You Guys With Grille Guards

[Sayer Lane]

i will be sure to do that. and would you suggest i just get grade 8 bolt to replace the original bumper bolts when i get it

[1977f150xlt]

here is mine, its vintage 70s factory Ford push bar, painted it Ford Silver birch, haven't put it on, will post once the rest of the truck is done, and the push bar is bolted on, also i have a set of chrome off road lights to bolt on the bottom bar, which i feel really adds to the push bar look,



here is some more pictures of push bars, some stock, they look like mine, the others are aftermarket, or custom, also i don't know who owns all these trucks below, just my collection of pictures from my time on here, and from online sources, so please no disrespect, i can't remember each user who owns these trucks, if you see your truck, feel free to post otherwise, but i make no claim to ownership to these trucks, just using the pictures for reference,















yes the above picture is the rare converted 4 door 78-79 Bronco, it has the push bar, so i figured i would post it, i think it looks mighty cool with 4 doors,



below is the ultimate push bar! and its actually on a Ford, i think they use these in forest fires, i can only imagine them building it! and mounting it! the weight would be huge!



hope this all helps some,

-Brent

[Sayer Lane]

where did you get the factory push bar. thats the sleekest, and best looking one. i would really like to get on like that for mine.

[1977f150xlt]

i was very lucky, local guy who had tons of old Ford parts had this push bar laying around, there was little too no rust, it was like new, we sandblasted it down to bare metal, then painted it up,

i seen some people get there push bar for a deal like 30 bucks, but i payed 115 bucks for mine, i know it seems expensive, but its the only one i could find around here, and it has no dents or rust, and its a rare item to find

i would suggest e-bay, or this site,

http://www.kijiji.com/

i use the Canadian version all the time, its a great site, its parent company is e-bay, but it works more like a local ad, kinda like craigslist but i find it better,

also take a drive out in the country side, and try and find a farm or a house with some old vehicles on it, then see if they have old trucks like ours, or the 78-79 bronco's, chances are your going to find one on a 4x4 dentside or 78-79 bronco, also put out a wanted ad on Kijiji or local paper,

other than that, its just pure luck to find one, i have no idea if there is a after market company making them, as i was lucking too, but found nothing like the factory bar, maybe jeff's bronco graveyard? like i said its pure luck,

so i wish you best of luck finding one, i can tell you one thing, the factory push bars are very heavy, i should weigh it, the tubing its made out of is super thick, i am assuming its mandrel bent, possibly when the pipe was still very hot, and it has very good welds, the average muffler shop will not be able to give mandrel bends, thus the pipe will either kink in the corners, or have thin pinched corners, thus it will be hard to duplicate, but nothing hurts giving it a try,

also when i get into some money, i am strongly thinking of stripping the silver paint off, then getting it chromed,

again i hope my info helped, i am sure they have lots of these trucks still down in Georgia, now up here, in Southern Ontario these trucks are very rare, i might see a 73-79 ford truck maybe once a month, or none at all, (besides my own lol) i will stick out like a soar thumb out on the road! i dare to be different!

-Brent

[Sayer Lane]

yea i found them on bronco graveyard. but they're $220

[77&79F250]

Talk about a hard item to locate. I found my first one in a local junk yard, got the bumper and guard for $30, and just found another one for my 78, after A LONG SEARCH.

I believe Jeff's Bronco has them (cactus pusher) , but they are for the older style 70 ish Bronco, big difference in the frame width.

I was at a swap meet in Mo, found one and let my buddy get it with a chrome bumper (which later he gave to me, bumper only) for $50

The only 3 I have ever seen for sale in my life, good luck.

[Sayer Lane]

i might just have to get one of those $140 ones from Bronco Graveyard

[Sayer Lane]

and the salvage yard here doesn't have many trucks like ours left. they're sending them all to the crusher. me and my dad are pretty much the only ones who go there to get parts for truck like ours

[1977f150xlt]

your kidding, even as far south as Georgia, there disappearing, very sad to hear

i know there more plentiful down south and out west, due to no winter road salt, sad to hear there crushing them down as fast as they did here in the 90s, there is only a handful at our wreckers now, and they are pretty much stripped to nothing, just parts that are usable, soon we will be like owners of Model T's people in there George Jetson rides will look at us like some mythical Dinosaur, like i said, i like to be different, i don't like to blend in with the crowd of modern cookie cutter vehicles,

-Brent

[Sayer Lane]

yea i know its crazy. i'm going to have to go up there aqain and get everything i need before they crush them all

