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4307's Rear Bumper build
Alright. I might as well post my rear bumper build, in Epic Format! :D
I'm posting the process, step by step possibly creating one of the longest single post threads. It might help people with their own bumper builds, then again it might not. I've been working on and off, building this boat anchor for a while, in my spare time, when the weather is nice enough to weld in my driveway. Lately, I've had time to work on it, thanks to our global economic fun-fest. Gee thanks boss! Right now I'm trying to finish the main part of the bumper before the snow flies. The weather will beat me too the punch, but what can you do? I need a garage. In the mean time, I make due. The main reason for the bumper build is... for the sake of building. It's fun! Maybe not for the neighbors, but hell you only live once. I'm sure they'll get over it. I'm sure the they cringe every time I whip out that grinder. Mooo ha ha ha... I'm handing out ear plugs to the parents for Halloween. So far my fabricating addiction and my love of noise hasn't been a issue with the neigbours, their pretty cool. I want some beefy "ass" protection! The OEM bumper held up like a champ taking on 4 rear end fender benders, resulting in one minor dent. The OEM bumper will be my future beer bar in my work shop..... Yippee! I want something that will scare people into not hitting me... if they do, they're in for some big damage. Other important requirements... tow and recovery points. I went out of my way to take enough photos to give this thread some "meat", documenting the main steps of the build. I thought about copying other designs but opted for originality, something different to test my skills. The design is different but beefy, possibly deflect bullets and give the illusion of stealth technology to thwart radar guns..... I have a vivid imagination. LOL. The bumper is made primarily of 3/16'' , 1/4'', 3/8" stock - plate and rectangular steel tube. 3/4'' stock was used for the Clevis recovery points, I could have bought them, but thought... " What the hell, I'll fabricate them myself. I incorporated a trailer hitch box receiver just in case I decide to tow something like a M101 military trailer, if I ever decide to get one... Possible future build. I plan on cutting the rear quarter panel for high clearance. The bumper will accommodate side panel, detachable, high clearance square tube protection, yet to be designed and built. The side protection attaching points have been incorporated into the corners of the bumper..... you'll see. I'm also adding brackets for rock lights on the inside of the bumper. Air lines: female couplers will de added. on either side and rear of the bumper, for tire inflation and the air mattress for our tent. I thought about turning the bumper into a air tank for use on the trail, but a tankless, good air compressor will do just fine, I'm not in a race. The bumper and side protection will be strong enough to use a Hi-Lift jack. A swing out tire gate will be designed, steel cut and dry fit this winter in my basement shop, ready for welding in the spring. Unless I come up with another solution for the spare tire. The bumper will not be installed until spring, I'm not planning on wheeling this winter anyway. This spring my truck will see real transformation when the pile of parts are finally glued to the truck. I'm in no rush, there are still a few parts I need anyway. The main tools I used were: - A frickin loud disk grinder - die grinder - Miller 175 - my trusty band saw (I love that thing!) - various magnets - my hands and brain - ruler, level - air wrench - jack stands - camera - flat stock bender - blowtorch - drill press - jig saw - Beer - belt / table grinder.... and a few other tools, I can't think of right now. Well enough jibber Jabber, heres the build..... First thing I did after making some sketches and taking measurements and buying stock, is cut the rectangle tube stock into the lengths and angles needed..... I'm not including the pics of my drawings, they were destroyed by a beer explosion. I'll build up the drama by posting sequence pics. LOL... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01084.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01086.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01099.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01100.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01101.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01102.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01103.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01106.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01107.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01109.jpg Next I cut the box tube for the driver and passenger side higher clearance profile.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01268.jpg Clevis recovery points...... The next thing on the agenda. I used 3/4'' steel blocks. This build was a complete experiment, largely due to the fact, I was using a Master Craft hobby bench-top drill press and 1'' Bi-Metal hole saw. LOL...... Lets just say I put this machine to the test and then some. I'm very impressed with this drill press. I will be upgrading it eventually, hopefully with a mill drill or milling machine. The key to drilling thick steel with this drill press is: - dropping the dill speed as low as possible - clamp the work so nothing shifts - drill a small diameter guide hole - use a lot of cutting lubricant. I took my time, keeping the heat down, stopping to cool the motor, in the mean time I used a Shop Vac to remove metal shavings. I didn't force the pressure on the drill press to speed up the cut! After drilling two hole with the hole saw, the saw was still sharp. You'll notice I put the drill press in a bucket, with some card board taped too the inside of the bucket. This was my solution to keep the sloppy mess down, making it easier to clean up. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01412.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01416.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01418.jpg The hole saw cut turned out better than I though. the next step was too cut the 3/4'' stock into the shape of a clevis point.... Back too the band saw... The cuts take a while. While I sat there baby sitting the saw, Godzilla was entertaining me... Godzilla vs. Mothra. Classic! I love monster movies. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01420.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01421.