Topic: BEST Chrome bumpers for 65-66 Mustangs

[FASTBACK65GT]

OK.  I've seen these new reproductions bumpers from Taiwan and I'm not happy with the quality at all.  You can see the sand grain marks and also the chrome seems to have "orange peel" to the finish.  Of course any of the Mustang houses will say their bumpers are great and I'll be happy, but I don't want to get into a shipping back-n-forth deal trying to find a nice rear bumper.

There used to be a company called Nordam or something similar that made pretty nice ones.  I've heard of 2 companies that say theirs are the best, and 1 is CLASSIC REPRODUCTIONS from Arkansas, and the other is KEYPARTS from Japan.  Has anyone seen or tried these?  Will they please a perfectionist?

I actually bought a pair of NOS FORD from ebay, but found out the tooling was so worn out that they looked awful and sent them back. 

Your help is appreciated.

[Soaring]

I have been on several Mustang sites for several years now, and the bumpers that come from Japan into Seattle are the best.  (Nordam)  When I had the body of my 65 refurbished, I bought two of them.  After 10 years, they are still looking good, but I did have to POR 15 the inside of them and put on a coat of paint on the inside.  The outside chrome still looks great.

[66GTKFB]

I got a set of 64-66 bumpers about four years ago from National Parts Depot. The were acceptable for my 66 hardtop daily driver. I have a set of Ford bumpers in my garage still in the box, the last run of Ford supplied that they made, and they are better. I also have a set of rechromed bumpers and those have the best quality. Start with a set that have minor dings and get them rechromed.
Jim

[Soaring]

And, re-chroming is about as cheap as buying new ones. 

[FASTBACK65GT]

Yes, but first you have to have a set of originals!  Then I'd have to go thru the same problem as above with private sellers saying their original bumpers look good.  I have a set of NORDAN but the rear has a good size ding in it.  I've heard NORDAN, which was originally sold thru NPD are no longer the quality they once were.  THat's why I'm asking about Classsic and Keyparts.  ANyone seen those 2 companies bumpers?

[Soaring]

The Best out there at least seem to be the NORDAN bumpers.. NPD (National Parts Depot) carries them.. Around 80 bucks a piece.. The finish on them is AOK for a driver, nowhere near show quality.. They'll last you a long time if you garage the car.. If you keep it outside..expect only 2-3 years if you get that much before the chrome starts flaking off.. The last NORDAN bumper that I got ('65 Front), I was dissatistfied with the finish on the bottom part of the bumper (the part facing the ground)...Lots of Orange peel from the chroming process.. The finish on the top was nice, but it was nowhere near consistant with the top which was a big disappointment...But that's the best you'll get from re-pop... The ultimate is to take an original  or even a new Nordan bumper, and send it out for real triple chrome plating... That's the best you'll ever get...Unless of course you buy a NOS one on ebay which only comes up once in awhile...and for that you'll probably have to sell your
left arm for it..

[FASTBACK65GT]

... That's the best you'll ever get...Unless of course you buy a NOS one on ebay which only comes up once in awhile...and for that you'll probably have to sell your left arm for it..

As I said in my earlier posting, (you can't read can you?) I already bought and had a pair of NOS FORD ones, and they sucked.  Fords tooling is WAY overused.  My old NORDAN bumpers were way better than the Ford's NOS.   Even the cheap Tiawan bumpers looked better than FORD NOS.  If you happened to find a set of NOS from the 60's without the barcode, they are probably good.  But the ones with the new style FORD part label just plain suck.

[Soaring]

Unless you keep the Mustang outside, most any of them will work.  Just make sure the inside of the bumper has a rust inhibitor and a good coating of paint.  If you want show quality, you will have to have any bumper you buy re-chromed.  For a daily driver, most of them will be OK.  What your end goal is, is up to you.  I have had the ones on my 65 for over 10 years, and even though they are not perfect, they pass my inspection for a daily driver.  They wouldn't be worth a shit in a crash anyway.  Here is my 10 year old front bumper.  It's a 3 footer.
It's a Nordan from Japan, but has been kept in the garage for most of that 10 years. 
Here's a NOS rear bumper you may want to look into. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-1966-Ford-Mustang-Shelby-NOS-Rear-Bumper_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem20b073fccdQQitemZ140399344845QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[FASTBACK65GT]

Here's a NOS rear bumper you may want to look into. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-1966-Ford-Mustang-Shelby-NOS-Rear-Bumper_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem20b073fccdQQitemZ140399344845QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

No.  See the bar code I mentioned earlier?-?-?-?-?-?    You can't read can you?  There is a reason they are selling them and not putting them on cars - they are junk!

[louise03]

OK.  I've seen these new reproductions bumpers from Taiwan and I'm not happy with the quality at all.  You can see the sand grain marks and also the chrome seems to have "orange peel" to the finish.  Of course any of the Mustang houses will say their bumpers are great and I'll be happy, but I don't want to get into a shipping back-n-forth deal trying to find a nice rear bumper.

I did not know about these bumpers. I just bought mine in ebay with the barcode, how did you know that they are from taiwan?