Bumpers
Here's some pictures of them finished. Scroll further for pictures of the process:
NOTE: Scroll to the bottom for current pictures of the rear. I had it changed.
I decided I needed some more burly bumpers in early 2007. I contacted Kert at DIY4X (he has a stellar reputation at CK5.com and I was NOT disappointed!) and we got to work designing what I wanted. For the rear, I ordered a UD1 bumper, with swing out tire carrier, rear lights, receiver hitch, shackles, High Lift Mount, and gas can carriers. Basically ALL the options.
Around the time that was being finished, I decided I needed a front bumper too, and called Kert to order one of those, too. He didn't have one just the way I wanted, so we worked together to build and design one that would suit my needs. The end product is a work of art, and FAR exceeded my expectations.
Here's a shot of it being built
This page shows a little of the history of my bumpers, beginning from arrival at the shipping warehouse.
Here is a shot of the bumpers on a pallett as they arrived from the warehouse. They forked the whole pallett right in the back of the truck.
They were strapped down with metal strapping and shirnk wrapped nicely.
Here is the rear setup against the wall. The top part is just resting on the bottom as it doesn't come with the bearings packed as well.
And here is the front. This thing is a MONSTER. The pcitures simply do not do it justice. That 12K winsh is an absolute behemoth. And the bumper is such incredible quality and weight! That setup probably wieghs 250 pounds... easily.
Heres the bottom of the rear against my fence. I decided to paint them in pieces, so I could install them slowly, and work out any kinks necessary.
The welds are works of art!
Yeah.... That shackle mount is the business!
I built a little plastic spray booth in my garage and decided to do them one at a time. I am doing the rear first.
Here's the paint I chose. Hopefully this will pan out. I wanted something that would rust proof it as well as have a non-gloss finish. I have a black truck, and I wanted to set it off with some "gunmetal" grey colors. I love the color, I just hope this paint proves to be sturdy.
I primered it carefully first.
Then I realized that the bumper was essentially sealed. I needed drain holes, as well as holes for the wires for the rear lights. I went to the hardware and bought little plastic push in style caps and a new drill bit to match.
Here's a diagram of where I put the hole for the lamp wires. I bought grommets (same size as the caps) to hold the wires from frays.
And here is how it looks now. Being painted, coat after coat. I spent a few days laying light coats on and letting them fully dry. It is coming out quite well!
Here ae some more as the bumpers find their way on to the truck...
In this next picture, you can see that the bumper sticks out a little more than stock. At first, it looked weird, but with the swingarm on, it fills the gap properly.
I still needed to weld up the rear tire mount, so I went to my friend Nate's house, who helped.
This next pic shows the "finished" product. Note I still need to buy the other shackle (they only had one left) and need to probably get a "real" spare that isn't all bald. :)
This next shot shows the way I mounted the License plate... I mounted it (with rivets) to a Stainless hinge. Then I bolted the hinge through the bumper in a position which would cover the hitch, but would flip up for towing. I also mounted a lamp (generic parts store one) just above the plate. Came out pretty well, I think.
These next few are pictures of the spouts used for the gas cans above. I bought these from the local surplus store. 29.99 each can, and 14 bucks for the spout below.
OK, now on to the front!
You can see a little bit of the primer (Whitish color) in the next few pictures.
Now here it goes on the truck
With the bumper off, I decided to trim the "jowls" off the truck. :)
I need to take a few more pictures of it all finished up and in the sun.
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Here's how the rear bumper sits currently. I did a little design work (click HERE for my ideas) and Kert from DIY4X.com made me a new rear fuel carrier.