The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 53 rear bumper

I've asked before, but I'm still confused. I had a bumper on the rear of my '53 3100 that was curved, and I figure it's actually a front bumper. It isn't as rounded as the stock '53 rear bumper, and it fits the front bumper brackets just right. But a stock rear bumper doesn't line up with the rear bumper brackets. What's going on here? Did '54 s or 1st 55's have a different (more like the front) bumper??

Actually, the rear bumper for 54 and 1st 55 had a dip in the middle as the license plate was at the bottom middle of the bed. It was much different from the front bumper.

Doug
'54 3100

The bumper brackets are different.front and rear on 47 to 53

On the single-unit bodies ('burb, panel), the front and rear bumpers were identical. On the pick-ups, the rear bumpers were a little different, and they used different brackets. Some PO must have put a 'burb/panel rear bumper/brackets on the pick-up.

Due to the curve of a front bumper and assuming you had correct rear brackets with a front bumper, the brackets may have been "adjusted" somewhat to fit the curved bumper. I'm not sure if the hole spacing is the same, but keep in mind that the 47/48 bumpers were a lot more rounded in the vertical dimension and look like car bumpers. Also note that the correct 53 rear bumper has the same curve as the front in the vertical dimension, but the rear is shorter and does not have as much curve on the ends as the front. Rear bumpers were not that common originally, and I still wouldn't be surprised if you have car brackets on your truck. Do you have any pictures?

Thanks Curt and 50GMC253...the panel/suburb answer seems to fit. The brackets look and fit like they're stock (no modifications or fabricating). And the bumper's pretty much identical to the front bumper. Always seems to be a mystery who's done what to these old trucks.

Kevin