I've got a question for the historians in the bunch. I would like to know about the bumpers on AD trucks. I recall seeing, on a number of occasions, two different types of front bumpers (I vaguely think they were on GMCs, but I don't really remember for sure). Of course, there is the simple bumper, like is found on Mike Cavey's truck featured on the cover of Tom Brownell's first edition of "How to Restore Your Chevrolet Pickup" (1991).
The second style, which I thought was pretty common until I started combing the gallery looking for a visual aid, appears to be a heavier duty bumper that was manufactured in a press. That is, it there is a design that looks a little bit like a boxy "belt-line" that was stamped into the bumper, centered horizontally that runs the full width of the bumper.
1. Does anybody else know what I am talking about?
2. If so, what is the history? Were they factory/dealer options? Were they aftermarket products? Did they only get fitted to the heavier trucks?
3. Now, here is a real geek question: Does anybody know how exactly they were manufactured? (As in, do you know if they were stamped and if so, the tonnage of the press? We had a 1947, 280 ton [I think] press brake in our mfg plant, and there is NO WAY it could have stamped those bumpers, so I'm also interested in the heavy machinery used to make the bumpers.
