general material question

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i am going to be fabbing a bumper up what material would be best on a budget for tubing 1.5 inch mild work or 1.75 be beter what you think the price dif would be also what ab out thickness,  would a exaust shop have a tube bender able to  bend that kind thing. i dont have a bender yet and imma try that or just a metal fab shop
Reply:A500 any grade, try a scrap yard.
Reply:A36 is plenty.  Hollow shapes are more expensive.  Look at channel.Hank
Reply:Originally Posted by morgan320ii am going to be fabbing a bumper up what material would be best on a budget for tubing 1.5 inch mild work or 1.75 be beter what you think the price dif would be also what ab out thickness,  would a exaust shop have a tube bender able to  bend that kind thing. i dont have a bender yet and imma try that or just a metal fab shop
Reply:I've made these with 6x4 tube steel. i cut two pieces with one end having a square cut and the other a small angle. fit them up to form a slight chevron shape, weld, grind flush. add end plates, weld, grind flush. this size allows for the addition of light also.
Reply:Where are you located?? You guys can put your hometown in your bio info at the top of your posts. Guys who are local to you will often offer to help you out. Anyway, 1.75x.120 mild tube is fine for a front bumper, or 1-1/2" sched. 40 pipe. You can use oxy/ acetaline to heat and roll/ bend the tube if you have no bender, or find a shop to do a few bends for you. Also, there are quite a few materials shops that sell pre made 45 and 90 degree bends. Get one that matches your project, and go after it. EDIT: If you are near me, you can come by and I'll bend whatever you need. Paul.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:i am santa cruz california i decided to go with 1.75x.120 and i am looking for other bends i am looking for like 6 bends a 45 then another 45 to go strait back for my second piping i want to finish this soon! i need a shop around here
Reply:What type of vehicle are you fabing this for? Front bumper or rear? Will you be towing or pushing anything with it?You can check with some rental yards and see if any have a Greenlee pipe bender that they rent out. I had one of these benders years back and it works mechanically with a motor/gearbox turning the die. Made my own dies for tubing sizes and built many roll cages, nerf bars, bumpers and all sorts of other neet things with it. Wish I never sold the darn thing. The rental yard will not have dies for tubing but they should have all the pipe dies so you may want to consider using pipe if you can rent one of these benders cheap enough.Tube bending is an art that isn't usually mastered on the first bumper project,,,, just so you know.Here's an actual statement which was made by a nosy customer, right after I noticed him pick up a metal part, only to fling it into a wall at incredible speed: No, no,,,, it wasn't hot,,,, it just didn't take me long to look at it! You wouldn't happen to have any ice I can put on this blister would you?
Reply:I wouls use schedule 40 pipe and either rent a bender like someone posted above and head to your local harbor frieght and get yourself one of the cheap 12 ton pipe bender. I have build serveral bumbers this way and they all came out nicely. Also if you can afford it the tube notcher works pretty good to and sure is nice to have when doing jobs like this. Here are a few pic's of a bumper add on I made just a short time ago.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:I agree with pipe and the bender idea for bumpers. Works well and easy to do.Here's one I did last year.My Photos on Flickr