Another 3rd gens rear bumper build

[Bryceal1]

I have been a long time lurker of this site and seldom post but have spent the past few months researching damn near every rear bumper build for 3rd gens as I could find to get inspiration on building my own. I am currently in my 2nd term of a 2 year welding / fabrication program here in Eugene, Oregon with hopes of becoming a pipeline welder but will always have the love for building anything related to 4x4.

 

[Bryceal1]

The build began with some quarter inch angle iron and a 4x4 3/16 pice of square tubing. I ordered it to size then notched some slots for it to slide over the angle iron, this to me seemed like a sturdy rear end and a good place to start visualizing how I wanted to proceed with the side panels

 

[Bryceal1]

Once i slimmed the square tubing down a little i cut 45 degree angles off the ends about an inch and a half below the top of the square tubing. this would make fit up of the side panels easy and work with the side contour that i was aiming for.

 

[Bryceal1]

now that i had a good foundation i began to work off of that taking measurements and cutting out the side panels with an angle grinder. most bumpers i see companies making are 3/16 in thick, but i got a killer deal on some lightly rusted (and i mean just barely any at all) 1/8 sheet at the local steel supplier so I picked it up and figured that some gussets for reinforcement would make it just as strong as had i used 3/16.

 

[Bryceal1]

making the top piece of the side panels took a bit of attention to detail and quite a bit of measurements but after i cut the piece and and found it to fit perfectly i was very pleased. i kept all of my cuts with the angle grinder nice and straight and all of my fit ups made for nice open corner joints to easily fill with weld, resulting in minimal grinding to achieve the look of bent plate

i also chose to wait on welding the main frame to the frame mounts to keep putting the bumper on and off by myself easier while i was in the building process

 

[Bryceal1]

once the side panels were done i stood there for about 20 minutes drinking a beer just admiring what i had done. nothing beats the feeling of a well earned brew and admiring your truck haha.

i also drilled a hole for my cb antenna which i have yet to install or anything. i can actually see it sitting with the cb just sitting in a box on the floor as i type this.

 

[infamousRNR]

[MENTION=125079]Bryceal1[/MENTION] thanks for sharing. I like your design. Keep us updated

 

[Bryceal1]

this is how it currently sits. the bumper part itself is 90 percent done and i have a spindle from EMS off road to begin the tire carrier to hold my 33 inch spare, hi lift, and a drop down camp table. i finished all my work for my fabrication class a week early so i spent today working on it at school. i welded on the clevis mounts that i got from Barnes 4x4, trailer hitch from a local supplier here in town, and added gussets to the sides and to the frame mounts. it was so nice to use my schools 480v welder and run some solid wire with c02, so far everything else had been done with self-shielded nr-211 which is smokey, spattery, has slag, and is just overall a mess. but oh well, it welds fine and i don't have the money for shielding gas yet so it does the trick. also having an oxyfuel torch to cut the gussets was amazing, burned through a small fortune in cut off wheels making this thing so far

 

[Scottyboy]

Looks pretty awesome Man, I may have to steel your design! Self shielding wire can be a pain in the ass but it welds. Do your best and grind the rest[emoji6]

 

[Bryceal1]

Looks pretty awesome Man, I may have to steel your design! Self shielding wire can be a pain in the ass but it welds. Do your best and grind the rest[emoji6]

please do man! that was partially the purpose of this thread to help others get to work, get welding!

 

[csp]

Any plans for a filler panel between the main bumper tube and the tailgate?

 

[Bryceal1]

Any plans for a filler panel between the main bumper tube and the tailgate?

maybe eventually, my thought is it won't be too noticeable when the swing out is on. I'm ready to just have it done so i can get out wheeling. I'm sure after a few camping trips of sitting my butt on the bumper ill want to fill that space with some sheet metal

 

[Tyler James Inc]

With how close your bumper is to your quarter panels, you'll wanna get the Sonoran Steel rear body mounts asap. You'll be slamming your body into the bumper in no time with the stock floating mounts. [emoji1598]

 

[Wedgy]

Fabulous job ! You are going to have a great career in welding and design.
Bonus points for the clay targets in your garage too.

 

[Bryceal1]

With how close your bumper is to your quarter panels, you'll wanna get the Sonoran Steel rear body mounts asap. You'll be slamming your body into the bumper in no time with the stock floating mounts. [emoji1598]

I'm adding square tubing from the inside of the quarter panels to about 18 inches or so back on the frame so that the bumper can't move and hit the body. plus it looks a little tight because the bumper was just sitting on the frame mounts in this photo. after clamping it down and welding the bumper to the mounts it sits with an even 3/4 inch gap between the bumper and the body

 

[Cree]

It's not the bumper moving that you have to worry about. It's the body.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

It's not the bumper moving that you have to worry about. It's the body.

Exactly. This.
It all depends how much you're gonna tweak/off-road your rig, but- like I said- the rear body mounts are a floating design, and let the body move around a lot.
You'll be fine if you don't plan on doing much wheeling [emoji1360]