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Homemade Bumper

Flush is good!Saves on bodily injuries also!
bump12.jpg
 
2000xjclassic said:
Could somebody elaborate on how to strengthen the sterring bok area. Would just one of the bumper mounts continue and go inbetween the steering box and the frame
nice job on the bumper steve f
Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...

Typically the front bumper mounts on the outside of the frame rails. In order to strengthen the steering box mounts just continue the bumper mounts all the way back to include all 3 of the bolts that hold the steering box on the frame. This way the steering box bolts go through the bumper mounts, then the frame, then the inside spacer, and then the box. In addition you can add a frame stiffener on the inside of the frame as well (probably not needed unless you are running 35+ tires in the rocks.

Michael
 
2000xjclassic said:
Could somebody elaborate on how to strengthen the steering box area. Would just one of the bumper mounts continue and go inbetween the steering box and the frame.
nice job on the bumper steve f
Click to expand...

Here is a link to a PDF drawing for bumper mounts that include and reinforce the steering box area...heavy duty bumper bracket

I used 2x6 square tube for my bumper and cut the top, back and bottom so I could bend the tube and then I welded up the saw cuts. I cut a pizza slice out of the ends to mate the main tube with the 2x4 ends. .my homemade bumper project

.
 
Great work dude, I'm going to give this a shot this week due to my brother crashing my jeep into a tree. A few questions though.

1) This is kinda silly but when you say 3mm angle grinder is this the width of the wheel, or was there a thing that limited the depth of it going into the steel. I am just not sure if you eyeballed the depth you went into the steel, and if so how deep did you go to make the bends?

2) When people are making these steering box bumper mount brackets, do the original bolts for the steering box make it all the way through the new bracket, frame, spacer and still make it through the box and keep it down sufficiently, Are these bolts long enough. And is 1/4" a sufficient width for a bracket?

This is my first thing to fab, a few of my buddies are helping so hopefully this thing turns out alright.

Once again great work!
Peace,
Alex
 
akennedy99 said:
Great work dude, I'm going to give this a shot this week due to my brother crashing my jeep into a tree. A few questions though.

1) This is kinda silly but when you say 3mm angle grinder is this the width of the wheel, or was there a thing that limited the depth of it going into the steel. I am just not sure if you eyeballed the depth you went into the steel, and if so how deep did you go to make the bends?

2) When people are making these steering box bumper mount brackets, do the original bolts for the steering box make it all the way through the new bracket, frame, spacer and still make it through the box and keep it down sufficiently, Are these bolts long enough. And is 1/4" a sufficient width for a bracket?

This is my first thing to fab, a few of my buddies are helping so hopefully this thing turns out alright.

Once again great work!
Peace,
Alex
Click to expand...
The spacer that people talk about is a stock peice. There are aftermarket ones that are stronger that are the same width. The bolts will reach fine.
1/4'' will be fine. If you use anything more, its just added weight.
 
Ok so I started up on this project and created some heavy duty mounts similar to ones people have made before. I used Tim_MN's template and almost all the bolts ligned up, the front two were about a half inch too far forward. I also made room for that bracket.

P1240002.jpg


This was kinda a bastad to mount though, I used the original bolts and went into the steering box and I hope they are in deep enough to the box, I used 1/4" thick plates.

P1250011.jpg


Now I am trying to figure out how I want to cut the bumper. I have 4"x4" by 1/4" angle iron and I definitely want to make it as similar to Steve's as I can, but he had 3"x5", which i guess is pretty rare around here. BrettM had the 4"x4" angle but he didnt wrap it around. So with the combination of the two you will see my bumper.


You got any advise on what is good to cut 1/4" steel? I've been using the skinny 4.5" cutting blades for an angle grinder, and i've also been using the fatter ones (3mm), both kinda suck. The skinny ones are done in two seconds, and the fat ones take forever. Is there a blade you can put on a rotary saw? or any stronger blades than these?

Anywho that was a good afternoons work.

Peace,
Alex
 
I had no problems with the 1mm cutting discs, I just took my time and tried not to get them too hot. Cut, rest, cut, rest etc :)

Cheers
Steve
 
Steve F said:
I had no problems with the 1mm cutting discs, I just took my time and tried not to get them too hot. Cut, rest, cut, rest etc :)

Cheers
Steve
Click to expand...

Yea I jam em in there, maybe I just am an Idiot. I'll try to be more patient.

Thanks,
Alex
 
akennedy99 said:
Yea I jam em in there, maybe I just am an Idiot. I'll try to be more patient.

Thanks,
Alex
Click to expand...

make a shallow cut all the way across and move the angle grinder back and forth to basicly make a groove and keep going till its through, it saves the disks.
 
The dimensions in Tim's file... I'm assuming they're in inches? So the bracket is 6" tall by 17" long?

I'm going to use the waterjet here at work to cut me out these brackets today, but I think something happened with the proportions in my program so I need to adjust them back...
 
Yep, having lunch now. A lil bit of patience with the angle grinder and 1mm wheels and things are going a lot better. I think i was tired the other night and lazy and trying to jam em in there.

I prob f-ed the bracket up, but I think i'm going to cut off that bolt hole right behind the bracket there because after looking at the steering box I feel sketchy about the 1/4" thread missing from the supports. They don't look deep enough so I'll put that one back in like normal.

I got one side of the bumper cut and its looking real nice. Workin on the other side in a few minutes. When I weld the brackets to the bumper should I tack em up first on the truck or just do it all on the ground? I kinda want to do it on the truck cause of allignment issues (The jeep hit a tree, thats why I am making this bumper) Anyone got any imput on that?

Otherwise everything is going excellent and I hope to have this done by sunday when I have to go back to school. Its my 21'st weeken so lots of partyin is due.

Peace,
Alex
 
How are you guys putting the nuts inside the frame rails? Did you make up a bracket that slides inside the rails and weld the nuts to
that, or is there some other way?

I'm planning on redoing my bumper brackets tomorrow. I didn't make the originals so I don't know how exactly they're bolted in there (inside the rails I mean) but I can see only 3 bolts holding it on per side :O so that's why I'm making up these ones to put on there instead...
 
Always bolt on the brackets first and then tack weld the bumper to them. It is the only way it will all line up nicely even if you had never been hit.
 
akennedy99 said:
You got any advise on what is good to cut 1/4" steel? I've been using the skinny 4.5" cutting blades for an angle grinder, and i've also been using the fatter ones (3mm), both kinda suck. The skinny ones are done in two seconds, and the fat ones take forever. Is there a blade you can put on a rotary saw? or any stronger blades than these?

Anywho that was a good afternoons work.

Peace,
Alex
Click to expand...

you could try running a carberendum sp? blade on a skillsaw and setting the depth reall shallow, good for getting real straight cuts
 
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