Metal Fabbing

[cruisermatt]

So this happened today:

Luckily at low speed. I'm tired of screwing around on my own with no experience, is there anyone around here with a tube bender, plasma cutter and good at welding who can help me out with fixing this junk? Not sure if I want to start from scratch with a new tube bumper for the rear or just make a new tire mount... Thanks guys.

 

[super40]

Duct tape

 

[FJCRAWLER]

Sell it and buy a Jeep

 

[cruisermatt]

Real damn helpful you guys are

 

[CruiseOrlando]

Hard to help you weld over the interwebs.

That's why a lot of guys buy bumper kits, or (like me) have IPOR do it for you. It tends to turn out a little better that way.

Luis knows metalworking, but he's been a bit busy recently.

 

[cruisermatt]

The welds were fine it was the metal that sheared

 

[IrishLX450]

This made me laugh ! Sorry, I feel your pain but don't understand your wisdom, it was the metal gave way and not the welds ?, wouldn't the easiest solution be to buy decent metal ? I don't mean to be an ass but my IPOR tire carrier just arrived in mail on Friday.

 

[cruisermatt]

I used a 3/4" spindle and it sheared, I should have used twice the size.

Will likely be ordering a custom bumper from reevesci when my wallet recovers from current projects. Not going off roading for a while anyways so the bumper the tire can live under the truck for a while.

 

[Bret]

What about a bolt on or trailer spindle, may be more up to the new ask?

 

[cruisermatt]

Anyone have a plasma cutter they're willing to let me play around with?

 

[FL cruiser]

If it was 3/4" solid steel and not hollow or a piece of tubing, it's a freak thing that it sheared.
IPOR will sell you a pivot kit for $45. It's basically a piece of 3/4" solid round bar, a piece of DOM tubing (I forget the size), two bushings and two collars. Not a bad price. I spent $35 in materials and extra time making a copy.

If you cut a 3/4" hole in both the top and bottom of the bumper, insert a piece of 3/4" solid round bar so it protrudes below the bottom hole slightly. Then you can weld it both at the bottom and the top of the bumper.

If you're on a budget, you can do pretty much anything with a cutting torch that you can with a plasma cutter. Plus you have a tool that will heat and cut steel. I might get a plasma cutter someday, but not in a rush as I've been using a cutting torch for all my fab work the past 30 years.

If you get a cutting torch and you want to cut economically, use propane instead of acetylene. It is WAY cheaper. One propane tank will last the equivalent of 400 acetylene tanks. You have to use a propane tip on your torch. Harris and Victor sell propane tips that will interchange with their acetylene tips.

Once you get a chop saw, a 4 1/2" grinder and a torch or plasma cutter, you'll be equipped to fab just about anything.