need bumper ideas

admin

i need some ideas for a crazy bumper build. lots of metal really tough bumper.winch,lights,little box. still thinking it out. need some idea pics Thanks everyonegoing on dodge dakota, 88FSAE CAR 1000cc Engine )))lincoln 125+argon conversion kit40cf acly 80 oxy= 97 jeep wrangler lifted 33" tires88 dodge dakota project truck
Reply:pavementsucks is a dodge oriented forum and they have some cool tube/plate bumper pictures, i'd start there...just as a suggestion, lots of metal and strong dont necessarily need to go hand in hand, and the less steel you have on the front of that little dakota the happier it'll be... would also like to mention, once you remove the OEM bumper, assuming your design is super solid, your going to focus more crushing impact on your frame, which is much more expensive to fix than an OEM bumper, so keep that in mind just a suggestion. otherwise, have at it.Last edited by Crawford; 08-22-2010 at 02:19 AM."...My pappy was a pistol I'm a son of a gun...""...God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy..."
Reply:An '88 Dakota, with the 3.9l, yeah you definitely don't want to go overboard on the weight.  As for the bulkiness of it, you can't go overboard on it either.  It'll kill any approach angle if you're using it offroad.  I had an '87 Dakota 4x4 back in college (it was my dad's) and it was a dependable little truck.  No front bumper on it but had the rear bumper, rack and toolbox.  Lots of folks use a pipe bumper and go from that.  Similar to Ranch Handle/Top Gun/Frontier/Cattlemans/etc.  I think big blocky full replacements like Fab Fours or Road Armor are all the rage right now.  I don't like them though.  I'm thinking of a C-Channel base, similar to the RanchHand full replacements for 4500/5500 trucks.Lincoln AC225 and CartLincoln WeldPak HD and CartOne hand
Reply:Originally Posted by Crawfordpavementsucks is a dodge oriented forum and they have some cool tube/plate bumper pictures, i'd start there...just as a suggestion, lots of metal and strong dont necessarily need to go hand in hand, and the less steel you have on the front of that little dakota the happier it'll be... would also like to mention, once you remove the OEM bumper, assuming your design is super solid, your going to focus more crushing impact on your frame, which is much more expensive to fix than an OEM bumper, so keep that in mind just a suggestion. otherwise, have at it.
Reply:Now there is an idea... instead of a shock though, a crumple zone... could plasma cut some 3/8 - 1/2 inch material into a web of sorts to be used for the mounting brackets... only problem is someone with that expensive 3D mechanical stress software would be needed to find out the layout for something that can take a 10,000 lb winch stresses... yet collapse in a collision....   anyone out there up for the challenge???  lol ... ya ya... liability concerns here for sure... but any impact reduction would be better than none...Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with years of experience.
Reply:The project truck is already 22 years just weld everything together.
Reply:Originally Posted by pandinusNow there is an idea... instead of a shock though, a crumple zone... could plasma cut some 3/8 - 1/2 inch material into a web of sorts to be used for the mounting brackets... only problem is someone with that expensive 3D mechanical stress software would be needed to find out the layout for something that can take a 10,000 lb winch stresses... yet collapse in a collision....   anyone out there up for the challenge???  lol ... ya ya... liability concerns here for sure... but any impact reduction would be better than none...
Reply:Tow hooks on all four corners is what you need for a dodge. Tow hooks and something to drink while you wait for somebody to come pull you out. "The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyTow hooks on all four corners is what you need for a dodge. Tow hooks and something to drink while you wait for somebody to come pull you out.
Reply:Originally Posted by CrawfordDon't be hating on mopars
Reply:If it is a 2wd model, I'll bet you are light in the front coil spring department. Some custom coils will answer a lot of ride height concerns I can think of, and that would be a good premod to adding weight up front. Tow hooks, HAH! Get D rings, they don't slip off...  Attached ImagesCity of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverIf it is a 2wd model, I'll bet you are light in the front coil spring department. Some custom coils will answer a lot of ride height concerns I can think of, and that would be a good premod to adding weight up front. Tow hooks, HAH! Get D rings, they don't slip off...
Reply:Front and back bumpers i built for my truck. Attached Images
Reply:pressure, you test those things out yet?"...My pappy was a pistol I'm a son of a gun...""...God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy..."
Reply:I just finished a front bumper for my '06 GMC Sierra.  I had a minor fender bender and mangled the plastic and sheet metal factory bumper on another truck's ball hitch.  I wanted something about the same side and surface area as the OEM bumper, without the $700 price tag.  I wound up using the factory mounting points for a simple frame of 2"x3"x1/8" wall rectangular tubing.  The face of the bumper was 1/8" plate.  I stitch welded it to the rectangular tube.  The end result weighed a little more than the OEM bumper, but not nearly as much as the rock-crawler bumpers you can buy.If you want, I can post some photos later on tonight.  Inspiration for the bumper came from searching this forum and the Miller forum for other examples of bumpers that folks have made.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:hey pressure welder, is that a duramax?  It's a beauty.
Reply:Originally Posted by Pressure_WelderFront and back bumpers i built for my truck.
Reply:Originally Posted by jmanSWEET MODEE!That's very much like what I would like for my Durango.  Just not sure where to start....Nice Job.
Reply:Bull guard I helped my son build Attached Images
Reply:- Devil,Yes its a duramax, probably one of the smartest investments ive made. Ill be buying another duramax once i decide to trade this one off.
Reply:wood-n-steel - I like that bumper.  I'd have made mine just a little bit more compact, but I really like it.  Nice work.  do you have any other build pictures?  It looks like you built it out of a bunch of pieces, not 1 big piece cut and bent into shape (like Pressure_Welder did - if you look at his build thread - which is awesome too).  Anyway, I was going to do the same thing (cut a bunch of pieces) and I was thinking about building a cardboard mockup first.  is that what you guys did?Millermatic 135Syncrowave 250
Reply:Yep did a cardboard mock up exactly the way i built the bumper, ALL one piece. As i said in my build thread. Provided all your measurements are correct it will come out 100% symetrical. And when it comes to squaring everything up its as simple as throwing a square and or level on it as you bend, rather than trying to hold a certain small "piece" of the bumper as you tack it in. Theirs too much room for error with just cutting random pieces, and takes far too long in my opinion with all the fitting/trimming etc needed.
Reply:well here's mine, took 8 days and 29 individual pieces. second welding project. just never had time since i bought the welder to use it until this year. first was a Q.sketchup'd the design first...ready for primer....mounted....
Reply:I sure an having a hard time with mine. its a 01 dodge 3500 4x4. I bought a 5 ton winch for 250 bucks and want to mount it on the truck but i just was the winch coverd.   I want to make it sumthing like a ranch hand seris.  any one have a bumper blueprints????Of course I don't look busy.....I did it right the first time!
Reply:Shackle mounts I'm in the process of building for the new bumper I'm building for my truck:The bumper itself is being built out of 6"x1 7/8" 3/16" wall U-channel.On the other hand though...I don't have to worry about crumpling anything on my rig unless I run into a mountain...--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellowthis is a far off pic of my 04s bumper from tough country products in el campo tx Attached Images