Steel – Original Length – Painted Black. Bob Drake’s 1940 bumper braces are authentic Ford, right down to the .205in. stock hard rolled mill edge steel with the correct radius edge and end shape. They are exact reproductions because we have engineered them from original new parts and the Ford blueprints. These braces are bent to shape from thick steel. No light-weights here. Our braces are built to take a beating. The mounting holes are punched in just the right places so you can bolt it all together. Rear.