4 x 4 labs rear bumper? I must be bi-polar... RR?-LC?

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RalphB

RalphB

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Threads
56
Messages
248
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I give up. Range Rover?, Land Cruiser?, RR? LC? :meh: AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!! The LC won the mental battle.:bang:

Decided to keep my LX and and start spending some money.
If anyone has any leads on a 4 x 4 Labs rear bumper, keep me in mind.

Should have bought the springs from AZ Tony.

I want a 2-3 inch lift. Let me know if anyone has some springs for sale.
 
You made the right choice - congrats and have fun with the build!
 
I sold the front springs already but will be selling all 4 of my shocks and the stabilizer here shortly.

The shocks are N73's in front and N74E in the rear and the steering stabilizer. These are the ones that were on my rig when you came to my house last.

Welcome to the addiction!!
 
I am looking at getting a 4x4 Labs bumper but I do not have a welding source. Anybody got a source that could do this for me?
 
azTony said:
I am looking at getting a 4x4 Labs bumper but I do not have a welding source. Anybody got a source that could do this for me?
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The kits are a great option if you weld, want to customize, etc, if not they can be ordered built, powder coated, ready to go.
 
I was looking for the cost of having it welded vs the added cost of assebly and the shipping difference due to size. Just trying to find a happy medium. I would like the tire carrier mounted higher than they show on their website. Trying to weigh my options if there are some to weigh.
 
azTony said:
I was looking for the cost of having it welded vs the added cost of assebly and the shipping difference due to size. Just trying to find a happy medium. I would like the tire carrier mounted higher than they show on their website. Trying to weigh my options if there are some to weigh.
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I really like those bumpers. I've seen a couple and I think it's a really solid design.

My guess is going to be that if it's not done as a DIY home-build, it's cheaper to get a finished unit sent (minus the marked up powder coat), for two reasons. One reason is that the size and weight of the packaging isn't going to be much different, and the other is that they've probably got assembly dialed in using a set of fixtures, while even the local pro is going to have to do it on your rig to line up the parts and that'll be slower. Honestly, the local pro probably won't even quote you a firm price unless they've done these kits before, and will instead give you an estimate and then charge you a shop rate and consumables cost.

I'd be really curious what you find out in terms of numbers: the cost of a welded vs. unwelded unit shipped, and a quote on weld assembly and installation by someone who does this for real. I'm just really curious. I honestly have no clue what the value of that much welding is.

Other than that, I realize that you don't know me from Adam, but it looks like an interesting project and I'd be willing to take it on. I'm by no means a pro, but I have basic steel fabrication skills and the tools to do it.
 
Agree, if wheeling is part of the plan, they are the best design available, very strong and don't hang, slide over everything.

A jig isn't needed, they are designed to self jig on the frame rails. The welding is significant, more than it looks like. I once figured the number of feet of welding required, don't remember, but it is a big number. The amount of detail preferred makes a big difference in build time. If they are just welded, painted, good to go, is a relatively easy job. Some of us ground, filled with weld, smoothed all the main bumper welds, so it looks like one piece, now we are talking about work!:hillbilly:

The basic bumper, like Phil's, mine, is a relatively simple build. As more stuff is added, the time, fiddling goes way up, especially if it is custom.

My guess would be; if you are paying for it to be welded, the guys who do it often (4x4Labs) are going to be the quickest, most efficient? More info on what you are wanting would help. If the main bumper is OK and you want mods to the accessories, maybe a good plan would be to order the main shell and basic swing arms welded, get the accessories as kits and custom fit them? There are a couple of local custom fabricators who have made nice bumpers, I have never used them, so don't have contact info.
 
I have done 2 of these now, and they don't take more than a half day to fit and tack weld together. One was my 62 kit, and the other one was half of an 80 kit plus the parts 4x Labs had ready for a 3rd Gen 4 Runner. The 4 Runner bumper took the better part of a day though because I had to modify the main rear section of the bumper (narrowed it down as the 80's are wider). Belly Doc, if you built your 40 buggy yourself, you are a seasoned vet when it comes to fabrication, cause not just anybody can produce what you did. Most Fab shops have 1 good "pro" and the rest are usually "chickens". They usually charge $40 dollars an hour for welding with you supplying materials ready to weld, and $100 an hour plus materials for custom fab.
 
It does look like a lot of weld. It's been a while since I've seen one up close, but I think it was mostly 3/16" plate for the bigger bent plate sections. Is that right? If so, I'd bevel the edges, and that adds time.

