HEFTY Fabworks Rear Bumper Wings!

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I have the wings on my cruiser. You are wrong on all, you will need to weld, the bolts are hard as he'll to get to and even bolted down they will flex into your body. The swing out are not sturdy and cause both side to wobble going down the road. They are great for dd and easy wheeling but don't expect to have a rock solid bumper. You have to cut part of frame to get hands and nuts in. I welded because it was so flimsy. I can grab it by hand and move it at least an inch. I'm gonna turn the wings into complete bumper too make stout. Just my two cents. Everyone seems to be an expert but nobody has them, I'm in kansas city if you'd like to see on person.

That's odd

Mine bolted right up and I didn't have any problems getting to the bolts and nuts

I was actually quite surprised at how easily everything went together because I was anticipating having to ream and tweak being custom made and all

There was no need to weld anything and it all feels solid as a rock with zero flex

The hardest part for me was actually relocating the OEM tow loops because I had to unbolt everything and remove the wings to gain access into the frame rails

 

[sailor]

Confused #1 says not bolt on and flimsy. #2 says totally bolt on and stout which was what I thought.

Maybe I should break it down.

1) if there is a sawzall, grinder, welder or any tool involved other than my socket set I am not interested.
2) If there is a weight savings possible with these wings without removing existing parts of my rig, I am interested
3) I don't want any swing outs. I suspect this will reduce costs?

Appreciate your input EBAG but I don't have the time, space, skills to do the Labs. These wings look like they will protect my quarters while meeting my criteria above.

 

[bog925]

I don't know I guess I'm a moron then. I had to fish the nuts inside the frame rail through the 45 degree angle with the 2 oval holes on the rear of the frame. Mine bolted on top bottom and inside the frame rail. Not sure if that is how yours worked. Let me know what how yours bolted up cause I couldn't find anyway else to get the nuts and wrench inside the frame. That being said once everything was bolted up and tight there is still about 1/4 inch of play I cant get rid of. I'm picky I guess. I wasnt trying to bash anyone who liked them just that they don't work for me. I am in the process of making it a complete bumper which should make it completely rigid. Not that hard I'm attaching plate to make it one. Now I'm second guessing that I might have missed something. I have one bolt on top and bottom two on the inside of frame and the from support.

 

[asutherland]

8) nice to have some different options available...

Bingo

These look a lot like my (one-of) Cruisin' Off Road rear caps that I'm currently selling to MUD member Jeff. If they're anything like the caps I'm selling, they ARE beefy as hell, will take pretty much any load you can give them, and will smash and bash off rock ledges without leaving anything but a scratch in the paint.

 

[subspd]

Guys these are NO LONGER FOR SALE! They have no plans on making them any more this discussion is a mute issue... If you are interested in something like this see this thread as we are trying to get MetalTech to make something similar.

Metal Tech bumper wings

 

[Ebag333]

1) if there is a sawzall, grinder, welder or any tool involved other than my socket set I am not interested.

This amuses me.

You're going to spend literally five times as long with the socket unbolting everything so you can put on a bumper as you would with the sawzall....but you won't do it?

A tool is a tool, some require special training/experience, but a sawzall and a socket both are about the same level of cost and experience reqs, so one is not more expensive than the other.

Not wanting to tackle the DIY I can understand, there is some (minor) cost and time associated with that, so that makes more sense. But not wanting to do a completed (or built for you) Labs bumper because you don't want to use a sawzall? That's like saying you don't want to change the oil because you can't use a socket to get the filter off.

3) I don't want any swing outs. I suspect this will reduce costs?

Not sure the obsession with swing outs. I don't have any on either of my 4x4 Labs bumpers, nor do I want them either. Yes no swing outs reduce cost. No, having no swing outs didn't mean the Hefty wings were vastly cheaper than the DIY or basic 4x4 Labs bumper.

Everything that was a problem with them still exist. They're almost as heavy. They're almost as expensive. It's a marginal savings at best, and fairly insignificant.

Appreciate your input EBAG but I don't have the time, space, skills to do the Labs. These wings look like they will protect my quarters while meeting my criteria above.

