The Library was the Sun Club before that burned down on 8th street. The Bartender chickie at Dos was the Bartender chickie at 6 East, "The Beast".

Just a little history for you. At the Dash you could get $2.00 pitchers anytime. It once stood where the Sorority Dorm now stands.

 

Well, I think I'm going to replicate a similar but slightly changed front and rear bumper as this rig? I like the stock look and function of the rear bumper, and the front is going to look about the same. What do you guys think?

Chris

http://pmurf1.homestead.com/

 

It looked good except the width of the "step" where he reused that piece of black plastic off the top of the factory bumper looked not quite wide enough. It kinda sat funny on top of there, but maybe it was just the angle.



Brian

 

There's just a small lip. Is that what you are talking about?

Chris

 

Looked like he could have made the rear top plate a tad wider to fully take that plastic part he wanted to use.



Brian

 

I'm not clear what you mean! He used 2"x6" rectangle tubing that fits under the metal that already exists, which is what the plastic part clips into. Are you saying that he should have moved the 2x6" tube backwards a tad further?

Chris

 

I re-looked, if that is a word, at his pics and it was just my bloodshot eyes. I was talking about the little black piece hanging over on the back of the bumper, mine sits in more flush, but that may be the way that one is supposed to look. It's only cosmetic anyway, not functional. It looked structurally sound from what I could tell. I would make sure I had some type of brace on the side to the frame like on the Rockware rear bumpers. He needed some more pics!

Only thing I would do different, I would use SCH STD pipe!!!

FAB JOKE!



Brian

 

Yeah, I'm going to use sllightly different tubing for my design, with the end result being similar. I'm going to be using 3"x1.5"x.25" tubing for the main beam across, and the side beams. I'm going to notch out the main cross tube so the hitch sits up inside the tube, which will actually site flush with the top side of the 3" side. This will raise the hitch as high as possible, and it will still be the lowest point on the bumper, so it will hit more than the whole rear bumper.

On the sides, I'm going to run the 3"x1.5"x.25" tubing out so they sit flush with the limited's fender flares in case I'm sliding on a rock in reverse, which I did the other day, and about ripped off my fender flare. They won't be the same width coming back into the main cross tube. It will actually narrow itself back, leaving just a slight lip, so it's the widest part on the bumper and truck for that matter.

Each corner is going to be reinforced with either 1/8" or 1/4" flat sheet metal on the insides of course. The sides will have a 1.5"x1.5"x.18" tube that supports the front of the side tubes. The connection to the main frame members will be roughly a 4"x3"x.25" tube that acts a sleeve and will be bolted in to the frame for somewhat easy removal. There will be two shackle hangers, designed for the Off-road only Stainless Steel X-Rings. The top chrome part of the bumper will actually rest(not really) but instead of metal to metal rubbing, there will be a gasket in between the chrome stock bumper and the bottom fabbed bumper. They won't actually be attached except for tothe main tube, because the current stock brackets that hold the main cetner cross member have to be removed and the top metal will be bolted to the main tube.

That's it for now! Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Chris

 

Ok today I decided to begin preparation for the rear bumper. Below are the pics of the process that went pretty smoothly with some masking tape, clear duct tape, a reciprocating saw w/ 3" and 6" blades, impact wrench, and some basic sockets. I THINK that I decided to use 4"x2"x1/4" tubing so I have some more surface area and strength for the shackle hanger mounts in addition to roughly the same strength as a aftermarket hitch which I use pretty frequently.

This is just the beginning with more to come!









That's it for now, but stay tuned for more details soon.

Chris

 

Hey guys, I really need some input on this. After examing the aftermarket hitch on my 4runner, that's now removed, I found it to be 3"x3"x?" tubing slightly bent with the hitch tube being below the main cross tube.

I'm really wanting to run 1 1/2" tubing so I have the most clearance possible, but I'm also afraid that it might not be strong enough. I'm thinking about either 4"x1.5"x1/4" or 3"x1.5"x1/4" tubing, and if you guys don't think either of those will be strong enough, I guess I'll have to go to a 2".

What do you guys think, because I want the best possible departure angle I can get. In addition, the other issue I have with running the 1.5" tubing is that it won't quite be enough for a really strong shackle hanger point. Comments?

Chris

 

You should be able to get a thickness on your old hitch tubing by either measuring the thickness in the receiver with a tape measure or going to the back side of the receiver and measuring there. I was crawling under mine this weekend and was contemplating taking off the hitch and I felt the thickness of the hitch tubing and it seemed like it was either 3/16" or 1/4", as these are the most common sizes available according to AISC. The only other size readily available is 5/16" and that is just too thick to be practical in a hitch.

I've never seen or worked with rectangular tubing 4"x1.5"x1/4" or 3"x1.5"x1/4", in other words, I don't see any 1.5" tubing, at least it is not in my AISC book. You have 4"x2"x1/4" and 3"x2"x1/4" in the AISC book, but not the ones you metioned. Thus, I would go with the 2" tubing.

I don't know if I would have enough guts to wail on my rear bumper like that with a saw! But it looks like you made some nice clean straight cuts! Keep us posted with pics. I'm going to talk to a fab guy this week or next about fabbing me up a bumper.



