Bumpers A-Z from 1900-1932 American Manufacturers

[30DodgePanel]

I recently tried tracing a bumper medallion manufacturer and quickly realized there isn't much help on the web in one location so I thought we should have a place to go for anyone looking for answers. The answers are out there, but they are on so many different websites and threads it made me wonder why not try to have some of them all in one place for a quicker reference since the AACA is vital regarding automobile history.

 

• Here is a small list of what I've found so far. My apologies to our global friends, but the list is for American manufacturers only. If someone feels a tug on their heart, please put together a thread that includes makers beyond the USA. I found two companies with the names JM Fenders & Cromos in a quick search so I'm sure there are many more.

 

JM Fenders - London                                                                                            Cromos - France

 

 

• As most of you know, many of these manufacturers built bumpers and medallions in many variations in shapes and sizes, colors and finishes. Please post any new variations or names you feel should be included to help others find answers and I'll edit and update the post as time goes on. If you find better photos of the medallions with company logos or initials please post those as well and I will update/edit as we go. I've made note in parenthesis any that are unknown (CG as example). 

 

• I've used the heading "Bumpers" to help future onlookers search by keyword. When posting a brand I'd recommend including the name of the company and or style to describe what you're posting so others can search more efficiently.

 

• If this thread is helpful, maybe we could put forth  other helpful threads such as Door Handles, or any other popular item folks frequently search and discuss for restoration projects. Just a thought.

 

• Feel free to discuss company name changes due to buyouts or takeovers and I'll edit in this first post if needed. Also, if I have manufacturers listed incorrectly let me know and I'll do my best to update accordingly.

 

• Lastly, (for those who may not know) to do a quick search simply hold down the keys on your keyboard CTRL+F at the same time and enter your criteria in the search window that pops up. I don't anticipate this thread being very long, but I honestly have no idea how long the list of bumper manufacturers would be which is why I feel a thread like this is needed.

 

 

 

 

ACC Twinbar (American Chain Company)

 

 

AP (Allith Prouty)

 

 

Badger

 

 

Biflex 

 

 

Brightbumper (A Warren Tool & Forge Comany item)

 

 

Buckeye (The Central Brass & Fixture Co Springfield OH)

 

 

 

CG Spring and Bumper Co (Christian Girl was the name of the company president believe it or not)

 

 

Cox (became a Eaton product, no photos or early ads of Cox prior to Eaton)

 

 

Eaton 

This is the medallion that started my search. I'd seen it on a 1924 photo of a Dodge Brothers car and immediately sparked my interest.

 

 

Federal Pressed Steel

 

 

E Grossman Company (cannot make out the first name the bumper was labeled Swivelaction in adverts)

 

 

 

Gemco 

 

 

 

Harroun

 

 

Hartford

 

 

Harvey

 

 

Kimball

 

 

Lyon 

 

 

 

Edited January 14 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[30DodgePanel]

McKay

 

 

Moore MFG

 

 

New Era

 

 

Ramspring Bumper Co Chicago

 

Sager

(unclear if that was the name of a bumper or parts/brackets for bumpers)

Stewart

 

 

Upright Safety (American Bumper Corp)

 

 

 

Vasco

 

 

Weed

 

 

Wolverine

 

Edited January 14 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[vintage1]

Those are some great old ads. You have done a lot of research, good job.

 

[31 LaSalle]

Thank you for showing an amazing variation of bumpers. are these classed as after market bumpers

if so did pre war american cars not come with a std bumper from the manufacturer

[Fordy]

Amazing that there were so many after-market bumper companies. It would be a mammoth task to correlate the different offerings of each to the make and model of the vehicle.

Steve

[30DodgePanel]

On 1/13/2024 at 1:51 AM, 31 LaSalle said:

Thank you for showing an amazing variation of bumpers. are these classed as after market bumpers

if so did pre war american cars not come with a std bumper from the manufacturer

Thank you guys for the kind words.

 

That's a very good question and no easy answer.

I'm sure many of us would like to know the real answers based on fact and not theory for each brand of auto maker. As Fordy just pointed out, the task is really too mammoth of a project for any one person or generation even. I can only provide documents to what I've found (so far) regarding some of the history and brands I'm researching specifically. Prior to 1932 (I haven't studied post 1932) many were after market, yet we may never know how many were produced by the factories of each brand or manufacturer. I'm continuously working on the Dodge Brothers answer searching through old docs and literature, but haven't found an answer (proof) that I'm comfortable with. I'm sure many others are researching different brands as we speak and probably have been for years.

