FJ25 & Very early FJ40 Front Bumper “group buy” - Gauging Interest

[scoobiedubes]

Looks like we have plenty of interest, which just helps me get the cost down hopefully. Stay tuned, quite a bit on my plate but I’m going to try to get a prototype made in the next couple months. Wish me luck.

 

[scoobiedubes]

@OldTrailFab I’ve got a local shop that says they’ll work on these “when they can get to it” but if you want to take this on it looks like there’s interest in a dozen or so. I would just need to try to get you a drawing or something to go off of.

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Alright then, I guess this is a 20 series and Uber early 40 series bumper group buy! Hopefully we can get them made right.

And the 30 series gets overlooked again.

I was gonna do this myself with a 40 bumper but if these get made I'm in for two.

 

[scoobiedubes]

And the 30 series gets overlooked again.

I was gonna do this myself with a 40 bumper but if these get made I'm in for two.

Apologies Gene and 30 series too... make sure to reach out to all your 30 series buddies!

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Lol! I will. All none of them.

 

[OldTrailFab]

Does anyone have a good top view of one of these bumpers? I have some basic measurements, but I will basically be eyeballing the radiused corner. The attached photo is the closes thing I could find to what I need, but it doesn't show a radius at all! I would obviously like to make these as close to the originals as possible.

 

[tahoe40/45]

Some good photos here. FJ25 and Early 40 bumper color

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Here you go. Blow this up until the depth is 2 1/8" and you have the exact FJ25 end. I traced this off of Marv's FJ25. Total width end to end is 58.5". Another difference between the 25 & 40 bumpers is the 40 has a flat center width of 34" where the flat center of the 25 is 40". The 40 bumper is also only 1/4" longer on each side than the 25.

 

[OldTrailFab]

You guys are awesome! Do both the 40 and the 25 have this slight bend starting a few inches outside the frame rails, or are they just all custom smashed?

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

The bends starts in different places on both. On the FJ25 bumper, mark the center and then mark 20" to the left and right. That's where the bend starts on each side.

 

[tahoe40/45]

You guys are awesome! Do both the 40 and the 25 have this slight bend starting a few inches outside the frame rails, or are they just all custom smashed?

View attachment 2527943

Yes, that bumper was very custom smashed.

 

[OldTrailFab]

There are three things I need before I can start my prototype
First is to confirm the 4.46" number on the attached drawing. In order for this to be as accurate as possible, the measurements should be taken from a pretty straight bumper.

Second is the height of the frame rails themselves.

Third is the location of the mounting holes, and any others that were factory.

The good news is that I found a shop 3 miles down the road that should be able to do the bending for me. My location makes certain things really challenging and I was expecting to have to have these formed out of state and shipped to me, which would have a substantial negative effect on the price.

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Honestly I'd say to leave some without the holes and let guys drill them to their vehicles. I'm not sure what the mounting difference is between a 25 & 40 but I would be putting one of these on a '75 40 and the other on a '65 LV.

 

[tahoe40/45]

Mounting holes are the same on the 40s and 25s. The 25 has only 4 total holes compared to 6 on the 40s.
License plate holes on the passenger side of bumper are almost the same, not sure if single hole is stock for fog lights??

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Thanks for the info. 30 series had a different license plate location. I could just fill the holes before paint.

 

[tahoe40/45]

Forgot to put this one up. The 25 and 40 has those holes also.

 

[hdjtachtig]

Thanks for the info. 30 series had a different license plate location. I could just fill the holes before paint.

I think both license plate location holes should be present. License plate location depends on with or without winch.

 

[OldTrailFab]

I think both license plate location holes should be present. License plate location depends on with or without winch.

I'm with you, I don't want to put extra holes in that guys would weld up, but if they were there from the factory there is no reason not to add them. They literally take seconds to cut and add pennies to the cost of the part.

I had a chance over the holiday to stop by and take a few measurements from a 40 that my buddy has in the shop. Unfortunately, it didn't have stock bumpers, so I didn't get license plate hole dimensions, just frame mounting holes.

 

[Cruiser_Nerd]

Don't know if it's been addressed but this bumper has a completely different bottom bracket than the later bumper, It does not use the frame horn extensions like a later 40 instead a small triangular tab with two holes on the bumper bottom and one on the frame bottom. Also the upper mounting bracket is about 1/2" shorter which changes the mounting locations of all the winch holes.

Generally make sure that you are copying the holes on an original early bumper and realize it will need all the brackets as well to fit correctly. Bottom holes for early bumper:

And this is a later repro 40 bumper and winch on the FJ25 with correct brackets:

 

[OldTrailFab]

Don't know if it's been addressed but this bumper has a completely different bottom bracket than the later bumper, It does not use the frame horn extensions like a later 40 instead a small triangular tab with two holes on the bumper bottom and one on the frame bottom. Also the upper mounting bracket is about 1/2" shorter which changes the mounting locations of all the winch holes.

Generally make sure that you are copying the holes on an original early bumper and realize it will need all the brackets as well to fit correctly. Bottom holes for early bumper: View attachment 2537757

And this is a later repro 40 bumper and winch on the FJ25 with correct brackets:
View attachment 2537763

That is news to me, thanks for the heads up! So you're thinking I'll need to include or at least offer new lower brackets with the bumpers? This is proving to be the most complicated simplest bumper project I've worked on in awhile. Wish I just had a local 25 to work with!