factory push bar
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2013
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factory push bar
Does any one have one of those OEM push bars or bull bars for a 1978 F-250 4x4 for sale. Ran one up on e-bay to nearly 400 bucks! Crazy. It had the fog lights and cab switch with it. My truck's marti sheet says it came out with fog lights,so other than on one of these "cactus smashers" where would the fog lamps be mounted on? I believe the truck has it's orig. bumper and grille etc. so I find no holes where they could have been mounted.Thanks
Logistics Pro
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,238
Likes: 21
From: Northern Illinois
If it came with fog lights it came with the push bar. That was the only way to get the fog lights.
I was going to bid on that as well with all of the options it had but it was not worth the ending bid price IMO.
I also have another push bar but it isn't for sale.
I was going to bid on that as well with all of the options it had but it was not worth the ending bid price IMO.
I also have another push bar but it isn't for sale.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,194
Likes: 5,793
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
I have one on each truck, I searched far and wide for them and have only one spare now (sorry not for sale). I traded another one I had to a fellow FTE bud and sold my other 2 spares (one to another FTE'er and one to a Ford truck buddy).
I am maintaining the other spare to some day find a fab shop that can bend me a close match, then I will be burning up the FTE classifieds.
Till then craigslist and just keep and eye out they do pop up every now and again. You do know there is a slight difference in the top bumper mounting bar angles, right?
A 73-77 (no slit bumper) guard will not mount on a 78-79 slit bumper and vice versa. But if you find one getting them to fit is fairly easy.
In my pic the blue 78 (with swap in square head lights) has a guard off a 79 truck, the silver 77.5 has a bumper off a JY 79 bronco and the Po welded the guard to it....duh.
I had one off a 76 and it would not line up on the 78.. so I know for sure there is a difference. Good luck finding them, I looked for years then it seems like I found one every week on some parts truck somewhere, and yes I bought everyone I could.
Light tabs/lights and switches are ultra rare.
I am maintaining the other spare to some day find a fab shop that can bend me a close match, then I will be burning up the FTE classifieds.
Till then craigslist and just keep and eye out they do pop up every now and again. You do know there is a slight difference in the top bumper mounting bar angles, right?
A 73-77 (no slit bumper) guard will not mount on a 78-79 slit bumper and vice versa. But if you find one getting them to fit is fairly easy.
In my pic the blue 78 (with swap in square head lights) has a guard off a 79 truck, the silver 77.5 has a bumper off a JY 79 bronco and the Po welded the guard to it....duh.
I had one off a 76 and it would not line up on the 78.. so I know for sure there is a difference. Good luck finding them, I looked for years then it seems like I found one every week on some parts truck somewhere, and yes I bought everyone I could.
Light tabs/lights and switches are ultra rare.
Logistics Pro
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,238
Likes: 21
From: Northern Illinois
Till then craigslist and just keep and eye out they do pop up every now and again. You do know there is a slight difference in the top bumper mounting bar angles, right?
A 73-77 (no slit bumper) guard will not mount on a 78-79 slit bumper and vice versa. But if you find one getting them to fit is fairly easy.
In my pic the blue 78 (with swap in square head lights) has a guard off a 79 truck, the silver 77.5 has a bumper off a JY 79 bronco and the Po welded the guard to it....duh.
I had one off a 76 and it would not line up on the 78.. so I know for sure there is a difference.
A 73-77 (no slit bumper) guard will not mount on a 78-79 slit bumper and vice versa. But if you find one getting them to fit is fairly easy.
In my pic the blue 78 (with swap in square head lights) has a guard off a 79 truck, the silver 77.5 has a bumper off a JY 79 bronco and the Po welded the guard to it....duh.
I had one off a 76 and it would not line up on the 78.. so I know for sure there is a difference.
Heres some good info on the factory push bars:
This is a factory correct push bar for the 78-79 Bronco's:
There was an early style bar like this that fit the 77 style bumper.
