front bumper worth saving?
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Freshman User
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front bumper worth saving?
My 65 F100 has a fairly large dent where the former owner must have hit a parking meter or something. Questions.. How hard is it to reshape and pound out dents in a bumper? What years are compatible with 65? And what is a good ballpark price for a chrome replacement? Thanks for your help..
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: East Central Florida
The re-Pop or replacement bumper face bars are not the same quality or guage metal as the OEM face bars were. If all you have is a dent in it, check into a local re-Chrome Shop, they straighten & rePlate chrome bumpers, if you can find one in your area.
FBp
FBp
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From: Mesa, AZ
LMCtruck has chrome front bumpers for $169 and lists 64-72 as the same. I would imagine by the time you pounded out or reshaped your current bumper and payed to have it rechromed you would be out that much anyway. They also list paintable bumpers for $99.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Elizabethtown, PA
FBp is right on the money. The repro bumpers are thin garbage, IMO. Not to mention they are really made for the 67-72 trucks so the end contours are not right for our trucks, though they fit in the sense they bolt up.
I had very nice cores, and had Tri-State Plating straighten and rechrome mine. It will run you about 2x what a repro bumper costs but there is no comparison in the quality of the prep work and plating. Placed beside the Taiwan bumper it's quickly apparent which is which.
If all you want is a shiny bumper on your truck, the repro is fine. If you want something for a truck you plan to show, you won't likely be happy with the repro version.
I had very nice cores, and had Tri-State Plating straighten and rechrome mine. It will run you about 2x what a repro bumper costs but there is no comparison in the quality of the prep work and plating. Placed beside the Taiwan bumper it's quickly apparent which is which.
If all you want is a shiny bumper on your truck, the repro is fine. If you want something for a truck you plan to show, you won't likely be happy with the repro version.
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I will look at having it repaired, this is a farm truck so it won't be anything I will be spending big bucks on. What about other years that match up to 65? Just in case I get lucky and find something in a junkyard?
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: willamette valley ore
If you decide to have your core replated ( which I would recommend ), have it done by a reputable ( which usually means experienced ) plater. I had a front bumper replated for our '67 galaxie and within two years the plating started to flake off in a couple of spots even though I keep it waxed. I had the rear bumper replated about two years ago by a different shop and it still looks show quality. Yes the cost was about double but it is worth it. Steve
