ckuske Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Hi Guys, I've mentioned this before, but an update: I know most Flaresides came with what I call the "skinny" bumper, where the license plate hangs off the driver side with a bracket. However, that's not how my truck was purchased by my Dad off the showroom floor back in '84... It is a step bumper. In the "lost years", that bumper was removed and replaced by a different one. Looking on FTE, maybe it is a S-10 bumper from LMC (it doesn't hang over the flares, which is important if I was to find a new one, as the current bumper is bent on the driver's side) All this being said, on FTE someone else posted a long time ago a picture of the EXACT same bumper that my truck had! Any ideas on the original manufacturer or where to find a compatible step bumper that doesn't look obnoxious on a Flareside would be great. As far as I'm aware, no changes have ever been made to the brackets, unless the Dealer swapped them out originally with Styleside brackets (?) Anyway, here's the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 A little more information: The bumper I currently have is 61.5 inches wide from tip to tip. Looking underneath, the bumper mounts straight onto the frame, no adapters or special brackets. I think the frame is 37.5 inches wide. So, I am looking for something that width that will hookup to a 37.5" inch frame. Or, if the Internet really pulls through, I find out who made the bumper pictured above! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 A little more information: The bumper I currently have is 61.5 inches wide from tip to tip. Looking underneath, the bumper mounts straight onto the frame, no adapters or special brackets. I think the frame is 37.5 inches wide. So, I am looking for something that width that will hookup to a 37.5" inch frame. Or, if the Internet really pulls through, I find out who made the bumper pictured above! Chris - So yours doesn't mount the way shown in the 2nd illustration below? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 Chris - So yours doesn't mount the way shown in the 2nd illustration below? Nope! It's a truck that was ahead of its time, with identity issues! It mounts to the frame like a Styleside (I think), but the bumper is "stubby" so it doesn't hang out past the tailgate. Here is a picture from underneath my truck: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Nope! It's a truck that was ahead of its time, with identity issues! It mounts to the frame like a Styleside (I think), but the bumper is "stubby" so it doesn't hang out past the tailgate. Here is a picture from underneath my truck: It looks like a custom installation. The arms are welded to the bumper, right? And they are dog-legged outward to fit the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 It looks like a custom installation. The arms are welded to the bumper, right? And they are dog-legged outward to fit the frame. Yeah, that's kinda the conclusion I came to also. The current bumper is twisted on one side, and has the dent to prove it. I'm not sure how to proceed on this to be honest. I'm just trying to figure out a plan - I'm not going to buy anything immediately. I would like a step bumper that is shorter than the Full-Size ones - ideally in the neighborhood of 60" to 62", and need to figure out how to mount it. The suggested mounting brackets expect a Ranger 33" frame (too narrow) or a Chevy 40.5" frame (too wide). I guess I buy the bumper I want (like this one maybe) and where would I take it from there? A Body Shop? And, I'm tickled pink that I found someone with the same original configuration since I'm sure you all thought I was crazy. It is the EXACT same bumper that I remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 Yeah, that's kinda the conclusion I came to also. The current bumper is twisted on one side, and has the dent to prove it. I'm not sure how to proceed on this to be honest. I'm just trying to figure out a plan - I'm not going to buy anything immediately. I would like a step bumper that is shorter than the Full-Size ones - ideally in the neighborhood of 60" to 62", and need to figure out how to mount it. The suggested mounting brackets expect a Ranger 33" frame (too narrow) or a Chevy 40.5" frame (too wide). I guess I buy the bumper I want (like this one maybe) and where would I take it from there? A Body Shop? And, I'm tickled pink that I found someone with the same original configuration since I'm sure you all thought I was crazy. It is the EXACT same bumper that I remember! Here's the FTE link for the curious. The pretty red truck in the thread has the same current bumper as my truck (at least by looks alone). So I'm curious how they mounted that bumper - did they Frankenstein it like the PO of my truck, or bend the brackets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Yeah, that's kinda the conclusion I came to also. The current bumper is twisted on one side, and has the dent to prove it. I'm not sure how to proceed on this to be honest. I'm just trying to figure out a plan - I'm not going to buy anything immediately. I would like a step bumper that is shorter than the Full-Size ones - ideally in the neighborhood of 60" to 62", and need to figure out how to mount it. The suggested mounting brackets expect a Ranger 33" frame (too narrow) or a Chevy 40.5" frame (too wide). I guess I buy the bumper I want (like this one maybe) and where would I take it from there? A Body Shop? And, I'm tickled pink that I found someone with the same original configuration since I'm sure you all thought I was crazy. It is the EXACT same bumper that I remember! You want a welding shop. They can easily make brackets to bolt to the frame, not weld, and then weld them to the bumper. I'd scope out a shop and tell them what you want to do. If you can agree on a price then order in the bumper and have them attach it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 A little more information: The bumper I currently have is 61.5 inches wide from tip to tip. Looking underneath, the bumper mounts straight onto the frame, no adapters or special brackets. I think the frame is 37.5 inches wide. So, I am looking for something that width that will hookup to a 37.5" inch frame. Or, if the Internet really pulls through, I find out who made the bumper pictured above! Google Lens would probably be able to identify that bumper in the first couple of screens. It's pretty amazing how far it's come! The old Amazon Fire Phones had a similar ability, except using AWS, and it was a decade cruder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 8 Author Share Posted May 8 Google Lens would probably be able to identify that bumper in the first couple of screens. It's pretty amazing how far it's come! The old Amazon Fire Phones had a similar ability, except using AWS, and it was a decade cruder. Good idea! I actually tried that as well. No dice so far, but maybe I'll look for other tools that do the same thing. I sent a message to Fey/Westin asking "what bumper will fit my truck that is around 61 inches wide?" and they said "Can't help you, sorry. We don't make anything for Flaresides." Guess I'll need to buy what I like and figure out how to mount it through some "custom" method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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