If you don't have the time/space/skills any fabricator can do it for you. It's literally a couple hour time cost for them if you do the basic grunt work yourself. If you don't want to pay a local fabricator, Luke will be more than happy to complete the bumper for you.



If you're that obsessed with weight, just do what someone else did (I think it was Tool's) and run some thick walled pipe in a C shape around the rear bumper and quarters. Cost is maybe $100 in steel and $100 for the labor at any fab shop. Oh and $5 for paint. Vastly cheaper and lighter than anything else on the market.

 

[sailor]

Taking a page from your cut 'n paste book..

"You're going to spend literally five times as long with the socket unbolting everything so you can put on a bumper as you would with the sawzall....but you won't do it?"

Ebag- I am not willing to cut out any part of my truck. If you can follow that you will understand why I am not on the same page as you are. However, I am delighted you are happy with your Labs bumper and agree whole heartedly that there is a huge satisfaction to be gained in completing a project as rewarding as yours was. I however am constrained by several things beyond an unwillingness to cut out my rear cross member- no workspace or spare time among them. Also, I truly suck at working with metal- I dropped out of a 3 yr. autobody apprenticeship years ago because I just couldn't get it or get any satisfaction from it. Oh- My truck is a right hand drive import, which are somewhat higher up on the radar for roadside police safety inspections. Keeping it close to stock looking is a benefit to me so the tube thing is a no go.

Further- The hefty wings don't work for you. I get it. They might for me. I don't know. I just hope Hefty or other vendors will continue to bring the very small 80 market (compared to the cash cow domestics) interesting alternatives that will benefit all of us. Best.

 

[ardentyota]

Wow, this thread is alive again! haha.

I loved my wings from HeftyFab. They held up extremely well to everything that I put them through(abused...). As for mounting time- they only took me ~20 min to take off or put on, and I did it several times.

Hefty is not planning on making these available again at this point. They simply took too much time to get right with the several compound angles all needing to match exactly. Profit margin was quite low despite Ebag's estimate of what they should have cost. The fact is, in fabricating most rear bumpers, the majority of the time is spent in the corners, not in the cap that covers the frame.

Hefty still wants to make something for the rear of the 80's, but he's been very busy with the Nissan crowd.

Oh, and to clear up the outrageous price claims... These were starting at $700 without the swing outs. 4x4 labs basic no swing outs is $895 (Already assembled) and still requires cutting the frame/cross-member.

$700 Bare metal base price
$395 per side for swing outs
-$50 delete hoops
Chris Hefty

I think the 4x4 Labs bumpers look awesome, but the DIY option in NOT for everyone.

 

[Ebag333]

Hefty is not planning on making these available again at this point. They simply took too much time to get right with the several compound angles all needing to match exactly. Profit margin was quite low despite Ebag's estimate of what they should have cost. The fact is, in fabricating most rear bumpers, the majority of the time is spent in the corners, not in the cap that covers the frame.

This is exactly what I stated ages ago, 90% of the work for a rear bumper is the wings, the shell is very basic and simple. This is why the wings were darn near as expensive as a full bumper, and had almost no profit margin.

My estimate of what they should have cost would have been based off a (theoretical) simpler and lighter design, and even then I don't think that you could make it work.

The only way I see of making this work is the route Metaltech is looking at, as tube is cheap and easy.

I think the 4x4 Labs bumpers look awesome, but the DIY option in NOT for everyone.

And that's why Luke offers a welded and finished version.

Hefty wings were $700, Luke's finished full bumper (which is swing out ready, should you ever choose to add them down the road) is only $895.

 

[sailor]

and here we are what 9 years later and I finally relented and did a Labs bumper. In fact I purchased 3 of them. my truck had become so beat from use it made no sense to try to continue keeping it close to stock, and I was able to find a great shop who put them together for me reasonably. If any kind of wing had been available in the intervening time I would have seriously considered them. The labs bumper is a well thought out low profile unit which complements the 80 and aids departure angle. Luke is a good guy to deal with. I solved the interference issue with the factory tire swing out by hacking off a portion of the lower mount. when my truck was mint I was unwilling to cut parts off... Not so concerned now..