40 Tire Carrier Build (1 Viewer)

[HawkDriver]

Alright folks, this is the beginning. Finally got all the parts for the build. Thanks to Lance at IronPigOffRoad for the super beefy yet simple spindle assy. The spring pin was about twice the size of what I was expecting from the picture . The latch came from McMaster Carr.

So the plan is to have this thing bolt up to the bumperette holes that most 40s have. The main bumper tube will stand-off the stock rear crossmember 1" by way of the mounting brackets. The tail lights will remain in the factory location and the bumper will be boxed around the lights. The strength at the spindle end is of concern once I remove that much material but with all the reinforcement and boxing I am confident that it will be as strong if not stronger than the solid tube itself. If not then I'll redesign it. The ends will be tapered as shown with the chalk, and the standard 3/4" clevis mounts will be welded through front and back of the bumper. I may incorporate a reciever tube below it with some tube work coming in from the sides to reinforce.

This particular one will use only one spindle and have only one swing arm that will extend the length of the bumper to which the cooler basket will attach to. The cooler basket will be a removable unit with angle iron that bolts to the swingarm.

One of the challenges to overcome is that it is essential to me to have the rear one side amby door still accessible with this whole unit installed (with cooler basket removed for day to day use). I am somewhat claustrophobic and I hate the idea of a passenger being trapped in the back due to a latch that's just out of reach. That and I also am lazy and when I want to drop off my kids at school I just want them to have to swing open the door and close it themselves . Therefore the swingarm will have to be within 1/4" of the main bumper to allow this clearance. It's doable but the spindle area will be difficult.

Havn't decided on the tire rack tube but I'm leaning towards a single 2x2 coming up from the swing arm as opposed to a 3 arm type of setup in order to reduce the weight load on the spindle.

The latch assy area is all just clamped on and a lot of the parts are not installed but it gets the idea across.

Hopefully this thread will help me get this thing going a little faster.

Comments please.

 

[HawkDriver]

Latch pics.

Again, these are not the actual tubes and such that will be used. Just mocking stuff up. This thing will run the length of the entire rear crossmember, both the bumper and the swingarm.

 

[Advent]

You're going to want to bolt it to more than just the bumperette holes.

 

[HawkDriver]

Nah, I'm thinking that 8 1/2" grade 8 bolts will do just fine.

 

[WaAkFJ]

Do you know the part number on the latch? Is it this one? Part #5135A27

I really like the IPOR spindle... I think I am finally going to just order it! Really is bigger than I thought. Did you get that spring pin from IPOR too? It looks like the same one.

I'll be building my bumper this summer, so this will really provide the inspiration to get it done!

 

[HawkDriver]

Yes, yes and yes.

All the same. They're all bigger than I had thought as well. The spindle itself is 1 1/2" solid rod.

Cool man, we'll have quite the little collection of buildups before long.

 

[Mark W]

If you cut that much (vitrually all) out of your vertical walls to open it up for the taillights, you will have very little strength left. As depicted, it will not work.

In addition to the bumperette holes you will want to anchor it more. At least if you are going to use it to attach any sort of recovery points to. I recommend attachment to the frame rails and also to the center of the rear crossmember.


Mark....

 

[Klunky Chris]

I love the IPOR spinde on my 80 bumper. I'm pretty sure it's the same one. Opens smooth, but not as *light* as a bearing. (does this make sense?)
It won't go flying all over the place if your on an angle. Takes very little force to open/close, but there is a little more drag than on some bearing bumpers I've seen. I like this. You don't really need any *easier* opening IMO.

I will watch this with interest as well! (still trying to work your front bumber into my mix of projects )

A thought.... my rear bumper/frame is bent a bit. Not bad, but enough that it isn't straight for something to mount to.
Has anyone ever thought about taking the rear bumper/frame off completely and making the new bumper to replace it bolting to the same spots?

 

[65swb45]

Jeremy, I second Mark W. on the bumperette holes, but would take it one step further and just say FUGGETABOUTIT. Not only are they not going to be adequate if you incorporate any kind of reciever [for load distribution] but I have a hunch you have not considered the fact that the earlier cruisers that utilized the round taillights have their bumperette holes on a different center altogether.

Dave Gore from Renegade designed his around a three plate system, with a center plate that utilized the four center holes in the rear crossmember, and two more plates of the same spacing placed just slightly inboard of where the main frame channels meet the rear crossmember. This configuration seems like it would provide the best load distribution you are going to achieve with a single-plane mounting.

As far as mounting the spindle above the taillights, I am sure you will beef up the bumper plenty to accomodate the metal you will cut away for viewing the taillights. How much of the tube do you anticipate cutting away approximately? Are we talking about 2" out of a 4" tube, with an inch left top and bottom, or 2.5, or is the bumper maybe a 6 incher? Granted, I know you you're gonna build it like a brick s***house, and half the guys that are gonna buy them are posers anyways;p but longevity will be an issue.

Very smart of you to get imput at such an early stage.

Hth

Mark A.

 

[honk]

I'd agree that those cutouts for lights won't leave enough steel to support the tire mount for long, if at all, I think that if the taillight opening is boxed and welded inside and the end of the bottom tube closed off under the pivot the strength will be restored.

