my whole thing is 3/16's with 2x4 structuring the entire thing.

anyway, i really didnt want this to become a debate on whether i should bolt or weld, ill look at it when its nearing that point of the fabbing and decide.

 

any updates?

 

itll be done this weekend

 

x2 on bolting it. Welding might seem easier and even stronger, but long term, you'll want it to be "easily" removable.

 

the mounts would work better bolted, i think too.

at first it appeared that welding it would be sort of an easier, more strong option as you said because there is a lot to protect under there.

but now im thinking bolting may be best. thanks for the advice all, ill post pics when its done

 

I have to chime in and say that bolting on is the only choice.... If you ever have to work on the body or surrounding, it will be a much more difficult affair. Eventually I'm gonna add some bracing to my frame and install a few through bolts to handle a tire carrier. Besides if you ever total your rig you could always sell the bumper......

My side wings are 11 guage, with the top plate being 14 guage, I don't mind having to remove dents, since it usually only takes an hour to do. Currently there are no dents in my bumper, besides it usually takes quite a hard hit to bend it in........

 

im bolting it.

today we cut my tow hitch and reused the arms for the mounts. its nearing completion but isnt there yet.

we are also putting hoops on the side for extra side protection

cant wait

 

it is 90% done, and mounted, but not ready for photo

its primer black right now.... later this week, we'll put the hoops on, then cut the bumper pad to fit the lines and silicone it in place.

 

Good on ya for bolting it. Too many well informed peeps on this board not to listen to their advice. Looking forward to the finished product and pics.

 

good stuff lee, cant wait to see the pictures of it on there. hurry up and get those pictures for us

 

teasers....

 

thats not even nice.... hurry up and get that done so we can see the whole thing!!! lookin good lee, real good

 

not bad, but i see two problems.

1. it's not as wide as your flares. that means is does you little to no good from a side impact that's behind the rear wheels. i'd bump that outer edge of the wing to flush or 1/4" outside the flare. that's the only way to get protection for them from the rear bumper.

2. it's too tight on the body. seriously. at the top, you don't have enough of a gap to prevent it from hitting the body on a side or bottom impact.

the situation i'm talking about is pivoting around a tree or rock that you catch your driver rear wheel on. as you pivot on it, then you will swing your pass rear out and around. without the protection on the flare, you could rip it off, or worse, dent the body panel and possibly take out the rear side window. at the same time, the frame will give some. if you don't have enough of a gap between the bumper and the body, they will make contact, especially if you drop off a ledge and the bumper hits hard with the weight of the rear of the truck on it.

other than that, i like it!

notice how the bumper is fairly tight to the body at the rear corner, but widens out to the same width as the flares? also, mine comes close to making contact on a hard knock and look at how much gap i have...




now, with adjustments like that needed (at least trim it out away from the body even if you don't cut and re-weld the wings to fit the flares), aren't you glad you didn't weld it on?

 

this is why i didnt wanna post pics! it is not done! when we welded it together, it tightened up and skewed a bit. we need to tinker with it, including adding space between the body and bumper at that turn point.

also, we're putting hoops on the side to protect the side.

give me another week!

 

this is a hoop being held up to see what it looks like / to test for height placement.

again that is a TEST FIT, NOT PERMANENT

 

One thing that would be cool is hoops that are removable.
That way you don't have to drive around town with them on, just when you go 4wheelin.
Only issue is they might not be as strong as welded ones...

Anyways, bumper is looking good!

 

why worry about constructive comments like mine? they're not meant to degrade you in any way. i'm not trying to tear you down or degrade the work that has been done in any way.

the comments i make are meant to help you along the way - to shorten the learning curve. the thing about posting pics is that you get an outsider's viewpoint - and sometimes from someone who's been-there-&-done-that.

seriously, if you don't want me to tell you what i ran into and to give you pointers, then just say the word and i'll butt-out completely...

now, on to the hoops... i think if you widen out the wings, then you'd have enough flat area to mount them to the top surface of the bumper and keep them more flush. as tight as you can keep them to the body - the less chance you have of them catching on something. however, just like the bumper, you can't get them too close - about 1 to 1.5" is as close as you want to be.

 

sorry, its just when people tell you things that you know as if you didnt know them continuously, it is frustrating... plus when this thread turned into a weld on or bolt on debate, that was frustrating.

we have put in 4 days of about 8-10 hrs of work each day into it.

it is not done, there is a lot of tweaking and fixing to do, i was just posting some progress pics. all comments are always welcome, the tone sometimes doesnt carry well on the internet, thats all.

 

Who's ghetto looking bumper is that in those pics of the red truck?

The body back there is strong enough to hold the weight of that corner against it if the bumper is being pushed vertically IMO. In the same way my TJM would flex until it contacted the fender on my Tacoma, then it would stop and the whole truck would come up, I think this one would do the same. He landed on his stock bumper at Paragon and it flexed up into the body and did not damage the body. I suspect that unless he gets a REALLY, really, hard hit just right, it will be fine.

 

true, but i do want it to be more clear. i dont want them to be nearly touching.

ill see what we find when we tweak it this weekend.