New FJC rear bumper (1 Viewer)

[Fantom]

It's finished, got it back from the powdercoating and it's installed.
First off - damn, good, tight fit, once we set up the linkage and stoppers properly it closes beautifully both the door and the swing out with one smooth motion. Opening it is a breeze too but requires 2 hands, one to open the door and the other to hit the latch lever to open it, after that just open the door and it tracks perfectly.
As for the linkage and body movement, Drew is taking the truck to Moab and will be testing it extensively, so far, here is the logic I had behind this design:
Keeping the linkage mount close to the center of the door and center of the swing out minimizes the amount of play (the body doesn't travel too much right in the center). The swing out is locked to the bumper via the now standard locking mechanism (that will be used on all my swing out bumpers) and the linkage bracket it made from fairly thin metal (10ga) so it also absorbs movement and flexes a bit. The purpose of the linkage is to only allow easy opening and closing of the swing out, nothing else. This way there is no extra stress on the door and the swing out always stays locked true and without vibration.
The Heim joints are there to help with the flex and to make the opening and closing easier since the door and swing out operate on different angles.
Just working on the final figures and expenses and looking at what options I can offer.
Here are some more pics.

 

[Fantom]

and more pics

 

[Fantom]

more pics

 

[Fantom]

last ones

 

[Fantom]

the tolerances are small to maximize clearance and departure angles, in this case Drew supplied his own fuel can holders but I am working on offering my own. As it is the design leaves about 1" minimum of space between all surfaces in the bumper and the body. This is enough for flex and vibration and manages to keep all the lines nice and tight.

 

[BC_FJC]

Thanks again Mat for busting your butt to get this done. Here is a photo of the proud papa admiring his work for possibly the last time before I head down to Moab and trial test it. Also another photo of with the licence plate relocated to make things legal. I'll post up more from the road in the next few weeks.

 

[Fantom]

No pics with the trailer?! you better fix that soon, I want to see this in action

 

[BC_FJC]

I had to go digging to see if I had a photo of my old setup... this is the best I could find. I'm using the same drop hitch assembly but now in it's drop configuration and on the trailer I'm using a 4" raise. Total difference in the hitch point is ~7 1/2"

 

[Fantom]

when you get back from Moab we'll have to look at that set up, I think we can do better, if we do a straight out from the trailer hitch on the bumper to your set up and a bigger drop after that then it would articulate nicely and not scrape on anything.

 

[abophx]

Waaayyy nice bumper!

 

[Jim S.]

Those pics look really good guys. See you in Moab Drew.

 

[woooody]

I'd love to see this in person at Moab. I'll be in Slickrock campground spot #32.

I'd like to see the operation, as I can't wrap my tiny little head around the working of the door opening. Are you pulling the door with the swing out, or pushing the swing out with the door?

 

[BC_FJC]

I'll be at slickrock as well spot #175. As for for push/pull it doesn't matter once unlatched, when closing the door the last inches I have been pushing on the door most of the time.

 

[woooody]

I've been moved to spot #27. I'll Certainly look for you. Thanks!

 

[BC_FJC]

Trail update

Well I have been putting all my gear throw its paces again this year. So after three and, half Days of trail runs (Flint Trail, Hotel Rock, Beef Basin/Elephant Hill) Everything is work as planned. Here is a short video showing off my new clearance.
Fantom Designs Rear Bumper clearance on Elephant Hill | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Old Sarge]

Are you going to be at the FJ Cruiser Summit? What's been determined with this bumper, cost, weight, options, production time?

 

[Jim S.]

Mat & Drew are on an extended trail run in B.C. and are due back on the 17th. Still perfecting the final product. Should know more then.
Jim

 

[Fantom]

Hi guys, I've just returned from a trip today (about 3 hours ago), I have not talked to Drew to find out how his adventures went but my field testing of the swing out locking system proved to be excellent. I am the only one at this time to be using this system and with a few modifications it has proven to be a rock solid locking system, beyond easy to use, convenient, reliable, strong and have I mentioned quick and easy to use? I'm just waiting for some more feed back from Drew before I can finalize the designs (I want to make sure it's perfect) and then we're good to go!

 

[Fantom]

So I have some sad news that has a very small positive outcome. Drew was in a car accident the other day, was rear ended by a Dodge Ram (full size) which was rear ended by another vehicle originally. Drew's truck ended up being pushed across the intersection (about 10') while he had his brakes on still. So the impact was fairly severe. Drew is a bit beat up and sore but luckily no major injuries occurred to any of the drivers involved.
What does that mean for the test of the bumper? (and no I didn't arrange this to find out how well the bumper stands up to impact) At first glance the swing out has some minor damage but I will have a detailed look later today, the door needs some body work but the main bumper has only a few minor scratches. The Dodge ended up requiring a new front clip and the radiator was not injured. I'll be posting pics of this unintentional test, I will also be looking at the frame to see if there is any damage there.

 

[Jim S.]

Bummer! Hope Drew is ok. Sounds like the bumper did its job. Curious about possible frame damage though.
Did the other vehicle dive under the bumper? Pics would tell us a lot.