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01423.jpg The next step was giving the cut edges of the clevis a smooth finish, for this I used a table disk/ belt grinder. The clevis I designed is meant to go through the bumper, welded on either side, front and back of the bumper, as well as the inside of the boxed section of the bumper. Over kill! The clevis will be connected to the mounting brackets that attach directly to the frame. I used two pieces for the clevis points welding them together too make one piece. I beveled the edges of the clevis parts were the weld would be applied. I managed to get pretty good penetration. I put one of the clevis points in a vise and gave it a couple good wacks with a hammer to see if it would crack the weld. All was good so I ground the excess weld down to clean up the surface. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01438.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01426.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01439.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01440.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01441.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01442.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01443.jpg The bumper corners are unique. The main purpose for this is: Too give the bumper some extra beef and depth, more area to" weld in" hinge towers with gussets for the swing out gate, recess the clevis points so they don't stick out too far on the out side surface of the bumper, and..... To be different. I used the band saw to create the main pieces for the corners.... confused yet? http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01286.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01288.jpg I used card board for the plate templates to get the general shape.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...DSC01289-1.jpg I used 3/16'' plate steel for the angled surfaces.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...DSC01290-1.jpg Ok here is the basic layout of the bumper on the work bench.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...DSC01390-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01391.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01392.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01395.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01399.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01427.jpg The next pic shows the basic pieces for the main part of the bumper.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01436.jpg A box trailer hitch receiver is part of the bumper design. I wanted to keep the receiver as high clearance as possible. In order to achieve this I had to cut a 2-5/8'' x 2-5/8'' square hole out of the bumpers mid section to fit the receiver through the bumper. This step was another challenge. It would be a piece of cake if I had a plasma cutter. I could have called a family member that has a plasma cutter but I like doing things the hard way. I was up for another challenge and devised a plan..... Taken from a old-school tool and die technique, I perforate the rectangle box with a drill press. After perforating both sides of the box section, I used a jig saw to cut through the perforations. Worked like a charm! I didn't bother grinding the inside edges flat. I ground just enough to fit the box receiver through the bumper, nice and square. See! I don't need a stinking plasma cutter! Ya right! ....I just can't afford one right now. Unfortunately this is the only pic of this step, you'll be able to see it in later pics.... I think. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01838.jpg Back to the bumper corners.... I welded the angled plates into position and ground the welds, smoothing them out. I also used a hole saw to drill out holes on the backside to lighten up the corners..... What a time too nickel and dime. If I had a plasma cutter I would have removed more steel. For the most part the fancy corner thing-a-mabobs do not weigh all that much. ( I'm doing a 63'' rear Chevy leaf spring swap so the weight factor is a not all that bad, although that may change if I decide to mount a spare tire gate, I may have to add a forth leaf, but thats another build.). The outside corner edge looks pretty scary! I notched out the corner to accommodate square tube for the side quarter panel protection ( trimming the fender for higher clearance) originally I was going to mount the tube square to the ground, but just to complicate things I decided to clock the tube 45* The next photo shows what I had in mind regarding the 45*...... Fancy, eh? http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC01372.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0522.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0523.jpg During the build I would assemble the parts, take a picture or two and think about what I have, making sure it will still work. After looking at theses pics, I decided I could lighten up the bumper, a bit, by taking out a section of the center piece above the receiver hitch. this would possibly help lower the height of a spare tire, I won't know until I get to that stage. Another use for the change would be a step. It could be handy for adjusting loads and straps on my roof rack. The step would also transform the bulky look of the mid section. I'm also using the step plate as part of the gusset for the hitch receiver and re-box the mid section. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC02096.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1079.jpg I used my trusty band saw to remove the material to create the step. It was a slow process. It's amazing what you can do with a band saw. I used the drill press again too drill the corners so I can pivot the band saw blade too cut straight across the box mid section. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0206.jpg Here's the mid section from different angles.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0207.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0209.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0210.jpg The after pic of the mockup assembly..