C2 - 63 Front Outer Bumper Bracket

[Harry Sadlock]

The upper bracket is the thicker, 1/4 inch, bracket and the lower is the thinner, 3/16 inch, bracket. The upper bracket is a re-pro and I was surprised when it arrived that the corner was missing. After doing a bit of research it appears that the 1/4 inch bracket was originally produced with the corner cut off/missing.

Can anyone with original 1963 front outer bumper brackets, 1/4 inch thick, either agree or disagree with the missing corner.

Thanks

Harry

[Duke W.]

Re: C2 - 63 Front Outer Bumper Bracket

Mine are original, quarter-inch stock, no bevel on the corner, March production.

AIM Sheet 14-A2.00 change record does not indicate there was a change to the original 3797337-8 outer front bumper outer brace part numbers during '63 model year production.

My '77 vintage parts catalog shows service replacements, 3848218-9 for 63-67, so there was at least one part number change during C2 production, which would indicate a design change, but it probably didn't occur until after the '63 model run was completed. Reviewing later year AIMS will reveal how many changes occurred and when. The final design part number usually becomes the service part number in later years.

Beveling the corner, assuming this is correct for the later parts, would probably have been done to ease assembly, and a change in material thickness would be for increased strength.

Duke

[Wayne M.]

Re: C2 - 63 Front Outer Bumper Bracket

Harry --- sorry, my example is not '63, but will serve to muddy the waters on the C2 variations of this bracket.

Early '65 (014xx) has LH bracket with corner cut off (feels 3/16"; definitely not 1/4" thk). RH bracket (also feels thin) HAS the corner. This car has always had its bumpers and never had front end body work, to my knowledge.

But my other '65 with front-end "history" has both sides thin bracket with corner off.

Checked my parts books, and always see 3848217 / 218, at least from July '65 onward; also '65 AIM shows these numbers with no revision notation. Checked parts change history Oct '63, Oct '65 and later, and see no reference to your 1963 bracket numbers having been superceded.

[Michael H.]

Re: C2 - 63 Front Outer Bumper Bracket

The thick 3797337 and 38 were 63 only parts. At the SOP of the 64 model year, these were replaced with the thin 3848218 and 19, which also then became the service replacement parts for 63. There were no further replacement numbers. The 218 and 219 remained the only servive parts until they discontinued decades later.

[Harry Sadlock]

Re: C2 - 63 Front Outer Bumper Bracket

Michael, I have seen several thin brackets with a D stamp. Do you recall if the thick brackets also had the D stamp???

Were there thick and thin brackets intermixed all through 1963 production or should all 63 models have the thick, with the possible exception of late production 63 models???

[Michael H.]

Re: C2 - 63 Front Outer Bumper Bracket

Harry,

I definitely remember the D stamp. Just can't remember if it was on 63 or 64 and later.

As far as I know, the change to the thin braces occured at or near the beginning of the 64 model. Could have been some overlap one way or the other but I doubt it was more than a week or two.