TEN FOUR MAGAZINE - TRUCKING ON-LINE MAGAZINE FOR TRUCKERS

MARCH 2004 SHOW & TELL
BUMPER CROP
By Roving Reporter Suzanne Stempinski

Bumpers can really change the look of your truck – from curved corners to Texas square; from standard sizes to curb-catching jumbo; with no lights or a dazzling array of them – bumpers say plenty about you and your ride. You can have almost anything you want done to your bumper – add lights, french them in, have your name or a design element cut into it; backlight it; take it from the ordinary to the unusual. And hope you never hit a deer, ‘gator or a curb.

If you really want to make a statement, move from the front of your truck to the back – and check out what many show trucks are now sporting – a cool, shiny rear bumper – loaded with lights. Shaped like an inverted “T”, this neat and sturdy enhancement came from an idea that Jerry Jeffries had. Jeffries is the owner and creator of Double JJ Industries, maker of awesome blinker bars, headlights, white-faced gauges and other show truck adornments. He took his idea to Valley Chrome Plating in Clovis, California where Kent Carpenter and his crew figured out how to build it exactly right. In fact, they not only produced it, but they also patented their rear bumper design.

It comes in just one style, but you can have it in chrome or stainless, and an unlimited number of cut-out configurations are available. According to Carpenter, “We want you to have it your way – just like the old Burger King song. Special orders don’t upset us!” Once you take delivery from your favorite chrome and accessories shop, you can do the installation yourself. It should take no more than 2 hours, excluding any lights and the wiring harness. The bumper comes with all necessary mounting hardware and detailed instructions. You’ll need a drill, some blocks to hold things in place, and some patience, but the end results will have you (and your truck) standing tall.

If a new front bumper is on your agenda, your options are almost limitless. Factory standard bumpers used to be a tapered 16-inch, but now an 18-inch Texas square has become the OEM standard. Of course you don’t need to keep your bumper a standard size. Oversize and Super Size have practically become the norm – with 20 and 22-inch widths being almost ho-hum. A 22-inch wide bumper doesn’t give you much curb clearance, but some trucks (and their owners) insist that going lower is better. You can have a bumper made in a 24 or even 26-inch width.

Carpenter tells the story of a working show truck owner who insisted on having a 26-inch bumper made to compete at a big truck show. One of the show management’s requirements was that the truck be able to drive on and off the lot completely accessorized – “so it shows as it goes.” Well, that 26-incher barely cleared the ground and shortly after the show ended it was removed – and probably hangs in a garage to this day. Not very practical and certainly not realistic for a truck going in and out of loading docks or hitting potholes and bumps in the road!

Front bumpers in a variety of styles are available from quite a few manufacturers through your local chrome and accessories shop. You’ll have lots of decisions to make. Solid or with cut-outs for tow pin hooks? With lights or without? What kind of lights – LED, neon, or maybe some of each? Whatever you decide, whether you’re bumping the dock or grinding against a curb, whether you have lots of lights or prefer the plain and unadorned look, your bumper has a huge impact on the look of your truck. So spend plenty of time thinking about what will work best for you before you spend your hard-earned dollars.

Tune in next time for more Show-N-Tell, where we'll look at other ways to make your working truck a work of art. And be sure to watch out for those ‘gators out there!