 

Using Graham Brothers and Dodge Brothers as examples:

 

Graham Brothers 

Graham Brothers provided bumpers but it's unclear if they were producing them in house.

Early on I found literature showing the original bumper made on GB trucks was riveted on, then I found this article in one of the major period publications that shows they converted over to a bolt on version for ease of repair. Off topic: a lot of folks don't know GB were also building tractors and trailers prior to the Dodge Brothers partnership and were very educated farmers who were fully capable of finding ways to produce any part of a truck in house.  Whether or not they produced these bumpers is unclear since this article simply indicates that provisions were made regarding the change in the bumper.

 

 

An early factory photo of a GB "Speed Truck" model. I'm back and forth on GB, at times I think this is proof that they produced their own bumpers but I need to see literature to back it up.

 

 

Dodge Brothers 

Dodge Brothers had the option to add a bumper at an additional cost according to Ross Roy sales literature. Whether or not they produced them in the DB factories or if jobbers were handling the orders are unclear. Regardless, it was an option at factory order when the DB brand was being produced although there is some indication that CG may have played a role in providing bumpers to the DB plant at some point. Again, those are bits of information I've been trying to sort through for the GB/DB lineup. I have found proof (factory DB documentation) that has C.G. listed as a provider for DB passenger cars so it suppose it stands to reason they also supplied them for trucks. 

 

This truck (F-30) would essentially be a cousin to my truck and used a lot of the same parts according to parts books. I haven't found an order sheet for my model specifically so that's why I'm posting this model as an example. My model is a DA-124 

 

Here is the build sheet for my truck showing it was originally shipped by rail (from Detroit MI to Pittsfield MA) and was ordered with the front bumper option although I'm still unclear if it was made at the DB plant. There may be other factory literature that answers the question, but I sure as heck haven't found it (yet ). 

The B signifies 3/4 ton and the 124" is the wheelbase. DA-124 simply means a DA six cylinder engine was provided, the same engine was shared with passenger cars.

 

 

In my opinion this topic and research is fascinating because there's so much more to it than most of us even realize. 

 

As an example:

I believe my front bumper is a CG (no proof just my belief) and we clearly see the CG emblem on one of the ads above. However, "IF" CG did make the bumpers on my make and model of truck did they also make the center medallion that was exclusive to a small lineup of Dodge Brothers trucks or was it a local stamping outfit who only handled medallions and smalls? The mind gets into the weeds quickly especially when considering the possibilities and options. The answers are out there waiting to be found and my hope is that folks will find this thread helpful and post any findings here so we have them in somewhat of a centralized location instead of many locations. 

 

 

Please, input any findings you've come across that may help someone else.

 

 

 

Edited January 14 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[30DodgePanel]

1 hour ago, Fordy said:

Amazing that there were so many after-market bumper companies. It would be a mammoth task to correlate the different offerings of each to the make and model of the vehicle.

Steve

So true....

 

Which is why I'm exhorting others to participate in hopes we fill in some of those answers.

[dodge28]

Some of those were standard in Studebakers .

[Walt G]

From looking at period material it seems that bumpers becoming standard equipment from the factory started in the early 1920s. Franklin had bumpers as standard equipment starting with its series 11 cars in 1925. From what I have found bumpers , along with head and tail lights, , instruments on the dashboard, fuel gauge on the gas tank , along with carburetors, generators, starters were all purchased or ordered to be manufactured by companies separate from the car manufacturer. Bodies were as well since it took a lot of $ and space to set up a department to specifically create all of the above. Bodies that were bought in series of large quantities were made then shipped by rail "in the white" ie gray primer - then were painted at the car factory to meet the customers need , which often was a numbers of colors offered to the public not just random "sure we will paint your car any color you want" yes, custom paint jobs were available but rare due to the extra cost. These things just mentioned were advertised in auto "trade" magazine like automobile trimmer and painter etc.

Edited January 13 by Walt G (see edit history)

[Barney Eaton]

Great job of collecting obscure information.    

[1912Staver]

30 Dodge is on the right path in bring up factory fitment of bumpers on commercial vehicles. A good many of the trucks built prior to the general factory fitment of bumpers on passenger cars had factory front bumpers. Sometimes optional , but frequently part of the standard build for the truck. Look at pictures of things like Packard , White , and other larger truck makes from the early teens onward, and many / most have factory bumpers.  

  Rear bumpers were  { and still are } much less common on commercial vehicles.

