63 vs 64 Front Bumper Ends

[Jason Edge]

Having just finished parts car #59, a 1963 Cadillac, and now working on a 1964 Cadillac (#60), I had two front bumper ends together and thought, OK this would be a good picture for comparison.  Check out the picture below with the 64 on top and 63 at bottom of picture. 

If you look beyond the corrosion and dents you can see how the lowers are all different. 

NOTE:
Everything on the bottom is different. Even the license guard is different with the 64 at top having a thinner lip. It would of course be different due to shapes of the lower centers being different.
Now, the  uppers "look" the same 63 to 64, and actually are exactly the same for the upper left and upper right ends, but that center might look the same, they have different tabs for mounting the lower grills, which are also very different.

As far as interchangeability, you can swap out the entire bumper end assembly from one year for the other.  You will have the issues of mounting the lower grill from year to the other, but I have pulled in parts cars where the devil be damned they made it work.

Also, what is easy is to swap out all 3 lowers for the other 3 lowers. That is, if you have rotted out 1963 lower bumper ends and find a nice complete 1964 lower section you can swap them out. Discerning eyes that know the difference between the years will catch the difference, but the other 99.99999% of those on the planet will not.

What you cannot do (without bending metal and your mind) is to take the lower ends  (buckets) from one year and attach to the other year center lower. This is because they are physically shaped different.

Anyway, thought it might be good to bring up as a talking point since I had side by side.

[Jason Edge]

Looking at these bumper ends a bit more, I  might add that many people might look at them and consider them junk, but both have good center lowers, the 64 at top has a very good upper center, and the upper outer ends have some discoloration but would be good solid rechrome cores.  The 63 at the bottom has very good upper outers, but as you can see, the passenger side end bracket has broken loose from the upper center. I can be welded back, but this piece will probably go to the metal yard as junk as I have good solid uppers for either year. 

You cannot see it but the 64 upper passenger side lower end (bucket has some rust  through on the outside). I actually thought that left side might be solid enough to reuse but it is paper thin with metal basically gone and just a layer of chrome in spots ... so it to will go in the trunk and to the metal yard!

BUT, there are also a lot of fasteners for cadmium plating on these bumper ends ranging from the very large 1/2" and 9/16" bolts used for the bumper to frame brackets, down to the smaller bolts that tie all 6 pieces and the lower center license guard together.   Speaking of cadmium plating, I head out Monday to pick up my 11th batch!  More on that later.

Jason.