Reproduction or OEM 72 extreme tow hooks?

[leddzepp]

Picked up some parts for my 4wd conversion the other day and the seller also had a set of 72 extreme tow hooks in storage. He just pulled them out and sent me a couple pics. I’m NOT crazy about them being chromed, but my concern is are they OEM or are they reproduction? He says they have no part number or anything cast into them (maybe chroming covered anything up?) so I’m thinking they may be reproductions. The 69/72 regular bend reproductions are easy to spot as they have a more “pointy” end, but the extreme bends are more difficult to discern (at least to my eyes). Can anyone tell from these pics if these are OEM or not? Thanks!

[Steeveedee]

It takes a lot of smoothing and polishing to prep for chrome. If they are the real McCoy, the numbers may have been lost when grinding all the bumps and such off. Sure are purty, though.

[Bones72Super]

As stated by Steeveedee pre plating most parts are ground and Polished so the forging parting lines and part numbers may have been ground off so it has a smooth appearance. An easy way to tell real from reproduction is the forge parting line where it has been trimmed by another press that Cleaves off the flash from the forging process.

[Bones72Super]

Here is a good pic of the forging line that normally goes all the way around the hook. Also the chrome hooks holes appear to be drilled way off center

[special-K]

Going by the way the ends taper, the general shape, they look like OEM. The repros seem to lose their arc toward the tip, kind of straighten out. Herder to describe than see. But that is an obvious difference I see in all the repro hooks. Not quite exactly the same looking. I also wonder how long ago these were chromed. Was it since the reproductions were made?