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0215.jpg After the mid section step was cut and evaluated over a cold beer. The next step was creating a step plate. I thought about using diamond plate but after visiting the steel store, my measurements and cardboard template indicated diamond plate would not be the best solution. I wanted to use a one piece plate with bends rather than three plates welded together to create the angle. I have a plate and angle iron pedestal bender. (another tool, I love!) The diamond plate would be hard to bend, the diamond pattern also didn't work well with the measurement I had. I decided to go with 3/16'' standard flat plate steel. I can add a anti slip surface later in the build..... Like grip tape, spray on / roll on bead liner, or weld my forum name / signature on the surface of the plate.... the creative juices are flowing again. LOL. Anyway...... Before I do any bending, I double checked the measurements with the template, cut the plate to a slightly longer length (just in case), mark the plate where the bend will be, Place the plate in a vice and add heat. I used a MSP* gas (methylacetylene propadiene, stabilized.), also known as MAPP gas. I used this gas over propane because it will burn hotter. The hotter the bend location is, the easier it is to bend the steel, creating a sharper bend Some times a radius bend will occurs with cool steel, heat is required with this type of bender. Here's an ugly of me, the bender and the result...... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0513.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0517.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0519.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0521.jpg Tack weld time! Well, before I get ahead of myself, the Clevis points mount through the bumper, I figure the recovery points will be stronger that way, rather than welding the clevis points to the surface of the boxed section with no material between the recovery point and the frame brackets. I used the same technique to remove material, as I did for the hitch box receiver... perforation holes with a drill press and cut with a jigsaw. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0525.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0526.jpg Back to the tack welds. I had the measurements of the outside frame width. Having measurements, I tacked up the bumper so the out side edge of the clevis points match the width if the outside mounting surface of the truck frame. With the tack welds in place, it gave me a rough idea of how much I would have to tweak the distance between the clevis point to make the new mounting brackets fit the frame. I ended up grinding off the tack welds three times to get the proper distance between mounting brackets. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0536.jpg Bumper mounting brackets: I used 3/8'' steel stock. Before cutting and drilling, I used cardboard as a template to locate the OEM mounting holes on the truck frame and weld locations of the OEM shackle hanger welds. After cutting and drilling the mounting brackets, I did a dry fit to make sure the bracket holes match the frame holes, I bolted the brackets to the frame and took bracket length measurements so I can cut them to the proper length. Then removed them. I took the time to fabricate bracket tabs to help support the bumper weight on the inside of the frame, while mounting the bumper, just like the OEM tabs. The tabs make it easier for one person ( me ) to position the bumper on the frame. I then position jack stands under the main part of the bumper to carry the bulk of the weight while I bolt the bumper to the frame. Its a real back saver. Next, I tack welded the brackets to the clevis points, them mounted the bumper on the truck. Like I indicated earlier, it took three attempts to get the distance between the brackets right to match the frame width. I managed to get a perfect fit. While I was at it, I welded the top of the corner thing-a-mabobs so I can grind the welds flat to make the bumper top surface look like one piece. Grinding came later. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0695.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0697.jpg Its tricky welding outside, the wind tends to blow the shielding gas away, I managed to get some half decent welds. There was a lot of weld applied to fill the gap between the pieces, I then added smaller filler welds to even it out. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_0698-1.jpg Again I took pictures of the bumper, earlier, of the boxed hitch receiver and step plate, in their rough position to get an idea of how they will fit. That way I can sit back in the evenings and think, without wasting the day away dreaming about the solution, with the bumper in front of me. If I had a garage that might be a different story, and I don't feel like lugging that thing down stairs. ;) http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0529.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0532.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0534.jpg This is the bumper mounted at the tack weld stage. The result was a perfect fit. Scary corners eh? LOL. It made a few friends scratch their heads. Its a fricken weapon! http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0683.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0686.jpg Finally it's time to weld the angle plate pieces in place, to box up the bumper and get the bumper shape I was after. The plate pieces tacked in place. The pieces butt up together create a ''V'' this gave me the opportunity to get deeper weld penetration. With a deeper weld penetration I could grind the weld too a smooth shape without loosing too much weld integrity. All the plate welds on the front of the bumper were treated this way. I would only grind off enough weld to smooth them out. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0716.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1053.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0712.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0715.jpg Now, its time to tame the bumper corners, make it less of a weapon..... Earlier I mentioned I was planning to trim the rear bed quarter panels for higher clearance and add side protection using 2'' square tube. This is still in the design stage. Although I did get a head start. As mentioned earlier, I was going to mount the square tube, square to the ground, but instead I decided to clock the tube 45*, just too be different.... I was going to "weld in" full length tube to meet the edge of the wheel well, but decided to make the side protection detachable. This would make the bumper easier to man handle during the install, and removable incase I need to replace or change side protection, or just leave the bumpity bump the way it is without side protection. I like having these options. I have all winter to think about it. Now, this is my plan too make it all fit together and make it one unit, strong enough to carry the weight of the truck using the Hi-Lift