Sweet GMC. but look at the bumper!

['68 C-20]

I was out in Vermont today and spotted this nicely done GMC in the yard at a garage, of course I had to stop to gawk. What really caught my eye is the rear bumper. I have seen such a bumper a few times, My Grandfather had one on his Road Service Truck. I call it a service truck bumper. I have been searching for one and even posted here but did not have a photo, until today.

I walked in the shop to ask who owned the truck and is owned by the owner of the shop, I think he told me he got it from his dad. It's a GMC Camper Special Long Bed with Dual Fuel Tanks. He was a real stand up guy who took a few minutes out of his day to talk to me, the shop had several bays and many mechanics so he was real busy.

Any Case, he said I was welcome to crawl around the truck to see if I could see a name on the bumper, there was a name plate welded to the back, just above the step recess, but it had been painted over.

Anyone know who if anyone makes such a bumper today? Anyone got one out in the shed?

[71blksuper4x4]

you could have one made for you if you got the dimensions from that one. As far as I know, you won't find one like that being built today. You could possibly find someone that has one off a 3/4 ton though. Most of these were on 3/4 tons. Trevor

[vegaschevy]

I have two HD bumpers and they are not perfect and about to go in the garbage.

[chevy_mike]

Heck, if you want one, I'll give you one but you have to come pick it up.

[cdowns]

jcwhitney has similar bumpers

i see those type at swapmeets all the time very cheap just needing a good cleaning and a coat of paint for arour $20-$25

['68 C-20]

Originally Posted by chevy_mike

Heck, if you want one, I'll give you one but you have to come pick it up.

hmm, would you honor that if I paid shipping? Could you package it?

Originally Posted by cdowns

jcwhitney has similar bumpers

i see those type at swapmeets all the time very cheap just needing a good cleaning and a coat of paint for arour $20-$25

Yah sorta' similiar, stamped sheetmetal made in china, not going on my truck!

Here in New England they don't show up, and if so they are pretty well rotted. The road salt from winter hangs up in the nooks and crannies and rots them out from the inside....Going to a show with a swap meet this weekend, I'll be keeping my eye open.

So they were a Factory Option? HD Bumber for 3/4 tons, make sense.

Thank you.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Originally Posted by '68 C-20

hmm, would you honor that if I paid shipping? Could you package it?

Just some info, maybe it'll help you guys work something out. UPS will ship that un-boxed. They just stick on a label and off it goes. There is an add-on charge that they call "special handling." If you're looking for a quote, I don't think they have special handling quotes online.

[chevy_mike]

Originally Posted by '68 C-20

hmm, would you honor that if I paid shipping? Could you package it?

That's why I threw the in there. No thoughts of packing or shipping as it's a major PITA for something this big and heavy.

BTW, mine is a 1/2 ton. I don't think it is part of the SPID tag so my guess they were dealer added options. GM might have supplied them to the dealers.

Good luck on your hunt.

[lks dcvn]

I have one here in Ohio that it still on the frame I cut up - it is heavy - come get it and you can have it. No shipping.

Is is labeled 'Friendly Chevrolet - Dallas Texas' - or something like that.

[ChevLoRay]

When these trucks were new, rear bumpers were optional....you had to pay extra to get one. A lot of dealers had their name stamped into the steel step bumper surface, like the one mentioned from Friendly Chevrolet. Some dealers didn't, but many did. I have one that is trash. It's rusting from the inside and while it still will do the job, it ain't worth keeping on the truck when I have nice, used chrome factory bumper to install. Mine is free to anyone who wants it for what it is, including the 7-pin connector attached to it.

[cdowns]

bumper i got from jcwhitney wasn't stamped sheet metal was a very heavy welded piece made of 1/4"plate a very substantial piece //dont know where it was made

['68 C-20]

cdowns,
Sorry for the negative JC Whitney comment, hope I did not offend, they have a lot of good stuff and I have used them. I just find that I have been disappointed in the past with some items, so I would not order something serious like a bumper without actually seeing one that someone else had purchased.

Again, sorry if my mouth engaged quicker than my brain.

[special-K]

Although that bumper isn`t the one that came on 67-71 trucks,it`s almost exactly the same,like Fleetside Paul`s.For shipping they are oversized,like grilles,and then there`s the weight.It would be a freight item.You should be able to find one close enough to get your hands on one.most guys these days don`t appreciate them and prefer the chrome sport bumper.They are a truck guy thing.They are true step bumpers because they provide a 4" drop and toe space below an opened tailgate.In`73 they went to 8" wide and not dropped.

[mr48chev]

ChevLoRay is correct in that this model of truck was shipped minus the rear bumper unless it was ordered with the sport bumper

A dealer installed option with several different vendors selling them at the time from what I can figure.

I've seen them with the dealership name and town expecially in Texas and seen several variations from different parts of the country. The bumper on the green truck looks like it used to have the pieces that went up alongside the bottoms of the bed side to the rear wheel opening at one time.

[57larry]

Originally Posted by lks dcvn

I have one here in Ohio that it still on the frame I cut up - it is heavy - come get it and you can have it. No shipping.

Is is labeled 'Friendly Chevrolet - Dallas Texas' - or something like that.

I'd like it if you give me about 2 weeks to pick it up

[leddzepp]

I had 2 of those bumpers and I couldn't even give them away. Scrapped them about a month ago.

[special-K]

The step bumpers were dealer installed and in the accessory program.`72 was the first year step bumpers were an option.They were stamped and looked like the newer ones,only still 4" wide and dropped 4" like the earlier ones made from c-channel.The wrap around bumpers when called Bartons bumpers.My`72 GMC has one.

[Uwe Blab]

What's the piece at the far left of the bumper, above the step? Is that for trailer electrical hook ups?

[Stocker]

License plate light.


I'm sure there were several bumper manufacturers, but Barden Bumpers was one of the larger ones back in the day.

[justcuz]

Out West here a company that made bumpers like that was Fey Bumpers. They were based in Irwindale, Ca. I have no idea if they are still in business. Their were thousands of them around and someone on the board here has to have an old one laying around. I have one on my 71. The frame brackets are a lazy S shape that allows for the drop. I was actually going to cut the caps off the ends and raise mine a few inches using some heavy angle iron

[mikajo39]

My friends call it MEGA BUMPER!

It even survived being hit by another car. Destroyed that civics right side!

['68 C-20]

Great Educatin' on bumpers, thank you. Don't know if I'll find a good one here in New England or not but at least I know what I'm lookin' for and have pics.

[mclairmo]

I have a similar one on my truck but it looks kinda hand made custom and is welded to the frame. I figure I will leave it on since it would probably destroy any vehicel that comes near it.

[unclewatts]

Sorry. This is a really lousy picture of mine but it's all I got. My truck was made in the Fremont ("Z") plant and not far from there was one of the biggest manufactures of those types of bumpers in the US in those days. They were called Barden bumpers and they were located in Oakland CA. I doubt they are still around because that was nearly 40 years ago and they sure don't match the modern plastic vehicles. Because Barden was so popular and the lack of salt roads here in CA, you still see quite a few of these bumpers on the road. Notice that mine wraps around all the way to the bottom of the wheel arch. Not common.

[jerry moss]

we used to throw those in the scrapper back when we were parting trucks--couldn't even give them away,lol.