Do I need new bumper brackets?
 

Hey, new to the forums, so thanks for your patience.

I have a 2006 KR Super Crew. Got into a fender-bender recently and damaged the front bumper. I've done some research and it looks fairly simple to replace, so planning to do it myself.

Question is, how do I know if I need new bumper brackets or just the bumper? How can I tell a "healthy" bracket from one that should be replaced? Is it visually obvious? I don't want to start the repair and find out that I need new brackets half-way through the process b/c this is my daily driver.

thanks!

It was obvious to me when I opened the hood to look after I hit that baby deer a few years ago on left front corner.
Right side was fine ....
.... Left side the bracket that bolts to the bumper and frame was distorted and the plate welded to the frame that it bolts to was distorted.

I pointed it out to shop, they said they'd straighten it. They replaced bumper and bent bracket and used a shim stack on large bolts instead of straightening the frame plate ..... and I was pi55ed ..... I removed it and used a come-along and gently pulled the plate back so that it was in same plane as passenger side both vertically with a spirit level and across-ways using a 4" level as a straight edge to line them up.
Bumper lines up with no shims, within 1/16" now.

Took stack of shims back to shop owner I've known for years and told him how I felt.

Yeah, that's frustrating, paying good money for hal******* work.

thanks for the input. Mine don't look obviously distorted, but since they're too expensive maybe I will get a set of brackets just in case.

Since you have a 2006, make sure you order 06-08 bumper. 04-05 not only look different, they also use different brackets.

Oh yeah .... I forgot to mention that! ;)

Just trying to help :). You'd be surprised (or wouldn't) how many people mistakenly think the 2004 - 2008 trucks use all the same parts.