I was thinking it's do-able in a weekend. Does that sound feasible? Is it more than that?

Here's my resume:

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A Fool and his Money - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board
 
mountain cruiser said:
I have done 2 of these now, and they don't take more than a half day to fit and tack weld together. One was my 62 kit, and the other one was half of an 80 kit plus the parts 4x Labs had ready for a 3rd Gen 4 Runner. The 4 Runner bumper took the better part of a day though because I had to modify the main rear section of the bumper (narrowed it down as the 80's are wider). Belly Doc, if you built your 40 buggy yourself, you are a seasoned vet when it comes to fabrication, cause not just anybody can produce what you did. Most Fab shops have 1 good "pro" and the rest are usually "chickens". They usually charge $40 dollars an hour for welding with you supplying materials ready to weld, and $100 an hour plus materials for custom fab.
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You typed while I typed!

A one-day project? I could swing that. The HOA special forces only snoop at night. The offer is open ended.
 
But with a good 4" grinder or even a nasty 7" it wouldn't be that bad. I can measure it in a bit, but i'm pretty sure you're right that it's 3/16's. Definitely no more than a weekend with a tire carrier made from scratch. Nice welds. :cheers:
 
The side wings are 1/4", the main shell is 3/16". Due to the angles, some, most of the beveling is done.

As for grinding, metal removal, it's all about HP and rock size/quality. The 4" mini grinders are great for detail/finish work, for big metal removal, the are painfully slow. I get some 4 grit rock that rips the stuff off, with enough HP, it is even quick. The bigger, higher HP the grinder, the better.:hillbilly:

IIRC, Rob's and mine was a two weekend deal, only Saturdays? On the first day we had mine done, except the side tubes and some trim that I added. Rob's had the main shells welded. The second weekend we did the hitch and spindle/carrier on Rob's and the finish work on mine. If paint is in the plan, likely at least a full day to clean, sand, primer and paint.

The newer kits fit better, ours were the first ever kits. Before then, the rig had to be delivered to grass valley and the bumper custom made on the rig. Our group buy order, was the start of the "kit". Some holes (like for the receiver, recovery points) were off on ours. Also Rob's is a single swing, so no plan, parts, anything for a latch, it had to be designed, made on the fly. Ours required more fitting, grinding, so took longer to build.

If you go to Luke's site and click on the kit instructions, it links back here, because they were written for us. Some of us have a word doc, that has more hints, details.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/az-copper-state-cruisers/142286-4x4labs-rear-bumper-build.html

The build thread.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/az-copper-state-cruisers/139729-4x4-labs-diy-rear-bumper.html
 
I would be interested in the word doc so I can start planning, whoever has one.
 
Tools R Us said:
It is not on the shop PC, will look at home, if someone doesn't find it first.
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I sent Kevin an email with the only pdf I have of Luke's instructions. Be sure to search MUD in 80's tech for any extra hints/time savers. I know I had some but I can't remember them anymore.
 
GeoRoss said:
I sent Kevin an email with the only pdf I have of Luke's instructions. Be sure to search MUD in 80's tech for any extra hints/time savers. I know I had some but I can't remember them anymore.
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That is the instruction thread linked above converted to PDF. IIRC there was also a word doc?
 
Tools R Us said:
That is the instruction thread linked above converted to PDF. IIRC there was also a word doc?
Click to expand...

I never had the directions in a word doc.

I did come across something I emailed back to Luke when he was asking for feedback on his instructions.


Alvin and I found the instructions to be very good. There are a couple of things though that we ran into.

1) Drilling and tapping the gas strut hole was easier to do prior to welding in the spindle. That was due more to our tapping wrench though.

2) I can't remember if it is in the instructions, but the tube that is welded to the wings needs to be test fitted on the truck to make sure you leave enough space for the body.

3) Carrier assembly, be sure to test fit on the truck. Otherwise the carriers (especially the can carrier) will be very close to the rear gate. Alvin's ended up <1/4", but we dealt with it. Mine is closer to ~3/8". It might be worth thinking about increasing the angle that the main support comes out. An increase of 1-3 degrees would work.

4) Can carrier. Be sure to test fit your cans prior to welding. We also had to assemble them in a press to get everything close enough to weld. Alvin knows more about this. We also used the BFH for final gas can fitment. :)

5) Carrier Arm end caps. We found it easier to trim the arm rather than to grind the cap down to fit inside the arm. We did it both ways.
 
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