Mounts for a 77 model:
Mounts for the 78-79 bumper:
You can see the difference in the way the top mount plate is bent. The problem comes when trying to mount the bottom bolts. 77 style on a 78-79 truck:
It just won't work. So best bet is to match up the style of the upper mounting plate, by the pics it looks like an early model, and if you plan on using it on a 78-79 forget about it.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,404
Likes: 14
From: Bloomington, IN
I have a couple of the "white buffalo" as well. If you look at the one on the left it has the factory fog light brackets, though its a different location than ranger429, but correct to numberdummy's diagram. Not sure if this is true or not but I was always told that you can also tell the difference in the 78/79 version vs pre-78/79 by the bottom feet (lower mounting bumper brackets). The 78/79 feet had a rounded bracket while the 73/77 feet were square...?
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Logistics Pro
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,238
Likes: 21
From: Northern Illinois
Thanks Rich
The light brackets, from what I have read, on a truck they mounted on the top bar, the Bronco had them mounted on the bottom bar. Brackets are not interchangeable from the top to bottom bar. I have a set of brackets for the top bar on my spare push bar. I will probably mount that one on my Supercab resto.
I have a couple of the "white buffalo" as well. If you look at the one on the left it has the factory fog light brackets, though its a different location than ranger429, but correct to numberdummy's diagram. Not sure if this is true or not but I was always told that you can also tell the difference in the 78/79 version vs pre-78/79 by the bottom feet (lower mounting bumper brackets). The 78/79 feet had a rounded bracket while the 73/77 feet were square...?
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Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,194
Likes: 5,793
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
I sold one set of light tabs that came off the top bar and one of my bars has the mount holes on the top and bottom bar. The silver truck has the tabs on the bottom.
They look interchangeable to me? Also I do believe that another difference is the bottom tabs are either rounded on a 78-79 and square on a 73-77?
This bunch of stuff is spoken for, but the guy better contact me again soon, other wise its back for sale on the FTE classifides....
They look interchangeable to me? Also I do believe that another difference is the bottom tabs are either rounded on a 78-79 and square on a 73-77?
This bunch of stuff is spoken for, but the guy better contact me again soon, other wise its back for sale on the FTE classifides....
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 251
Likes: 9
i think ill just have some tabs welded to my facotry bar so that i can put auxiliary lighting on thre. doesnt seem like itd be too hard and it needs a new paint job anyways not to mention im going to be taking the whole front end off to put in a new grille surround.
Logistics Pro
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,238
Likes: 21
From: Northern Illinois
I sold one set of light tabs that came off the top bar and one of my bars has the mount holes on the top and bottom bar. The silver truck has the tabs on the bottom.
They look interchangeable to me? Also I do believe that another difference is the bottom tabs are either rounded on a 78-79 and square on a 73-77?
This bunch of stuff is spoken for, but the guy better contact me again soon, other wise its back for sale on the FTE classifides....
They look interchangeable to me? Also I do believe that another difference is the bottom tabs are either rounded on a 78-79 and square on a 73-77?
This bunch of stuff is spoken for, but the guy better contact me again soon, other wise its back for sale on the FTE classifides....
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,194
Likes: 5,793
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
Good to know the mount hole factoid. Like I said in an earlier post, I am trying to locate a fab shop that can bend up a close match and maybe have a little reproduction run for the FTE classifieds some day.
Did you keep yours off the black truck when it sold?
Did you keep yours off the black truck when it sold?
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 188
Likes: 1
From: Charleston, SC
There's another one up on ebay. around 400$
http://www.ebay.com/itm/73-79-ford-cactus-smasher-brush-gaurd-push-bar-1973-197-1975-1976-1977-1978-1979-/261205215974?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd10b4ae6&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/73-79-ford-cactus-smasher-brush-gaurd-push-bar-1973-197-1975-1976-1977-1978-1979-/261205215974?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd10b4ae6&vxp=mtr