Black798's 98 limited build thread

[Black798]

Been slowly working away at the rear bumper. Still, have a lot of work to do on the swingout but I should be able to get it done this weekend so I ca start on the front. Also got some new tires, 315/75/16 cooper discover stt pros. They definitely aren't as good as the falkens in the snow so that's going to take some getting used to but otherwise, I love them.
IMG_0744 by Phoenix Black, on Flickr
IMG_0748 by Phoenix Black, on Flickr

 

[Black798]

This thread needs an update even though it's mostly me talking to myself.

So the bumpers are finished and off at powder coat. Really happy with how they came out, much-improved approach angle, stronger, and also lighter.
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Took the truck out snow wheeling. Got really good at digging holes with both lockers on. Also found out these 35s at 5psi are amazing, like driving on a pillow
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And tubbed the firewall for the 35s. They clear regardless of how hard I tuck the wheel or where I turn.
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Also got this little guy back in January. Hes a handfull to say the least but Im really looking forward to getting him out wheeling with me
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[4-Ripcord]

Bumper came out really clean, I like it!

And damn good job on the tub and frame notch, by far the best one I have seen done.

 

[derpiful]

Bumper came out really clean, I like it!

And damn good job on the tub and frame notch, by far the best one I have seen done.

What he said ^

Looks awesome! Your firewall chop is just so clean and perfect.

 

[Collkid]

This thing is awesome. Dream.

 

[Flemster]

You're a wild man Pheonix, that chop is insane and super clean. Keep up the badass build. The armor turned out amazing as well.

 

[Fishwerks]

This thread needs an update even though it's mostly me talking to myself.

And tubbed the firewall for the 35s. They clear regardless of how hard I tuck the wheel or where I turn.
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1. I like that front bumper a lot.

2. TUB GOALS

3. That puppy is adorable.

 

[Scott5017]

That front bumper is amazeballs sir! Bet it looks even nicer powder-coated, awesome work.

 

[fourfive]

Excellent work on the new bumper. I thought the previous bumper looked great too. Also very nice work on the firewall tub.

 

[habanero]

Bumper = YES

Tub reconfigure- can I be a little jealous?

Puppy- I've got one of those buttheads too- and I get those same looks from him. He's awesome and one of the most stubborn dogs ever while still being very family oriented. He loves to fetch, but then he brings it back and says
"No take! Only throw!!"
Fun times, enjoy.

 

[Black798]

Bumper came out really clean, I like it!

And damn good job on the tub and frame notch, by far the best one I have seen done.

You're a wild man Pheonix, that chop is insane and super clean. Keep up the badass build. The armor turned out amazing as well.

What he said ^

Looks awesome! Your firewall chop is just so clean and perfect.

Thanks, guys! I'm really happy with how the tub job came out. It's nice to not look in my wheel wells and cringe every time I look at the chop haha. I've been working in sheet metal fabrication for a little over 2 years now and that experience helped a lot giving me little tricks to make it easier and cleaner. I actually can say it was something I enjoyed doing this time around. The loss of leg room kinda sucks though, it wasn't much but just enough to make it annoying.

Excellent work on the new bumper. I thought the previous bumper looked great too. Also very nice work on the firewall tub.

I liked the old bumper, but it never had that great of approach angle, and the longer I've worked in fabrication the more the little things on it started to bother me. A lot of it was limitations of the tools I had at the time but I knew I could do better. The new bumper is about 20lbs lighter, has way better clearance, and is much stronger as well. Crazy what a few more years of on the job experience and college will teach ya haha. I can't wait to get them back in a week or so and get them installed.

 

[Black798]

Bumper = YES

Tub reconfigure- can I be a little jealous?

Puppy- I've got one of those buttheads too- and I get those same looks from him. He's awesome and one of the most stubborn dogs ever while still being very family oriented. He loves to fetch, but then he brings it back and says
"No take! Only throw!!"
Fun times, enjoy.

I've always had labs in the past but wanted something different this time and an aussie fit the bill. He is absolutely the most stubborn dog I have ever had but so freaking smart. Exact same with fetching though haha, loves me to throw it but never wants to give it back

 

[habanero]

I've always had labs in the past but wanted something different this time and an aussie fit the bill. He is absolutely the most stubborn dog I have ever had but so freaking smart. Exact same with fetching though haha, loves me to throw it but never wants to give it back

Ha...we've gotten to the point where if I just sit there with my hand hanging out limply he'll repeatedly try to give it to me until my hand magically reactivates and grabs it.
Also, he will do anything for cookies.

 

[4x4grover]

Nice build, curious about notching the frame, how much did you take out? Did you sleeve it internally or what did you do to strengthen it?

 

[Black798]

Nice build, curious about notching the frame, how much did you take out? Did you sleeve it internally or what did you do to strengthen it?

The section I took out was around 12 inches long, 6 inches tall and 1 inch deep. I was surprised to see the frame is actually boxed internally in that area to begin with. I plated the hole back shut with 1/4 inch material, twice as thick as the frame to handle the stress concentrations in that area that was notched, fully welded the perimeter and plug welded it to the internal boxing material as well.

 

[rickashay]

Nice moves on this mad truck modding bender your on!

Frame notch and tub are on point for sure. Curious, what welder are you running?

 

[Black798]

[MENTION=63060]rickashay[/MENTION] I can't wait to finally get the dang thing back together haha. Driving around with like 6 inches of lift because I have no weight, working on the truck every spare minute, and not being able to go wheeling is getting old. It'll be worth it in the end though.

The welder I'm using is a Vulcan Omnipro 220. It's a harbor freight special but they have really stepped up their quality on these things. I've used a lot of much more expensive Lincoln and Miller machines at work and the Vulcan is surprisingly able to really hold its own with them. I've had it for about a year and a half now and have done a ton of welding with it and have had zero issues. When I did the front bumper I welded the entire thing down all the seams in one shot, so like 45 minutes of straight welding and the only problem I had was the regulator icing up on the gas bottle. The only "issue" I have with it is the torch lead is pretty short at only 8' in comparison to the 15' leads I'm used to, but I'll probably end up just getting a new longer torch made this year sometime.

 

[Unner]

1. I like that front bumper a lot.

2. TUB GOALS

3. That puppy is adorable.

What he said. Looks great!

 

[Taylor20]

This thread needs an update even though it's mostly me talking to myself.

So the bumpers are finished and off at powder coat. Really happy with how they came out, much-improved approach angle, stronger, and also lighter.

Did you weld some square tubing between the frame horns and then bolt on the bumper?

 

[Black798]

Did you weld some square tubing between the frame horns and then bolt on the bumper?

Yes. 3x2x.120 wall that I reinforced with a scab plate on top of it. There are 6 1/2 grade 8 bolts capivetly held in the crossmember that the bumper bolts to and it was welded,plated, and gusseted to the frame rails. Significantly stronger than what I had before and increased my approach angle as well