Topic: Rear bumper Guards

[Angela]

I can guess what 99 out of 100 people will tell me, but I have to ask this anyway...

Are there any known cases of chrome rear bumper guards being installed as original equipment? I am aware the MCA rules state all 1967 rear guards were painted body color. I have in my possession, however, pictures of my 67, all the way back to 1969 with chrome rear guards. I dissassembled the car myself and found no evidence the guards had ever been removed. Additionally, I have two more pairs of rear guards that have 40-yr old pitted chrome on them. I also have three pairs of rear guards that are painted and I cannot find any difference between the chrome and painted parts (in other words, I believe all five pairs are ford parts).

I don't know what the process was that ford used to paint the rear guards and sequence them with the appropriate color car. My 67 is a special-order-paint car and I am aware of one other such car that one of the above-mentioned chrome rear guards were removed from.

I hate to restore something in a manner different that I think it was built simply because I'm following the MCA rules. So, again, I must ask, has anyone else found original rear bumper guards that were NOT painted body color?

[Angela]

I found another 67 in a salvage yard with a blanked-out paint code on the warranty tag and the bumper guards (rear) were still there.... and they were chrome!!! rusty, pitted, but chrome...not body color. I am so confused!

[Sunlitgold68]

I've seen 68's both ways, painted and unpainted. Don't think anybody will question either way.

[J_Speegle]

I found another 67 in a salvage yard with a blanked-out paint code on the warranty tag and the bumper guards (rear) were still there.... and they were chrome!!! rusty, pitted, but chrome...not body color. I am so confused!

If they were painted by the supplier (like the 69-70 sport mirrors used on Machs for example) then the supplier would have only supplied the painted ones in regular production colors and they possibly used the chrome ones on Special paint cars. At least this might be a possibility IMHO based on the other examples

[gtamustang]

I have not found anything ever to confirm that chrome rear bumper guards were used on any 67 or 68 Mustangs. It was a part that was painted during the assembly line process like the fenders, front valence, stone guard, etc. Regardless of paint or special paint, the part was painted at the assembly line, not by the part supplier.

Regards,
Pete Morgan

[J_Speegle]

Thanks Pete was not sure if they were painted on site and if not just searching for a possibility

[Angela]

Thanks Pete and Jeff. I'll give this some more thought before I decide which guards I'll install. As I'm sure you can understand, it's very difficult to rationalize installing painted guards when those I removed were chrome and the corresponding pics of the same car, taken in 1969, show the same chrome guards installed. I will admit, though, that color film wasn't so great back then. :-)
Perhaps it's just coincidence that the salvage yard special-paint car also has rusted-on chrome rear guards.

[Angela]

Is anyone aware of ANY Ford product line (mercury cougar or other) that may have used chrome rear bumper guards? I believe Pete when he affirms chrome was never used on a 67-68. However,
I have in my posession three pairs of ford chrome rear guards, two of which have never been replated and I am 100% certain they are ford parts, not repros. So, either they were originally
painted and were changed to chrome at some point, or perhaps it's possible they were originally chrome, designed for some other for product and simply bolt up to a mustang??? I can't
say that I am aware of another product using the same or similar mustang bumper, but I thought it's worth asking.

I still really find it odd that there's a special-paint 67 mustang sitting at the local salvage yard, sunk up to the quarters, with pitted rusty chrome rear bumper guards. The guy at the
yard says it's been sitting there since 1970.