Inv4drZm's Build Thread
- Thread starter Inv4drZm
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Inv4drZm
Senior Member
Really didn't research the differences between the SwitchPro and Spod, I just liked how integrated the SwitchPro was and all the wiring it would save me from doing. I bought it used (but not yet installed) from a member on here for a price I couldn't pass up. It's the newer model, has blue LEDs, and the concealed mounting worked perfect. Couldn't have got any luckier! I might write up a short how-to as I haven't seen many 4Runners with these switches. Need to mount my lights first, which means I need my bumper first.
Offcamber
New member
Great choice on the SwitchPro and I'm sure a write up would be appreciated by forum members. There are a few 4th gens (including mine) and numerous 5th gens (among some Tacomas, if those count, and of course many other makes like Jeeps) that I know of here in Southern California that run SwitchPro. sPOD is also local to us down here and has been doing a better job of aggressively marketing to the so-called overland crowd. I looked at both and they each have their advantages. I met the people who run both companies, researched the specs, talked to owners of both systems, but in the end I decided to go with SwitchPro. I was very happy with the install and I haven't had any problems with the system.
Inv4drZm
Senior Member
Thanks to two of my buddies at work, I got the plates bent and tubing bent. For a few days I wasn't sure how I was going to bend the tubing because the hydraulic bender at work would max-out when bending the tube only a couple degrees. We cranked down the pressure setscrew on the hydraulic motor which gave it just the oomph it needed to bend the tubes, sounded like the motor was dying though but it did it. The plan is to weld it all this weekend, more pics to come then.
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Inv4drZm
Senior Member
Sorry for the awful teaser pic, here it finally is in all its glory. This design started as an idea I sketched in my work notebook over a year ago, I'm glad it's finally done.
I thought I could weld it in 1 day and paint it the next but I was way wrong. Took me almost 20hrs over Saturday and Sunday to complete it: in short I about died bringing this bumper to life! In the end I would say it was worth it and I am very happy with how it turned out.
Total Cost/ Bill of Materials:
$100 1/4" steel sheet
$100 tip for my buddy who cut it out on the plasma table and bent it at work
$120 for 2" .120" wall DOM tubing and machined recovery points
$60 welding supplies/ wire
Access to my Grandpa's shop is free as long as I clean up.
FAQ
No, I will not make you one, I am not the best at fabricating and I'm a bit of a perfectionist so it takes me way too much time to do something like this.
No, I will not give you the CAD files. Part of the reason for me building my bumper is that it is completely unique. If there are any specific questions on dimensions or design, feel free to ask, but I designed my bumper by looking at pictures of other bumpers online and using a fancy tool called a tape measure.
Pics:
I need to paint my RCI skid black, mount my $18 cube lights in the wings, mount my LED bar in the center, install my Switchpro to activate these lights, and pick up some 35's.
After day one, it looked like one of those short Jeep bumpers:
Start of day 2:
Not many pics of the tube notching but I just notched them with an angle grinder. Spray painted with Rustoleum satin black
I thought I could weld it in 1 day and paint it the next but I was way wrong. Took me almost 20hrs over Saturday and Sunday to complete it: in short I about died bringing this bumper to life! In the end I would say it was worth it and I am very happy with how it turned out.
Total Cost/ Bill of Materials:
$100 1/4" steel sheet
$100 tip for my buddy who cut it out on the plasma table and bent it at work
$120 for 2" .120" wall DOM tubing and machined recovery points
$60 welding supplies/ wire
Access to my Grandpa's shop is free as long as I clean up.
FAQ
No, I will not make you one, I am not the best at fabricating and I'm a bit of a perfectionist so it takes me way too much time to do something like this.
No, I will not give you the CAD files. Part of the reason for me building my bumper is that it is completely unique. If there are any specific questions on dimensions or design, feel free to ask, but I designed my bumper by looking at pictures of other bumpers online and using a fancy tool called a tape measure.
Pics:
I need to paint my RCI skid black, mount my $18 cube lights in the wings, mount my LED bar in the center, install my Switchpro to activate these lights, and pick up some 35's.
After day one, it looked like one of those short Jeep bumpers:
Start of day 2:
Not many pics of the tube notching but I just notched them with an angle grinder. Spray painted with Rustoleum satin black
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derekjmiller913
New member
Now that you've finished the front bumper... Any regrets of going the DIY route VS plug-n-play with a commercially manufactured option?
Inv4drZm
Senior Member
I'm happy I made mine instead of buying one. If I had a time machine, I wouldn't use it to rewind a year and tell myself not to build it.
Pros:
Completely custom one-off design that looks and functions exactly the way you want
Cheaper if you have the fabrication tools already
Fits my body lift
No 8wk lead times
Cons:
Took me a year of tinkering with Solidworks for the design and 20hrs of welding and fitting
The "little details" are missing because I'm not the best fabricator, like perfect welds and perfectly rounded corners
hoto:
Looks awesome, man! I've dreamed of doing custom bumpers for awhile now, but I have a crappy little FC MIG that I never perfected and haven't used in years -- That's when reality hits me haha.
You did a great job on everything, and I look forward to seeing what else you've got in store!
You did a great job on everything, and I look forward to seeing what else you've got in store!
Inv4drZm
Senior Member
It looks light, but looks can be deceiving. I'm guessing it's close to 140lbs being made completely from 1/4" steel plate.
Thanks guys! Glad you like the truck so far, definitely more planned very soon!
NinjaOne
New member
Dang, that's almost as heavy as my full plate bumper with hoops at 150#. Regardless, looks sharp
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Inv4drZm
Senior Member
Sorry for the late response, been busy this weekend.
I simply removed the washer fluid tank, for some reason it wasn't working anyway, so I will need to come up with a more permanent solution in the meantime. Not sure what exactly.
derekjmiller913
New member
On an old rig of mine, I took the old washer fluid pump off the resevoir (broken from dry rot; it was a '73 dodge), and epoxied it to a lid that would fit on an old 5 qt oil jug. The lid (epoxied to the pump) could be removed allowing me to fill it once a year or whatever. When I filled it, I ziptied it in to my engine bay with HD ties. Snipped to refill, rezipped to reinstall. It was crude, but worked for years!
Now, IDK if the 4runner pump will be doable in such a case, but this could maybe be visited until an OEM unit was found.
blackoutt
New member
Love these hybrid plate/tube bumpers. Full coverage in the center with minimalist lines on the outside. Nice work. Also laughing at your pro of no 8+week lead time but the 1+year you had lol, I hear you on those custom projects though that's why I try not to do them as much anymore.
