Side cutters work wonders as well!!

 

Hi guys. I realized I didn't give an update from what was accomplished this past sunday. As you all saw I used a straight edge level to make sure the top of the bumper was completely straight. Now I don't know if my truck was in a head on accident in the past or what all I know is that my truck is a salvage title. And when I went to fit my straight bumper on the truck I realized that the sides had to be lowered about 1/2". I couldn't bring the whole entire top plate down because then it wouldn't clear the top part of my winch. So I had to keep the center part the same height then slope the ends down a bit to clean my side lights.








At first I thought it looked a bit goofy. But then I thought that once I get the the grill protection bars put in that maybe it would give the illusion that it is straight. Or so Im hoping. Even if it doesn't it still isn't a ridiculous amount of slope to say wow wtf that looks stupid. But yea. What is your guys's input?

 

Looks freaking AWESOME!! you have made alot of progress. Makes your already mean looking runner look even meaner.

 

it might not even be shes been hit rich the rubber body mounts might sag (they do shrink over time)

 

I'd take lots of measurements of the body and frame. Look for buckled metal. Fit the grill with the bumper on. I'd cut the center down so it is flat like you designed it. My .02$

 

bet you need some new body mount bushings
if the front end is messed up, why is the center bumper still square and level with truck
also the center winch mount is pre made to fit a non wrecked truck. seeing as you are able to bolt it up with no issues. i dont think the frame is the problem

 

The grill i already know is gonna have to be cut. because at the height that the Trailgear winch plate sits with the winch on top requires trimming at least with that top plate part that goes around the winch. I'm going to have to cut about 1/2" off the bottom part of the grill. plus the shape of the box that sits on top of the winch.

I dont think that the frame was bent. when we looked at it while we did my SAS everything looked fine. but i did notice in the past that the front fire wall or whatever its called "the part behind the grill" that part was bent a while back ago. i had to re bend it to shape about a year ago. It's still sort of bent but that can very well be why this grill sat low. Mark(Chefyota) has also noticed this while seeing my truck in person. the grill seems to lean more toward the passenger side and have a slight gap on the driver side. Ive tried to straighten it out but it will only straighten out so much. I believe this is probably what is my problem here. Tomorrow im going to remove my stock bumper and take my straight edge level and set it underneath the grill from end to end and see if maybe its my front that is crooked.

On a side note i drew this up really quick to get an idea of how this bumper would look if i left it as is and added those grill guards with the offroad lights. and this is what i came out with. Once i add the grill guard bars, 4 offroad lights, and the winch i dont think the droop will be so noticeable.


But as of right now I just left it as is. We did manage to get some work done on it. but i don't want to finalize these welds just yet. At least until we figure this crooked problem out. If i end up raising those sides back up the 1/4" that i dropped it then i am either gonna have to cut center part of that bumper horizontally then drop the hole bumper about 1/4-1/2" to make it level. but the problem there is that if i do that then my winch might not fit. The 2nd thing i can do is probably cut the entire winch plate at the mounting points and just bring that down instead. this would bring my entire bumper down without having to cut the bumper or without running into problems with the winch fitting properly. This might be my best bet. But i need to take a closer look at the winch plate again. Either way this winch plate is going to get welded to my front cross-member so it might not be too bad of a choice to go this route.

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Today i went to the Welding supplies/gas store to swap out my dads expired Acetylene and Oxygen tanks. We exchanged them for some new to us or newly certified full tanks. paid $121. ouch! that one hurt. But i figure i would fill up his tanks on my tab to pay him back for all his help on my last bumper and now this bumper.


Since we had the full tanks of gas we figured we will just go ahead and cut the air holes and LED light holes already.
Here's my pops working that Acetylene torch






Dont get the wrong idea here. the bumper was leaning back some so the top of the bumper looks like it has a bigger slope then it really does.


Not bad. His cuts came out much better this time vs the time we did my rear bumper. Tomorrow, after work, i'll have to head to Harbor freight and buy a hole grinder and sander to smooth out those holes.

 

are you talking about the radiator support? if so you can swap it out for a new one hehe
http://www.carparts.com/details/Toyo...FWfhQgodOF4AGw



wonder if you can just take the hole saw to it now to clean it up

 

if it is bent a bit rich slide hammer sledge hammer and a jack to support the low spot its how i got my front back within 1/4-1/2 inch

 

Yes that is it. I remember mine was bent around the passenger headlight area when i first bought the truck. You. I used a hammer to hit lightly and some channel locks to grip and push/pull to fix it. You cant tell as much. but if you look at the sides of the grill toward the lights you can still tell its off a bit because it is right up against the passenger side marker light and i have a gap on my driver side one.

RBX mentioned, i nmy Bumper thread, for me to take a tape measure and diagonally measure fender and core support bolts to see if the sheet metal is square

I didnt think about that but i will have to try that out when i get home. That is a good idea.

Also i never thought about this but RBX asked me, "isn't the box for your winch able to be relocated" The winch plate has a few holes but too far apart to lower to the next set of holes. BUT, since we have that acetylene torch maybe we could melt that hole into a vertical oval shape just 1/4" upward to lower the entire bumper without needing to do do any major cuts to the bumper. This was a brilliant idea.

William sorry man, not sure i know what you meant. You mean like to bend outward or off to the side or something???

