1930s bumper inside finish

[sftamx1]

I just picked up my bumpers from the plating shop.  They are from my 1933 Terraplane. I will need to smooth the backsides to cover the hammer marks left from making  the bumper straight.  Is the correct finish for this area a flat silver?

[Graham Man]

This is the back of a NOS rear bumper for my 1933 Graham, with the parts tag and stock number.  Looks like flat silver to me, you can see the angle of the spray from the not sprayed areas around the mounting bracket, complete with welding spatter.  My guess in the day these cars were designed to last maybe 5-8 years?  It could be some sort of protective silver coating?

 

 

Same Bumper

 

[sftamx1]

Thanks, Graham Man, just what I was looking for! 

[TTR]

5 minutes ago, Graham Man said:

 My guess in the day these cars were designed to last maybe 5-8 years? 

Well, to be fair, just about any and all cars made in past 100+ years, including current ones, were designed to last "maybe 5-8 years". Some perhaps little longer, while others little less.

No automotive manufacturer designs or wants their products to last much longer as that would defeat the purpose of making/selling increasing amount of new ones in the future.

 

[Bloo]

Flat silver is the most likely finish. In the 30s it might be the plating itself. It was on my Pontiac. Graham Man's bumper looks like silver paint.  A plater told me with the methods used in the 30s, the plating was coming out of the tank matte and getting polished after the fact, so the back side probably just didn't get polished.

 

It wont come out like that now. Smooth or not smooth has to do with the prep, and that is not what I am talking about. Today the plating will come out of the tank shiny everywhere, no matter what is underneath. If it is rough on the underside, it will be shiny and rough. If you want that 1930s matte silver look on the back I believe you will have to use paint, even if it was plating originally.

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

Thank you for the NOS bumper shot, more phots of this car are needed. Is the wheel stripe correct? It looks nice, don't recall seeing one that wide. Bob  

[Graham Man]

Yes the wheel stripes are correct 11/16 inch these wheel stripes were only for 1933; 33-1 color code (sort of, if your stripe color matched your wheel color than one stripe)

 

Hand sanded down to original 

 

 

Original 1936 picture, when my Grandfather purchased the 1933 Graham, my Mom is not born yet.  (note the wheel stripe)

 

 

all other 1933 Graham color codes looked like this (original wheel stripe)

 

 

 

So if you had code 33-6 with Red wheels, one stripe - silver.  If you had 33-6 with Maroon wheels than red stripe with silver accent stipes... clear as mud right?

 

 

 

Please PM if you have any other Graham questions (picture from last summer)

 

 

 

 

[sftamx1]

I Love those beautiful Grahams,and yours is a priceless Heirloom 

[Buick35]

Mines not a Graham but I was able to buy a pair of gravel deflectors  for my 35 Buick rear bumper.I don't know if Grahams had them or not but it hides a lot of the bumpers back side.