Are current NPD bumpers for 69 good?

I"m new to the forum, but have searched and browsed quite a bit. We are restomoding a 1969 Coupe. Donna is Wimbledon white and came from San Jose, CA factory on October 8, 1968. We are trying to keep a record of the restoration on our blog here.

Both the front and rear bumper are dented and/or bent. She was hit (or hit something) on the front driver's side, pushing the bumper in and up on that side and creating a fold in the bumper. She probably was backed into something and again, there are indents and creases in the rear bumper. I don't think these can be restored.

I have read a lot about the repro bumpers being thinner and not fitting. I can get original from Anghel Restorations but that's $1500 for the pair versus $280 from NPD. I read a thread where someone from NPD claimed they had redone the tooling using better original parts as the model.

Does anyone have recent experience with NPD bumpers for 69? Do they fit? How do they compare to original?

Thanks!

I emailed NPD and detailed the info I had found in posts from 2016 where "Rick" had talked about getting the tooling for the 1969-1970 bumpers redone. I asked if the "retooled" bumpers were what is currently being offered. I was pleasantly surprised to get a response from Rick himself:

My email:

Product Inquiry,

In posts on the Vintage Mustang Forum back in 2016, someone from NPD named Rick, who claimed the title of COO, posted about having new tooling made for 1969 Mustang bumpers. He posted pics of the "tweaked" old bumper that he suspected was made from tooling created from a bent bumper and then detailed the effort spent in finding a correct one. At that time samples had been approved and you were awaiting shipment of product. Is this true? If so, are the bumpers listed currently on your site from that "correct tooling": BUMPER Front chrome repro: Item # 17757-3A $136.95 BUMPER Rear chrome repro: Item # 17906-3A $136.95 Rick also stated that the weight (ie. the thickness) was closer to original. I am needing new bumpers for our 1969 Mustang Coupe and would rather not part with the $1500 that NOS or refinished originals would cost. However, the bumpers are a very important visual on the car, so I want them to look really good and be correct. I appreciate you taking time to help. Thomas

Currently working on:
1969 Mustang Coupe

Regards, Thomas Hill

Rick's response:

Hello Thomas,

Yes, our current 69-70 bumper offerings are the corrected-tooling fronts (17757-3A), and our rears have always fit well.

Long story short, you should be pleased with both the front and rear. If you are not, we always stand behind what we sell, and have no problem taking them back.

Thank you,

Rick Schmidt
VP, COO
National Parts Depot

I intend to order both bumpers from NPD and see how they fit and feel. I will post back here once I have them on the car.