Bumpers

OK...I'm just "beginning the quest" for a new bumper...and I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience, good or bad, with any of the vendors' products out there? I've found a couple listed as being for 2As, including Peter DeBella and Classic Enterprises, and Ron Fitzpatrick has one for the MB that _looks_ pretty good, although it appears to have only the hand-crank hole. (The ends DO appear to have the slight curve, however!)...but are any of these "right"?

Unfortunately, the "Bumper" section on the Parts Project area is currently empty, so there's no help there, and I haven't been able to find any threads here that point out specific vendors and the merits of their particular bumper, so I'm wondering...what have you found?

Thanks!

I bought one from Classic and was disapointed. It's been a couple of years so I'm not sure why I returned it.  I do remember that the metal was thicker than my original, but upon further inspection of other originals, I found a variety of different thicknesses. I'm a bit of a purist so I ended grinding off welds and straightening my bent up original. I might have returned it because of a difference in the number and/or hole locations, so pay attention to that on the repro bumper.

I hear you on the thickness, Joe...and since Low says that there IS a difference between the MB and the CJ, and Pete is selling one that he lists as being for a 2A, but...he has also told me in the past that his approach is usually to sell a part that was originally for his military side of things for the civilian side as well...so it may well be "wrong" too.

As for "grinding off welds", my Jeep's PO welded a 24" long piece of 2" x 2" x 1/4" angle iron onto the front face, and mounted three (!) trailer balls on that..and it was a continuous weld! I don't really want to try to tackle that if I can avoid it...and to add to the problems, he apparently also tried to pull something with chains, as well, so you KNOW what the top flange looks like! <g>

 I got mine from Peter Debella fit perfect...

Has been discussed before.  Walcks claims to have "correct" front bumpers.  I believe someone here got one and said it's right on.

     http://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=2049

Jack:

"Early" vs "late" is relative to the part in question, and when it changed.

The early bumper required gussets between frame & bumper. Used up to #215649

The late bumper bolts directly to the frame.

Sean

Now, in an effort to "fan this fire" just a little...does anybody happen to have the "official" dimensions for an "early" 2A bumper. My own measurements would make it a 2" x 4" (outside) x 41" channel. Does that check out, or is mine a replacement? What holes, sizes, locations, etc? I'd do a drawing of what I've got, but I'm beginning to think that the cleanest one I've got may well be an after-market. It's got some "extra" holes out at the ends, below the centerline, and I have no idea what they're for. Also some other "extraneous" holes in it in various places. Would be nice to nail this down, and post it in the Parts Project, don'tcha think?

Sean: As the "resident engineer" here, have you got, or ever done any drawings of this? I'm not asking you do create one, if you haven't, but I'd sure like to avoid reinventing the wheel, if they already exist.

Thanks.

Jack:

I don't have the dimensions offhand, but I can get 'em a bit later.

The arrows are factory holes in a '46 bumper.

    

This early '46 bumper is considerably thicker gauge steel than the late '47.  That much was obvious just by weight.  I'll get that measurement too.

Sean

Nice drawing Jack! Hopefully I'll be able to find you when I need an architect for my new house in Ireland  All I'm waiting for is to sell my Gulfstream 5 and I should have the down payment.