86-only bumper bracket?

[Pete M]

the larger bumper bracket is 86-only, yes?  it's definitely longbed-only but my chrome bumpers by the barn both have the smaller bracket so I'm guessing the smaller one came out for all trucks in 87. 

[eaglescout526]

If I recall, the smaller one is for short bed trucks and the longer one is long bed. This being said I think I have a short bed on mine and it seems to be just fine……now this has me thinking. 

[The86manche]

My longbed had shorted brackets on it and it was the original one 

[Pete M]

dug through the 87-90 parts manual and... still confused. 

 

the first listing (5500 9382-3) shows a photo of the bigger bracket but doesn't differentiate long and shorts.  just has those L/R part numbers.

 

down below on the same page there's another bracket (5501 8452-3) that shows an image of the smaller bracket, but that is listed under a "tubular bumper". 

 

thanks AMC, that really cleared things up.    all I know for sure is that my larger brackets can't go on a shortbed truck.  there's no gap clearance in the bracket for the frame.

 

[Eagle]

My '88 Chief has the factory tubular bumper (what's left of it -- they were pretty thin metal and rather worthless as a bumper) but I never looked at the brackets. Maybe the tubular bumper was only an option on the shortbeds?