FJ40 Rear Bumper Build

[CrowleyFJ40]

AWESOME IDEA FOR CUTTING PIPE NOTCHES!!!! You da man!

Wish I was that smart, but it wasn't my idea. I don't remember where I got that idea from, but I'm thinking Erik (like most other LC knowledge I get). At any rate it works slick, only problem I had was I had to go halfway through and then flip it over, and then cut the very center with a cutoff wheel. My hole saw wouldn't cut through the electrowelded seam without bearing down on it and I didn't want to burn the saw up.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

actually i think i said to use a 2 1/4" hole saw so you don't go thru the sides.. makes the cut easier on the bit and not cutting thru the whole piece. lessons i've learned along the way. go a size up using the thickness of your metal you cut the sides not the wall.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

actually i think i said to use a 2 1/4" hole saw so you don't go thru the sides.. makes the cut easier on the bit and not cutting thru the whole piece. lessons i've learned along the way. go a size up using the thickness of your metal you cut the sides not the wall.

Actually I think you're right. That would make an easier cut, but this way did it pretty good and it fit that DOM like a glove, all I had to grind out was the weld seam on the inside with a die grinder.

Made a little more progress tonight. Got the two peices of angle tacked in place that the de-sta-co latch will sit on and tie the two swing arms together with one latch. Also got part of the tire carrier tacked into place. It sticks out quite a ways from the back and there will be quite a bit of room behind my 33x9.50 but I spec'd it out to go to a 35x12.50 just in case I decide to go bigger.

On a side note, does anyone know where to get a small quantity of high density polypropylene in black in the KC area? I'm going to use that for the rest in the center where the two swing arms meet. I've got a peice in white from Erik, but would prefer black. It's the same stuff they make cutting boards out of, so I can always just order a cutting board if I can't find one in black local.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

we can dig sometime, check if cadillac plastics is still around if not try hanna rubber downtown as well..
pretty sure there is a chunk somewhere in the garage.. he heh.. SOMEWHERE is the problem..

 

[weejub]

I need some too! Not a lot, so if you find a cutting board size I can split it with you, Colin.

I think Erik hit it with Hannah: Plastic Cutting Boards | Commercial Cutting Boards | Custom Cutting Boards or Plastic Materials and Parts | Sheet Materials, Rods, Tubing | Hanna Rubber Company, Kansas City

And to think, I parked my scooter out front of that place on Saturday and thought "wow - this place looks like a leftover from the 40s"

They also had a ton of 3M sealants inside for those who may ever need vehicle-grade (i.e. me on the rain gutters on the LC).

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Hannah Rubber has a bargin bin section when you go in and towards the back on the left from my recollection. Really cool place to browse.
Looks like Cadillac was purchased by someone else, i googled em last night.

 

[kc_chevota]

not much these days in the bargin bin section at hanna, I've got some stuff that I make composite winch fairleads out of, I could spare some of it. The place I got it either moved or closed.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

Thanks for the offer Rob, but I don't want to use up your good fairlead stuff. Amanda gets free shipping on Amazon so a dropped a whopping $8 to get a 10"x7"x.4" cutting board, black HDPE. That will leave enough for me, Erik, Jamie, and probably another 1 or 2 if anyone else is in need.

Now onto the next hurdle. Kelly's idea was to mount a receiver hitch in the vertical position, allowing you to make the cooler rack removeable if you needed to for any reason, and the ability to make other carriers/accessories. Wouldn't be hard to do, does anybody see any issues or downsides to doing it this way. One of my concerns is the rattling around of the basket in the receiver hitch. The noise would drive me insane!

The drawing of the basket is just a rough mockup, there would be more bracing underneath to support the weight, I was just too lazy to draw in the bracing on this sketch.

What do you think?

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Ohh I thought you were talking about putting them on both sides... now it is making more sense. shoot build the tire side first while you noodle on the rest!
what's the little tab sticking off the tire carrier for? hilift?
nother thought on making it a bit less rattly.. provision for a second attaching point under the receiver at a 45. like a square tube with the top cut off or something. takes the load off and can be bolted to stop rattling.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

Tire side is all but welded together. Mechanic is cutting tire mount out of 3/8" plate for me with his plasma cutter and that side will be done. Wanted to do the basket side so I could come over again and burn it all in at the same time so I can bring it home and paint it up.

