First Landcruiser build. DIY bumper and more! (2 Viewers)

[hoser]

Do you mean changing the strut to fit underneath the arm, and mount it to the surface facing the rear (instead of up)? I don’t think it would serve a long purpose in that case, unless you mean it wouldn’t apply force to open it until I begin rotating the arm? I don’t mind it applying force to open the arm when compressed, less rattles that way

Yes, that's what I mean. So the strut won't apply force until you begin rotating the swing arm. You have 4 fasteners there. You can reduce it to 3 by putting a lip on one swing arm that keeps the other closed.

 

[wvrx]

Scooped up some Toyo MT 285/75/17 today. I was originally planning to buy 315/70/17 but thanks to feedback from @ikarus and @ga12r1 I ended up sticking with this size. It’s a true 34” tire and much better fit than the 35x12.5x17! No more rubbing everytime I turn...

 

[wvrx]

Found a threaded plug to weld on, this will support the end of the swingarms. Also gives me an opportunity to thread on a PVC plug to adjust height

Since I had the day off I also decided to grind and flap disk all my welds and paint the bumper. The cap on the cans were a much darker grey, ended up a bit lighter than I had anticipated. Will wait until it dries then throw it on, easy enough to repaint if need be.

 

[wvrx]

Dusted off my DSLR for the first time in a while. Driving around town so far the swingarm support seems solid, no movement that I can tell. Need to get a matching spare for the back! Next step is to figure out what I want on the second swingarm...ladder with jerry cans?

Of note these Toyo MT have been pretty awesome so far, way quieter than the Maxxis razr MT and no rubbing at all. Haven't had the chance to take them off road yet but maybe I'll sneak up to Tahoe this weekend for some snow wheeling.

 

[Manhattan]

Damn. That looks fantastic. Great plan and killer execution!

 

[gregnash]

Yeah... bumper looks damn good. Not a whole lot of snow up there other than may up near Echo Summit. Storm supposed to be coming in tonight that may drop a bit but most seems to be melting pretty fast.

 

[wvrx]

Yeah... bumper looks damn good. Not a whole lot of snow up there other than may up near Echo Summit. Storm supposed to be coming in tonight that may drop a bit but most seems to be melting pretty fast.

Ahh I haven’t been up there since the Covid craziness started...seems like most of the trails are closed now, I was going to check out uncle tom’s/ice house area. Glad to hear there’s other 100-series people in the area!

 

[gregnash]

Ahh I haven’t been up there since the Covid craziness started...seems like most of the trails are closed now, I was going to check out uncle tom’s/ice house area. Glad to hear there’s other 100-series people in the area!

Yup just live over the hill in Carson City, NV and have a family cabin in King's Beach that we go to often. Not a whole lot of stuff going on, there are always trails you can go out and have fun on but much of the actual state stuff is closed.

 

[CBeckFJ]

How much do you think you have in the bumper if you don't mind me asking? Looks great!

 

[wvrx]

How much do you think you have in the bumper if you don't mind me asking? Looks great!

I’m in around $300 in materials. If I count my own time at the usual rate I’d be well over $2500 lol. However you can’t put a price on learning and it’s rewarding to see my completed work.

I probably spent ~$800 on used tools - 220v welder + gas, portaband, angle grinders, workbench/vise. Not counting this since I will continue to use them for future projects.

Finally got the chance to try out the Toyo MT on the trail. They grip very well and clear mud much better than my Falken AT3W as to be expected. What I didn’t expect is how quiet they are, with windows closed it’s a minor hum at freeway speeds. Hopefully this doesn’t change over time as they wear, but I’m very happy with them for now.

Going from a 33” to 34” tire is actually a noticeable difference in terms of clearance. They all stuff into the fenders at full flex and I have no rubbing at all after I clearanced the pinchwelds.

 

[thebeedeegee]

Just found this thread, awesome build. I'm looking to do something similar on my LX after I finish building my rack.

How did you mount the bumper to the frame? Was it that 1/4" plate with holes drilled to match holes in the frame? I imagine you had to drill the frame right?

Is the shell 1/8 or 3/16?

For the recovery points is that 1/4"?

 

[wvrx]

Just found this thread, awesome build. I'm looking to do something similar on my LX after I finish building my rack.

How did you mount the bumper to the frame? Was it that 1/4" plate with holes drilled to match holes in the frame? I imagine you had to drill the frame right?

Is the shell 1/8 or 3/16?

For the recovery points is that 1/4"?

I created a template (cardboard) that used the factory tow hitch and recovery point bolts, then made it to shape with 1/4” steel, no additional drilling of the frame needed.

