[WV NATIVE]

I started building my new bumper/tire carrier and thought I’d share a few photos during the process.

The stock bumper has actually been pretty durable but the hitch hangs down pretty low and has caused me issues off road.

My design is pretty simple but should be really stout. I used 1-1/2 x 3 inch bar stock for the frame mounts. They will also act as my shackle mounts.

I drilled a few holes and spent most of my time this afternoon tapping them for 1/2-13 bolts. I also drilled a 1/2” hole that will go cross way through the frame. If you look close you can see it.

I’m using 6”x4” (3/16” thick) rectangular tube for the bumper. I’m going to cut holes in it and pass the bars through so they protrude out enough to add my shackles. I stopped for the day but my preliminary measurements show an approximate 7” difference in ground clearance.

Obviously I have to cut the width of the tube but I’m going to mock up my spindle before I cut anything. It should take shape pretty quick if I can stay on task without life getting in the way.

Hopefully, I’ll get the holes cut for the bars to pass through tomorrow. 🤞

 

[gregg6668]

Good work so far, that's going to be a massive bumper.
I'm surprised that truck looks so good underneath with it being 12 years old and the amount of off-roading you've done.

 

[_Montana_]

7" is like a mile on some trails lol. Very nice. Can't wait to see it finished.

 

[WV NATIVE]

Good work so far, that's going to be a massive bumper.
I'm surprised that truck looks so good underneath with it being 12 years old and the amount of off-roading you've done.

Thanks. I’ve tried pretty hard to keep the undercarriage clean - mostly due to my fear of frame rust. 😡

 

[hoooogan]

Thanks. I’ve tried pretty hard to keep the undercarriage clean - mostly due to my fear of frame rust. 😡

With all the fabrication you've been doing, you're on track to do a tube chassis by 2025. 😂 Looks good so far! Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[gherbert]

It is going to look great when done
Will make it a much better fit since you put it on solid axles

 

[WV NATIVE]

I made some decent progress today. I managed to get the “pass through” cuts finished. The idea is simple but the execution was harder than you’d think.

Everything lined up fairly tight. A couple gaps are bigger than I’d like but they’ll still weld up.

The receiver hitch was the same pass through cut and wasn’t too bad to get lined up. Unfortunately the tube I bought was too short so I have another one ordered.

I’m hoping to mock up the spindle and cut the extra length off the bumper tube tomorrow or possibly the day after. 🤞

My ground clearance has improved significantly.

 

[WV NATIVE]

I cut the passenger side of the bumper down to it’s finished length and got the holes drilled for the spindle.

I got the 7 way plug holes cut and tapped the the bolt holes. It turned out pretty good.

I’d like to get the swing arm notched for fitment to the spindle tomorrow. I may go ahead and weld it up but I can’t finish the arm until my latch arrives in the mail. I’ll cut down the driver’s side of the bumper to length after I finish the latch design.

 

[WV NATIVE]

I took a break and spent some time with my kid this afternoon. She’s on spring break and was just sitting around.

I don’t like spending so much time in the garage when she’s available to hang out with me. She doesn’t share my passion for tinkering unfortunately.

We talked and joked for a while and I waited for her to go to bed before tackling one last thing on my project before I call it for the day.

I notched the swing arm bar for the 3” spindle housing. I’ve never really notched tube before so it was an interesting experiment.

I’m not an expert but I’m pretty happy with the results. I’m hoping to get the spindle welded in the bumper and the spindle housing welded to the swing arm tomorrow.

I laid out some pieces of scrap so I can practice laying down a few beads before I trust myself. You gotta remember that I’m not a fabricator - I am just a hobbyist.

 

[WV NATIVE]

Today was a good day for progress. I got the spindle welded in and pretty much got the swing arm built.

I’m expecting my latch to be delivered tomorrow. When it arrives I can figure out what length I need the swing arm to be. Cutting it to length will not take long but I’m cautious about cutting anything too soon.

The post that the tire mounts onto is obviously too long. I’ll mock up my tire and cut it to length once I get the mounting plate built.

The swing arm is really smooth and everything seems to be working perfectly. I’m excited for another fabrication day tomorrow.

 

[ARCowboy]

Damn dude.

Your truck is going to be what alien archeologists discover in a millenia when humans are extinct, and I'm happy to think they'll assume we all had rigs like it.

 

[WV NATIVE]

Damn dude.

Your truck is going to be what alien archeologists discover in a millenia when humans are extinct, and I'm happy to think they'll assume we all had rigs like it.

The more intelligent archeologists will come to understand that there simply wasn’t any off-road aftermarket for the 1st Gens so a fella had to take matters into his own hands. 😆

Seriously though - I built the the tire carrier to handle up to a 40” tire. After seeing your Florida pics I really want to stuff some larger tires on my truck. Your truck looks absolutely perfect with that set up.

I can easily fit some 35s and I just might look into a set now that I have a place to carry the spare. 🤔

 

[mountain mike]

Looking great! Hugs nicely.
I really digging the “pass through” joints. Stout!

 

[jsvz71]

You say you are not a Fabricator, I beg to differ!

