Chrome or Painted bumpers

[dapope]

OK, Todays question is on my build sheet the front bumper crome box has (FC) in it. Does this mean front chrome? and the other question is that I cant find anyone that has the hood ornament. Can you tell me where to buy them?

[doug]

Just a suggestion that if you listed the year and model of vehicle (car or truck) more help could be provided.

[dapope]

My bad, I did not get a responce on my first post and accidentaly copy only part of it. It is a 1951 C-Cab truck.

Thanks for your help
D.A.

[52-fan]

I have seen R series trucks with chrome front bumpers, but I don't think they came from the factory that way. As to the hood ornament, they are around, but good ones are hard to find. If you find one without a bunch of pits it's a keeper.

"In the heart of Arkansas."
1952 Champion Starlight w/overdrive. Searcy, Arkansas

[Skip Lackie]

Painted front bumpers were standard equipment on all years of C-cab truck. Chrome front bumpers were optional on most years, including all 2R models. Rear bumpers, both painted and chrome, were also options. As far as I know, no one is reproducing the 2R hood ornament, and as noted by 52fan, good ones are hard to find. I think there's one for sale on ebay right now.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[Mark57]

If you have a choice, IMHO go with a chrome front bumper. Having had both, I can say that it is much easier to keep a chrome bumper clean and looking good. Painted bumpers easily get chips and scratches simply by driving the vehicle and having a variety of dirt, rocks, etc. hitting it.

Chrome bumpers are much hardier and are far less likely to be affected in regular use. My two cents!

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island Chapter
http://visdc.shawwebspace.ca/ </h5>

[dapope]

The build sheet has (FC) in it for the front bumper. Does this mean Front Chrome? Thats what I cant figure out. I have a hood ornament but it is pitted and I am tring to find some were to have it re plated if neccassary. I am in the middle of a complete restoration that I have been working on full time for 6 months. This truck is going to be to nice to have a pitted hood ornament. What I really need to get figured out is the front bumper supposed to be chrome or paint. Common since tells me that FC means front chrome but that is a guess.

D.A.

[kurtruk]

For the hood ornament, check with Chuck Collins. Seems he had a few hand-made some time back.

Don't know if Jerry Forrester (on this forum) does pot-metal repair work, but his chrome plating gets nothing but good reviews.

KURTRUK
(read it backwards)




Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong. -A. Lincoln

[rockne10]

[barnlark]

Originally posted by dapope

OK, Todays question is on my build sheet the front bumper crome box has (FC) in it. Does this mean front chrome?

That's a good question. Studebaker Wheel might know from working on window sales stickers. There weren't any that year, IIRC, but that hasn't stopped his constant designing hand in those endeavors. The parts books for each model year often has abbreviation explanations. Does that part have a "FC" in the description/drawing that is in the parts book? That may help. Sorry, I don't have one truck parts book to help, but I enjoy the trivia hunt! Guido..how about you?

[Skip Lackie]

Stude had a number of different truck production order forms over the years. The one used through most of the 1950s had a series of ~40 boxes, each of which was labeled with a different option and its associated code, like hill holder (code K), fish plated frame (code D), heavy duty radiator (code HR), etc. An X or some other entry (eg, tire size) in a box indicated that the truck was so equipped when built. One of these boxes was labeled frt. bump. chrome, and the code for that was FC. But that FC code was already printed on the form. The truck only came with a chrome front bumper if there is also an X in that box.



Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[dapope]

Good job Skip that was very helpful. The next box looks like this.
R. Bump
RC Chrome
RP Painted
But my sheet has a PT in that bos. Do you ahve an answer for that also?
Thanks,
D.A.

[Skip Lackie]

I do not have an answer for that. Once could speculate that somebody typed in the wrong code and thought that PT stood for "painted" -- who knows? I have never seen a complete listing of these truck option codes, so PT could also mean something like "include a rear bumper kit, but don't install it". Certainly, there ware plenty of precedents for the factory to include optional equipment, uninstalled.

Does your truck have a rear bumper? Chances are if it has one, it came that way.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[dapope]

No actually it had a make shift wooded real bumper but I assumed that was soemthing that was done sometime in the past instead of buying a new one.

D.A.