The shell is 10-gauge, in between 3/16 (too heavy IMO) and 1/8” (too flimsy). I had to add additional gussets to support the side wings and reinforce the areas where the swingout hinges are

Recovery points are 1/4” + 1/4” (Same piece of 1/4” as the frame mounts, with an additional 1/4” welded on after it protrudes outside of the bumper shell.

Hopefully this helps to illustrate my frame mounts:

 

[thebeedeegee]

I created a template (cardboard) that used the factory tow hitch and recovery point bolts, then made it to shape with 1/4” steel, no additional drilling of the frame needed.

The shell is 10-gauge, in between 3/16 (too heavy IMO) and 1/8” (too flimsy). I had to add additional gussets to support the side wings and reinforce the areas where the swingout hinges are

Recovery points are 1/4” + 1/4” (Same piece of 1/4” as the frame mounts, with an additional 1/4” welded on after it protrudes outside of the bumper shell.

Hopefully this helps to illustrate my frame mounts:

View attachment 2462030

Thanks for that. You don't have any pictures with the bumper off showing the inside gussets do you?

Did you really need the 2 different latches to keep it solid or was it just for extra security?

Where is that threaded plug welded in?that part confused me. Sorry for all the questions, this build looks great!

 

[wvrx]

Thanks for that. You don't have any pictures with the bumper off showing the inside gussets do you?

Did you really need the 2 different latches to keep it solid or was it just for extra security?

Where is that threaded plug welded in?that part confused me. Sorry for all the questions, this build looks great!

I don’t have any pictures but essentially plated another piece of 10-gauge around the base of each swingout hinge to minimize flex, also random gussets on the wings to prevent sagging.

I would definitely use both latches, the spring-loaded one helps a lot to keep the arm in place (side to side) and the toggle clamp keeps it from bouncing (up and down).

The threaded piece goes under the end of each swingout so that when closed they rest on a striker plate I welded to the center of the bumper. I have a piece of PVC that’s threaded over the metal threads so that it’s not metal-on-metal and allows some room to adjust the height. You can sort of see it if you zoom in below:

So far so good, I’ve taken the rig on a few harder trails and no complaints.

 

[thebeedeegee]

I don’t have any pictures but essentially plated another piece of 10-gauge around the base of each swingout hinge to minimize flex, also random gussets on the wings to prevent sagging.

I would definitely use both latches, the spring-loaded one helps a lot to keep the arm in place (side to side) and the toggle clamp keeps it from bouncing (up and down).

The threaded piece goes under the end of each swingout so that when closed they rest on a striker plate I welded to the center of the bumper. I have a piece of PVC that’s threaded over the metal threads so that it’s not metal-on-metal and allows some room to adjust the height. You can sort of see it if you zoom in below:

View attachment 2464123

So far so good, I’ve taken the rig on a few harder trails and no complaints.

View attachment 2464115

ahhh I see. That make sense about the threaded cap now. That bumper looks awesome man. I've got a small metal shop that will throw my materials in when they send in their big orders so I can get decent prices on steel now without paying huge shipping costs, so this is going to be my project for sometime next year I think. I'm going to do some card board mock ups to get the measurements so I can have the shop cut as much as possible, because all I have is an angle grinder.

I'm about to order the materials to make my rack, then I'm going to upgrade the rear springs since I still have my AHC before building a rear bumper. That swing out was just an off the shelf component right?

 

[thebeedeegee]

So I just got started with my bumper build tonight, I'm stealing a lot of ideas from you obviously. When I was taking my hitch off a couple of the captured nuts in the frame seem really sticky and dont thread easily. Did you have that problem? Is there a good way to clean them out?

 

[wvrx]

So I just got started with my bumper build tonight, I'm stealing a lot of ideas from you obviously. When I was taking my hitch off a couple of the captured nuts in the frame seem really sticky and dont thread easily. Did you have that problem? Is there a good way to clean them out?

I had the exact same issue actually, ended up chasing the threads to clean out the gunk and rust in there. I believe Autozone had a crappy rental tap/die set that sort of worked, I would use a better quality set if you have access to one.

 

[wvrx]

Did a deeper water crossing and my starter stopped working. Had a couple of times in the past 2 years where it intermittently didn’t crank the 1st try, so I suspect it was on its way out already. Changed this out on the side of the street...solid 4-5hour job

 

[ZimboCruiser]

Epic build, congrats!

 

[wvrx]

Wow it’s been awhile since I’ve updated this thread. Things I’ve done in the meantime:
-TB/WP
-Ironman awning + room
-Ironman front bumper with Badlands Apex winch

Decided it wasn’t worth the effort to build the front bumper. We’ve moved once, I changed jobs, DIY renovated our house in the last couple of years. I just want to sit back and watch Netflix after work nowadays

Next up: suspension upgrades.