Brian

 

Hey Chris - no turning back now! Nice work so far!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by waskillywabbit
[B]You should be able to get a thickness on your old hitch tubing by either measuring the thickness in the receiver with a tape measure or going to the back side of the receiver and measuring there.[quote]Well the hitch tubing is different than the actual cross member main tube, or least it looks that way. The hitch tubing is 2.5"x2.5"x1/4" tubing for sure, but I'm trying to figure out the thickness of the main tubing that supports the hitch tube, and I'm guessing it's 3/16", but not 1/4", because it just doesn't look like it from this little rust hole that developed in it. Yeah, I'm going to go with the 2", but now I can't decide if I want to go with 4" or 3" for the width. If I go with the 4" I'll have to drill holes for the top stock bumper to attach too with through bolts. The other option is go with the 3" tubing and weld on tabs on the back side so I can put a shorter nut and bolt through the tab to secure the top part of the bumper. I can't decide!Yeah everybody that has saw it so far thinks I'm crazy, but I already love the look and the height difference is amazing for the departure angle. I should have some more info tomorrow after I talk with a pipe bender/fabricator tomorrow, and hopefully get with the guy helping me to do the welding. More pics and details soon!

Chris

P.S. Cebby, you ain't kidding! I can't wait till it's done.

 

Ok, today I talked with a fab shop and the steel supply place getting everything lined up for the rear bumper. I dropped off the stock I'm using for the shackle hangers at this local fab shop to get milled down to the correct size.

I'm going to use the following shackles: http://www.offroadonly.com/products/recovery/x-rings/

So, I need a shackle hanger that's 1 3/8" wide with a 13/16" hole for the pin. So, rather than just welding the shackle hanger to the face of the 2" tubing, I'm going to pass the shackle hanger through the tubing so that it is just under 1.5" high (2" 1/4" thick tubing for bumper) so it slides in between the top and bottom edges of the bumper. It will sit flush with the backside of the bumper and now, instead of welding just the four sides of the face, I'll be welding the 4 sides on the backside of the bumper too. This will make for an extremely strong shackle hanger, especially for instances when I have to pull at an angle.

So, here's a pic of what I'm talking about:



That's all I've got for now! Stay tuned for more soon!

Chris

P.S. He's only going to charge me $35 to mill down the shackle hangers and drill the hole, so I thought that wasn't too bad. What do you guys think?

 

Chris,

You still driving around half a$$ with your bumper? How's that project going? I've got some pics of Darren's Rockware bumper and I'm going to break it down and draw one up in CAD this week, or at least get a good start on it. I'm hoping to get everything done on it before Christmas and start fabbing it during my break in school. I'll have about a good 3 week period where all I will have is work and work is usually slow around Christmas. I hope to get several mods done then, including the rest of my lift.

Get your shackles fabbed yet?

I had to look forever to find this thread since the search is kaput.



Brian

 

Yeah, I'm still driving around with my bumper cut off. I think I've got everything set to go. I've got to order the material this next week, and then start fabbing it up. The shackles are still with that guy, and I just have to call him sometime and light a fire under his butt to get it done. I didn't rush him on them.

So far, I only had one place this past weekend where I almost rubbed the rear bumper, even cut off like it is, and if I had had the steel part installed, it would have definitely rubbed. I can't wait to get it done, that's for sure. I'm just a tad low on funds right now, which is why I've holded off for the last couple of days.

Chris

 

Why dont you just go with a plan that already works, like steves. Just don't put all that tube on the tire carrier, it adds more weight, it is harder to do, and you have to have a tube bender. although it does look really good. For the tire carrier just look at the rockware design or steve hunts. I have been gathering information about making a rear bumper for my 96 4runner and i still favor steve's but I am not a big fan of building a huge heavy bumper just to hold the spare tire, i just throw mine in the back of my 84. well good luck on your design keep us posted with pics so that we can give advise (critcize).


It kills me to hear people bash east coast 4wheeling, I am not sure how paragon is but tellico, garden dale sp?, and windrock will get as hard as you want them to.


nice avatar steve, very original

 

Heckler,

It sounds like you are from around here. Where you at? We're going to Tellico this weekend if you're around. As far as my rear bumper, I like the stock look, don't have the money to do a fully custom bumper, and it is okay with the wife. That's my reasoning, and I'm with you on the spare. I'm putting it in the cargo area when wheeling.

Chris

 

Well, after some more planning and some extra Christmas money it looks like I'll be beginning to finish fabbing up my rear bumper, but I need some assistance.

1) What thickness should I go with: 3/16" or 1/4"
2) What's the main point of weakness on the frame that causes it to flex up or down?

I'm also going to cutting out the rear crossmember, making a new one that is much higher and will provide a lot more room for my new tank I'm also going to be fabbing up next.

I've got most of the material decided on, but I just can't decide on the thickness of the tubing. 1/4" is heavier, stronger, and more expensive whicle 3/16" is considerably lighter, almost as strong, and cheaper too. What do you guys think? I also tow dirtbikes/ATV's and Jetskis on a regular basis, which are aren't heavy, but I don't want a flex rear bumper. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

 

3/16 should be more than enough to handle most situations...