When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Its been a long time in the making but I have begun my first legitimate fab project on my 1992 pickup. I searched low and high for a decent looking plate bumper for this generation of truck but turned up very little. It originally came with a tube bumper which didn't quite suit my taste and additionally I have some toys I'd like to be able to haul (after all it is a truck).
The Warn bumpers available for these trucks are good looking but cost nearly a third of what I paid for the whole truck and again, no hitch receiver. Given that I'm decently handy and short on cash I figured the best route to go would be making my own.
I found a few designs on google and ultimately landed on this rough idea since it wouldn't require many pieces and should be decently easy to weld.
I began with a full scale mock-up out of 1/4" mdf. It was really helpful for fitment of these awkward angles and whatnot. And made it really easy to punch out matching pieces.
At this point I should mention that I made the decision to do this build out of quarter inch aluminum. The reasons were two-fold. I wanted to keep the weight down since these things are already starved for power and secondly, aluminum is easier to cut.
I reached out to a local metal fabrication shop and had them punch out the long bits on a shear and then purchased some extra material from them to make my smaller pieces on the band saw. My all-in cost was $105. Not bad IMO.
I began welding on it this weekend. If I had a better table and some better jigs it would have come out a bit cleaner but none the less this things likely to see some abuse so I'll take it.
I can already tell you at this point that maybe steel would have been a better option. It's a bit stronger and after putting most of my finish welds on I am going to be spending a significantly larger amount of time making the aluminum loook pretty before sending it to powder coat.
On the inside I am going to run a series of gussets for extra strength. After some further consideration I decided that using some thick walled angle iron, I can extend the frame rails out through the sheet metal under the tailgate. That would not only would be the best route to mount this beast of a bumper but from there I can stiffen up the rear portion of the frame behind the spare tire. This would also serve as a good foundation to build a steel towing package and hitch receiver.
Last edited by FWP1RATE; 01-31-2017 at 04:28 PM.
Reason: Typos
Since I'm attempting a full-fledged write up, I figured I'd share with you all the little things I'm acquiring to pull this build together.
For the lights i went with some GG lighting GD3 flush mount LED pods. I'll likely wire these in with my reverse lights so that I can actually see when backing up. I can't see jack with the factory reverse lights.
I try not to bad mouth smaller companies but the lights are not exactly exceptional quality. The assembly screws in the housing came stripped out and the laser engraving is crooked. That being said they do carry a lifetime warranty and they are decently cheap compared to other non-amazon (Chinese) brands. And let's be honest this is not a $50k pavement rig. These things are gonna get beat to hell.
I found a really decent wiring kit on eBay to run the trailer lights. It should be showing up in then next couple days. These tie into the factory plugs so it should weather and function a lot nicer than splicing the factory harness.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/361165573425
And lastly I am buying some OEM Tacoma license plate lights to run flush mount on either side of the plate. Probably some LEDs to go in there since that's what all the cool kids are doing. Also found those on eBay
@muddpigg - yes sir! I wanted to do the rear first (and I'm glad I did), the front bumper will be down the road and will have a winch. I am contemplating either modifying my current tube bumper or just trying to copy the Warn.
@space-junk - I will do some more welding on it this weekend and snap more more detailed photos to post, hopefully with some noticeable progress.
@jakey_poo - Dude, I see you also reside in the Willamette Valley! In all honesty I am considering making a few more to sell to people or even just make a weld-it-yourself deal. just need to get a good line on someone who can punch out all the parts for me. It is definitely the most time consuming part.
Truck is on the lift and I have a buddy fabbing up the frame extension to hang out the towing package and hitch receiver. Putting some finish welds on this thing and once the frames been extended then I'll know where to place my gussets to attach the bumper to the frame. The project has hit full party mode I'm really stoked to get it mounted up and then beautified with a grinder.
Also if anyone else is going to make something like this it's a good idea some solid tacs every 4-6" especially with aluminum. Otherwise the kerf will really spread out and get away from you.
Got my 94-05 Tacoma plate light housings and as it turns out my factory plate lights are a perfect fit. Looks like it'll even clear the 1/4" aluminum just fine. Gotta love Toyota.
Cool bumper, but like said - no hitch?
Technically your truck is not a 2nd gen pickup -- it's a 3rd gen pickup/5th gen Hilux.
Originally Posted by dropzone
The truck really hasn't been registered for 27 years?
I think they put the 1st year sold on the plates in OR, not the current year registration. I've had some double takes myself when I see plates that are WAY out of date, we get plenty of OR drivers in Sacramento.
That was just a plate we had lying next to the bench. My uncle is one of those picker dudes and buys all kinds of crap like expired plates.
About the thread title I have no idea how to change it my first post was at like 3-4am and totally spaced that my tuck is a 3rd gen. I tried to reach out to an admin to correct it but no help, whatever.
Also, have no fear the hitch itch is on the way! We decided to drop it down off the frame extensions from behind the sheet metal. Then a cross bar will traverse the space between the two much like what you see on store bought units from Curts and others. However mine will vary slightly. Now that we have the placement of the bumper worked out, the actual hitch receiver will tuck up very tight onto the underside for maximum clearance on the trail.
This upcoming weekend should be the final days of fabrication, then it's a matter of getting things painted and powder coated. So far we've only put 20 hours or so into this which I totally expected to take longer. Mostly because we've drinking beer and listening to music most of the time.
01-30-2017, 03:06 AM
my first post was at like 3-4am and totally spaced that my tuck is a 3rd gen. I tried to reach out to an admin to correct it but no help, whatever.