Not sure I follow the second attachment part your talking about. I do better with pictures and beer.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

And yes, tabs are for hi lift mount. Used to be on that carrier I made on the outside of spare tire. This puts it behind tire.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

triangulation
Imagine a bar from the rearmost bottom of your rack going down to the swingout. the bottom of the swingout has a square tube with the top cut off welded at a 45 degree angle. OR better yet.. nutzert inside the tire carrier and we run a bolt into the tire carrier thru the triangulation so there's no twig and berries grabber sticking off your swingout.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

triangulation
Imagine a bar from the rearmost bottom of your rack going down to the swingout. the bottom of the swingout has a square tube with the top cut off welded at a 45 degree angle. OR better yet.. nutzert inside the tire carrier and we run a bolt into the tire carrier thru the triangulation so there's no twig and berries grabber sticking off your swingout.

Now that's a hell of an idea. I think the nutzert would work perfect. That way I can bolt it onto the bottom to hold it rigid when the rack is on, but there is nothing sticking out when I take the rack off. Genius.

I'm waiting to hear Kelly's ideas on this. As it's his idea, he may have some implementation ideas on it as well.

 

[2fpower]

I was initially concerned with rattling and also theft, so my plan was to have the standard pin (that could be lockable), and then for noise, I would drill an extra hole in the receiver (female side) then tap some threads on the male side (ouch) such that you could bolt it down. The metal should be pleanty thick to tap some nice threads.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

I was initially concerned with rattling and also theft, so my plan was to have the standard pin (that could be lockable), and then for noise, I would drill an extra hole in the receiver (female side) then tap some threads on the male side (ouch) such that you could bolt it down. The metal should be pleanty thick to tap some nice threads.

Also a good idea. Probably easier than making a brace that lines up with a nutzert also? I'm using .250 wall so that should be thick enough to run a tap through.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

Got the plate back for the tire mount, drilled it out and welded in bolts for the tire then tacked it onto the carrier. Also finished up the hilift mount. Next up is weld on the 2nd receiver tube and build cooler rack to go in it. Also thinking of moving CB antenna from front bumper to back so I'm thinking of a good spot to put that.

 

[2fpower]

Looking awesome....

One question, or concern. With the amount of weight of a tire, you may want to think about a larger trinagle piece supporting the tire outrigger. Where as right now you have the little corner, make it start halfway down the upright and go out closer to the tire mount. Looks like you have pleanty of room.

So let me share my other ideas.....

I was going to add another receiver end in the center of the wheel mount that is maybe an inch further out than the wheel studs. I would run power up through all the piping to this point also. This would do several things.

1. mount my liscense plate there if needed on a receiver pipe. Power could be there for light.
2. mount either a reverse light there and make it switchable to use on demand.
3. make a bike rack that could mount there. It would basically be the right height to stick staight out. I have been looking at the cheap harbor freight ones and cut off the mount part.
4. as the receiver is a little longer than the studs, it would make mounting and dismounting the tire a breeze, with the ability to heave the tire up onto the mount and then line up the studs and tighten.

Yeah, I like the receivers... very flexible.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

One question, or concern. With the amount of weight of a tire, you may want to think about a larger trinagle piece supporting the tire outrigger.

Done. That little corner was a peice of scrap I had. I debated it in my head for a while but thought it would suffice, but if the voices in both of our heads tell me to go with the original plan, then it is probably for the best.

Got a lot done today. Cooler rack is made. Both swing outs are all tacked together and ready to burn in at Eriks. The last picture shows Kelly's idea of using a bolt and threading the cooler rack tube. Really use to do and it positively locks it in place, no play at all! Put it on the vehicle side of the tube so you can't see it when closed.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

Couple of shots of the latch. Welded bolts facing outward and then used lock nuts to hold the latch peices on. Cut up the cutting board and used that for the center rest. I ended up using 3 layers, and drilling the center out so a bolt can go through. I used a spade bit for the bolt head and then a 3/8" drill bit to go the rest of the way through. Transfered center of the pad to the bumper with a transfer punch, then drilled and tapped bumper to hold it on. The edge of the cutting board was slightly tapered and covered in rubber, so this worked out perfect for the top layer. When latched it is locked solid and doesn't budge.

 

[CrowleyFJ40]

A long overdue update....About 2 weeks ago I went to Eriks to burn in the welds on the swingouts. I finally got around to painting it all on Saturday. Fathers day I put the bumper on, wired up the new lights, replaced the flasher with an electronic one, and all was going great. Then I tried to close the swingouts.....

The heat from welding had warped them and they were too high in the middle. I had to cut the top of the swingouts and bend them back down into position. Then went to Eriks tonight and welded them back up. Still need to touch up the paint where I cut and welded, but here is a sneak peek of the actual bumper.