Looks good. Kinda like mine.

 

Thanks. I just fixed the way the side pieces were angle up too close to the body. I cut some of the tack welds, made a relief cut on the bottom edge where they attached to the 2x4 and was able to bend them into the correct position.

Now I have to fix the exhaust hole.

dragr1, is your exhaust routed through your bumper?

 

No. I was just commenting b/c that is the basic design that Tom (Trailcarnage) and I came up with about 2 years ago. BruceTs improved the frame mounts over our design and angled the sides different from mine. My exhaust still hangs in the factory location. I really like that bumper though, it's an improved version of my bumper.

 

Lookin real good.

 

And I would have bought one if he ever went through with production......
I was in the middle of designing mine when Tom posted drawings of his and liked his frame mounts.

As for the exhaust, note the location of the hole in mine, it's closer to the rear wheel, away from the body mount. With a 1 1/2" body lift, I was able to route the pipe over the frame rail. A similar result could be achieved by making a oval section flat enough.

 

I did notice that the hole on yours is closer to the wheel. At the time when I marked the center of the hole, it was at the end of the night and I carelessly did it.
I was wondering if you needed to notch the seam on the body for extra clearance but it sounds like you didn't have any issues. I think I can fix mine.

 

I have a 1" BL and the exhaust routed OVER the frame--no problem.
Another thing to consider is the distance the bumper protrudes from the truck. This is where a larger tire comes into play. I think Steve S has around 5"-5 1/4" to allow a 305 fully inflated. I only have arounnd 2 3/4" so that limits the max. inflated spare tire

 

Last night I used a paint aerosal can to simulate the 2 1/2" OD of the exhaust, and it seems there is enough clearance to get by the body seam and if the the pipe is angled right, there will be enough clearance to get by the body mount too.

Right now I'm comfortable with a 285/75 tire underneath which has the same circumference as the 305/70's that are mounted on the truck. I won't be able to get anything bigger than that under there and I don't think I'll ever need to...hopefully

 

any additional pics or info?

i'm getting materials within the week for mine!

 

Man!! That looks real good! That's almost exactly what i'm going to build. Keep up the good work!

 

I'll get some pictures up soon - by Sat at the latest.

The pace will pick up now that I'm done with my home improvement projects and I have a Paragon trip planned for the 29th of this month. So I really want to get this done in time to test it out.

I did some work on the rounded corners yesterday and tacked them into place. They were a real bitch. Well one side was. At my buddy's shop I was able to heat up the passenger side and beat it around a pipe without too much trouble. Yesterday I did some work at home and had to make do with what I had. We are talking an olympic curl bar, two bench vices and a hammer. It took a while but I finally got it right. I also made the piece for the firestick mount and tacked that on. All that is left is to tack the tops of the side pieces on, which are already cut out of sheet metal, and then make pieces to cap off each side end directly behind the tire (where a mud flap would normally go). This will hopefully restore my gas mileage. :pat:

I'll get those pictures for ya!
-Tim

 

gas mileage?

 

I've been driving around with the bumper on for a few weeks now and noticed the gas light coming on around 15 - 25 miles sooner per tank. The truck also feels slightly more sluggish than usual at highway speeds. Those side pieces must be scooping in lots of air the way they are right now because of their angle and because the leading edge sticks out about 1/2 beyond the fender flares. Once I cap them off, things will hopefully get back to normal.

 

Weird that your mileage dropped? I can't see how it would cause that much drag.

BTW I was looking for the CD that has the photo's of my build-up, but couldn't locate it.....

 

No problem. I probably would have been done this weekend if the waterpump in my DD car didn't go Friday night on the way home from work.

Here are some pictures of where I am right now. The side pieces are supported by a 3/16" thick bracket which is welded to the frame bracket -this thing feels really sturdy. The rounded corners are tacked on.
Now the next step is the top plates for the sides which are ready to be tacked on. Then I will cut some 1/8" plate to cap off the leading edge of the sides just behind the tires and tack those on also. I also need to grab a piece of angle iron to support and secure the plastic sill piece and attach that.
After those remaining things are completed, I should be able to take the whole bumper off and finish weld the entire thing. There will be lots of grinding and blending after that because these welds will not be pretty.

The one thing I'm not too pleased with is the gap between the side pieces and the body. It's around 1 1/4" which is a little too much. Something must have gotten lost in translation when going from cardboard to sheet metal. Bruce, I'm going to need to cover it with some weatherstripping for sure.

 

The 1 1/4" gap is no problem, the weather stripping will hide it just fine. Remember you need a minimum of 1" gap, even at that the body can still flex upwards of 2" from the frame, but the weather stripping will dampen the impact.

 

That makes me feel a little better. Do you think there is anywhere to pick up that weather stripping locally (any of the major auto parts chains)? If not, which one did you go with from JC whitney? THe vinyl or the rubber and which style?

Vinyl



Rubber



-Thanks

 

Type 10 Sponge Rubber Bulb with Solid Rubber Trim, Lip Bulb A-9/16", B-13/
Roll part # ZX812914B $39.99

 

Thanks Bruce. Just ordered it.

-Tim

 

Had to put in some long hours and finish the bumper in time for a trip to Paragon this past weekend. Here are some quick pictures. The bumper made light contact with a few rocks. All that added clearance almost makes it a challenge to bottom it out.