Passenger cars in most cases took a decade or more to make bumpers part of the standard build of the vehicle. The aftermarket filled the void . Many different versions were on the market.

[dodge28]

I was told by old timers who are long gone ,when a customer bought a Model T, back seat and bumpers were optional. Extra charges. Gas tank was under the drivers seat. If driving up hill while the gas was low drive uphill in reverse. Is it true ?

[Dave Wells]

Bumpers A-Z from 1900-1932 American Manufacturers

By 30DodgePanel

Yesterday at 01:47 AM in General Discussion

 

I enjoyed and appreciate your research.

Just a thought...There are car parts (and other items) that are known by other, not so common names, such as bonnet/hood, deck/trunk/boot, wheel/rim, wing/fender, dash/instrument panel, fender skirt/shield, etc. Early-on, the car parts world might have used other terms for "bumpers". Dictionary synonyms include buffer, cushion, pad, fender, and shield.

It could be that some early references used terms other than "bumper" to describe what you're researching. 

Regarding foreign cars, there may be words or terms that mean "bumpers" in other languages. These foreign products may have been marketed in North America under their foreign names way back when.

(Lots of research left for someone.)

[TerryB]

From my own archives -Weed bumper

 

[Barney Eaton]

Just for grins,  I used the internet to discover that $3 Dunlop Tube would be $51.57 in todays dollars.

Was the 1925 price high or have we actually improved the process and manufacturing so that tube is not $57 today?

[29StutzM]

Dodge28

Back in the early 60's, I was working in my dads gas station and met a woman who had driven from Minnesota to Washington state in a Model T Ford in the twenties.

My Father, having know her, introduced me and she said, "long before you were born, we drove our Model T to Washington State and most of the hills/mountains it was in reverse!  

I never forgot that comment, was to young then to understand how the fuel fed the carburetor, being only 13 and still learning! 

[7th Son]

2 hours ago, 29StutzM said:

Dodge28

Back in the early 60's, I was working in my dads gas station and met a woman who had driven from Minnesota to Washington state in a Model T Ford in the twenties.

My Father, having know her, introduced me and she said, "long before you were born, we drove our Model T to Washington State and most of the hills/mountains it was in reverse!  

I never forgot that comment, was to young then to understand how the fuel fed the carburetor, being only 13 and still learning! 

My dad traveled many a mile up and down hills with his folks in Model T's. Up hill in reverse then down hill only if they cut down a small tree or lots of limbs and branches, tied them to the rear of the car, and crept down the other side. He used to point out where the horse troughs were beside the road when we would travel the same routes in the '50's.

[wayne sheldon]

30DodgePanel, A great idea this thread. Hopefully some much needed information can be accumulated into one place where it can be referenced for years to come.

I was never a good record keeper, but may be able to add a little now and again?

 

A couple interesting questions already.

 

14 hours ago, dodge28 said:

I was told by old timers who are long gone ,when a customer bought a Model T, back seat and bumpers were optional. Extra charges. Gas tank was under the drivers seat. If driving up hill while the gas was low drive uphill in reverse. Is it true ?

 

Some of this varied by the years. "Back seats" generally were included in some body types and not on others. Generally speaking, they were not "optional". Touring cars had back seats, runabouts and roadsters did not. However, some early roadsters, including what is often called the "mother-in-law" roadster, that little back seat for the wife's mom was technically "optional". Back seats on touring cars were often later removed to convert the car to a more needed pickup. But that would be stretching the "optional" nomenclature.

As for backing up hills? The positioning of the gasoline tank and use of gravity to feed gasoline to the carburetor, made backing up steep hills sometimes necessary. The gravitational effects also tended to starve the front bearings of the engine for oil going up steep hills! Backing up the hills also prevented throwing out rod bearings.

More to the topic at hand.

Ford did not offer bumpers on their model T until the 1926 model year! For 1926 and 1927 only, bumpers were optional on the model T Ford. After-market manufacturers had been selling bumpers made especially for the model T since about 1913, more than ten years already!

 

7 hours ago, Barney Eaton said:

Just for grins,  I used the internet to discover that $3 Dunlop Tube would be $51.57 in todays dollars.

Was the 1925 price high or have we actually improved the process and manufacturing so that tube is not $57 today?

 

For at least three decades, tires and innertubes were basically the most expensive main parts of almost any common automobile! The technologies of the tires themselves as well as the manufacturing techniques lagged well behind the automobiles themselves. Materials technology, and tires before 1910 were largely hand made (using very soft natural rubber!). It tool a push from the "Great War" (WW1) to get both materials and manufacturing technologies a jump forward.

