Dissent offroad 80 series modular bumper interest (1 Viewer)

[benc]

Hey guys,
Some of you may have seen my modular bumper over on the 100 series section, I'm trying to gauge interest for 80 series bumpers.
I know there are plenty of great options out there for the 80 series but never hurts to have more! I think it would be an easy transition from the 100 to the 80.

For those that have not seen my work here are some details and pics.

For the front bumper I use 1/4"
Plate on the brackets and 10ga on the rest of the bumper,
There are plenty of gussets and supports where needed. The end result is a very strong light weight bumper with winch mount and the ability to bolt on different bull bar and stinger options. The weight for the 100 series front is 87lbs without bull bar and 118lbs with full bar.

I actually just finished up the rear yesterday and am very pleased with the end result!

The rear is modular as well which makes it easy for a one man instalation and also gives individual ajustment of the wing to allow a more tailored fit.
It is made of mostly 3/16" steel with 10ga gusseting. The goal for the rear was practicality and of coarse astectics and strength. You will notice the integrated recessed towing accommodations with the 2" receiver, cut out for 7 pin plug and safety chain cutout all very easy to access right in front.
No crawling under the bumper to get the hitch pin in or plug in the trailer.
The swingouts were by far the most difficult part of the project as I wanted to do something I have not yet seen with the use of a slam style bear claw latch.
This proved very difficult as with most swing outs the latch is part of the structure.
I knew since I was not going to have the structure of a clamp style latch the hinge and swing arm had to be extremely ridgid!
How I achieved this is with dual sheer hinge to eliminate any movement at the pivot point, for the swing arm I formed 3/16" steel And added internal supports, this took out any twisting in the swing arm. There is also a landing pad on the outer end of the arm.
I used a slam style bear claw latch with custom linkage and integrated release lever that forms the end cap for the arm.
There are gas springs to assist and hold the swing arm open.
You will also notice the short 3/4 length swing arms, this will help when in tight places or of you have a trailer hooked up.
There is an optional bolt on hi-lift mount behind the tire and the tire mount itself is completly ajustable, the tire can be run high, low, vertical or angled.

I do still need to develop all the different options for the accessory side but do plan on offering several different options there.
Please let me know if there is any interest.
Thanks.
Ben.

 

[canman]

Saw your build thread. Excellent looking product. Quality looks top notch as well. I noticed though that for us that live in the rust belt all those pockets would probably end up collecting debris, dirt, and salt.

 

[benc]

Saw your build thread. Excellent looking product. Quality looks top notch as well. I noticed though that for us that live in the rust belt all those pockets would probably end up collecting debris, dirt, and salt.

Thanks,
Yes there are a lot of pockets so a good coating is definitely a must!
But I did take this into consideration so there are plenty of drain holes and openings where needed and cut outs in the areas needed to get the powder coat wand into.

 

[Heckraiser]

Both bumpers look really sharp and I am in need of a front bumper. I'll keep an eye out, but I suspect it will be too pricey for my cheap arse.

 

[GA Trevor]

They look really nice. Would be interested in seeing how one looks on an 80

 

[yohavos]

Been a huge fan of your 100 series front bumper... looking forward to what you come up with for the 80.

With the 80 series crowd I think being able to get a bumper in regular or sans fender flares width is always a plus, though I understand adding another permutation of a bumper is just more work.

 

[Dissent]

I am inerested to see an 80 series for fender flares. I love the modular approach and the short swingouts. Buuld quality looks top notch and I appreciate the tire mounting options. Great name too!

 

[benc]

Thanks guys!
My brother in law has a 96 80 series so I do have access to one for prototyping.
It will be a while before I have the time but hopefully not too long. I will be getting one powder coated this week to make sure all nooks are accessible with the powder. I'll post pics once complete.

 

[yotakrawler]

Your 100 series bumper makes me want to turn to the dark side. I would be very interested in seeing one for an 80.

 

[DominicanFZJ80]

Would be interested in seeing how a rear 80 bumper looks.

 

[bhicks]

Damn Ben. Your a gluten for punishment. Might be time to quite your day job. I'm in the process of cutting back all of my products and you just keep cranking them out. BTW, I love my 100 series front bumper. Great work. I'm in the market for an 80 series right now and if the one I buy doesn't already have bumpers then I will be contacting you.

 

[mrsleeve]

I have been putting off getting a rear bumper for my 97, even though I need one, I like the design and the latching system. I guess I am putting off buying a rear bumper until its decided if this unit is a go or not....

One question. I would assume this would be a replacement for the rear cross member on a 80 Vs a bolt to the rear cross. If you haven't gotten to this point in the R&D I apologize for being a bit premature

 

[Sambosuda]

Looks great.

What would it cost?

 

[Dissent]

Oh yeah, I'd like to see more about the 80 series front bumper as well. The 100 pic above looks very nice. I'm not a hardcore rock crawler but the lines speak to me and it sounds very robust.

 

[benc]

I have been putting off getting a rear bumper for my 97, even though I need one, I like the design and the latching system. I guess I am putting off buying a rear bumper until its decided if this unit is a go or not....

One question. I would assume this would be a replacement for the rear cross member on a 80 Vs a bolt to the rear cross. If you haven't gotten to this point in the R&D I apologize for being a bit premature

Yes, the factory crossmember will need to be removed.

 

[benc]

Looks great.

What would it cost?

The cost would likely be similar to other options on the market.

 

[benc]

Before we get to far into this thread I do want to say it could be a while before the bumpers will be ready, probably 6 months to a year. As of now this is still a side business but hopfully that will soon change. As it stand right now it's hard to keep up with the 100 series orders but I know I need more options available to pay off full time, my goal is to add a couple more vehicles to my product line so I can do this full time.
Then I will be able to get the pumped out much faster.

 

[Dissent]

That works perfectly for my time table, starting my savings now.

 

[GA Trevor]

Best of luck, always nice to see people pursuing their passion and having it pay off. Look forward to seeing products in the future

 

[bicycleagent003]

Bravo to the OP for making a quality product and working to turn an avocation into a vocation. Many people work at jobs they hate (not me, fortunately) and I admire people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and pursue their passions. Good luck with your continued business, and if I can afford a bumper at some point I'll definitely keep Dissent in mind. Keep up the great work.