on the side protection.... I'm still using the 2'' tube, clocked to 45*, from the bumper too the wheel well. The side protection tube on the bumper end will have a short inner square tube just big enough to fit inside the 2'' tube and weld in place to make it one piece. This inner tube will be slightly protruding out of the 2'' tube, enough to fit into the 2'' tubed corner of the bumper, It will be bolted in place possibly welded later in life. The intersecting side protection and bumper corner will be strong enough to carry the truck weight with the jack. Have I lost you yet? LOL! :D Here is a picture of the back side of the bumper corner to give you some idea. Like I said the side pro. is still in the design stage. If I decide to keep the bumper as is, without side protection, I can simply cap off the open corner so animals don't nest in there. I could weld in a thin plate or cap it off using trailer hitch receiver plastic caps. I'll mount the bumper in the spring and plastic cap the corners until the side protection is done ready for install. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1058.jpg Wow! What a long winded post! Sheesh!....... Its just a bumper! LOL.... O.K. now for the front corner of the bumper..... Before I installed the corner 2'' square tube, I had to do some more creative cutting, again this was done on the band saw. In order to get the angle I wanted, I had to weld the corner pieces to scrap tube so I can cut those crazy cuts. Here is a pic of the corner pieces welded to the scrap tube, but my camera battery died before I made the cuts..... . Did I mention I'm going for the "Longest Forum Post Award". Hmmm..... I wonder why my camera battery died? Back on topic.... The corner pieces end up with 2 angles per piece, this pic shows one angle that was cut per piece...... I don't have a image of the piece when it was finally welded in. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0765.jpg Lately I was able to land a couple days of good weather and spare time.....Yippie! The crazy corners finally had the outside surface plates ''welded in'' and shaped. The plate went into the bender, thus eliminating a weld, it was a perfect fit. I must have annoyed the hell out of my cool neighbors.... I whipped out that disk grinder! :D Mooo ha ha ha! I was able to grind a fair amount. Later I'll go over the whole thing with flap disks to get a better finish. There is still work to do...... The boxed hitch receiver, step plate and gussets, and the odd weld, here and there. These items are next on the agenda. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1060.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1061.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1062.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1066.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1074.jpg As it sits right now...... At the present time my bathroom scale is telling me its a hefty 76 Lbs..... Oh! just in case your wondering......I will be plating and possibly boxing the rear frame of the truck. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1063.jpg The hitch receiver needed some modification, it's one that I purchased a couple years ago. The problem with the receiver was the receiver lock pin hole location. The receiver would stick out to far reducing the departure angle. If I mounted the receiver with the rounded cap against the surface of the bumper the receiver lock pin hole would have been in the middle of the boxed body of the bumper. It would be hard to patch the original 1/2'' holes. If I mounted the hitch receiver with the holes inside the boxed bumper, water/ moisture would collect inside the bumper, especially during river fording. The other issue I had with the receiver, was the length. I bought the long receiver over the shorter version, just in case. The extra length was not necessary. My solution is simply to shorten it. The Receiver has a nice steel cap end with rounded corners, it's a nice touch. I plan on retaining the cap. The problem with the cap was the location. I was going to grind the two 1.25'' welds off, but didn't feel like the extra work so I simply cut it off with the band saw, then I shortened the box receiver. Before I started cutting, I took measurements of the ball mount I was planing on getting, I cut the length of the receiver down, so the original lock pin holes would except the ball mount. I needed a length of five inches from the front edge of the receiver with the cap in place to the hole center. This measurement also allows me to use a receiver style pintel Like the picture below..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...mper/63043.jpg These pic's show how I cut the receiver into sections. The first pic is the original length, the receiver is cut in this pic, I re-assembled it for the sake of the pic. The end cap has a nice recess to except the box part of the receiver, I'll will weld it back on. Instead of two welds and a crack to hold moisture for rust, I'll weld the cap all the way around to seal it up. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1096.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1095.jpg The pintel hitch would allow me to tow a off road trailer, like the Canadian Forces M101 utility trailer. The regular ball mount would allow me to tow a standard trailer. The next picture, I took the shortened receiver to the store. I thought I'd double check before I started welding the receiver in place....... I learned this lesson long ago... double check, then check again. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1109.jpg Since I was at the store, they had a whole rack of various ball mounts, some of the mounts, like the lower drop mounts, had a different spec for the hole positions. I took some more measurements to drill a second set of holes, just in case I need to insert a different ball mount. I will, more than likely, need a drop ball mount as I lift the truck. Again, better safe than sorry. I'll kick myself if I didn't drill a second set of holes. Here is the process to drill the holes..... After marking my measurements on the box receiver, I drilled a guide hole for the 1/2'' drill bit. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1119.jpg The guide holes were drilled on one side, then flipped and drilled on the other side. The drill bit was way to shot to drill straight through, I would never do that anyway, even if the bit was long enough. For my peace of mind and for the sake of precision, I used the drill bit as a gauge, to make sure the holes line up. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1125.jpg Now for the 1/2" hole...... Ever since I drilled holes through a set of leaf springs, I've changed my choice of bit for drilling holes from 1/2'' up to the smallest size Bi-metal whole saw. For a long time, I would use a metal drill bit. The problem I had with the larger drill bits was: heat, and screeching sound, and the fact I had to use a lot of lubricant to eliminate heat and sound, I can only drop the speed down so much, on my drill press. If any one has tried drilling leaf springs with a metal cutting bit, they know how hard it is to drill that hole, bits dull in minutes. A trick I learned was to use Cobalt Concrete Drill Bits...... Ya! I was skeptical, until I tried it my self. The bit cut through the leaf spring in no time, I was amazed! And the quality of the hole was amazing! I used very little lubricant for the leafs, there was a lot less heat, it was warm to the touch, the noise level was a lot lower. That being said, I started using the concrete bits on thicker mild steel stock. Its like cutting through cheese. Side note.... concrete bits are easy to sharpen, I use a grinding wheel. I sharpened the bit once since drilling into basement concrete floor, 4 holes through spring steel and 2-3/4'' mild steel blocks. Here are a few pics of the concrete bit at work...... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1128.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1143.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1146.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1153.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1155.jpg After the holes were drilled in the box receiver, I put the end cap back on the receiver, hand tight, not welded..... I placed the receiver in position, made sure I could put the pin and lock in place to make sure I had the clearance. Next step....... I made a gusset to re-enforce the receiver, and step plate, the gusset allows me to tie the box section of the bumper, receiver and step plate together for more strength and support. I used 3/8'' flat stock for the gusset. The 3/8'' gusset sits on top of the receiver, the step plate rests on the gusset. The parts will be welded together, later. I plan on welding the box receiver on the inside and outside of the midsection of the bumper for extra strength. The gusset is not totally done in the following pics, it needs some refinement... Before I weld, I'm thinking of changing the design of the step plate. I 'll get to that later..... it will be a experiment. Here are the rough idea of how the gusset will be placed..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1158.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1159.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1184.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1186.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1189.jpg Well.... I did a little more work. :D I had to change things up a bit. I was not quite satisfied with the step plate. this was the original step plate.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0519.jpg There was nothing wrong with the step plate, it was perfectly fine. I just wanted to improve on it and test my plate bender skills.... For $10 of plate steel, I had the itch to experiment.... The original plate is still useful for other projects, 3/16 is handy to have around. The original step plate covers the center section, completing the box. I still had to cover the driver and passenger side outer box sections adding end caps sealing the box and adding a little more strength possibly giving me a surface for another gusset, I'm still debating adding gussets to the box ends. The area I'm talking about can be seen in the next pic, The open boxed end beside the magnet on the left. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_0532.jpg Originally I was going to weld a piece of 2'' x 6'' x 3/16'' plate to cap the box, then weld the top plate in place. I thought about eliminating the weld joining the step plate to the end caps, by incorporating the end caps into the step plate, the bend would be stronger then tricky and possibly questionable welds. Anyway, thats the excuse I'm running with. LOL! I just want to play with the bender some more.... Before I went out to the steel store, I thought I'd do a test bend on some scrap steel, I had laying around. I wanted to see if I could get the bend I needed to cap the outer box ends and achieve the angle plain for the top plate. The test piece, was a piece of 2'' - 3/16'' plate. The test piece will also tell me where the bend will start on the new step plate, bending down to make a end cap. The next few pics gave me a idea of how and if, it would work. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1171-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1173-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1177-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1180-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1181-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1183-1.jpg The test piece gave me a good idea of how the new step plate would be formed. The test piece will be used as a sample / bend gauge. I can compare the bend, I'm bending, on the new plate, with a proven bend of the sample piece. Sometimes a sample piece is better than using a folding protractor while bending, because it includes the metal thickness. I find it helps with this type of bender. I was confident the new top plate idea would work. I didn't bother making a cardboard template but rather did the math taking in consideration the bends and surface lengths to get my over all stock length, then added extra just to be safe and round the length off. Side note..... The guys at the steel store are great. If I walk in wanting 38'' of stock they quote me a price, if I agree to round off the length off to 40'', they knock down the price. The stock I bought was 40'' x 4'' x 3/16''....... 38'' would give me 1/2 '' extra stock after forming, on each side. The price they quoted me for 38'' was $20.00. We rounded the total length to 40'', so they knocked off $5.00, not only that they also give me the option of buying clean stock or the greasy stock for $ 5 less. The greasy stock is usually "off cuts" that have been sitting around the store for a while. Degreasing is not big deal. If you buy smaller pieces of stock, ask the people at the counter if they will sell the off cut for a reduced price. There are times I walk in, wanting a odd ball piece of steel, they'll just give me a piece that I can use, it may take some machining but it was free. The store I deal with, sells mild steel stock, rounded off to the inch, they really don't have enough scrap to make it worth while to reclaim, rather they throw the odd stock on a rack and sell it at the book price. I've been loyal to this store, so they're willing to cut me deals, if I was a business that would be a different story. I thought I'd share that with all of you to help you reduce cost. You won't know unless you ask. Back to the job at hand.... I bought 40'' x 4" x 3/16'' stock, marked the stock for the cuts and bends.