here are some pics of my first "real" project/fabrication with my welder. obviously, it's just a simple rear bumper. i plan on adding some support along the quarters to the frame, but i'm not too concerned because i'm more likely going to drag the hitch/fuel tank before the quarters are on anything. nevertheless, they'll get done. i still have other stuff to do besides that to make it "complete". reattaching the trim, for example...

the bumper itself is 3/6th inch 2"x4". now that i'm done, that wall thickness seems like overkill to me. i bet that 1/8th would have done just as well, especially since i'm not mounting a recovery point on it. the dang thing is HEAVY. i'm also planning on adding a guard/step around the bottom of the spare. before, the old bumper would help to protect the spare but this one is a whole lot shorter. i don't want someone (or myself) to hit the spare and leverage that against the rear door.

if anyone wants to build one of these, let me know. i might be able to give some hints. overall, it's fairly easy.

andy

hey kudos to you, Andy! that looks pretty good, and i bet you saved a bundle over aftermarket. nice to see someone fabbing their own junk

hey, thanks issac. it was fun. and, the fact that i'm able to do it pretty much proves that anyone with opposable thumbs can build something like this.

andy

Andy that looks slick! Nice going! How long did it take you? All said and done how much did it run?

how long did it take? well, that's kind of a running total because it's not quite done. i've probably put in a good solid weekend's worth of actual work. there would have been more time involved had i not had some help from a guy named mike jacobs from another board. he had built something similar and was very helpful with the initial planning.

the materials were less than $150. i was able to use remnant materials from pacific northwest pipe and steel; the fact that they are literally down the street from my house made it really simple. the welder was around $460, plus a helmet and gloves and other stuff from harborfreight. all told it was a little more than $600, but, i've had the welder for a while and i've used it for other things. therefore, i justify it to my wife as being amoritized over a longer period ;) if you have all the materials needed for the fabrication, the cost of the steel is fairly cheap. waaaay cheaper than the other alternatives. the caveat is that the production ones are much nicer in their finish. duh.

andy