy on the front of the car, hence no front bumpers. I'm no oval track racing expert, but most of the nerfs I see on vintage race cars are on cars that run on the shorter tracks, the so-called bull rings, from Q-midgets, to go-karts, to midgets, sprints and big cars. Earlier era cars didn't seem to have use for them, nor did Indy cars in the roadster eras on pavement. Perhaps it was the speed, and the racing not so rough? Lots of this stuff was iron pipe and steel tube on "stockers" but was much more nicely done in SS on oval race cars. Lots of custom tweaks, initials, bracing etc. But they were still just bumpers and nerfs. Nerfs were mounted more towards the sides and ahead of the rear wheels, and also protected the rear trailing arms. Anyone know when hot rodders and custom car guys started calling their custom bumpers nerfs, too? Post WWII? Bumpers in the first 6 pix, Nerfs in the second group of 7 pix
Getting together last Tuesday morning for the local Hot Rodder breakfast,.. I noticed Dave had something new on ol' "Rusty",.. near as he can figure, they look like old Lincoln bumper guards,...... I thought they look kinda "ginchy"
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