Body / Glass: 1950 holes in the body for Front bumper mounts --

[Starlite51]

I am not running a front bumper on my super cheapo 1950 Starlight "mice rod"

looking for ideas for "something" to put in those bumper holes ..(besides bondo )
.. driving lights?
.. 51 Caddy bullets?
.. nerf bars ?
..beer keg tappers ?
.. Mouse ears ?

any ideas welcome ...

[sweetolbob]

John

Look in the most recent issue of Turning Wheels. There is a 50 in the customs section that used a pair of later bumper guards like nerf bars. About the best looking treatment I've seen.

Bob

[studegary]

I believe in some protection for the front. I would like tubular (maybe three inch diameter) bars that come out, dip down and then curve up - chrome of course.
If you do not want protection, then I would go with driving lights to fill the holes.
Bob Bourke wanted a bumper bar curved to the shape of the front, but Studebaker insisted on the straight across bar.

[Starlite51]

THANKS .. never thought about accessory bumper guards ...I have quite a few that I took off various 50's 60's cars .. i never liked them much .. but in this case might just be the ticket ... I guess those piles of "stuff" in the back of the garage is a good place to look..
I even have a set of 1936 Studebaker bumper guards with fresh chrome. in there somewhere . (the stuff we save??)

[Lothar]

Bob Bourke wanted a bumper bar curved to the shape of the front, but Studebaker insisted on the straight across bar.

Gary
I haven't heard about alternate bumper styles on 1950 Champions? Can you elaborate on what the original Bourke concept would have looked like?? I'm intrigued. Thanks.

[dean pearson]

I believe in some protection for the front. I would like tubular (maybe three inch diameter) bars that come out, dip down and then curve up - chrome of course.
If you do not want protection, then I would go with driving lights to fill the holes.
Bob Bourke wanted a bumper bar curved to the shape of the front, but Studebaker insisted on the straight across bar.

Were there any pictures of what he had in mind ? concepts ? Scetches ?
Sounds like what I want for my car. I have a 51 sheetmetal pan that covers the holes where the bumper frame bolts on and I want to shorten it drastically and use a leftover 55 front bumper to cut up and contour to the 50 front.
I would really like to see any Bob Bourke ideas.

Dean.

[studegary]

Were there any pictures of what he had in mind ? concepts ? Scetches ?
Sounds like what I want for my car. I have a 51 sheetmetal pan that covers the holes where the bumper frame bolts on and I want to shorten it drastically and use a leftover 55 front bumper to cut up and contour to the 50 front.
I would really like to see any Bob Bourke ideas.

Dean.

Bob's very early ideas of near no bumper do not exist, that I know of. Maybe they are in the works of Bob's that were donated to the SNM. The compromise was a bumper that followed the front contour. This has been pictured in many books. The first exampe that I find is: pp 42-43 of "Studebaker 1946-1966", RML. I think that the book, Bob Bourke Designs, or similar, would be the best for pictures, but I do not have my copy handy.

[Peanut]

I swear that I remember seeing a '50 with a pair of '51 centers (plastic bullet plus inside chrome ring) mounted at the forward end of the bumper "tubes". Does anybody else recall that? Maybe one of you can find that image, 'cause I'm coming up empty. Putting some kind of lighting inside the tubes behind those bullets would be pretty cool, I'd think.