40 deluxe bumper and braces

MuskegonFlatheadFan

Senior Member
OK, so last night I had a little "close-encounter" between my 40 deluxe coupe and an unnamed Toyota mini van. I will be in the market for front end parts, specifically RF fender, front bumper braces, bumper and wing tip. My questions are;
1) what's the consensus on the repo fenders from Carpenter? do they fit well? do they require much prep work for paint? are they worth the premium you pay versus a good used fender?
2) what about the repo bumpers? do they fit well? is the chrome done well? do the guards and wing tips fit as they should? Should I even consider getting my original straightened and re-chromed?
3) Can the bumper braces be bent back to shape, or are they some type of spring material that would prevent that?
4) are the wing tips being reproduced? both Drake and Carpenter show them in the catalog, but both are "out of stock"
Thanks in advance for all your input, Bill
 

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I am not an expert, but I bet a good body man could repair that fender "good as new" without taking it off the car.
 
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I would stick with what you have, that does not look like much a dent. Repair should be a lot cheaper (and better) than replacement parts.
 
I see the wing tips on e-bay periodically. Straighten the bumper and rechrome it if you want to stay original. If you have a spring shop in your area they can straighten the irons. I just had some done by a spring shop here in Ca. The repo irons fit good and so do the bumpers, but they are not spring steel. I have no experience with the repo sheetmetal.
 
The repop fenders from Carpenter Have Been Reworked And Fit Great! But I Agree I would Fix Your Fender.
 
I also vote for repairing the fender.
The repop bumpers are okay at best. The authentic tips won't fit well upon the repop bumpers. The chrome will last a couple for a few years but will NEVER look like a correctly plated original. The repop bumper tips are not correct IF that matters to you.
 
I would repair the fender. Buy original bumper & original bumper bracket as they look better. You can tell a repo just by looking at it , wing tips are out there, EBay.
 
let me know on wingtips , bumper braces, have repo bumpers but they don't have 2 raised grooves on back side of fender; please pm for more details
 
Just for info not all original 40 bumpers have the two raised ribs. I have an original bumper that is smooth on the back.
 
Just for info not all original 40 bumpers have the two raised ribs. I have an original bumper that is smooth on the back.
All passenger car bumpers had the ribs when they left the factory. The ones without the ribs were service replacement.
 
So you are saying that service replacement pieces are not genuine/original Ford parts?
 
So you are saying that service replacement pieces are not genuine/original Ford parts?
Perhaps I should have been more clear...
Service replacement parts are parts supplied by the manufacture for the repair (service) of the vehicle. In other words, in this particular case, a bumper you would have got from a Ford dealer sometime after the car was built to replace a bumper on your "used" 1940 Ford.
So, while they are OEM (Ford) parts, they are not necessarily "concourse correct". Often times parts were redesigned and while they fit and functioned just fine, they were (often) not excatly what was installed at the factory build.
 
Perhaps I should have been more clear...
Service replacement parts are parts supplied by the manufacture for the repair (service) of the vehicle. In other words, in this particular case, a bumper you would have got from a Ford dealer sometime after the car was built to replace a bumper on your "used" 1940 Ford.
So, while they are OEM (Ford) parts, they are not necessarily "concourse correct". Often times parts were redesigned and while they fit and functioned just fine, they were (often) not excatly what was installed at the factory build.

Perhaps, a perfect example of this would be a "SERVICE REPLACEMENT" front axle on a '32 Ford, furnished in the year 1935. It's gonna be the skinny '34-'36 type axle...NOT the "HEAVY"-looking '32 factory axle. It fits perfectly and functions normally...still Ford parts. Kind'a the same, but different. DD
 
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