LX570 Bumper Build (8 Viewers)

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soccernut

soccernut

Joined
Aug 1, 2013
Threads
14
Messages
130
Location
St. Albert, AB, Canada
Hey guys,
Now before everyone jumps at me for buying an LX instead of an LC, I live in Canada. 200's are only sold here in their Lexus variant and they are cheaper to obtain than getting one south of the border.

Now to the subject at hand. I've been searching high and low for a bumper that doesn't cost an arm and a leg (around the $1000 mark) that provides a tighter fit. For LC's, there a few choices.

I searched around the forum and online to fine anyone who has built such bumper and with no luck. I'd love for someone to point me to someone who has.

VPR, a bit pricey and won't fit an LX
Metal Tech, Not paying $2000
CBI, $$$$$$ and don't even make it for Lexus.


So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I really like the CBI look, it gets really nice and tight to the body and makes for really good approach angles. I also like the aesthetics with that dip it takes up front.

Out comes my power points skills (I dont have photoshop)
TLSCwve.jpg


This is a preliminary sketch I made to get a sense of what I want it to look like.
I am trying to follow the lines on the bumper.

I am big on saving weight and I have never wheeled enough to need a winch....yet
that front rectangular cutout will house a light bar.

I have not built a plate bumper before, This will be my second bumper build as I had built my pre-runner style bumper for my old 470
1cdntsO.jpg


I am hoping to get some feedback on the design and what kind of challenges I am going to have to face to get this done. Feel free to call it ugly, I will respect your opinion but disagree with it....;)
 
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I think your design looks great with the LX lines. I made a plate style bumper for my former Nissan Titan, and the biggest advice I can give you is to use cardboard to mock up each piece to get the angles right, then use the cardboard as a template for cutting your steel. It will save you a bunch of time. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
 
Please don't be offended, buuuut.....

I know of 2 people that have hand-built plate-style bumpers (for 80-series) and both of them wished they had just bought the ones already available by the time they were done. Yes, they sound expensive, but you have to realize how much time goes into fitting each plate, lots of grinding, measuring, then building jigs to do multiples. None of these places are getting rich on these products.

Everybody wants to hire a craftsman with 30 years of experience and all the certifications, then pay them $10 an hour.
 
KLF said:
Please don't be offended, buuuut.....

I know of 2 people that have hand-built plate-style bumpers (for 80-series) and both of them wished they had just bought the ones already available by the time they were done. Yes, they sound expensive, but you have to realize how much time goes into fitting each plate, lots of grinding, measuring, then building jigs to do multiples. None of these places are getting rich on these products.

Everybody wants to hire a craftsman with 30 years of experience and all the certifications, then pay them $10 an hour.
Click to expand...

I dont disagree with you but I think I am up for the challenge. I like trying to push myself and see what I can come up with.

Besides, the only one i like is the CBI one. They have not made one that fits the 08-12 LX's lines. Hence why I am creating my own.

@TimCFJ40 , cardboard is the plan. There is gonna be a whole lot of planning and getting things ready and organizing with local shops to get the CNC parts done. It will be an extremely slow process but I'll keep you guys updated when it happens.

That said, I would be more than happy to share any templates I come up with to any fabricators out there that would like to offer a product like that for the LX crowd that is desperately in need of it.
 
Understood. And I can definitely see your viewpoint that you want the challenge of the project, and the pride of saying "I made that" at the end. I did the same thing just this summer, I hand-made the kitchen cabinets in my camp when I could have easily just bought them from the local big box store and saved a LOT of work.

Carry on, please post photos!
 
soccernut said:
Hey guys,

Now to the subject at hand. I've been searching high and low for a bumper that doesn't cost an arm and a leg (around the $1000 mark) that provides a tighter fit. For LC's, there a few choices.

I searched around the forum and online to fine anyone who has built such bumper and with no luck. I'd love for someone to point me to someone who has.

VPR, a bit pricey and won't fit an LX
Metal Tech, Not paying $2000
CBI, $$$$$$ and don't even make it for Lexus.


So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I really like the CBI look, it gets really nice and tight to the body and makes for really good approach angles. I also like the aesthetics with that dip it takes up front.

Out comes my power points skills (I dont have photoshop)
I have not built a plate bumper before,
I am hoping to get some feedback on the design and what kind of challenges I am going to have to face to get this done. Feel free to call it ugly, I will respect your opinion but disagree with it....;)
Click to expand...

The only way a bumper looks good on the 200 is if it's extremely high quality with perfect lines and the right balance of protection and clearance. If you get it right, it looks amazing, and if it's anything less it looks horrible and ruins the truck IMO. I truly don't intend to be mean, but if you were to put something like the pre runner bumper and fender flare things from your 100 on the 200 it would be bad, like really bad.