When a new Ford touring car first sold for about $500, about 1915, the four tires and innertubes were nearly half that cost! By 1920, not only had the cost of tires dropped a lot, but tires lasted about three times longer.

Even in the 1920s, when Ford offered demountable rim wheels and tires (as an option for open cars, standard equipment on enclosed cars), they included a spare rim and carrier on the back of the car. However, the spare tire was an additional option!

 

 

Pierce Arrow was one of the first major automobile manufacturers to have a front bumper as standard equipment. If I recall correctly, front bumpers were offered at least as early as 1912, and I believe they were standard equipment on their fine automobiles by 1915.

MOST American automobile manufacturers did not make bumpers (even on the front only?) standard equipment until about 1927 or 1928. I know my 1927 Paige 6-45 sedan has the factory optional Weed bumpers front and rear. And I know they were still optional because I have the 1927 salesman's guide that says so!

 

Over the years I have known several people involved with mid to late 1920s Buicks. A few of those people have over the years shown me original era advertising and sales brochures for Buicks. As I recall, Buick also had bumpers as optional equipment at least through 1926. I don't know when they first offered them as a factory option.

 

And, speaking of Buicks? One of my favorite mid to late 1920s bumpers, which was offered as a factory option on Buicks as well as sold to other manufacturers and after-market? I do not see in the listing of manufacturers above. Maybe it is there, just not in the style I like so much? I may need to see if I can find a reference for them?

 

 

Edited January 14 by wayne sheldon
I hate leaving typos! (see edit history)

[JRA]

Thanks a lot, for your research, 30DodgePanel, very dedicated work, for sure. And thanks for posting all this information here at the forum, it will help many in years to come. 
The Biflex bumpers have a very distinctive format and they are probably the most successful one on the list, because they became standard in Studebaker and Lincoln for many years.
I was always curious about this option on late 1920s cars. Looking to old pictures and car shows, I realized early 1920s cars had bumpers really as an option, because you can see frequently both situations: with or without them. In late 1920s, according to literature, bumpers were still optional equipment, charged as extra costs, however, you cannot find any pictures or survival cars without bumpers. When have bumpers become mandatory by law? 1926/27? Ford model T was sold without them, but until the last years of production too? Was the “option” in late 1920s cars just a way to fake a reduced price? At the you would have to pay them anyway.

I have never seen a 1928 Chevrolet or Ford without bumpers, but were they charged as extra? I am sure this was the case for Chevrolet, but what about Ford and other cars?

 

[30DodgePanel]

More useless information to some which I find highly intriguing.

 

This morning I came across a few patents as early as 1922 for C.G. Spring and Bumper Co. (C.G. stands for Christian Girl, name of the President and inventor)

I'm posting them in case someone comes across one of these. Needless to say, items like these should have a stamp of PLEASE DO NOT SCRAP!

 

 

Here's a pivot mechanism W.E. Dunston was an assignor to C.G.

 

 

Here's a list of more of C.G's inventions for those that want to see other versions of bumpers and other items that may have been produced by the company on FPO IP Research & Communities (freepatentsonline.com)

 

For those who might be curious, I believe the old C.G. Spring and Bumper Co plant still stands at 2642 E Grand Blvd in Detroit MI. situated next to the RR tracks as you can imagine....

A small snap shot of his many other inventions, including a rear swivel device that turns the rear tires for parellel parking (1951145 Parking device for vehicles) as well as other items such as a sliding tray in the trunk of business coupes (1935 patent).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[36 D2 Coupe]

Moving into "modern" times, a '66 Ford F100 pickup and a '74 Dodge D100 pickup we bought came without rear bumpers. The Ford never got one and the Dodge got one from a local fabricator. When did rear bumpers on pickups become standard equipment?

[30DodgePanel]

1 hour ago, 36 D2 Coupe said:

Moving into "modern" times, a '66 Ford F100 pickup and a '74 Dodge D100 pickup we bought came without rear bumpers. The Ford never got one and the Dodge got one from a local fabricator. When did rear bumpers on pickups become standard equipment?

Not sure that standard has ever been established for trucks. I've seen DB sales literature that shows some trucks came with them depending on the year and model while other years and models did not. The more I see and study, my thinking is there's no set standard for trucks and probably never has been. 

