OK, I have a question for those of you in here. Some of you know I am restoring / rebuilding my grand dad's '74 F100 Explorer. While most of it will go back original, some mods will take place too (headers, late model f-150 riims, etc)

The real question I am trying to decide is if I should replace the rear bumper. She currently has her original steel (painted) step bumper with "Decatur County Motors Parsons, TENN" stamped into it.
I know I will have to have it straightened and repaired, but I can get a new chrome bumper like the front as cheap or cheaper than it will cost to repair the original.
Anyone have suggestions or comments on this? I open the floor up to all of you.
BTW, I have pics of the existing bumper in the gallery, but can't get the doggone pics to post here. Sorry.

 

BLING BLING. Go chrome. All the factory Ford bumpers from 73-late 90s truck bumpers will work with little or no mods and are abundant/cheap. shhh dont tell anyone but the mid 90s Z71 bumpers bolt right on to your existing bumper brackets. I paid $10 for one from a junk yard in very nice shape.

 

Just look at my truck to see how much nicer the chrome step bumper looks over the painted one

 

I put a 'standard/sport' rear bumper on my F100 and I have no regrets.

 

I tried my best to keep my original painted step bumper and was willing to pay a chrome shop $400 to chrome it for me. No takers though. They all said they didnt want their shop name on a chrome job that would crack and peel, from a bumper that would get trailers/boats hooked to it...


I even told them I would sign of a waver of liability and weld shut my ball hole to assure no weight could be hooked to it No takers. So, regretfully, I went with the after market chrome step bumper which is o.k., but does not wrap to the outside side of the fenders which looks better on the old ford pu's. jmo.

 

Mine had a painted bumper when I got it, but the chrome bumper looks so much better.

 

i like those dealer installed bumoers. thats the way i'd go. keep some of the history of the original truck in it.

 

Keeping the original was actually the way I wanted to go, but it has so much damage and stress cracks on it, I don't know if it will even be worth the time.

 

I dig it!


I personally would not tow with it, that is what they make class III, IV and V recievers for. I would fix it up, weld up and grind down what is bad, beat out the dents, bondo the rest, and call it good

 

Keep the bumper and paint it with Rustoleum chrome paint. They call it Metallic Finish but it's chrome in a spray can. Only you will know it's not really chrome, but it sure looks like it.

 

Or try the Rustoleum Hammered Finish. Looks good, too.

 

I would go with the chrome non-step bumper. Keep the original bumper, though, just in case in the future you decide to have it redone and put back on the truck.

 

Regardless of what bumper goes on her, she will have a receiver hitch installed with trailer light plug. Big thing is how the cracks are up in the diamond tread on top. Weird location, but I guess its just from age and the way the "tread" was made when it was new.

If I have it fixed, It will probably be painted silver or white (like the Explorer stripes on the side) and maybe rhino-line the top of it where the "tread" is.

 

throw the old bumper on the wall as a reminder where the truck came form. You can alway put it on later.

 

i love DMI bumpers. if i dont have one of them ill settle with a P and H bumper. i hate reese and factor bumpers.