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1205.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1207.jpg The end caps are 2'' x 6'', I had to cut a couple of sections out in order to form the end caps. I left extra material, instead of cutting the end cap length to 6'' opting to cut after the new step plate has been dry fit. Better to have end caps longer than shorter. The cuts were done on the band saw..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1211.jpg The end caps were the first bends formed on the step plate. I used the sample bend piece to help me get the bends I need. Bending a little at a time, checking the bend with the test piece, eventually I was able to get the exact bend I was after. The following pics show the test piece, test piece compared to the bend on the step plate, shot from different angles..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1214.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1171.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1220.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1221.jpg The first bend on the step plate, formed end cap.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1219.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1215.jpg The second bend forming the end cap on the opposite end of the step plate.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1224.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1226.jpg The next step is to form the bends that make up the main section of the step plate. The easiest way to ensure I get the proper bends, is to use a square. The center of the step plate is square to the box ends to be caped, I will bend and check, bend and check until the the center of the step plate and end cap is square, then flip the plate and repeat the process forming the opposite side of the plate.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1234.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1229.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1233.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1237.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1239.jpg After the bends were double checked for accuracy it was time to do a dry fit. I have to say it was tricky to get exact accuracy. I was damn close. It was a tight fit, in fact to tight, it is so close, out by 1/16'' each side. If I bend the angles on the plate that would shorten the overall width enough to fit, but it would throw my angles off this would be unacceptable. The easiest way to make this plate fit is to remove material from the box ends to be capped..... Tight fit..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1259.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1250.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1248.jpg I thought about grinding away 1/16'' on the box end each side but it would be hard to get a uniform surface, so it was back to the band saw. This cut was a tough, angling the bumper just right, shaving 1/16'' of material off the box and hopefully finish the cut evenly on the back surface of the mid section box, without cutting into it. Anyway..... it came out perfectly. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1335.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1343.jpg Back to another dry fit. This time the step plate fit the box ends exactly the way I wanted. Even thought the box ends fit, the top plate sits 3/16'' to high. I want to countersink the plate 3/16'' so the driver and passenger side edges of the plate, are at the same plain as the top surface of the rest of the bumper. I want as much edge material as possible at the bends, so I don't compromise the bend for the box ends, when I grind down the welds that will join the step plate and bumper top surface. I may have to do a fill weld at the box end bend maybe 2-3 passes, I don't know yet. This set of pictures shows the top plate sitting high, the plate fits nice on the box ends..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1353.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1354.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1357.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1359.jpg Countersinking the top plate.... I had no choice but to do some creative grinding. This was not fun! In order to countersink the step plate I had to grind away 3/16 of the exposed edge of the box section wrere the step plate will sit. First step was to mark the depth of the material that will be removed. The trick is to be uniform and avoid doing a hack job, this is a tiring job with a large disk grinder. It would be a piece of cake with a plasma cutter. After a while I managed to get, somewhat uniform edges. If I clamp the plate down the edges sit flush. I'l go back and touchup the edge surface with a Dremel before I weld, relying less on the clamps. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1390.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1386.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1383.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1380.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1375.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1393.jpg Because I modified, how the step plate fits, buy removing 3/16, I can no longer use the 3/8'' gusset between the step plate and box receiver. I'll be replacing the gusset with a piece of 1/4'' thick gusset. 1/4'' seems to be a snug fit. The 1/4'' gusset + 3/16'' step plate welded together, should be fine as a gusset, for the box hitch receiver. This is how the bumper looks with the step plate and hitch receiver, dry fitted. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1396.jpg The next step is welding the receiver and step plate in place and add gussets where the mounting brackets and bumper meet, at the top of the recovery point bracket. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1394.jpg Well, this brings my up to date. There is still a lot of work to do, hopefully there are a few nice days before the snow flies. :coffee: |
wow, amazing attention to detail! Great work!
