[lulo]

Nice Job...

[Gib009]

So after thinking about a front bar for ages i have decided to just draw something up that was actually feasable for me to make rather than the other bars that was pictured earlier.



What do you reckon to this one. Main purpose is to keep my approach angle but give as much protection to the radiator as possible. Possible addition of electric winch later on. It has 2 crossmembers but the third (between the chassis rails) will protect the lower part of the raditor while the top two protect the upper.




Front view





Side on (imagine it a bit beefier though)





Is it possible to shape it like this?





Its not that flash but i think its about the limit of what i can make with cutting tools and an arc

[lulo]

Mmm...


I prefer to build a "classic" Front Bumper (with winch box)


Good Luck!

[Gib009]

[lulo]

Originally Posted by Gib009

Mmm... better


LOL

[Gib009]

haha thanks lulo

[Gib009]

Few more updates:



Brand new kenwood cd player, cant complain for $118 even has a little AUX plug for ipods and such. I took it to strathfield and they confirmed my old one was totaled. All along i thought it was the wiring but i just needed a new deck. That explains why it was never really working properly after two morons broke into my car about 6months ago, they must of hacked around the deck or something.

Also note the boost gauge is fitted neatly on the dash, stock boost was exactly 8psi. The vdo gauge is a great little unit, it goes really well with the rest of the instruments aswell.


This is where i tapped in with a t piece, if i remember correctly it is the hose leading to the boost compensator from the crossover part to the intake.


GFB boost controller now wound out to just under 10psi and it goes like a totaly different car now i cant wait to get it on the dunes. It is connected between the turbo and the waste gate actuator.



Oh and i also put a piece of black plastic in the back to hide all the tow hitch wiring, makes it just that little bit neater.

[Gib009]

I measured for new shocks today. Didnt have a flex ramp so i used that trick where you use car ramps at diagonal ends and drop the hub to the ground. I was surprised to see that my current shocks are only restricting my flex only 1inch which sucks because i thought it would be way more! Im begginning to think they are old aftermarket items because the housing (under the black spray on protective stuff) is bright blue. But anyway i desperatley need new shocks so im just shopping around im either thinking bilstein, bluemax, raw or rancho5000's (cant afford the 9000's) I am attracted to the raws because they have a 3 way adjustability by twisting the housing and are canadian made but i have used bilstein before and they are a great shock.

I need a front shock that has a compressed length of 400mm and a extended length of 625mm but i have dug up measurements of a guy who did a RUF (60rears up front) and needs a max length of 660mm so i might as well get some shocks that can take this length if i decide to do the RUF in the future. And the rears are alot smaller so i dont think ill have a problem finding them (440mm compressed, 565mm extended)


I also have to extend my bumpstops 30mm all round does anyone know how i should go about this.

[Gib009]

Heres the progress on the tube bar

Winch cradle made out of 150mmx90mm steel lintle (7mm thick) and 8mm steel plate as support, connected to the chassis by 8 bolts. Get to keep recovery hooks on top which double as a mounting point.



If i lower the body lift maybe 1inch i can get away with welding the tube straight to the top of the winch cradle of which i believe would be stronger. The tube would sit just underneath the guards and the checkplate on top would sit flush with the guards



But if i leave the body lift in i would have to make vertical supports to make it sit flush with the guards
Obviously there will be more supports but its too hard to draw on sketchup


Let me know what you guys think

[Gib009]

Heres a few progress pics...

Cardboard Template for the winch plate

Top bar bent up

Approx placement



The ends will be bent around the fenders slightly so i can join scrub bars up to it in the future. Still not sure how im mounting it to the winch plate though. Any ideas welcome.

[Gib009]

But that was yesterday... today me and blair (cheers mate) got stuck into it and got my shocks in and made a good start extending my bumpstops.



Here are my brand spankers shiny new bilstein 5125's. As usual great price and great service from tash and chris from locktup. I had to drill out the bushes for them to fit and use a pin to eye convertor in the front shocks. But they ride great and controls swaying as much as a sway bar does so im very happy And plus they are a 10inch travel shock so they have enough travel left in them for a RUF in the front and wacky shackles in the back just in case.





Here is how im extending my bumpstops, just need welding and painting





And i marked out where i am going to cut my guards...

[lulo]

Originally Posted by Gib009

And i marked out where i am going to cut my guards...

Cut the guards???


I prefer don´t cut the body, maybe is better change the suspension "SOA"


Waiting the "Gib" Winch-Bumper

[Gib009]

Hah lulo, somone once told me you dont raise the car to fit the tyres you just move the metal that gets in the way Doing it this way i have only raised the drivetrain 2inchs from tyres and the body 2inchs so all up only 4inchs which makes it quite stable on the tracks. With a SOA i would probably be in the region of 10inchs of lift which i think would not end well unless i did some serious modification to the track and the wheelbase. The tyres pretty much fit right now but just scrubs at a funny angle when flexing so i just need to nick the guard off. Dont worry im rolling the edges over trying to keep it as factory as possible.

Oh and bumper is almost complete. Just going to fetch some more welding sticks hopefully its done by this weekend.

[crushers]

problem with any exhaust that goes straight out the back is the potential to scoop mud and cause too much back pressure.
out the side works well.
if you do very little deep mud or snow then it will be fine.

nice build M8

Originally Posted by Gib009

Photos...

