The Official 356Talk Forum

Hello Everyone. I've been a registry member since 2014 but just recently acquired my first 356. I recently was able to acquire a 1955 speedster from a long term owner. I am currently going through the car addressing small items (gaskets etc). One question i can't seem to find an answer to is whether the car originally came from the factory with chrome bumper guards or whether they would have been polished aluminum. My car has chrome but i wanted to make sure that was accurate. Thanks in advance for all you help.

Brian Poulin wrote:Hello Everyone ... One question i can't seem to find an answer to is whether the car originally came from the factory with chrome bumper guards or whether they would have been polished aluminum. My car has chrome but i wanted to make sure that was accurate. Thanks in advance for all you help.

Hi Brian,

The correct answer to your question about chrome or polished aluminum guards for your '55 Speedster is neither. The guards were originally bright anodized, like the hood handle. Also your car had the wide guards which were forged, not cast. No one reproduces these exactly so to be 100% accurate you'll have to find a set of originals and have them restored and re-anodized. This is a lot of work. However there are reproduction wide cast guards available which are just polished - not 100% accurate but they look a lot better than the late A narrow chrome guards.

Do you have the wide or narrow guards and are you sure they are chrome and not anodized? A photo may help.

Chuck, thank you for your response. I guess the reason i couldn't figure out what it was is because it was too dull to be chrome (or was really scratched) and couldn't polish like aluminum. See attached photos, i am guessing the finish on these are correct? Thanks again for the help for a newbie

Brian,

I can't say with 100% certainty without looking at the guards more closely but by what you say of the finish and the appearance in the photo, it would seem that you may have the correct guards and finish. Congratulations!

Best Regards,

Those guards do not look like "short fat" ones to me. To be sure, a straight on photo would confirm.

"Short Fats" are 64 mm wide. All others are 45 mm wide.

I'm pretty sure comparing pictures that mine are the wide ones. Will measure them. Thanks for the help

Brian, yours look like the standard mid-'54 onward forged aluminum guards. The original finish on these was *very* shiny, like chrome.

Congrats on the new Speedster! Feel free to post more photos. We like seeing those. =)

James, will do. It's currently on the lift torn apart getting a full top and bottom detail. In addition, the rear brake drums are off getting rebuilt along with the backing plates out for powder coating. having a lot of fun with it.

I did confirm that the bumper guards are the "fat" ones.

My bumper guards are aluminum but not anodized. I polished the rear guards with Autosol aluminum paste and they came out great. I need to do the fronts next. But I have been told that my bumper guards are not correct for '55 (they are too tall). What size (measurement from top of bumper to top of bumper guard) should they be?

James Davies wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:51 pm Brian, yours look like the standard mid-'54 onward forged aluminum guards. The original finish on these was *very* shiny, like chrome.

Congrats on the new Speedster! Feel free to post more photos. We like seeing those. =)

These guards were bright anodised. Very difficult to duplicate on used parts. It has a certain "look" which allows you to easily tell it apart from a chrome or polished finish

Old and very used anodized guards will have a very bright look on the inside even if the outside is in poor condition.

Hi Kent,

The 1954-56 bumper guards are wider and shorter than those on your car. That said, when your car was restored, those were probably the only reproductions available.

Currently there are reproduction pre-A bumper guards available from most vendors, plus there's a bunch of originals on ebay right now. Be sure to get 2 lefts and 2 rights, as they are sided.

Thanks James! I also got photos emailed to me with the dimensions; about 2.5 inches wide and about 4.75 inches high (measured from the top of the bumper to the top of the bumperette.) Slowly trying to get the incorrect bits corrected.