 

Federal Bumper Standards | Receiver Hitch Step that helps eliminate rear end collision damage | shock absorbing hitch step | Superbumper | Bumper Shield (sparebumper.com)

 

 

 

We have brand new 2024 trucks for the City of Phoenix that have only lift gates (no rear bumper) for example.

Edited January 14 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[Lee H]

Nice job 30DodgePanel! I suspect you have only scratched the surface, though. Here are a few more for your list, taken only from January 1929 issues of Automotive News. I’m sure scores more could be unearthed with enough dedication.

[30DodgePanel]

@Lee H I'm sure we're only scratching the surface. Not only that, but many changes were also taking place in the accessories industry as companies folded and new ones were born or changed names.

 

As a side note, many of the Handbooks for Automobiles do list which vehicles came with bumpers and which did not although they do not mention the suppliers by name. Many of the major auto publications also listed whether or not they had bumpers in the specs. 

 

Here's a small list from a Jan 5th 1928 Motor Age magazine that exhibited at the NY show as an example:

Question is, how many on that list were producing bumpers as it was not always obvious by name, and how many smaller outfits such as Moore MFG filled some of those orders as well. As I said, we will probably never know, but it's good to see a list being put together for future reference. 

 

Edited January 14 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[Walt G]

1 hour ago, 30DodgePanel said:

More useless information to some

Just like the kid in the story "A Child's Christmas in Wales" ( by Dylan Thomas) says " let's get to the useless presents"

Useless information??   Well think of where this is being presented  on a world wide site for people who collected used cars and trucks.............and annually pay a lot of money to keep them in order or make them look like they did when new 50+ years ago.

Useless is good, having useless parts to cars that we will never own or even see in person but have a bit of, make us happy -  hey it is history of the arcane 😇

[58L-Y8]

Kudo to you 30DodgePanel for collecting, organizing and presenting this historic research for our edification.   Automotive bumpers came into being to solve a problem as the number of cars began to crowd the roads, especially in urban areas.   It didn't take many experiences with minor collisions for folks to figure out a mechanism was needed protect the vulnerable structures from impact.  The ability to push start another vehicle with height-matched bumpers was simply a practical solution to a commonly encountered problem.   The growing millions of cars on roads by the latter years of the 1920's demanded manufacturers finally make bumpers a standard feature.   Even at that, advertised prices frequently excluded bumpers and spare tires from the price in small print.  But then, bumpers were further listed in the small print as a "mandatory option". 

 

BTW. C.P. Kimball & Co. Chicago, Ill were primarily coachbuilders.  Their bumper business likely was an ancillary line.

C.P. Kimball & Co., Charles Porter Kimball, Kimball-bodied, Kimball Carriage, Charles F. Kimball, Chicago Illinois, Portland Maine, Brewster-Kimball - CoachBuilt.com

   

Edited January 14 by 58L-Y8
addendum comments (see edit history)

[28 Chrysler]

Trucks and trailers to my understanding need to have a rigid "safety bar". This is to keep cars from going under before they get crunched.

[TerryB]

The pickup truck bumper option was probably due to the lack of passengers to protect at the rear of the vehicle. I “think” the step bumper was an option on my 1995 Ford.  Only new truck I ever purchased.

[30DodgePanel]

I don't know about you guys, but I'll never look at bumpers quite the same since some of my research....

Especially as I continue to research the company owned by Christian Girl (better known as C.G. Spring & Bumper Co mentioned above).

 

 

Key points to remember.

1.) He must of had a profound influence into the advancement of the bumper industry while designing many brackets, fittings, attachments etc..

2.) He was also an assignee to earlier inventions by others in the field of machinery and the bumper industry as early as 1903 and possibly earlier.

3.) As I study him I'm finding a lot of the details on him are very difficult to find as you can imagine... If anyone has any info to expand on his company please post. 

4.) He thought it important enough to produce a engineering catalog that the company published in 1924 (see last photo), but to date I've found no bumper or bracket catalogs with illustrations or photos.

 

Here are just a few of his inventions.

 

File date 1921

 

 

Filed 1922

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed 1923

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed 1924

 

 

 

Filed 1925

 

 

 

 

Jumping ahead

Filed 1935

 

 

Filed 1936

 

 

 

1929 Auto Show

 

Would anyone know what vehicle this bumper was used on? Hard to tell what the medallion is with the glare.

 

 

Here's the 1924 engineering catalog. Still haven't found any catalogs showing bumpers or attachment illustrations.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 7 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)