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Wow just wow
awsome build and attention to detail words can't described this |
epic doesnt even begin to describe this
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Epic, very cool, and gives me some ideas of my own.
Nice shots with the camera, btw. Very crisp images. |
I wish I had your array of tools!
Nice work! |
such a cool build!!
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Thanks guys! For the kind words. :D
It's a fun build, not done yet. I'm hoping for some decent weather so I can weld the step plate and hitch receiver in place. It would be nice to do some fine flap disk finishing, so I can at least spray some primer on it for storing during the winter, maybe I'll run the dehumidifier in the work shop for the winter. Lately the weather is not cooperating enough to finish the main bumper.... Oh well, winter happens..... Canada! sheesh, go figure. This winter I'll be designing cutting and dry fitting parts for a swing out tire carrier ready for welding in the spring. I wish I had a garage. I have more tricks up my sleeve for this build, I'll have all winter to think about refinements. |
Matching front bumper next?
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Originally Posted by 96redtoy
(Post 50967068)
Matching front bumper next?
I have a design for a front bumper to match the rear but It won't be build until next year. The ARB is definitely good enough, but I'm a builder, thats my other hobby, I'll build a front bumper then sell the ARB. Time will tell. There are a lot of other builds on my To-Do list, like sliders diff. armor, ect... |
holy Hannibal Lecter!!!!!! what a build, and a great write-up!!! looks great too!
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I am very impressed, nice work!
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Well.... Yesterday, I managed to land a nice day, weather wise, so I thought I'd take advantage.
Before I start talking about the bumper, I thought I'd show off another project, a new work bench. The doors are not mounted yet, they're propped up in place for the sake of the picture. I had some scrap wood kicking around, so what the heck... new storage work bench. Its not done yet. I'm adding a back and side splash to keep the shavings from falling behind and off the sides of the bench. Bling Bling! Eh? http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1455.jpg O.K. back to the bumper.... The first order of business.... I made a new gusset. I replaced the original gusset, the original was 3/8'', I replaced it with a 1/4'' gusset, after I did some grinding to countersink the step plate as mentioned in my previous post . It was a change for the better. The new gusset has a longer triangulation, the length of the new gusset is 12'' long, the same width as the flat part of the step plate. Again, I cut the plate stock on my trusty band saw. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1454.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1459.jpg The off cuts will be used for the mounting bracket reinforcement gussets. The off cut pieces will form a long triangulation. If I use a triangular gusset at 45*, the gusset would be big. The gusset covers the recovery clevis sticking out of the backside of the bumper. You can see the back side of the clevis in the fourth picture. The longer triangular gusset fits better than a 45* gusset and I'm making the most out of the 12'' stock. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1464-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1472-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1467-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1473-1.jpg Hitch box receiver..... The receiver had a powder coating as a finish, the coating had to come off for welding. I used a flap disk on a grinder to remove the powder coating. The receiver cap edges were cleaned up as well. Originally, the cap was welded on, using two 1'' (approx.) welds, leaving a crack around the the cap and receiver, a great place for rust to form. I decided to attach the cap, welding all the way around to eliminate the crack. The inside of the receiver also had a crack, so I sealed it up with smaller welds. The inside welds will be ground flat to retain the original dimensions, other wise I'll look like a dumb ass, trying to mount a ball mount. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to grind the inside weld today, I'll do that later in the shop. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1476-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1479-1.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1483-1.jpg Oh! I remembered to take a pic of the weld on the inside of the bumpers box midsection, welds reinforcing the inside angular plates that give the bumper it's shape. These welds were tricky, there's a lot of slag that I will try to clean up. A blob of lithium grease will be added to the inside of the box to catch slag rolling around reducing the little rattling sounds. Not that I'll be able to hear it on the trail anyway LOL. At work we use grease on the inside of car seat frames, to catch loose punch slugs and weld slag. It makes a big difference in noise reduction on car seats. The seat is closer to your ear than a bumper, I hope! But what the heck... I'm doing it because I have grease and because I just wouldn't feel right not doing it.... sheesh, thats what happens after welding 2 million car seats. LOL! The grease will be added to the box sections before they're sealed up. There you have it! Justification! LOL. The internal welds...... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_1490-1.jpg Now its time to weld the hitch box receiver to the bumper. The receiver was welded 360* around on the front and back. The welds on the inside of the box section of the bumper have welds on the top and sides, front and back. I did this for more strength. Tricky internal welds but it came out fairly good. There was room left to apply weld behind the front receiver cap. I wanted good welds in there. I didn't want to weld the outside edge of the cap to the bumper face, besides, there are welds on the back side of the cap, preventing me from mounting it flush. A leveling weld will be added later and ground flush making the cap look like its one piece to the bumper....... Oooh Wow! Before the receiver was welded in, I made sure the receiver holes on the backside had enough room for the receiver / ball mount lock, with room for welds. Can't forget that! http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1494.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1505.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1509.