Let me know when you find a 100% reliable authority.

After reading about the 1950/51 only rear bumper, the 1948/56 Ford Truck Parts Catalog isn't 100% reliable either, unless...

You take into account that Ford is in-famous for replacing (updating) 10's of 1000's of part numbers every year.

Keeping track of all these part number changes was...and still is...a royal pain in the backside.

Something else to consider: Since most rear bumpers were an option, the dealers would usually install whatever they had in stock, as long as it fit.

When people waltzed up to parts counters to buy the bumpers and brackets 'after the fact.' The parts dept would usually sell them whatever they had in stock.

Since 1T-17906-B was replaced by BBAA-17906-A, is the BBAA rear bumper as installed on a 1951/52, considered original and correct...or not?

Ford sez so.

 

Bill, the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Launch Sequence Manual I wrote for the UK Poseidon Missle Submarines and the US Trident Missile Submarines was 100 % perfect - believe me. It was tested and tried many times.

This is not personal Bill, but the Ford Parts and Maintenance documentation I have, and have used, are both technically and philosophically (from an organizational and "all in one document" standpoint), the worst I have ever seen in all my experience with technical writing and documentation - beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Real question is: with this slip shod way of operating and part number replacement (obsolete) is a BBAA17906A rear bumper actually only one part or did Ford assign that number to all of them despite the fact that they were different physically. I go with the latter. The day Ford part numbers and documentation prove to be consistant, and not proviode more exceptions than rules, is the day I'll fly you and your wife to Hawaii free!

There is a logic to Ford Documentation and part numbering - to bad no one can figure out why it is the way it is.

 

As you are surely aware, Bill, there were probably thousands of parts and/or numbers obsloeted or revised between 1952, when the bumper in question was last used and 1964, when your catalog was published. And more importantly, service parts books only show the parts that are available at any given time for a particular application, not necessarily what was delivered from the factory at assembly, either optionally or standard. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that an insignificant part like a rear pickup bumper used for only a couple of years would be dropped and replaced by a similar and totally suitable replacement.

If you want a copy of my page, I'd be happy to provide one. ;-)

 

You remind me of "She, who must be obeyed" aka "She, who is never wrong!"

My wife is a Corrosion Engineer, has writen dozens of technical manuals on the subject for over 25 years.

Ask her a question and like most engineers, the answer usually runs a dozen paragraphs...when one or two would suffice!

btw: I always fly free to HI, first class doncha know. My wife racks up 1000's of frequent flier miles traveling around the globe.

More are gleaned from CC's as everything is charged on our Delta FF cards. As I recall, it takes 75K miles for one RT ticket.

 

Well Bill all of the "personal inuendo" aside, the fact of the matter is I'm qualified to state the opinion I did.

"She who must be obeyed" and "She who is never wrong" might just be right despite an arrogant and antiquated male ego of the 30s. I know that's hard to accept. You might learn to keep your place with more educated and informed people in 2010 - "She" or not.

And Bill, engineers do not write technical manuals, technical writers who are trained in specs and formats do - Engineers provide inputs to those writers.

Fords Technical Manual philosophy and documentation history were and are vastly inferior to their competition for one basic reason - Henry Ford was so cheap he wouldn't pay what it took to hire or retain quality people to write quality manuals - period.

 

She has written 100's of articles, manuals and etc.

As far as education goes, she has two Masters and a BS, an IQ of 200. I have a Masters and a BA...an IQ of 163 and belong to Mensa.

Just because I was a partsman doesn't mean I wasn't educated. In fact, I became a partsman because as a car nut, I wanted to as I didn't want to sell or repair vehicles.

Oh...and we compliment each other. She's the scientist, I'm the historian.

But...I shoulda coulda been a lawyer, as I love to argue.

btw: "She, who must be obeyed" is a catch phrase taken from the PBS series Rumpole of the Bailey. I use it in jest.

I do agree with your assessment of Henry Ford. It was once said of him...that he was so cheap, he wouldn't pay a nickel to watch an ant eat a bale of hay.

 

Well almost 2 years later I have finally solved the mystery thanks to Vintage Truck Magazine. It is a rear bumper from a 70's international, such as the '72 Scout shown here:



Mine for reference:



Feels good to solve mystery.

 

HA HA! I bet you have looked at every bumper in those 2 years! You can stop looking now!

 

Julies Cool F1

Julie, you have the correct rear bumper on your truck parked in front of the garage. The only difference is that they were painted black originaly.

the 51-52 Ford/Merc rear bumpers were exclusive to these 2 model years only. I don't have a Masters, or any of that other fancy letter stuff and have got along in life just fine.

I have had many Pickups Mercs/Fords, and I do mostly know my trucks, not everything but most. As the old saying goes if you don't learn some thing each day it a wastrd one.

As to your remark on the 48-50 Flat bumpers that is incorrect, they are nnot flat like you mentioned. They have a bit of a front roll to them, unlike the effies, which are flat.

so julie in con clusion you are definitly correct as to the rear bumper on your pickup being a 51/52 exclusive. Further just to recap 48-50 were also exclusive with a bit of a front roll. Also the front & rear bumpers for all these years were were different as to the front being different from the rear. The panel was by itself the rear that is it had more of a wrap around at the rear.

 

Glad you figured out what your bumper was intended for, and glad we don't have to write any more tech manuals on the subject. We do know, at least in his "Julie" disguise, that he won't be commenting on this any further. We did establish that the original '51/'52 bumpers are decidedly rare, and I'm glad mine is safely under lock and key. Stu

 

Reading again Dan's acidic know-it-all-ness and 2-faced gender bending reminds me just how much I don't miss him not being here.

 

Well, that's assuming the bumper on the Scout is correct...

 

Well, I checked quite a few photos before posting. But I have been known to have the occasional case of " foot in mouth" disease.

 

Well this all gives me an idea since we have 2 old IHC Scouts and a pickup at the farm , and it just so happens the Merc is in need of a back bumper .

 

...and now it's a trend. Kidding. The stock or repo brackets work, but you will only be able to get one bolt per side in the bumper. I just dummied a bolt in the other hole. I think I may have had to play around with which side of the frame the brackets go on as well. Either way it's a bolt on customization. There was a red ford on eBay with the same bumper a while back.