I have just been wide awake, so since I can't sleep, gonna play a little.

I guess this is like a pole of opinions. Back in '22 I had repainted my rear bumper a graphite color using wheel paint. It's a bumper I made in the '80s from a bumper removed from front of a Blazer, friend said it was just too heavy. It is heavy, I use a ATV / motorcycle jack to remove or install it, easily 100, maybe 150 pounds. It is like 3/16" thick as I recall, 8" high, has a 2" lip top and bottom, and then the 1/8" diamond plate, 1/4" mount plates welded in, and I likely added a few extra ponds of E7014 into it as I was in a vo-tech welding class (taught by a friend and this was my project I took to do, as they had torches, etc too).

A friend talked me into repainting it a silver color later, but I don't know, just looks a little too bright. A few days ago I run across a picture of the graphite, It is a dark look, but it doesn't show welded holes (where it bolted to the Blazer front frame), and then I just like it too. Then, today, in the basement looking for some plumbing pieces ... I found a box on a shelf with several cans of the graphite, still good too.

If I were doing any welding to it, I'd take it off to do but I think I'd rather leave it in place just to sand & paint, less chance of bumping the white too.




I have a 36"x36" sheet of polished diamond plate aluminum, and I have some plain stainless steel too (just 6" wide though), thought about one of them. Might try to "mock" or duplicate the look today.

Anyone?





 

I like either one. The graphite looks cool, but it might depend on what else on the truck is a similar color.
The darker would match the tires, but I’m not sure.
Got any overall pics?

 

If you are running any wheels besides black wheels then silver!!

 

When I got my truck originally, the Barden bumper was painted black. Not bad, but I painted it silver anyway and it’s always been much better.
I’m in the middle of mocking up a new bumper that a friend is fabricating. Haven’t decided what color to paint it yet.
All the ones we made for super duty trucks were standard satin black and looked fine. But I’m not sure what I’ll do with mine yet.

 

Just the black 15x8 "Ten-D-holers" with stainless rings and centers.

 

Did play a little today, stuck the sheet of aluminum up to the face with a magnet, to help visualize it in same light / angle as the bumper. It would be easy to cut pieces out on my band saw, sized to cover just the flat face of the bumper. Like just to cover the face to the left and right of the tag well. I'd apply a double stick backing or some 3M super contact adhesive, add a few small rivets or screws across the edges, maybe create a top lip to overlap that top most edge.

Might look better than I thought? Once cut and just stuck in place (tape is temporary) I'd be better set to decide. I could add two of those rubber bumper strips, to keep from "smootering" (technical term there) the aluminum diamond tread pattern features against a dumpster, etc. This 3x3 sheet will easily provide up to 5 covers, so would have spares ... or I could just stop before bumping a dumpster.



I WOULD cut the two pieces same width as the tag well is tall (6-1/2" x 16"), to keep the exposed steel the same for sake of continuity. I would leave the tag well painted as is & just paint the top surface (is welded steel steel diamond tread) if ever needed?

06-26-2025: Just another stinking hot day, and threat of serious rain, but I did get my two pieces cut. This is gonna look OK after all. I just need to smooth the edges, etc.

 

My edges came out straight on my fine tooth band saw cuts, a light touch with a foam sanding block, OK. Might not notice, but they are exact opposites of each other.

pic 1

pic 2

Was blue tape holding it in place, and the two magnets under it just mark where the bumper mount plates are so I don't drill there. Tonight after supper, I got them mounted with that vinyl between them, waited for cool part of the day, but still could not believe the sweat. Each one has 12 aluminum pop rivets in a measured pattern, and they will polish up like aluminum. No tape, no magnets, and from more that a few feet away they blend so well as to be unseen. If I desire, I can drill the rivets out and put ss ones in.

 

I know I seemed to give it too much thought, but I really did grow tired of seeing the not smooth old plug welds where I filled 8 old 1/2" holes so many years ago, and I didn't want to remove the bumper to fill them, or otherwise fix them. Johnny did a superb job in 1989, but I didn't realize or had forgotten .... when I wire brushed it planning to just clean up and repaint, but then I remembered why he did it when the filler came out. I was thinking on it recently, and prior to 1989 I had planned to cover the face with stainless steel, but Johnny didn't know that I guess, so he did it as a favor. Roy offered to redo the bumper in 2022 but then I knew the extent needed.

Anyway ... I got the new pieces on last evening after dark and so this morning as I went out to get a picture of a stock steering shaft / coupler, I saw the bumper in daylight. Those pop rivets may sound bad to say, but even not polished yet, they blend. No tape, no magnets, and being aluminum, easy to replace, paint, etc if needed. I might drill and replace them with stainless pop rivets, but I don't see a real need. After these pics, I did polish up a box of these same aluminum pop rivets.



So unless something happens, I'll just call it done.

But wait .... ... I do have a large 4' x 3' piece of 1/4" thick aluminum sheet that was once a Dewalt radial arm saw table top as well as a few old signs discarded by the highway shop, I wonder how they would polish up?

I also have a couple 6 foot long pieces of slick (harder than aluminum) stainless steel sheet that polishes really nice, mirror like, I think it is just 6" wide though (1/2" narrower), but then I could add an edging ... or even just overlap a narrower piece at the bottom to get to the 6-1/2" ? I have a special wheel just for cutting it.

All that aside, I'm really good on this as it is ... ... I'm just thinking down the road like if the aluminum got damaged some how that I had to fix it.

 

If I owned an F-100 or an F-150 this is the rear bumper I would want.
Both of my F-250s came with the factory painted step bumper.

 

Mine had one of those, and it was in perfect shape too. Pretty, but not well suited for climbing up into the bed (without slipping and busting one's *** or other valuables). I soon got a fiberglass shell (was $300, buddy's dad had it just sitting unused as he sold his truck) soon after buying the truck and we wanted to camp some. I did have a hitch step I made for a easier climb too (but it was low enough that I just slid it in when we were actually ready to climb in over the tail gate, otherwise I put it in the bed just before we pulled out). The shell was real handy later when I was building my house too. I left the mount brackets in place (and I still use them) but I gave the shiny bumper to a friend (It was the just in my way, but now a days I might let it go for a dinner for Wife and I ) that wanted it to replace his (was bent as he had used the bumper mount hitch once too often). I did help him put a proper frame mount hitch on too.

Not long later, maybe weeks, he got hit in the rear. I worked the wreck .... & so much for that.

06-30-2025 update: Today, after mowing, etc,I recalled I meant to add some thicker covering to separate the aluminum from the steel, and I had some polished pop rivets to go in, and so I pulled them off, and I added a layer of vinyl. Then while off, I painted the steel and even in the tag well, a color called "aluminum" that has a matte aluminum look to it. I did accidentally mess up a couple numbers of the tag, but I touched them up. I also added some good polish / wax to the plates. I just added it here as no need to add more posts.

 

I have that exact bumper on my 76 f100 xlt. At 1st I wanted to change it for the exact reason stated below….its not a “step” type bumper. Then I realized how low the bed rails / tailgate is compared to my ram 2500. So it’s staying.