You said "8 1/2" grade 8 bolts". The bumpette holes are captured nuts and not that large. They can be drilled, of course, but look behind for room to get the nuts attached before drilling.

 

[HawkDriver]

I'd agree that those cutouts for lights won't leave enough steel to support the tire mount for long, if at all, I think that if the taillight opening is boxed and welded inside and the end of the bottom tube closed off under the pivot the strength will be restored.

You said "8 1/2" grade 8 bolts". The bumpette holes are captured nuts and not that large. They can be drilled, of course, but look behind for room to get the nuts attached before drilling.

That's pretty much what I was planning.

I'll check into using the center bolts area being that the frame gussets tie in there as well. But the 8 bumperette holes seem so nicely spaced apart and with drilling them out for larger bolts it should be the easiest solution, even if the earlier models aren't in the same exact spot. But I'll surely take this into consideration and possibly come up with something like what Mark said.

Thanks for the input, keep it flowing.

 

[HawkDriver]

If you cut that much (vitrually all) out of your vertical walls to open it up for the taillights, you will have very little strength left. As depicted, it will not work.

Faith brotha. In the end you might be right, but I plan to rebuild up that area which IMO will make it stronger than the tube by itself. But hey, if I get it all built up and get to jumping on it and it just crumbles then I'll go back to the drawring board.

Thanks for the insight though, trying to see where to attach to the frame...

 

[FoYoChe]

you are putting an awfully large lever arm on a bolt spacing of only3" vertical, the large tire whatever it is is a lot of weight, and if you bolt it down and bolt it tight, the only bolts that will take the weight are the two closest to the pivot pin. then when they break the next two, there is a reason the factory carrier seperates the bolt spacing by a foot and a half. I'm not saying you cant make it work, but you need a longer support lever to carry the moment (Bending force) at the bottom, the bumperette holes carry the weight, fine, but you need something to counteract the twist created as the tire wants to swing back away from the body. Consider running a arm that reaches below and runs forward along the frame this arm has to be extremely rigid, or at least have a larve vertical section, plate works well for doing this as you can cut it into easy shapes.

 

[yzftaco]

Are you going to mount the tail lights into the hole you are cutting, or are you just making a thru hole so you can see the tail lights??

If it's the second, anybody behind you will only be able to see your Turn / Brake lights if they are Directly behind you!! If they are in the lane next to you they won't see your turn signal and CRASH.....

Food for thought

 

[Mark W]

Just remember that once you cut the vertical faces out for the tail lights you will need to replace them with some sort of vertical member. If your reinforcement is something along the lines of plating at the top and bottom, laid horizonally it will have to be VERY tick to produce enough strength in a vertical plane to greplace the strength of what you have cut out. Veritcal gussets running from the front and rear of the bumper will also provide little strength in the plane that you will need it.

You might want to consider remounting the tail lights in the outer face of the bumper and leaving the inner face uncut. Then add something along the lines of the SOR tail light protector approach to help the lights survive better.


Mark...

 

[tugdogsfj40]

Ideas Sound Good So Far, Im Very Interested In 1 Of These Rear Bumpers . I'll Watch This Closer , Please Keep Us Posted . Great Work So Far, Keep Up The Good Work.

 

[camcruiser13]

hawk just buy one of my rear bumpers and atched your spindle to it let me know if you need some tips on cuttinga and mounting those taillights, i got a few tricks up my sleeve...

 

[camcruiser13]

oh yeah, that looks like itll be sweet.

 

[HawkDriver]

hawk just buy one of my rear bumpers and atched your spindle to it let me know if you need some tips on cuttinga and mounting those taillights, i got a few tricks up my sleeve...

Well let's see these things.

 

[HawkDriver]

Well I spent another few hours on it tonight. Didn't make much progress in terms of visible construction but I got some brackets cut, drilled and mounted then placed the main bumper up on them and spent another couple hours thinking over the clamp and spindle locations.

I think I've got the weak spot fixed. It's hard to describe so I'll let the pics show it when I get it up there.

I'll get to cutting out and boxing the tube tomorrow hopefully then we'll go from there.

FoYoChe, indeed I have looked at supporting that end a bit better. I was thinking along the same lines. Thanks for the insight.

Yzftaco, I thought about your idea. The tail light guards that I have on right now already restrict that some, this will only bring that restriction out by 1 inch and by looking at it from all angles it seems as though it will still be quite visible. Thanks again, good thinking.

Mark, I have taken your thoughts into much consideration as well. I'm not going to run full plating along the top and bottom to reinforce that area but what I think I'm going to do is add at least a top, possibly a bottom too, 3/8" plate that extends back over the rear crossmember just outside of the body mount and directly above the light openings which will be threaded and bolts will run through the rear crossmember into it. Kind of hard to describe so bear with me on the pictures. Thanks man.

I agree with ya on just leaving the back face solid and relocating the entire light to the face of the bumper to maintain strength. It has it's benefits but the look and protection of this setup will be worth it to leave em where they are. Besides, I think that the light sockets and wires protrude beyond the back face anyways so I'd still have to cut some. Lastly, I do plan to gusset the opening with 2 vertical pieces which will restore some of the rigidity in that plane and also provide some protection for the lights and it'll also look really cool.

Thanks for all the help, with all these great minds thinking on this it should turn out to be pretty sweet.