What is this hunk of steel on my Silverado?

[Strokenmerc]

Snagged from the Amazon description for the brackets:

Evan-Fischer Bumper Bracket is an affordable replacement product for your restoration needs; this is an OE replacement item, manufactured in accordance to industry standards to ensure product durability and reliability. Vibrations from rough road conditions can loosen the bumper from its hold, so be sure to use a high-quality bumper bracket to firmly attach the bumper to the car frame. All Evan-Fischer products are covered by 1-Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty.

 

[wdn]

HA! Show me a 10 year old vehicle in the rust belt that doesn't look this bad or worse...

Okay. Here is my seventeen year old Toyota Tundra that is parked outside.

 

[skyactiv]

I can show you pics of my Nissan (way worse) or any other vehicle in our area of any brand of this age. BMW has been the only car of this age that survives Iowa winters without hard corrosion that I have experienced.

My wife's generation Audi A4 has the best rust protection of any vehicle. 2nd is the German made mk6 Golf and GTI

 

[ripcord]

I watched youtube video of a guy spraying the whole under side of a car with a mixture of melted wax and hot bar and chain oil. He showed another car that he'd treated that way several years previously and it seemed to work pretty well. He said the oil works it's way into the pores and cracks and dust and grime mixes with it to form a semi-solid coating.

Again, just glad I don't live in the rust belt.

 

[JC1]

Drive hard, show us a pic of the front of the truck with the bumper. What a tease you are!!!!

 

[Rochev]

Wdn, my 2017 has a ton of crusty rust underneath. What do you use? I've used Rust Check but it doesn't seem to last the whole year.

 

[KGMtech]

The bracket might be used when the welded frame is shipped from Budd Automotive to GM, it might allow the frames to stack and nest better or give clearance for more critical features.

 

[clinebarger]

If anyone knows it's probably @clinebarger

I don't, Body/Frame/collision isn't my area of expertise.

 

[ls1mike]

From GM parts Direct, Someone said use Google...I did...You should too.

Lower Bracket, Bumper Bracket, Rail End Lower Bracket, Bumper Face Bar Mount, Bumper Impact Bar Bracket, Bracket.

It would seem it is for a bumper.

 

[ls1mike]

Okay. Here is my seventeen year old Toyota Tundra that is parked outside.
View attachment 28916
View attachment 28917

That must be like 400lbs of rust proofing under there. I'm kidding. I am glad I don't live in the rust belt. 23 year old Z71 I picked up for my kid. Lived in Kitsap county Washington its whole life.

 

[4WD]

Been buying GM trucks & full sized SUV’s for years … have not seen those critters on the frame …

 

[clinebarger]

Been buying GM trucks & full sized SUV’s for years … have not seen those critters on the frame …

Wonder if that where the front tow/recovery hooks would be on trucks so equipped??

 

[4WD]

Wonder if that where the front tow/recovery hooks would be on trucks so equipped??

Don’t know … I always buy 4WD without exception …

 

[01rangerxl]

Wonder if that where the front tow/recovery hooks would be on trucks so equipped??

It's not for the tow hooks, and my diagrams do not show anything attaching to them. As far as I can tell, they are not associated with any RPO codes and are on every GMT900 1500, be it a hybrid Tahoe or WT 4WD Silverado. It is definitely unique to the 1500 version of that specific platform, and they all have it.

 

[clinebarger]

I've seen them on the K2xx platform as well.......

 

[01rangerxl]

I glanced at a K2XX diagram too trying to find the thing and didn't see it, but it was a 2500. They may well be on the K2XX 1500s.

In any case, it doesn't seem to be tied to an option, doesn't have anything attaching to it, and is exclusive to 1500s. 1500s are made in much larger quantities than 2500+, so I think this is something to facilitate production/transport. I think it's available as a repair part because a collision repair is only concerned with returning a vehicle to how it was and not figuring out what is necessary vs something the manufacturer used for convenience.

 

[clinebarger]

They were 1500's.....I don't see them being any good for transport as there is no hole for a hook. Wonder if GMboy knows as he works at the GM Arlington Assembly Plant??

 

[DriveHard]

I can assure you they had nothing to do with the bumper...no part of the old bumper was touching or connected to them.
They are also not part of the tow hooks...I have that option, and transferred them to the new bumper - again, no part touched or was connected to them.

Getting closer to cutting them off by the minute ;-)

 

[DriveHard]

Drive hard, show us a pic of the front of the truck with the bumper. What a tease you are!!!!

 

[OVERKILL]

I can assure you they had nothing to do with the bumper...no part of the old bumper was touching or connected to them.
They are also not part of the tow hooks...I have that option, and transferred them to the new bumper - again, no part touched or was connected to them.

Getting closer to cutting them off by the minute ;-)

To me, they look like stops of some sort to deform the bumper in a collision.