And the shiny 3inch tip... still not keen on it

[Gib009]

Thanks crushers, im going to cut it at an angle so its horizontal and hopefully wont catch on anything.

Not really a fan of mud anymore, cleaning sucks afterwards and so does changing oil seals twice as often as you need to.

[Gib009]

This is the direction im taking with the front bar now. The tube the full width of the truck just isnt working for me + it wont offer very much protection anyway.



Pretty happy with it so ill get cracking on it tomorrow.

[crushers]

simplicity is usually the best. i like that one.

[VajaFJ70]

nice job.

[Gib009]

Thanks fellas

[Gib009]

Anyway, i managed to get my bumpstops done today and a bit of welding practice for the bumper



Rear ones were piece of cake and done pretty quickly





Front ones were a bit of a pain (they sit on a curved part of the chassis) but by this time i managed to lay a half decent weld





And all finished, rears extended 30mm, front extended 40mm which is the size of the pin to eye convertor on the shocks.




I got them in tonight and im noticing a few things that might need attention

The front drivers side is pretty sagged so theres not much space between the axle and the bump stop. Ill have to look into beefing up the front end springs a bit, and also the shocks looks pretty compressed while sitting flat. If my measurements are correct they should be fine but im thinking of getting shock hoops from locktup just to be sure they dont bottom out (i could then move them up, and forward a few inches to suit the planned diff relocation too)

And while everything is apart i might try the RUF since i got shocks long enough for it now.

[Gib009]

Decided to give the original bar a chance so i tacked it up and took it for a run (so i could see it outside the garage). And i think its looking pretty good so far









What do you guys reckon?

[lulo]

I not like the subject as a bumper , I like to attach more directly to the chassis

It is best to place the hooks below or above the bumper, never between the chassis and bumper

Think safety

[crushers]

take your hooks and mount them to the side of the frame horns.
mount the bumper tight against the frame horns, no spacers (hooks)

is there a winch going on?

[Gib009]

Why is it bad to have the hooks inbetween the winch mount and the chassis?
As far as i am concerned a heavier tug would be put upon the hooks (snatching) where as a winch would be a progressive pull so i wanted to have the hooks directly on the chassis rails. The winch plate is only resting on a slightly smaller surface area than it would of on the chassis as the hooks base is almost the size of the available chassis rails. And having the winch plate spaced up lets me run it over the pipes on the front crossmember (some sort of cooler? not sure what they are) and much closer into the body rather than it sticking out, which will also aid in its strength. And it lets me weld the main tube straight to the top of the plate rather than having vertical tube to support it. And you have to remember the bolts are going right through the chassis with crush tubes in the middle. Im certain something else will fail before this thing breaks off!

[crushers]

because a winch can give up to 32,000 lbs of pull... that is shear strength. (double snatch blocks on a 8274)
you have 2 points of shear with the hooks inbetween plus the leverage point is 1 1/4" away from the frame instead of 0" away from the frame. (well actually, you have the bottom of the hook, top of the hook, top of the winch plate shear points)
do what you wish, it was just a suggestion.

[Gib009]

Fair enough! Thanks for the suggestion

[James_witham1]

hey gib, i read a while back in this thread that you thought the 35's went much better off road.. i actually had the exact same wrangler 35's a few years ago on my 40series and it was unstoppable off road and there was only 3mm or tread left and they were still awesome. i downgraded to 33 baja claws (new) with huge lugs and i cant seem to go as hard as i used to. it must be the extra clearance they give the diff centre in ruts etc..

i have a 40 series short wheel base and have done a ute cab conversion from a hj45 ute. custom mini tray and winch bar etc. mostly fiberglass pannels like bonnet and guards so easy to repair. i will try and post up some photos of my bar just for an idea. mines just a c section with two posts welded on from an arb bar. its bloody fantastic. just doesnt protect the car as much as i would have hoped but it sure does look good for something i spent 50 bucks on.
loving the pics, keep them coming.

im in brisbane qld btw so if you ever want to do a road trip swing us an email mate. we'l teach you how to drink.

James

[Gib009]

hey mate,

Funny you say that i actually swapped tyres with a mate with 33inch claws (just for a few hours) and i absolutley hated them! They were crap on the road, they sounded like a jet engine, they rumbled to a stop as if you were driving on.. well claws, and they dug everywhere in the sand. And i have heard they arent to crash hot on rocks and side slopes. Which means they are only good for mud. I think you should give the MTRS another go next set of tyres

I think its not just the extra clearance, its the the physical size of them to overcome objects which helps the most, well thats what i think anyway.

Your 40 sounds awesome. Post some pics! And your bar sounds good how did you score an arb bar for 50bucks? Im having trouble finding the time to finish my bar, im doing my masters of architecture and the work load has just doubled from doing my bachelors. I havnt even had the chance to drive it for weeks!

Hah a road trip sounds good right about now, ill keep that in mind!

[Clint79]

sweet rig mate should top of the looks with a chrome 78/79 rv front grill and indicators a shop in wangara sells them

[Gib009]

thanks mate! Yep i been thinking of that maybe once the stimulus package comes through But i gotta get other stuff sorted first still gotta finish that damn bar!