Rear bumper cross brace spacer

D

Dan Ewing

Member
I have a 31 roadster with a full rear bumper. The current assembly configuration per side is; (1) trunk mount bracket, (2) bumper arm, (3) cross brace.

When looking in the Bratton catalog, in the description for the bumper bracket that is used for the bumperette (short bumper) is a note that states that the short bumper bracket is used as a spacer when the full bumper is used. It instructs you to trim the bumper bolt eye that would otherwise be used for the bumperette bolt.

I talked to Walt Bratton and he didn't sound too convincing even though it is stated in his catalog. He mentioned that he "...guessed that it could be used that way as a spacer".

My questions are;
  • was there a spacer originally used for the full bumper applications?
  • if a spacer was actually used for the full bumper applications, is it correct to trim the eye off of the bracket and use this as the spacer bar?
 
bumper_arm_spacer.jpg


The standards have included a comment on this for about 20 years but I never added a pic to go with my description. I included pics of the spacers (uninstalled) in an old Restorer article in the mid 80's that was reprinted in one of the "How to..." MAFCA books, maybe volume 4 (?).
 
Thanks, Marco. The picture helped tremendously and answered my questions.

The only problem I see is it looks like the bracket was originally sheared and when I cut the bracket it will look, well, cut. However, cutting will certainly get me by until I can find an original. If one exists out there.

Thanks again for your help.
 
If you are near a steel fabricator, take the dimensions to them and get them to cut you a piece of the right stock on an ironworker, which is a shearing machine. Then drill your holes and you should have a part that is indistinguishable from an original.

Joe
 
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