Hey guys, wow, it seems like forever since I last posted! Anyway, I have done up some drawings of what I would like to fab up for a front and a rear bumper. If anyone has some experiences they would like to share on this subject, it would be nice since I'm new to welding. Here are my questions:

01. What kind of material should I be working with when I start? I don't want it too heavy, but I want it to be very strong. And since I'm doing it myself, that kind of says I want to do it fairly cheap.

02. Design wise, can I let the imagination go, or should I be sticking to simple and 'easily' welded designs? When I did my sketches, I wasn't too crazy, but are there any shapes that I should avoid?

03. What kind of paint is good for bumpers? I'm going with a simple black, but I don't want it to crack or peel unless I hit/scrape something really hard. I'm sure someone has some experience with this!

04. Why are you laughing at me?

steveo

01. What kind of material should I be working with when I start? I don't want it too heavy, but I want it to be very strong.

02. Design wise, can I let the imagination go, or should I be sticking to simple and 'easily' welded designs? When I did my sketches, I wasn't too crazy, but are there any shapes that I should avoid?

03. What kind of paint is good for bumpers? I'm going with a simple black, but I don't want it to crack or peel unless I hit/scrape something really hard. I'm sure someone has some experience with this!

04. Why are you laughing at me?

steveo

1. Thin enough to absorb / deform in a crash, but strong enough to deflect light weight stuff.  
 It is easy to built them too heavy and I prefer the lighter stuff.  You do not want your new bumper install to be a two man job.  (I'm sure others will disagree)

2.  Steel channel or Square tube is easiest.  Complex angles are still difficult for me.  Still have not decided which way to go for my bumpers yet, Brake up some 1/4" steel sheet, or modify some square tube.  OR use a combination of the two. You can get crazy if you are handy with a Sheetmetal brake and a grinder.  More metal fab tools the deeper you can get.

3.  I prefer the Black or Silver Hammer coat paint.  It covers well, is reasonably priced, hides imperfections and is very easy to touch up.


4.  Hey!  I'm not laughing, I have not seen your bumper yet...        Just Kidding...
   

1. Thin enough to absorb / deform in a crash, but strong enough to deflect light weight stuff.  
 It is easy to built them too heavy and I prefer the lighter stuff.  You do not want your new bumper install to be a two man job.  (I'm sure others will disagree)

2.  Steel channel or Square tube is easiest.  Complex angles are still difficult for me.  Still have not decided which way to go for my bumpers yet, Brake up some 1/4" steel sheet, or modify some square tube.  OR use a combination of the two. You can get crazy if you are handy with a Sheetmetal brake and a grinder.  More metal fab tools the deeper you can get.

3.  I prefer the Black or Silver Hammer coat paint.  It covers well, is reasonably priced, hides imperfections and is very easy to touch up.


4.  Hey!  I'm not laughing, I have not seen your bumper yet...        Just Kidding...
   

1/4"  
I built mine out of 1/8"  eletrogalvanised plate and thats stood up to the  hammerings that I've given it so far  
This is what it looked like before I cut it up to mount the winch  in it.


and with the winch on it now

 
If you like the design Whitfield I could do a drawing for ya with all the cut sizes and then you'd just have to get some one to fold up it for you ?

Shane

I'd be interested in a copy of the plans/sizes/angles/specifications please - no point in reinventing the wheel!

I wouldn't mind some 'blueprint' bumper help as well! Hook me up! I like the design, and it would be nicer than starting from scatch.

steveo

I m interested too in making a similar bumper.

Here's a couple of photos of my front  and rear bumpers:



Front



Rear

When attaching the custom bumpers be sure and reenforce the frame as at attachment point the frame is weak and will fail over time from metal fatigue from the additional weight of the custom bumpers, this is especially true if you are going to tow your your Sami or Suzuki behind a tow vehicle.

Both bumpers are home brew Front is eight inch Channel Iron, Rear is four inch Channel Iron.  Both bumpers are painted with primer undercoat and Heavy Exterior Coat of Black Hammerite Enamel.  There is nothing fancy about either bumper, but they are set up to serve my purposes.  Both bumpers are  set up for an 8,000 or 9,000 pound Warn Wench mounted on a Class III Reciever with the front bumper also set up for towing the Sami.

Post some pics of the drawings
of the bumper Stevo

and the last post has no pics,
try reloading to a server, or you
could E-mail them to me and I'll
post them for you

Wild

Exhaust tube!

 Seems theres a few of ya interested I'll try have it drawn up over the weekend for ya's. How do you guys intend on folding 1/8 plate ? does some one have access to a press brake or the likes ??

I will only draw up the skin of the bumper and leave the mounting bracket to you's to figure out as it will depend on if you have a body lift etc etc to how you mount it, also as KC7USZ said beef the mounts  up the 4x factory 8mm bolt's are a joke !!    here's a link to a few photos of mine to get some ideas off : http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mudfkrs/album?.dir=1ac4&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mudfkrs/my_photos

Here's  a few pix of one I built for a mates Sammy with what it will start out like  and the end results.




Shane

Posted by: wildgoody Posted on: 17.10.2004 at 18:43:00
Post some pics of the drawings
of the bumper Stevo

Here you go Wild, they were done in a hurry, so don't laugh too much!

steveo

HA HA HA .........  Ahem

It's not funny, I like the design
I wanted a bumper like that
when I first lifted the Kick, now
I have an Aluminum welded airfoil,
but it does have a great approach
angle  



Wild

Seems theres a few of ya interested I'll try have it drawn up over the weekend for ya's. How do you guys intend on folding 1/8 plate ? does some one have access to a press brake or the likes ??

I will only draw up the skin of the bumper and leave the mounting bracket to you's to figure out as it will depend on if you have a body lift etc etc to how you mount it, also as KC7USZ said beef the mounts  up the 4x factory 8mm bolt's are a joke !!    here's a link to a few photos of mine to get some ideas off : http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mudfkrs/album?.dir=1ac4&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mudfkrs/my_photos

Here's  a few pix of one I built for a mates Sammy with what it will start out like  and the end results.


Shane

See the biggest problem here is this Sammy
needs a shackle reversal, that way the rocks
can't catch the Zuke and stop him

Wild

Hell, maybe bigger isn't the way for me... I'm new to welding, so I was just going to experiment. Was yours expensive and did you do it yourself?

steveo

Yes, on both questions
$100 in Aluminum, and I
used my MIG welder with
Aluminum wire to weld it up