Replacement Bumpers

Roadster Rich

Roadster Rich

Senior Member
Ready to replace my rusted front and rear bumpers on a 30 Standard Roadster. Cost to replate is much too high. Any suggestions on which is best, the stainless steel or the plated replacements?
 
Rich, it is another one of those things that personal choice does come in to play. With the stainless you do not have any issues with the plating, they are what they are. If you are wanting the authentic look, then you would want to go with the plated. You can tell the difference between the two. I am not sure what the price difference is.....but I am not really sure that there is a "best", just two different bumpers and two different applications. Either bumper that would be purchased from the suppliers, would not have the correct finish for judging if that is any concern for you. :rolleyes:
 
rich,
i purchased 3 full sets of the ss and have been very happy with them. i never tried the chrome so cannot help you there. my cars also see no water or weather so maybe some input on daily drivers will help.
 
Rich, I bought plated bumpers from Little Dearborn Parts for my 30 Std roadster and am quite happy with them. My friend bought the plated bumper set from Macs and they are very nice too.I had a set of stainless on the 30 Murray sedan I had and I don't think they looked as good as the plated and they were quite pricey.
 
Minnesota...Good looking bumpers!

Barry B./ Ma. said:
Rich, I bought plated bumpers from Little Dearborn Parts for my 30 Std roadster and am quite happy with them. My friend bought the plated bumper set from Macs and they are very nice too.I had a set of stainless on the 30 Murray sedan I had and I don't think they looked as good as the plated and they were quite pricey.
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Hi Barry,
Little Dearborn Parts, Minneapolis, MN manufacturers the plated bumpers and then sells them locally and to Model A parts vendors across the country. What you buy from Macs, Mike's, Snyder's etc, is most likely from Little Dearborn. I do not know of another manufacturer of plated bumpers in the States.
I guess that's why your friend's plated bumpers are real nice too. ;)

Minnesota...Land of 10,000 lakes, cold winters, way more mosquitos than necessary and very nice Model A plated bumpers...Ya..you betcha..for sure!

ps: I have the SS on the front of my phaeton and the plated on the rear. The rear are starting to show rust through some pits...
The plated are about 12 years old. It will be time to do something about the rust soon. The ss look pretty good!

Good Day!
Dave in MN
 
Roadster Rich said:
Any suggestions on which is best, the stainless steel or the plated replacements?
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The best is pretty subjective, it all depends on what you want.

I live in a northern state that heavily salts the roads during the winter. Since I drive my car pretty much every day, I've gone with the stainless steel bumpers. As others have noted, you can tell the difference between them and chrome plated bumpers. It isn't that the stainless bumpers look bad, but they do look different. If appearances are important, you may want to stick with chrome.

I found the price differential to be minimal. Looking at Little Dearborn's catalog, the front bumpers for a 30/31 in chrome sell for $210, in stainless steel they go for $245.
 
Since you aren't going for a "show car", place an add for used good bumpers on this site.
I've gotten two nice ones for $50 - $75, over the years.
 
One of the guys at Mike's suggested a while back that some of the new bumpers were actually slightly shorter than the originals, but I've not measured new vs. original to compare. On my '29 phaeton, I am running a chrome front bumper with a stainless rear bumper (the difference in brightness and the possible difference in lengths is not noticeable since they are opposite ends of the car). The front bumper was re-plated back in the late 1960's and is still presentable, but the rear bumpers that were plated at the same time, started showing rust and signs of wear back in the early 1990's, so I replaced the rear bumper with a stainless one so that it will withstand exhaust and weathering better. Twenty years later, it is still holding up well, and the exhaust and road grime comes off the back side of the bumper relatively easy. Just MHO.

Dick
 
Thanks for all the input. Since I live close enough to Mike's AFordable parts in Georgia, I think I have to go there and see the difference. If the stainless look acceptable, I think I will go for that over the plated.
 
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