Okay, this has probably been covered somewhere on here, but I couldn't find what I was looking for, so here it is. I'm hacking together a bumper for the 83 and would like opinions on the best way to attach it. That crossmember right at the bottom of the radiator looks pretty sturdy, but I'm not sure. This bumper is going to be heavy as hell, I'm making it from a bunch of 1/4" angle steel and 2" stock that my dad found at a jobsite and brought home. Also, would you recommend welding or bolting the bumper onto the truck? Ideas or links to other threads would be great. Thanks guys.

 

Deffinately weld it on,as for the crossmember if it isn't badly rusted I would think it should hold some weight

 

This is my setup so far.... No snide comments about the looks, she's 100% homemade and I'm not the best at welding yet. I figure that it's about sixty pounds right now, with some more to come. I just want to get it on the truck so the local cops stop harassing me about my duct-taped bumper.

 

Hey the duct tape is nascar approved!

 

I would definitely test fit any creation before welding it on...

 

I wouldn't weld it. If you change your mind down the road, it'll be much easier to unbolt than torch off. But what the hell...

 

I bolt on my front bumper:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_bumpers.shtml#Front

The mounting has changed a bit over the years (mainly due to raising the bumper a few inches), but the same basic attachment points are still used and have held up fine to wheeling and winching for about 14 years now.

 

Decided to weld it on. This bumper is just temporary anyways, pieced together from basically scrap metal. It'll do for the next couple of months until I park the truck and rebuild everything, and build a nice tube/winch bumper of some sort.

 

P.S. All the wires you see are from the plow setup that I had on there.... Haven't taken the time to get them out of the way yet