If your fabbing skills are truly top notch and you can create something that looks as good as the drawing, it might be ok, but do not underestimate the time, energy, and skill it takes to make a bumper that looks good on these trucks. Do you have all of the tools already or will you have to buy some? Do you have the raw materials or know where to source the right stuff? If you are using Powerpoint to sketch the drawing, what software are you going to model the design with and ensure it's structural strength and mounting locations? If your budget is $1k or less, have you run the totals of all the tools and materials you need and added up the time it will likely take? I'd wager if you value your time at all, you will be into this for WAY over $1k, and it will never look as polished or professional as a TJM or ARB.

Something else to consider - if you're concerned about the resale value of your truck whatsoever in the future, a homebrew bumper will not only not increase the value of your truck, it will decrease it. If you put on an ARB and it costs you ~$2k, you will likely increase the resale value of the truck by $1k or more, but if you spend $1k to do your own bumper, you are likely going to end up with less value overall in the long run. Some of the biggest names in the business have not come out with designs for the 200 because it's MUCH harder than it looks to get it right. I respect DIY guys, but this isn't an old clunker Jeep which makes the value proposition for the DIY crowd a very tough sell.
 
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@mcgaskins , I definitely do not intend on doing a pre-runner style bumper on the 200. It maybe functional but will turn out ugly as hell. Those trucks are entirely different from each other.

As far as the balance between clearance and protection, I think the folks at CBI offroad have hit out of the park. I am aiming to copy what they have done to an extent and transfer it to the LX. I think it is by far the best looking bumper I have seen on a 200 and it provides lots of protection and approach angle.


48376614_737179393306205_474770594047459328_n.png


found a build thread with the same bumper.
Builds - A Hippo ..... No More

it's definitely not a bumper they produce very often. Not even a mention on their site.
 
The plan is to get everything I need to finish the build (including lights) put together and take a week off vacation from work and spend a total of 9 days to complete it. I don't really want to drive around with a chopped bumper cover for a while.
 
Ironically, having spent many months driving that XOverland 200 around the wilds of the Americas... often I wished it had upper hood/grill protection. CBI could add it and I'm sure you could incorporate it into your build too.
 
cruiseroutfit said:
Ironically, having spent many months driving that XOverland 200 around the wilds of the Americas... often I wished it had upper hood/grill protection. CBI could add it and I'm sure you could incorporate it into your build too.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, I don't think i will need a bull bar based on my needs. And it would be tough to incorporate it without interfering with the radar cruise control unit behind the emblem.
 
Welcome @soccernut. I remember your rig from the 100 forums!

Don't worry, it's taken a few years, but the LC guys have slowly come around on the LX. Much like the same journey the 100-series boards had to take. There's pros and cons to each model, but in the end, they have the same bones and core virtues as sister vehicles.

I have to agree with many of the same comments above. A 2D drawing is going to be very different than a real bumper, that has to deal with all the complexities of 3 dimensions, and the reality of how it has to be fitted and mounted on the vehicle. The builders of the bumpers have probably iterated many many times before the final product sees the light of day.

I'm about as bullish as they come to DIYing things. For that reason, I'd still encourage you to tackle it and it may just be a great educational experience in the end.

Have you come across the newer Dissent prototype bumpers? Perhaps you can convince him to make some styling modifications for you on the wings? Or perhaps you can work a deal with him to get you key pieces (especially internal bracketing) to build your own bumper from? You said weight is important to you and he also does aluminum. Dissent offroad 200 series offerings.
 
@TeCKis300 Thanks, I had not seen the Dessent bumper. I don't know how that would fit on the LX. I am not a fan of the flat design and I think that they would go through the same thing I would be if they had to accommodate my wings design, which means $$$$.

Like I mentioned earlier, a part of this project is the challenge of making something and the reward of saying "I built that".
I am willing to spend the time required to get it right (by my standards).

In the mean time, I really enjoy this discussion and getting together of ideas. Please understand this will be a extremely slow process that may take till the spring before I actually made a cut. The longer I deliberate over the design of this thing, the better decisions I will make when making it.

Again, my requirements are

- Not bulky, very good approach angle.
- No winch
- Follows the lines of the grill (dips under it)
- Plate steel (I have no idea how to do Aluminum) 3/16"
- Will make cutouts to include fog lights (Flush LED)
- Inset LED light bar in the front
- Shackle mounts
- Hi-Lift location.
 
unfortunately, not yet. I was enjoying my summer a bit too much to lock myself in a garage for a couple weeks...lol. Plus i got distracted with other vehicle projects. I want to start doing this this winter.
 
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