DIY front bumper build thread

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Repaired the weld and started modeling the lower plates with cardboard today.
1/4 plate it plenty for these parts, no?

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1/4 I would say overkill. Nice work!
 
I looked at some bumpers today to get ideas for my build and noticed the shells were either 3/16th or on the lighter bumpers 10 gauge
 
I picked up a 8' X 18" piece of 3/16 yesterday for $20. The left and right front plates are tacked in place. There's a slight bend to the upper inner corners that follows the line that the 2x3 square tube makes.

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We were descending North Pole. The bare tree in the left at the start of video snagged under the bumper on the first drop. I had to make 20+ point turn to get angled to descend the second part where the LC in the video nearly flops.



Haha, that was actually me in my old 80. There was a lot of loose rock at that second ledge and I actually slid into the tree. I had to back up and the loose gravel let up from under me and put my passenger tire onto the edge of the cliff. After some heavy braking the front end came up so I just let go of the brakes and hoped for the best.
 
I forgot to take photos of all the plates tacked up... Mostly because my 13yo wanted to weld a bit. So, after picking my jaw off the ground I went into full dad mode and forgot all about you hosers.
:beer:

Anyhow, the wings are fully welded dressed and painted. I'm fairly new to my machine and welding in general. However, the beads turned out well and dressed ok.

Next step is to put drain hole in the lower plates.

The AC dryer is pushed up a couple inches and the bracket is cut and bent over. The bumper sits about .75" lower and half covers it. I figure this is plenty of protection and I don't want to bent the thing sideways.

Any advice on winch mounting between the rails would be great. I have not picked a winch yet.

I've thought about using 1" steel grate instead of plate for the center to keep air flow. It hot down here in TX!:zilla:

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It's nice when the little helpers grow up enough to actually offer some real help :) My daughter helped me on the turbo project a little bit. Mainly removing the hood and other "too big for one guy" items. If you knew her, you'd understand how amazing that actually is :princess:

Bumper is looking good :cool:
 
Dude, when your kids are interested in doing things it's an awesome feeling. Man that is looking so sweet. Can't wait to get a bottle of Argon and start.
 
I'm actually using fluxcore. I have no AC in the garage and a big fan blowing. I don't think Mig would work to well in here
 
JB, Looks great. My truck is a twin to yours, but stock with all the mall cruiser plastic still on board... for now.

Where do you buy your steel?
 
After painting the AC dryer the performance of the system feels like it has decreased. I will be wire brushing the paint off next week some time.
 

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