I think that looks pretty awesome
New Trail-Gear 80 series tube bumpers...
- Thread starter GW Nugget
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sweet thank you! I think Im sold on this bumper. I only wish the sides came back farther
As in it comes in parts and needs to be welded?
Welded, but unpainted and not powder coated.
I think it uses the bolt holes that fit the factory tie downs (commonly referred to as tow loops) on the bottom and top of the frame horns. That would be four large bolts on each side. I think it covers the bolt holes on the sides of the frame horns, to which the factory bumper attaches.
Correct.
I think it uses the holes on the top of the frame rails as well. If you look at the very first picture in the thread you can see the bolts.
sleepycruiser
I will get by….I will survive
Which sliders are from TG work with an 80? Any fabrication needed to fit?
Trail Gear makes slider kits, but don't sell completed sliders. They don't sell a kit intended for the 80, so welding and some fabrication is needed.
Yes those are the correct sliders. NOTE: Trail Gear doesn't currently sell them specifically for the 80 so the 67" extra cab ones are the ones that are the correct length. One thing that you should know is that the legs provided with the sliders (3 per side) work fine except for the front leg on each side. It isn't long enough because of how the 80 frame tapers. So you'll need to make your own front leg. Driver side is simple, passenger side takes a bit more work since you need to bend around the cats.
Also since these are weld on sliders, I highly recommend scab plates on the frame and large gussets on top of the legs.
Here's a shot of the front leg on my passenger side. This shot is after I changed my exhaust and replaced the cats, but this worked with the stock cats and the tube passed underneath the coupler between the two cats. 0.25" wall tube. wasn't fun to bend.
The TG sliders are "universal" and need to be welded together. Best fit for the 80 is probably the 67" length. They come with legs that need to be cut to length, but are already notched to match the round surface of the slider. The leg that goes closest to the catalytic converters will either need to be bent in a tube bender or cut and welded back together at an angle. The basic kit does not come with gussets of any sort, so I would recommend adding gussets. All of that is if you plan to weld the sliders to the frame directly. If you want to bolt on, you will need to do a lot more work, buy more plate and U-bolts. But at under $200, still a pretty good starting point!
I had them on one of my old 4runners and they took the brunt of a rollover with little more than a scratch, but they were not gussetted, so they did bend up into the rocker panel momentarily (they returned to their original position after the impact) which dented the rocker. So especially with a heavy 80, gussets!!!
Yeah there's a bit of work involved to make the TG sliders work on the 80s, mainly just the front legs on both sides. The legs that come with the sliders are not long enough for the front most leg so you'll need to have material to make a new front leg and get it to work around the cats. The 67" ones are the ones that work on the 80. I've had them on two separate 80s now and they have worked very well. Both sets have taken a beating and don't show it. Mine are welded to the frame. I sourced my own scab plates for the frame that I welded to the frame and then welded the sliders to the plates. I also added my own 3/8" thick gussets to the top of each leg at the frame attachment. 3/8" is overkill but it's what I had. Some 3/16" or 1/4" would also work, but gussets are a key to make them work well. Bang for the buck these are a great option if you have the ability to do a bit of minor fabrication, or have a friend that can help you.
For clarity, the sliders come fully welded, just without the legs attached so you do not have to deal with welding the main slider part together.
Here's what I did with my last 80 for dealing with the early style cats. The bottom plate could be thicker but I never had an issue with these flexing.
On my current 80
For clarity, the sliders come fully welded, just without the legs attached so you do not have to deal with welding the main slider part together.
Here's what I did with my last 80 for dealing with the early style cats. The bottom plate could be thicker but I never had an issue with these flexing.
On my current 80
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- #135
I'm am so tempted to get the front bumper... I'm liking the non stinger version.
I beat the living piss out of my TG sliders (bought the truck with them already installed). Landed on them so hard the slider bent and creased my rocker panel.
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i guess that just because they fit on the truck, doesn't mean they are built for the bulk of the truck?
They were originally designed for early 4Runners and pickups, which are a lot lighter than 80's, but it's just steel, so they can be bulked up as needed. I always thought it was nuts how most of the 80-series off-the-shelf sliders were made out of 2x4 or 2x3 with round tube welded onto that. That's like 2x as much weight as necessary to do the job, IMO. The slider itself can take the beating, the legs just need to be strengthened enough to keep them from deflecting.
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- #139
For those that have the front bumper... I have 3 sets of holes on bottom & 2 on top of my frame rails. My question is if one trims the 1st hole back could you push in the bumper or will things hit like body mounts, air dryer, fender flares etc? From memory I believe the spread in between holes is 2.5"?
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I've also seen those sliders (2x4 or 2x3, 'heavy duty' ones) take some very hard impacts and come away without being dented, flexing into the truck, etc.
But it's not like I'm one to talk...
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