I'm looking for a pair of nice shiney bumpers without getting mine rechromed. I see Bob Drake offers a bumper for $380 but doesn't mention front or rear. I'd like to know they are good enough that they won't pit and peel over the years. Thanks Leon
Leon, bumpers already? You must be progressing well! On my '36 I thought I'd try and be clever and avoid issues with chrome, and especially cheap chrome (if there is such a thing as cheap chrome, but I digress!) and got stainless ones. Looked very presentable but not as bright as chrome but I was more than happy. This is until I stupidly managed to accidentally gently bump into a vertical corner of a brick wall, with a rather rough finish. My immediate reaction, before surveying anything, was that it was such a gentle kiss that any damage would simply polish out. Then I saw it. The bumper had a huge crease in it. Clearly there is no 'spring' in the metal, so I'd suggest the stainless bumpers are more of a cosmetic feature, or at best little more than a sacrificial item which might provide some body protection at no more than a crawling pace. I realise I'm not answering the question you asked but hope it helps anyway! Chris
The Drake bumpers look and fit very nicely, but they are not spring steel in any sense of the word. The chrome is very nice on the bumpers I bought.
Thats good info Chris. While I'm making some progress I'm way behind where I hoped I'd be. It runs and drives but is still wonderfully ugly. Decided its coming out this summer regardless of looks wearing a couple coats of primer. Figured some shiny bumpers could add some class . I'll look into what it'll cost to have my originals rechromed. They're not as rusty and pitted as some I've seen. Maybe I'll clean em up as best I can and use that money towards the interior.
I think, in general, bumpers are conceived as sacrificial. I've seen videos where Coke cans, or even tomatoes, between 2x4s stood up better than real auto bumpers. I suspect there is some variation in "stainless steel", too. Chances are that if you hit the wall hard enough to crease a SS bumper, you'd bend,crack or flake a chrome one. Damage either way. I have a SS front bumper on my '31A. Seems very thick and has held up well. No pits or rust which I'd surely have in PA after 12 years on the road.
Bob Drakes bumpers are really top notch, if 35 or36 bumpers have any profiles on the backside like 40's do, then you will have to have originals re-chromed. But it will cost even more for a good job to equal Bob's bumpers and the pair I got re-chromed are not as clean on the backside as Bob's are. And you don't have to finish grinding off the brazed on washers that is used to dip bumpers in the chrome solution. You will save quite a bit with Bob's bumpers.
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