 

Looking good rich. Your dad must really have a steady hand. Those cuts look really nice for using the torches.

As far as the core support goes, I would do like others have suggested. Slide hammer and some heat and a some manual manipulation to get it where you think it needs to be.

Not sure how to help you on the winch plate, As I have no experience with them.

 

BTW toyo, can you post a frontal picture of your bumper. i know you have some i just cant really look through your thread atm. but your ARB bumper is straight from side to side right? i would like to see the gap size from under the grill if you can please.

 

i was just sayin if thinga are a bit bent you can use a slide hammer sledge hammer and or a jack to help correct alignments

my drivers front was down 3 inches an back 3 inches (or more) and the passenger side was shifted to the drivers by half an inch once i got the folds out of the metal and a few spot welds popped from the pushing i was able to get the front end back just about right

 

Sorry i had misunderstood. I had to look up that slide sledge hammer tool you were talking about. Now i see what you mean. Thanks Will.

Well it was raining in Los Angeles today. So i couldnt really get outside to measure and get pictures or make adjustments to the bumper. I'm just going to have to wait it out till the rain stops. I usually like the rain but i really wish this weather would hold off until i finished this project.
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I do have some awesome news though guys. Something totally off subject but something im very proud of. I have been trying to get classes out here to coninue on to get my A.A. degree then to bachelors. But schools are so dang packed out here in SoCal and it is near to impossible to get into any classes at all. there have been semesters that i have literally applied to 16 -25 classes just to see what i get into. and in the end i only end up getting into one class if even that. i have been trying this for the past 2 years. and getting one to no classes every semester is taking much too long. Colleges out here are under staffed, packed classes, and have an over abundance of students. Like i said its almost impossible to join any classes. at least the ones i need to get into. So rather then spending the next 10 years getting only one class per semester. I made the choice to join American Career College to pursue a career in Surgical Technology. This is the same thing i was going for when i was attending college. the only difference is that now this will only take me 1year and 8 months. with no over populated classrooms. I went to the school this past monday to reserve my spot. I got accepted and lucky for me i got approved for the loans i am going to need. My credit approved me for 3 or 4 loans. the 4th and smallest one needed to have my parents cosign. But luckily for them i got the majority of the cost out of the way on my own. Total cost of the school is going to be just under $35,000. but with the interest on all 4 loans im sure it'll be more like 38-39k. I begin school on January 29th 2014. I'm very anxious for this. and happy that i now have my spot reserved. Sure it's a massive amount to pay back. and although it seems a lot for me now, later on i will be earning 2x-2.5x the amount i make now so this will definitely be very worth it. I'm 24 going on 25 years old this December and im not getting any younger. Im a free bachelor and dont have anybody holding me back, No car payment. Only what is owed on my credit card from the front bumper. and that is it. I have since moved back with my parents and they are more then willing to offer support while i go to school. So long as i pay my own loan off i am set. Starting late January i will be focusing the majority of my time to these classes and studying. I would definitely like to complete this front bumper in time and pay my credit card off before i start. And would like to go on one last offroad/camping trip because i probably wont have that opportunity again for a good loooooong while once i start school.

Unfortunately for me, this front bumper will probably be the last project i do to my truck. It wont be neglected, but i just wont have the funds anymore for more projects. Come december i am going to need to transfer out of my current full time job and begin working part time at a different security location. So whatever money i do get will be going to my loan payments, gas, and whatever i can help out for my parents. I'm so grateful that ive got this set for the near future. im very anxious to begin to school and training to the job that i will be working in for the rest of my life.

All i have to say is once i finish this school I definitely look forward to finding me the perfect house with an awesome garage to work on my rigs. After my loan is paid off of course. Seriously happy for all this. I'm sure i will be still going on a couple 1 day offroad trips with the neighbors here and there too. so i'll still be around posting stuff.

 

Congratulations man, that's awesome. I try hard to keep up with everyone's threads but never make the time comment much. I love to see all you guys have good thing happen.

Best of luck and do what you need to so you can move your life forward.

 

Good for you on your education. Don't fret about projects for awhile your rig works and will provide you with tons of much needed fun during your schooling. You'll need some down time occasionally.

Good luck Red.

 

best ones i found for now. let me know if you need different ones

 

Exactly, there's an over-abundance of students who when they graduate will have a shortage of jobs. Thanks a lot to our government! These students need the bail-out money, not those greedy bank and Detroit execs who make vehicles that do not compete with our Yota's after all.
Both good decisions, Richard. Best to get most of school out of the way while you're young and unattached. Once you have dependents and family that demand more of your time, and that you have to support, it would be more difficult to focus on school. Like the other say, your trucks already got all the essentials for trips anytime you get some slack from school so you're good to go. Everything else can wait.

Just one thing more you... you should check reviews and reputation of that school among prospective employers. Also, be aware that associates degrees from certain private schools may not be accredited by Cal State or UC's for bachelor's/masters degree,. Therefore, to finish a bachelor's or masters, you'd have to go back to those same private schools.

Best wishes, Dude!

 

Congrats on education!! That bumper is looking great!! BTW TOYO's led light bar is nice!! How much is one of those?? Are they pretty bright??

 

Glad you are getting the education taken care of. That's a huge step in the right direction.