spitfirebill wrote: Where's all the cheap steel the Chinese and Koreans have been dumping on us for years?
It's at Harbor Freight shaped like tools 
Our local metal yard recently changed hands and now scraps all offcuts. Gone are the days when I could wander down and pick up a couple of square feet of whatever I needed, or the perfect chunk of tube for a project. It's a real shame.
curtis73 wrote: If I had a leftover piece like that I'd either put it up for $10 or just give it away.
And thats why you can't afford a bumper.
The market is the market, dude. Nothing to be done about it.
I've got a real good relationship with a local fabricator. He doesn't mind me wandering through his racks with a tape. I stopped by last week and picked up a 1 1/2" X 3/4" X 6' piece of aluminum for $10. Drops are cheap as long as he doesn't have to cut it.
tuna55 wrote:curtis73 wrote:What van is this? That's nuts. The rear bumper for my '72 GMC was like $40 new aftermarket.rotard wrote:I found one that is 87 miles from me that the description reads: "rusty assy. dents. could work. $120" I found another one 186 miles away that says "has issues, no brackets, $200" I'm still in search of one of those good old fashioned PA junkyards like I used to know growing up, but I think the EPA has done a pretty good job of turning them into landfills.B430 wrote: Used bumper from junkyard?
Its insanely rare.... Its a 99 Ford Econoline van. 
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. I found a guy parting out a 96 E-van with a bad motor. I am waiting for a call back from him about the bumper.
Streetwiseguy wrote:curtis73 wrote: If I had a leftover piece like that I'd either put it up for $10 or just give it away.And thats why you can't afford a bumper.
I know, I'm such a giver
No pick n pull type places around? They have rows full of ford vans, i'd imagine the bumpers interchange between a wide range of years. If not why not just mod whatever van/truck bumper you can find cheap to fit? Wouldn't be any harder that making one from scratch.
In reply to curtis73:
I sent you a message re a pick and pull with a list of vans near you.
klb67 wrote: In reply to curtis73: I sent you a message re a pick and pull with a list of vans near you.
You rock. Thanks!
In reply to curtis73:
Let me know if that works out for you and how they are to deal with. My FIL may need to acquire some chevy van doors and parts.
Keith wrote: It's at Harbor Freight shaped like tools
No kidding. I had to drill some new holes in the base plate brackets of a jib-crane I bought for my truck. Even the cheap drill bits in my multi-kit went through the steel like a hot knife through butter. Quite a difference from drilling old steel from the US or Europe.
FWIW, I often see PA trucks driving around with a 2x6 or 2x8 for a bumper - and this is in the Philly suburbs where inspection standards are fairly rigid.
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