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1552.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1520.jpg While I was at it, I finally added welds 360* around the recovery points (clevis points) I took my time, was running low on gas, but managed to get it done. Clevis edges will be rounded out, buzzing the edges with a die grinder and refined with a Dremel. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1514.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1551.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1550.jpg With gas running low, I figured I could still get away with welding in the gussets for the frame mounts. Long semi supported steel tends to bend with heat from welds. To prevent skewing the distance between the two mounting brackets from heat, I used my Hi-Lift jack to slightly spread the brackets supporting the original spec. I welded one side first, then flipped the jack to the other side and welded the gusset. By spreading the brackets by 1/4 '' more than spec. I can assure the brackets will still line up with the truck frame. If the spec. is a tad wider that's fine, if it's narrow because of heat warping, that's bad. So I decided to play it safe. I let the welds cool down to the touch before I removed the jack. In the end the distance between the brackets was increased by 1/8'', total, so I know the spec is still good. The gussets welded in place.... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1528.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1524.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1525.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1547.jpg With shielding gas and sun light running low, I wasn't able to weld the step plate and gusset in place. Instead I brought the bumper back in the shop and took some pics of the receiver lock, step plate and gusset in place to give you a idea of how it will be pieced together...... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1530.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1534.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1535.jpg It's suppose to rain for the next three days, I'm hoping there will be a nice day next week and hopefully finish the main part of the bumper. Well, I thought last week, all I needed was one more day of work.... Ya right! O.K..... Now, all I need is one more day of work...... I think....... LOL. |
so much attention to detail. good job man!
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wow. amazing work. everything is so clean and organized. very nice shop. and nice metal work.
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wow i could never do something that clean. what is the weight on tha thing?
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Thanks! Actually I haven't weighed it lately, I'll do that and post it later....
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Alright!
Lately, winter has finally hit, the weather is cold and miserable. Today started out as a nice day, cold but nice, so I thought I'd weld the step plate and gusset in place. Unfortunately, I didn't get much done, out of nowhere it started snowing like crazy, ended up packing everything up again and called a day. I did a little more grinding, fine tuning the fit for the step plate. I managed to get a nice tight fit. The pics below don't really show the fit, It's hard to tell. I thought I'd post them, for for the sake of posting them. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03183.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03184.jpg The next step was to weld-in the gusset, to tie the hitch box receiver, to the step plate. First step was to tack weld the gusset into position, check to make sure the gusset surface is level to the bottom surface of the step plate, then weld the length of the seam. Every once and a while the wind would pick up making it hard to weld. I stopped and took the picture while the wind did it's thing. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03186.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03188.jpg After welding the length of the gusset, I had to grind the weld down to maintain the level, flush, surface. I use a Shop Vac to vacuum the weld slag and grinder dust from the inside, box sections. I added some blue industrial lithium grease to catch the weld slag, as mentioned in a previous post. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03192.jpg With the step plate in position and clamped, so the plate doesn't shift, I secured it with some tack welds. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03195.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/DSC03194.jpg I started welding the back seam, for the end caps, when it started snowing like crazy. I had to pack it in for the day. It was a tough day for controlling welds, the breeze that kicks up was a total pain. Here's the welds for the back of the end caps..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1568.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1567.jpg Here's the bumper as it stands to date..... http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1577.jpg http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...r/IMG_1576.jpg A problem I'm having with the cold weather is the temperature. I don't leave the bumper in the shed, I keep it in the workshop. The temperature change from the cold to warm causes condensation to form on the exposed steel, I have to constantly wipe the moisture off until the steel normalizes to the room temperature. I wipe down the bumper as much as possible, but surface rust still forms. I want to avoid this issue as much as possible. The bumper will be stored for the winter. my shop is dehumidified so condensation isn't really a issue over the winter. I would love to finish this build over the winter. I still need to do some welding, but not in the house. I made the decision to put the build on hold until the spring. If a warm, free, nice day, comes along, I might take another crack at it.... We'll see, I not counting on it. I will be designing the swing out tire gate, cut the steel and dry fit the pieces. I have a few other ideas in mind I'll work on. I'll do this over the winter. I'll update the build from time to time as things develop. Until then, that all I have for now. The current weight is sitting at 80.5 Lbs. |
Starting out like this we expect the SFA to go in by next fall and everything in between to be so well documented as such. Some people hit the ground running around here; you are one of them. Good work
:guitar: |
Jimany cricket nice work dude
A+ for affert :D :dj: |
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