PDA

View Full Version : 1979 Bumpers Chrome Over Aluminum?

krek
02-09-2009, 05:07 PM
The bumpers on the '79 I just picked up are chrome plated and are peeling and bubbling.

Are they chrome over aluminum?

I'm thinking of replacing them with the polished aluminum bumpers from the '89 and having these stripped and powdercoated black for the SuperChief (fewer holes to have welded up in the '79 bumpers).

Doable?
Elliott
02-09-2009, 05:18 PM
In '79... apparently some were chromed steel and some were chromed aluminum. If it's peeling it's probably aluminum, the weight difference is a dead giveaway... as well as a magnet not sticking I suppose.
RubiconMike
02-09-2009, 05:20 PM
Yes, for a short while they did chrome over aluminum. After enough customer complaints about chrome peeling, they stopped chroming them and just polished the aluminum. I have an '82 that's polished.

Someone on this board that knows more than me about the bumpers can probably tell you which years were chromed steel, chromed aluminum, and polished aluminum.
Headhoncho
02-09-2009, 07:26 PM
I had the same peeling chrome over aluminum/magnesium bumpers. I believe it's a '79-'80 thing. From what I was told, there is NOTHING you can do with them. They're junk. I found a nice polished aluminum one off an '82 J10 I'll use later.


JR
krek
02-09-2009, 07:35 PM
I'll go back to the original plan of having someone weld up all of the holes in the 89 bumbers and have them powdercoated black.
mdill
02-09-2009, 09:18 PM
From every thing I have found 79 was the first and only year Jeep chromed the Aluminum bumpers (Was not a good idea) .
As far as I can also tell Jeep never offered a steel one peice bumper, also I have never seen a aftermarket Aluminum bumber only chrome over steel, so I am pretty sure if you have a chrome steel 79+ bumper it is aftermarket, and likely better that a 79 OEM Jeep bumper.

Mike D.
Justin Kerns
02-09-2009, 10:12 PM
Mine are chromed steel - very heavy and not peeling. Must have switched to aluminum mid-year or something???
mdill
02-09-2009, 10:43 PM
I would bet they are aftermarket, not OEM. Not a big surprise given that the OEM chrome one look like crap after a couple years, it is more suprising that there are any of the chromed aluminum one still out there.

Mike D.

Mine are chromed steel - very heavy and not peeling. Must have switched to aluminum mid-year or something???