[1977f150xlt]

yeah that is my best advice, get as much as you can, i mean everything

steering wheels, parts, what ever, just grab it, ya never know when you might need to replace something, then your stuck with no parts,

i am lucky, discovered a local guy, (didn't get the push bar off him, that was another guy) he must have 50 trucks, all lined up beside his field, then the barn is jammed with parts, and so is the basement of the barn, and so is a small 1 car garage, plus other odds and ends, and parts, and there all 1979 and older ford parts, mostly 67-79 parts,

got a mint condition no cracks dash for 100 bucks,

for 500 bucks got a rolling frame (1977 F-150 short box 4x4), that was in a barn for 13 years, it only had light rust, thus we gave it a sand blast and bingo, some black epoxy primer and it was done, also came with both front and rear axles and transfer case NP-205

even gave us a like new open rear end for the 9" it needed 3.50 gears, could not differ, because the front Dana 44 has 3.50 gears, thus if there different they will fight each other, the gears where all worn out on the rolling chassis he gave us, so he gave us a mint rear end, plus we help him out, so its even stevens,

and some other parts, and things to finish the truck off, its great to find that guy with his own personal auto wreckers, plus i post internet ads for his little parts business and i get free parts or heavily discounted,

so see if you can find a local guy who is building up a collection, and ask if you can buy some parts,

-Brent

[Sayer Lane]

does he have a site?

[1977f150xlt]

who? my local access to parts?

no he doesn't have a site, i only put a local Internet ad for him, otherwise he has zero knowledge of computers, he only deals on a local level, you phone him then drive to him to pick it up, its more of his hobby and collection, than anything, then he rents out his land to farmers, as he inherited the whole farm from his Grandfather, again this guy who has this small auto wreckers of parts is in his mid 60s, so he knows nothing about computers,

what do you need? i know he has 2 stock push bars, and neither of which will he sell, and the shipping alone would be big, considering the weight of these puppies, plus i live in Canada, look at my comment location, you should go into your control panel in you user area, and add your location, then people can better help you out, just a tip,

-Brent

[77&79F250]

Yea 77f150xlt, the local yards around here were crushing the hell outa them ol trucks. And if not that, looks like with the economy everyone is fixing up there vehicles.

The yard I go to had a ton of 73-79 completes rigs, now they are stripped shells. So like you I spend ALOT of time cruising the back roads looking for "field" Fords.

Problem here is them tuff arse Fords are still being used by them farmers, but I buy up all I can afford and drag to the house. The GF just laughs and asks " so what did you pay for that"? I say "Hey that's a D60 front axle, you know how rare those are"?

So there Sayer Lane advice to you, get all you, can when you can. Hell I got extra fenders, doors and 2 beds, in case I get in a accident with one of my trucks.

Plus a shop full of nick nack parts, you know you got enough , when you can't remember what ya got.

Not to sure how the NY craigslist is in the auto parts dept, but I check MO everyday, for Ford truck parts and complete part trucks.

[1977f150xlt]

yeah back roads are the gold mines sometimes, as i found my heaven of parts, i help people out locally to get parts, and even then i am not worried, his sheet metal is shot, but he has everything else, and then some, i bet he has 50 trucks or more easily in a line (Mind you every truck is full of parts, and they all have toppers which house parts underneath, and he even has a few trailers and a school bus full of parts, all beside his field, plus he has a barn full of parts, including the basement of the barn, and a small car garage full too, wiring harness's to gauge clusters to interior trim, to grilles to plastic grille inserts, to ..... the list goes on, all 67-79 ford truck stuff, some older 50s fords, but mostly 73-79 stuff, he also has 70s chevy boom truck, that he beat the snot out of, the thing is so banged up, and beaten, but his pride and joy is his old 50s international boom truck, if you watch the movie Planet Terror, that truck in the movie is just like it, except the doors are off for easy access, and it runs a international scout motor, which actually does really good, all hooked up to his home made geared boom truck, he uses the drive shaft as a PTO type setup to power the boom winch, really a genius design, i have to make a video of the whole place, and if i do, i will share that youtube video on here, its amazing, puts any autowreckers to shame,

yep grab the parts while you can, otherwise when you need it, you might not find it, or you might have to pay through the nose to get it, i mean door handles to sun visors to dome lights, to knobs, to steering wheels to seat brackets to seat belts even, what every looks good grab it, i wish i had more room, i would have a garage full of parts, much more than i have, but then again i am resto mode, so i grab what i need, and i always end up with extras some how, i am mostly there, just finishing off body work and paint, and the small things, it never seems to end,

-Brent