 

[WV NATIVE]

You say you are not a Fabricator, I beg to differ!

Thanks for that compliment but I doubt I’ll quit my day job. 😆

 

[WV NATIVE]

Today was rather frustrating for some reason. Everything seemed to fight me every step of the way.

I got the spare tire mounting plate built. I made 4 trips to the auto part store trying to find lug studs that would work. Eventually the staff just told me to take whatever I wanted and pay for it later. 😆

Now’s the part where I show just how stupid I am. In the picture you can see a distinct heat mark just below the last “O” in Colorado. I had to heat and bend the swing arm. When I welded up the A frame for the tire mount I used a C clamp to hold the swing arm end. It never occurred to me that the heat would warp the tube as much as it did. I removed the clamp and saw the warpage. 😢

I had to heat it and red-neck a harbor freight pipe bender on the arm to bend it down to a point where it’s less noticeable. Now my swing arm has a kinda dog leg but at least it looks better. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Anyway, after “solving” that issue I moved forward and got the latch installed. My design is pretty simple but still required a ton of fitment to get everything to clear.

I built a ramp for the swing arm to sit on so it would keep pressure off the spindle. I used a low profile bump stop as a backer for the swing arm to hit. It barely drags across the ramp before it touches the bump stop. 🙏

I bolted up the latch I decided to use. It’s a Destaco 344-R. I’m not exactly thrilled with the location of the latch clip (whatever you call it) on the outside edge of the bumper but it’s all I could think to do.

This is where I decided to stop for the night. It’s nearly 0100 hours and I’ve not had any supper yet.

 

[gherbert]

Today was rather frustrating for some reason. Everything seemed to fight me every step of the way.

I got the spare tire mounting plate built. I made 4 trips to the auto part store trying to find lug studs that would work. Eventually the staff just told me to take whatever I wanted and pay for it later. 😆

View attachment 443916

Now’s the part where I show just how stupid I am. In the picture you can see a distinct heat mark just below the “O” in Colorado. I had to heat and bend the swing arm. When I welded up the A frame for the tire mount I used a C clamp to hold the swing arm end. It never occurred to me that the heat would warp the tube as much as it did. I removed the clamp and saw the warpage. 😢

I had to heat it and red-neck a harbor freight pipe bender on the arm to bend it down to a point where it’s less noticeable. Now my swing arm has a kinda dog leg but at least it looks better. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Anyway, after “solving” that issue I moved forward and got the latch installed. My design is pretty simple but still required a ton of fitment to get everything to clear.

I built a ramp for the swing arm to sit on so it would keep pressure off the spindle. I used a low profile bump stop as a backer for the swing arm to hit. It barely drags across the ramp before it touches the bump stop. 🙏
View attachment 443917 View attachment 443918

I bolted up the latch I decided to use. It’s a Destaco 344-R. I’m not exactly thrilled with the location of the latch clip (whatever you call it) on the outside edge of the bumper but it’s all I could think to do.
View attachment 443921
View attachment 443922
This is where I decided to stop for the night. It’s nearly 0100 hours and I’ve not had any supper yet.

View attachment 443923

Awesome Job

 

[Tom S.]

LOL - you're going to need air bags to correct the sag from all that extra weight, but rear wheel traction ought to be considerably better! Having said that, I've always over-engineered. It was a lesson I learned as a die maker for GM. What are the plans for finish - powder coating, paint or bed liner? I'm thinking combo of paint and bed liner.

 

[WV NATIVE]

LOL - you're going to need air bags to correct the sag from all that extra weight, but rear wheel traction ought to be considerably better! Having said that, I've always over-engineered. It was a lesson I learned as a die maker for GM. What are the plans for finish - powder coating, paint or bed liner? I'm thinking combo of paint and bed liner.

Yeah it’s definitely overbuilt. I’ve still got to cut the main support bars to length so hopefully that will shed about 20 pounds.

I see a lot of Overland bumper systems out there with tires, racks, ladders, tanks, etc….and I can’t imagine how much they weigh.

As far as painting I’m going to just shoot mine with some Herculiner. I’m not much of a painter and that stuff is pretty forgiving regarding the application process. It’s also nice if random touch ups are needed. I’m definitely function over form (as if you guys didn’t know that already). 😉

I’m at the part in this project where the nitpicky stuff is coming into play. I need to mount my license plate and find a way to illuminate it. I’ve got to engineer a way to hold open the swing arm. My rear view camera is now blocked by the tire so it’s gotta be relocated. It’s still a long way from being finished.

 

[WV NATIVE]

I got all the open ends capped today and finish welded the hitch in position. I tapped the receiver hitch for an anti-wobble bolt and it turned out good. I tried to be smart and only use the same size bolts for everything so all I’ll need is a 1/2” wrench for the latch system and hitch.

Overall it’s been a pretty easy day. The hardest part was finding enough scrap metal laying around to make the end caps.

I had hoped to take the frame bars to the machine shop down the street but they were closed for some reason.

I need the machine shop to bore the hole for the shackle pins. I don’t have the capacity to drill a hole that large. I guess I’m on hold until Monday….at least I assume they’ll be open Monday. 🤷🏻‍♂️