Problems with Fit on not one, but two new rear bumpers for 78 C10 fleetside

[Chebbyman]

I am restoring a 78 Short Bed Cheyenne and have run into a problem. I have purchased and installed two(2) rear fleet side bumpers purchased from a well known and customer oriented supplier located in Florida. The first one had a noticeable rise in the center of the bumper(bumper frown...). I called the supplier and they said no problem, bring it back and we'll give you another one. They brought out three and I picked the one that we both thought to be straight. After installing it, it was exactly the same as the first. I was looking for info on line and someone posted the exact same problem. It seems like all of the suppliers carry the same made in Taiwan bumpers and some admitted to problems while others said they only had one complaint in the past two years. They all offered to send a picture of the bumper before shipping. The only problme with that is that it is impossible to see the curve in a picture but sticks out like a sore thumb when installed because the top of the bumper is SUPPOSED to be parallel to the tail gate. The original bumper was not on the truck when I bought it but in looking at pictures of trucks with original bumpers you can clearly see that the bumper is parallel with the tailgate. The issue is clear in the two pictures. The curved one is the brand new one I got from my Fl supplier. The second one is from a truck for sale on the internet. H E L P! How can I fix this or where can I purchase a straght bumper?


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orida supplier

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I don't think you could miss that in a picture. I think you're gonna have to do a bunch of bracket adjustments.

I'm guessing when bolting it together everything gets sucked down with the bolts pretty good? Right? It doesn't technically rest there until you hammer it down?

Looks like the outside mounts are pulling the ends down and in towards the truck. The inner brackets should slide in and maybe down a little. The outer brackets should slide out and up.

 

[Chebbyman]

I am gonna try to put my axle jack under the outside bracket one one side and try to raise it up to the level as the center. Tighten brackets and bumper bolts on that side and then swap to the other side. If that doesn't work, I am going to take it back and buy from another supplier. I will post my results tomorrow.

Thanx for your suggestion!