Chrome bumpers comparison ?

[ZIMM78Blazer]

Hi. New to posting. I m from Texas now. Have a 78 K5 Blazer 1 family truck. Been doing a frame off since 1995. Ya I know. I am originally from Pennsylvania and the truck was up there and I have been in Texas for 17 years. Have her now and getting back to it. Lots of helpful info and knowledgeable folks here, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Im wandering if anyone has compared the chrome bumpers from different vendors? Lmc classic industries or others for fit and finish? Or do the wall get them from the same place? Also has anyone used a 78 style bumper with 91 style front clip. How does it line up? Thanks.

 

[waterpirate]

My lmc front bumper rusted in the first year. My high dollar step bumper for the rear rusted 2 years later.
Eric

 

[ZIMM78Blazer]

My lmc front bumper rusted in the first year. My high dollar step bumper for the rear rusted 2 years later.
Eric

That sucks. Thanks

 

[fast 99]

Front bumper from LMC has been on 2 years. No rusting but it has been in storage for 1/2 the time. Chrome wasn't great and material is thinner than original. If you want a nice bumper get the original redone and willing to pay up. Chrome plating here has always been expensive, now its crazy. $1,200 for decent [not show] chrome wouldn't surprise me at all.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Welcome! I work at AMD and can say our bumpers are great. I've put my AMD rear bumper through hell (well, two bumpers actually cuz I backed into a pole with the first one lol) and it still looks great. 50k miles, oil leaks, stepping on it to get in the bed, various chemicals spilled on it and it still shines up like the day I put it on. Only thing that's wrong with it is where the exhaust exited right in front of it turned the bottom front corners dark, but that'll happen to any bumper no matter the quality.

 

[Mr Clean]

I was going to say AMD. On somethings they are a bit higher. But their quality is better than just about anyone out there. Re-chroming is out of the question for most

 

[ZIMM78Blazer]

Welcome! I work at AMD and can say our bumpers are great. I've put my AMD rear bumper through hell (well, two bumpers actually cuz I backed into a pole with the first one lol) and it still looks great. 50k miles, oil leaks, stepping on it to get in the bed, various chemicals spilled on it and it still shines up like the day I put it on. Only thing that's wrong with it is where the exhaust exited right in front of it turned the bottom front corners dark, but that'll happen to any bumper no matter the quality.

Thanks. Never heard of AMD will check them out.

 

[edgephoto]

AMD=Auto Metal Direct?

 

[jointbeaker]

AMD=Auto Metal Direct?

yes.

 

[edgephoto]

I need a rear chrome step bumper for my 1987 V3500 being restored. AMD does not carry them. Anyone have a suggestion for a decent one?

 

[ali_c20]

Hi. New to posting. I m from Texas now. Have a 78 K5 Blazer 1 family truck. Been doing a frame off since 1995. Ya I know. I am originally from Pennsylvania and the truck was up there and I have been in Texas for 17 years. Have her now and getting back to it. Lots of helpful info and knowledgeable folks here, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Im wandering if anyone has compared the chrome bumpers from different vendors? Lmc classic industries or others for fit and finish? Or do the wall get them from the same place? Also has anyone used a 78 style bumper with 91 style front clip. How does it line up? Thanks.

Welcome from Austria.

I need a rear chrome step bumper for my 1987 V3500 being restored. AMD does not carry them. Anyone have a suggestion for a decent one?

I have never seen an aftermarket chrome bumper that looks like the original one.
LMC has them, quality unknown. Westin has a universal step bumper. Eckler has one but it's ~550$.
Find a straight one from a junkyard get it plated. A painted bumper would be cheaper for plating cause no old chrome needs to be removed.
If you're lucky you can find one with decent chrome and polish it. The bumper on my C20 looked was rusty and grimy, after polishing it it looked like new (except of not being straight )

 

[TotalyHucked]

I need a rear chrome step bumper for my 1987 V3500 being restored. AMD does not carry them. Anyone have a suggestion for a decent one?

The aftermarket chrome step bumpers are hit or miss in my experience. I'd be checking on Marketplace and swap meets for a good original that can be shined up

 

[edgephoto]

I have an original chrome step bumper. There is one hole in it from where the original owner had mounted a small trailer plug. Maybe I should just polish this and see how it looks. It is not rusty or bent/dented. The area where the towing ball would mount is grey and not chrome but not rusty.

Maybe I should put my trailer connector in that hole. I would need to make it bigger but my look better than the bracket under the bumper.

Chrome on the front bumper is good except for one small spot. I was going to leave it for now.

 

[Fat 454]

Another vote for Original parts.
I picked up a tailgate for my Sub sitting in Sun Valley wreckers back in the day for about $20 I think ( they wanted more from the glass ) Flew it home in my check in luggage ( quite a big deal for the customs guys when I got off and that was over 15 years ago, so who knows how they would react now ). I remember the truck I pulled it off had a mint rear bumper - should have grabbed that too - instead I bought an aftermarket bumper that has just rusted just sitting in the barn over the years - Stoopid !..

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I need a rear chrome step bumper for my 1987 V3500 being restored. AMD does not carry them. Anyone have a suggestion for a decent one?

I have two later style square Burb rear bumpers, one with brackets too. Chrome is decent but they are OEM bumpers.
The problem for us though, is shipping them from Houston, Texas to Connecticut....be more than they're worth.