Can someone more knowledgeable than I school me on this dilemma. I need bumper brackets for 1947 ford bumpers. A seller has 1946 brackets...before I commit,will they fit? Are.bumpers the same '42-'48? Thanks
They are not the same. 42-46 irons are the same. 47-48 irons are the same. The difference is the bumper guards. The 42-46 bumper guards are closer to the center and narrower on the bumper. The 47-48 are positioned wider apart on the bumper. If you have the whole assembly, bumpers and irons from any of these years, they all bolt to the frame the same way. If you try to put 46 irons with 48 bumpers the inner holes won’t line up. The 46 rear bumper has a stamped Ford script logo on the center, the others do not.
What @Jim Bouchard says. I have a 46 Script bumper, holes don't line up with my 47 brackets. Lucky, I had a 47 bumper as well.
I will add that it is possible to have an early 47 car that has 46 bumpers and irons. The late 47’s had the wider bumper guards. The front and rear irons are different as well. Meaning, you can’t use rear irons on the front or front ones on the rear.
Also, 47 and 48 back bumper irons will locate the rear bumper at about an inch and a half lower than a 46. Ford did this in 1947 to make the car look lower in the back. I have a 1948 back bumper iron and bumper on my 46 and it looks fine.
Well, that explains why my inner brackets fall short. Mine is a early '47 (with the early '47 side trim, not the '46 but '46 bumpers) with obviously aftermarket brackets.
The Jalopy Journal
