The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts chrome vs, stainless steel bumper

I am trying to decide if I should get a chrome or stainless bumper for my 41, any experience or thoughts which way to go? Dave

Chrome these days does not seem that great, could be good sources I guess? I think SS will last you the long haul if you can accept the price difference.

Brad, Where is a source for the SS bumper correct for a 1941?
Al

I have seen several sourceses from the usual suppliers. Filling station is one, but there are others. Dave

I'll chime in on this one. My opinions are based on countless discussions with a friend who worked in a chrome shop for a number of years and then opened his own polishing shop where he does show quality trim straightening and polishing of stainless steel trim.

Chrome, pros:
Luster: chrome shine has an unmatched depth to it
Color: chrome has a slight blueish tint to it
Chrome cons:
If you bend it or scratch it you are done. Want it fixed? Send it back to the shop to have all of the chrome ground off, straighten the piece and re chrome.
If damage occurs that breaks through the chrome and nickel layers the underlying steel will begin to rust and the chrome will peel off.

Stainless cons:
doesn't have that blueish tint, however it also doesn't have the yellow of nickel, I would call it color neutral.
Possibly a bit less depth of shine, I really can't describe this without pointing to a piece of chrome next to a piece of polished stainless. 99.9 percent of car nuts will never know the difference.
Stainless pros:
Got a scuff or scratch without a dent.? Get out the sandpaper and polishing compound and take it out in the same manner hat you buff out paint. A lot harder surface and you probably start with a more aggressive grit but the concept is the same.
Bend or dent? The chrome/polishing shop can fix it just like they did with the chrome bumper but without the labor of grinding off the existing chrome or the expense of replating it. As he EPA gets increasingly out of control chrome plating is likely to become prohibitively expensive or shut down entirely.

With all of that said I have not seen any examples of stainless bumpers and I would expect that out of the box they will not have a show quality shine, but here again, get out the polishing compound and buff it out.

I hope that someone finds this helpful.

One last comment regarding low quality stainless, although it won't rust, it can get tiny pits in it that are visible if you look really close.

Helped me, thanks. Dave

I see several sources for SS and repo. chrome bumpers for the 41-46 trucks. Does anyone know if they are even close to the originals as far as curve, length and bolt up. I am referring to fit to our big trucks not the pick-ups of the same vintage.
Al

Have to be careful with chrome, to be done properly, must be cleaned, Cu plated, polished, Ni plated(Model A Ford) then chrome. Some cheaply, offshore people only do the chrome, starts rusting right away.

Ed

Ed, you are very correct in your statement regarding the plating process. I was on the phone, with a plating shop in SLC, this morning checking on chrome plating some stamped aluminum caps for another project. It does pay to know your plater and ask questions before you spend any money! Nothing worse than to spend good money and then see rust come up shortly.....GRRRRRR. Still wondering about the fit of the new "Repo" bumpers, both in polished SS and Chrome plated steel, on our larger trucks 1941- early 47. I am not anxious to ask desk help at one of the vendors as they may have no idea other than what they are told.
Al