Why Do Most Trucks Have Chrome Bumpers?

smoak352 · March 8, 2010

My current truck 09' Sierra Denali, and my previous truck (2001 Ford Lightning) had painted bumpers. However, most trucks have chrome front and rear bumpers. Why do companies do this? The impala does not have chrome bumpers...

jblakeney · March 8, 2010

My current truck 09' Sierra Denali, and my previous truck (2001 Ford Lightning) had painted bumpers. However, most trucks have chrome front and rear bumpers. Why do companies do this? The impala does not have chrome bumpers...

Its gottta have a chrome bumper dude or it is not a truck.......... Painted bumpers turn me away........ They ruined the cars a long time ago..... They are working on us truck guys now.... They gave us a 3 piece rear bumper you can bend with a light amount of pressure.....

Jbo

nootron69 · March 8, 2010

My current truck 09' Sierra Denali, and my previous truck (2001 Ford Lightning) had painted bumpers. However, most trucks have chrome front and rear bumpers. Why do companies do this? The impala does not have chrome bumpers...

I think the chrome is cool. Dodges used to (and prob still do) have the sport package with painted bumpers. But there is something vintage about big chrome bumpers that make truck lovers dig them!

music · March 8, 2010

I prefer chrome bumpers, so I guess the did it for me?

Nick The Great · March 8, 2010

FWIW, a 1972 Chrome Bumper Corvette is worth $1000's more than a 1974 "Rubber Bumper" Corvette.

nickvrebel · March 8, 2010

I see the chrome as being more durable than a painted surface. It takes more to scratch a painted surface, I can stand on my Chrome without worrying about a little sand on the bottom of my shoe destroying the finish.

edit:

of course this doesn't apply to my new truck, I think lately it's more of one of those things like "that's the way it's always been done"

99kon · March 8, 2010

Its cheaper to dip a piece of metal into a vat of chemicals than to prep, sand, primer, paint and buff a piece of metal.

If you look at the work truck package bumpers, they are not painted with the same black as the truck.

knipper_03 · March 8, 2010

Rock chips on a painted bumper rust easily....a chrome bumper it alot harder, and I imagine its cheaper/faster to chrome than to paint. Unless you have a plastic painted bumper cover then painted bumper would be nice!

ffthornton · March 8, 2010

My granddad always said you wasnt cool if your chrome didn't shine.

raulibarra3 · March 8, 2010

My current truck 09' Sierra Denali, and my previous truck (2001 Ford Lightning) had painted bumpers. However, most trucks have chrome front and rear bumpers. Why do companies do this? The impala does not have chrome bumpers...

Its gottta have a chrome bumper dude or it is not a truck.......... Painted bumpers turn me away........ They ruined the cars a long time ago..... They are working on us truck guys now.... They gave us a 3 piece rear bumper you can bend with a light amount of pressure.....

Jbo

+1 on bumpers that bend with a light ammount of pressure

2 weeks ago I backed up very slowly to an expedition but did hit its bumper, mine bent, the expedition, which belongs to a friend of mine, not a scratch

amtz.zero · March 8, 2010

Because they look cooler with chrome bumpers. They look more "truck-like".

Thurman · March 8, 2010

In "yesterday's" world chrome sold cars, the more chrome the prettier the car. In today's business world, chrome plating businesses are going under every day due mainly to Federal and State Environmental Impact Laws. I doubt if any auto company within the U.S. does any of their own chrome plating today. It's not the cost of plating new metal that makes this cost-prohibitive, it's the disposal of the waste stream generated by the chrome plating process. Let''s look at a brand-new, fresh from the stamping press metal bumper: Ship from the stamping center to the paint/chrome center, this may be in-house (assembly plant) or an outside vendor. The same bumper painted is as strong as the same bumper chromed.

To be color matched, or black, to a truck the metal only needs a "wash" to remove the stamping lubricants. This wash would be a water-based "Environmental Friendly" solution. A quick warm-air dry, then robotically primed and painted.

To be chromed, (usually an outside vendor) the metal has to be chemically dipped to remove everything,including oil from fingerprints. Then the coat of copper is electro-plated on. Then another chemical wash. Then a coat of nickel is electro-plated on, another wash. Then finally the actual chrome is electro-plated on--another chemical wash.

The two (2) facilities I've visited, which did some work for GM did not do buffing. When the parts came from final rinse, they were brilliant. These were truck bumpers, grills, and some trim.

Restoration shops, which do triple-chrome (copper-nickel-copper-nickel-chrome) plating are a different story. A more time consuming, hands-on method there.

I will predict that you will see less chrome on vehicles in the coming years due to the cost per square-inch factor, and the amount of vendors going out of business. David

00_Extended · March 9, 2010

FWIW, a 1972 Chrome Bumper Corvette is worth $1000's more than a 1974 "Rubber Bumper" Corvette.

A 69 with endura bumper (urathane) painted body color is worth about 5K more than it chrome bumper counter part. The endura bumper on it's own and the mounting hardware is worth about $2500.00

As for the painted truck bumpers I have seen them both ways on the front and the rears can be painted to match and the Avalanch has painted rears, I'll bet it's the same bumper.

I had my front chrome bumper removed, the chrome blasted off and it was painted body color. I think it made the front look much better. I like the rear chrome though.

pm26 · March 9, 2010

My current truck 09' Sierra Denali, and my previous truck (2001 Ford Lightning) had painted bumpers. However, most trucks have chrome front and rear bumpers. Why do companies do this? The impala does not have chrome bumpers...

I think the chrome is cool. Dodges used to (and prob still do) have the sport package with painted bumpers. But there is something vintage about big chrome bumpers that make truck lovers dig them!

There is NOTHING vintage about big chrome paper thin bumpers though.

jblakeney · March 9, 2010

In "yesterday's" world chrome sold cars, the more chrome the prettier the car. In today's business world, chrome plating businesses are going under every day due mainly to Federal and State Environmental Impact Laws. I doubt if any auto company within the U.S. does any of their own chrome plating today. It's not the cost of plating new metal that makes this cost-prohibitive, it's the disposal of the waste stream generated by the chrome plating process. Let''s look at a brand-new, fresh from the stamping press metal bumper: Ship from the stamping center to the paint/chrome center, this may be in-house (assembly plant) or an outside vendor. The same bumper painted is as strong as the same bumper chromed.
To be color matched, or black, to a truck the metal only needs a "wash" to remove the stamping lubricants. This wash would be a water-based "Environmental Friendly" solution. A quick warm-air dry, then robotically primed and painted.

To be chromed, (usually an outside vendor) the metal has to be chemically dipped to remove everything,including oil from fingerprints. Then the coat of copper is electro-plated on. Then another chemical wash. Then a coat of nickel is electro-plated on, another wash. Then finally the actual chrome is electro-plated on--another chemical wash.

The two (2) facilities I've visited, which did some work for GM did not do buffing. When the parts came from final rinse, they were brilliant. These were truck bumpers, grills, and some trim.

Restoration shops, which do triple-chrome (copper-nickel-copper-nickel-chrome) plating are a different story. A more time consuming, hands-on method there.

I will predict that you will see less chrome on vehicles in the coming years due to the cost per square-inch factor, and the amount of vendors going out of business. David