1988 Bumper Info
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Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,072
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From: California
1988 Bumper Info
I want to buy a new front bumper for my 1988 E250 Van. My current bumper is kinked, due to the PO. Also, i have a winch sitting in the garage collecting dust. And it'd be great to have a grill and light guard.
So, some questions.
Are bumpers for the F-250 the same for my E-250 van?
Are there aftermarket bumpers for my 1988 van style? I've searched several websites, and when I put in my year/make/model, the list narrows to nothing or a basic bumper without winch or grill/light guards.
I noticed in the forum that nearly everyone with bumper and grill guards made their own out of scrap metal. I'm somewhat willing to do that, but if there was an off-the-shelf bumper/grill-guard/winch-mount for my 1988 Van, I'd love to find it.
So, some questions.
Are bumpers for the F-250 the same for my E-250 van?
Are there aftermarket bumpers for my 1988 van style? I've searched several websites, and when I put in my year/make/model, the list narrows to nothing or a basic bumper without winch or grill/light guards.
I noticed in the forum that nearly everyone with bumper and grill guards made their own out of scrap metal. I'm somewhat willing to do that, but if there was an off-the-shelf bumper/grill-guard/winch-mount for my 1988 Van, I'd love to find it.
Postmaster
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,560
Likes: 1
considering that the van body is so similar to the 73-79 pickup body, i might suggest you find a pickup from those years and measure the distance between frame rails at the bumper and compare it to yours. may as well check the 80s trucks too. most factory bumpers, including ours, mount with bolts through the face of the bumper into a bracket attached to the frame rail. many aftermarket bumpers mount with brackets that bolt onto the side of the frame rail, so any truck that has the same frame width up front will be something to look up on your bumper search. just make sure to stick with full size trucks - don't want to see a mini-truck bumper thats way too narrow 
as i'm sure you've found, winch bumpers for pickups are everywhere, because people expect to see those off road, so thats why i'm pushing toward that compatibility search
as i'm sure you've found, winch bumpers for pickups are everywhere, because people expect to see those off road, so thats why i'm pushing toward that compatibility search
Postmaster
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,560
Likes: 1
my 83 F250 shows 37 3/4 OC between bumper mounting bolts. they mount to the tip of the frame rail where its a semi-closed end, so they can be estimated as the center of the frame rails. they use two bolts per side, one right above the other.
what i was thinking of in my previous post was the frame rail outer-to-outer dimension, as thats where many aftermarket units mount. right now its raining too hard for me to get under the truck and get soaked trying to measure that one for you.
the econolines mount to angle brackets on the outside of the frame rail, so the inboard bolt is a couple inches inboard of the rail, and the outboard bolt is likewise outside of the frame rail by a couple inches. for a bumper to mount as i suggested would require some changes to these brackets, which i believe are riveted to the frame, or maybe welded, i don't remember exactly.
what i was thinking of in my previous post was the frame rail outer-to-outer dimension, as thats where many aftermarket units mount. right now its raining too hard for me to get under the truck and get soaked trying to measure that one for you.
the econolines mount to angle brackets on the outside of the frame rail, so the inboard bolt is a couple inches inboard of the rail, and the outboard bolt is likewise outside of the frame rail by a couple inches. for a bumper to mount as i suggested would require some changes to these brackets, which i believe are riveted to the frame, or maybe welded, i don't remember exactly.
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