Wagon Bumper History

[Jeepeta]

Not sure if it exists on this site yet but I am curious the history of bumpers used over the years on the GW.

UPDATED BELOW

Early years
1962 to ???
3 piece, painted, rust prone

1962 to 1978
3 piece, chrome plated steel, rust and pit prone
(note later runs have 3 bolt holes per side instead of two)

1979 to 1985 to 19??
1 piece boxy type aluminum, w/wt rubber nerf & bumps, prone to cracking under stress around mounts, duller finish

19?? to 1988 to 1991
1 piece boxy type chrome plated steel, w/wt rubber nerf & bumps, rust and pit prone

Unless this has already been covered, I will update the orig post based on your replies but for now i'll put confirmed years between the "to's".

To some this may serve as helpful information when searching/evaluating replacements.

Personally I like the box aluminum ones. No rust and can shine very well when polished. They can chip and crack thou.....

[ August 18, 2004, 06:57 AM: Message edited by: Jeepeta ]

[joe]

Not sure when "chrome" was first an option on the early bumpers but the same 3 piece(chrome or painted) bumper was standard from 62-78. In 79 AMC went to the one piece and was chromed steel. In 80 and till the end in 91 the same one piece was now polished aluminum. The rubber shopping cart pads were optional on some and standard on others depending on which model, option pak etc.

[67Wagoneer]

My '67 came stock with chrome bumpers.

To my best recollection, the "standard" trim package in 1967 had painted bumpers, and the "custom" package had chrome. My father rustproofed the inside of all the bumper components and kept the exterior polished. Still looks like new.

[keej]

Does anyone have picture examples of each type of bumper??? Good thread

[67Wagoneer]

I'll be taking some pics of mine to post here, I'll put some bumper shots on this thread.

[Tonka J200]

Chrome 3-piece bumpers were available from the get-go in 1962.

I know that later in the run of the 3-piece bumpers, they added an additional bolt-hole. I bought a couple NOS bumper end pieces and one of them was advertised as fitting a '75 to '78 and it has an extra hole. I bought it thinking that all 3-piece bumpers were the same. I figure I can just put an extra bumper bolt in it and see who notices!

[Bob Barry]

I believe the ones from '79-'91 were all aluminum. Originally, they tried chroming them, I think, but the chrome didn't stick. Then they were anodized aluminum.

[Jeepeta]

Originally posted by Bob Barry:
I believe the ones from '79-'91 were all aluminum. Originally, they tried chroming them, I think, but the chrome didn't stick. Then they were anodized aluminum.

I can personally confirm that the 79-91 1 piece bumpers are indeed not all aluminum. The 88 wagon I am getting next week has rust on the bumpers and last I knew aluminum didn't rust.
[img]smile.gif[/img]

Also can confirm from what I found in a salvage yard for my 85. I removed a twisted up alum one from my current 85 and swapped to a newer steel chrome one....

Thanks all for your replies. I'll keep updating the orig post. We still need to determine the span of aluminum 1 pieces and the beginning of the switch to chrome plated steel.

[mikeythefireman]

Sorry guys, but whats NOS? I've seen it only in reference to FSJ's and I'm confused. It seems to refer to stock parts, is that right?

[Jeepeta]

Originally posted by mikeythefireman:
Sorry guys, but whats NOS? I've seen it only in reference to FSJ's and I'm confused. It seems to refer to stock parts, is that right?

NOS - 'N'ew 'O'ld 'S'tock

Basically, its been in a wharehouse, or dealer stock laying around for years. Parts are new/never used, hence New old stock reference.

[joe]

Originally posted by Jeepeta:
[QBI can personally confirm that the 79-91 1 piece bumpers are indeed not all aluminum. The 88 wagon I am getting next week has rust on the bumpers and last I knew aluminum didn't rust.
[/QB]

Put a magnet to it. If it is steel I'm betting it's a swapped in 79 bumper. I've never yet seen an 80 up one piece that wasn't aluminum other than J-truck rears.

[Rande]

I can also confirm the existence of chromed steel, one-piece bumpers. I have one myself. It is unusable and I'm not sure what year vehicle it came from.

[Bob Davis '80 Chero]

'80 J trucks indeed did have one piece steel bumpers. Chromed. The steel seems to have been laminated as they tend to peel apart on the bottoms. No aluminum bumpers on trucks in '80. Can't say about later trucks.

[Jeepeta]

Originally posted by -joe:
Put a magnet to it. If it is steel I'm betting it's a swapped in 79 bumper. I've never yet seen an 80 up one piece that wasn't aluminum other than J-truck rears.[/QB]

It is indeed steel, both front and rear, and its an 88 with its ORIGINAL chrome bumpers AFAIK.

I am 100% positive my 85 has its original aluminum ones. The one was cracked and I replaced, the other well I recently had to straighten and got a nice close look.

We could be dealing with variations due to location point of assembly, different factories could've had different stock of the 1 piece bumpers.

Looks like I am going to have to start pulling over fellow jeeps I see and taking a survey [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Bob Barry]

Originally posted by Jeepeta:
It is indeed steel, both front and rear, and its an 88 with its ORIGINAL chrome bumpers AFAIK.

I am 100% positive my 85 has its original aluminum ones. The one was cracked and I replaced, the other well I recently had to straighten and got a nice close look.

We could be dealing with variations due to location point of assembly, different factories could've had different stock of the 1 piece bumpers.[/QB]

Odd, really odd. I just checked the bumpers from THREE DIFFERENT '88 Grand Wagoneers that I have lying around (they are good scrap-value), and the magnet wouldn't stick to any of them. All the other bumpers of that era that I've seen have also been aluminum.

They were all assembled at Toledo in the 80's, so it wouldn't be an assembly difference.

Looks like we've got to start taking a magnet to all those FSJ bumpers we pass in parking-lots... [img]smile.gif[/img]