completely jealous of people with welders on hand and a garage to work in. Cant wait to see it finished man

 

Good progress today. Finished up what I have materials and parts in stock for...

Got the bumper positioned and brackets tacked, then pulled it off to add 1/4" bracing and weld.

I would have preferred a slightly higher position for the bumper, but I was limited by clearance with the tailgate down. Here's what I ended up with - around 1/2" all the way across:

The relief around the hitch receiver leaves enough room to get my locking pin in/out. I am going to have to buy a bigger drop hitch...

Next I cut the taper on each side (I really love this plasma cutter!), and mounted it up.

I had built the bracket for the license plate a couple of weeks ago, and it will remain on the spare tire when the new carrier gets built.

The ends are still a bit long, and will get trimmed back after I finalize the quarter panel protection/roof rack support. I also need to weld in steel to close everything off, and I'll do that after getting the recovery points and hinges welded in. I'll be ordering some parts this week, but probably won't get back to the project until weekend after next.

 

Got some work on the bumper done today.

I added the quarter panel protection, which will also support uprights for a roof rack, and shortened the bumper slightly after I had the fitment worked out. Also closed in the cutout over the receiver hitch.

Ordering the hinges and recovery points got put back a week, as I decided to buy springs and sway bars for the wife's car. Looks like next weekend will be tree removal weekend anyway....

 

Ordered hinges, shackles and mounts, and tire carrier plate this morning.

In addition to cutting down some trees tomorrow, it's our 17th wedding anniversary this weekend, so no fab work will be happening. Hope to have it close to finished the following weekend.

 

Looks sweet! Keep up the good work

 

Got more goodies today:

Here's one of the hinges disassembled:

The spindle rides in a sleeve that gets welded to the bumper to reduce the amount of heat put into the spindle to prevent overhardening and crystallization. Supposed to lessen the chance of the spindle breaking.

Also had a schedule change at work, so I'm off tomorrow...

 

Looking forward to seeing more progress.
Interesting design choice using both square and round. opc1:

 

Looks good. Interesting idea on the quarter panel protection. I haven't seen the tire carrier spindles with the sleeves before, where did you get them?

 

The round/square combo ties in to the sliders, and the front bumper will have something to maintain the 'theme', although I haven't quite figured the front out in my head yet.

The quarter protection (and the sliders) will also support uprights to carry a roof rack independent of the 'glass topper (so it can be removed). Something similar to this:

Wish I could give credit, but I don't know who's rig that is, just snagged the pic off google.

The spindles are from http://www.comp4x4.com/home.php

 

Judging by your photos, your bumper strength and tire carrier spindle thickness will both bear the weight of a single swing-arm with tire and accessories. Any reason you prefer two arms ?

What are you using to lock the arm(s) when open ? Our Bronco has a Warn locking hub to lock it open, built by the former owner and it works very well.

 

I went with double arms just to avoid having all the weight on one long arm... it can be cumbersome in daily use, and takes up more space to swing out.

I honestly hadn't thought about locking it in the open position, but I can see the sense of that on certain inclinations. I do intend to build a travel stop to prevent over rotation. I have toggle clamps coming for closure, which should arrive this afternoon.

Here's some new pics from this morning's work:

On the truck, with hinges and recovery points installed, and the bumper all welded up. I still have some sanding and smoothing to do, but that will wait until all the fabrication is done.

The hinge spindle, in the welded sleeve. The spindle itself is welded just on the bottom to prevent putting a lot of heat in it.

With the lower of the two bearings the carrier rides on:

Carrier installed with castle nut:

And the dust cover (which is not fully seated, just placed for the photo):

Bumper with clevises:

I like the hinge system, and it went together pretty easily. I'm a little worried about distorting the carrier when welding the cross bar on, but I'll just have to go slowly so it doesn't get overly hot.

Well, off for something to eat and to buy some more steel...

 

It's a great fabricated custom job to your own design, looking forward to seeing the continued fast progress.

 

Thanks!

Finished up for the day...

Still got lots to do. And don't fret, there will be additional support for the tire carrier. Just ran out of time. I did receive the toggle clamp latches today, though I didn't take photos or have time to do anything with them.

This weekend I'll try to finish up the tire carrier, get the latches installed and start on the high-lift jack mount.

 

More progress today... got to the "it's useable" point, and really, the tire carrier side is pretty much done.

Additional tire carrier support added, over rotation stops installed and toggle clamps installed:

Toggle clamps:

Swingouts are boxed in, and I added delrin pads, on which the carrier arms ride when closed, to eliminate clanks, clunks and other unpleasant noises; and to provide a solid base for the toggle clamps to secure against:

Tire on:

Side view:

I probably could have had the tire closer to the tailgate, but my original plan was to put the high-lift behind the tire. Unfortunately, that didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I still need to figure out the high-lift mount, and get dimensions for fuel/water cans so I can plan out the other swingout. I also need to add the mounting points for the roof rack support to the quarter panel protectors. Hopefully, one more weekend will see this thing done... then I get to start on the front... :banghead

 

...Swingouts are boxed in, and I added delrin pads, on which the carrier arms ride when closed, to eliminate clanks, clunks and other unpleasant noises; and to provide a solid base for the toggle clamps to secure against:

...

Great idea on the delrin pads. The more stress you can take off the pivots, the better. The pivots tend to suffer from metal fatigue right at the step where they're turned down for the bearings.

Looks clean and nicely done!

 

Love it. But what is the purpose of the driver's side swing away section?

 

Love it. But what is the purpose of the driver's side swing away section?

Driver's side will carry 2-3 fuel/water cans + high lift. I will probably also figure out a removable cooler carrier over the cans.

I'd really like to use the Scepter milspec cans, but I don't relish the idea of spending $300+ on fuel/water cans...

Anyone know of a good (reasonably priced) source for them?

 

For metal cans try here. These are the nato metal cans and spouts. Free shipping this weekend for orders over $199.

I am not an employe, owner, or in anyway associate with them. Just a past customer.
http://www.roverparts.com/nxt/?Category=ACC.+-++OFF-ROAD

 

Looks awesome, man! I love the idea of two swingouts with gear on them.

 

Why the large loop at the front of your sliders?

 

Really nice work Rodan. Impressive attention to details and strength.
Shame you got the tire out so far but I can see how plans change and problems emerge.
Still, very nice and very strong. Look forward to seeing the left side finished up. :thumbup

 

Why the large loop at the front of your sliders?

Makes a convenient place to stand while washing the windshield.

 

This may be the most useful thing I have read all day. Great tip! :thumbup

 

No progress on the rear bumper to report... but I did pick up the first piece of the front bumper build:



Yeah, I know... chinese junk... :goodfinge

Truth is they have a good rep online, and have had solid reviews in the mags. And for $299, you really can't go too wrong....

Anyway, installing springs and sway bars in the wife's hotrod this weekend, so no work on the Bronco...

 

Wished I had know I would have thrown you a 20% off coupon. Sign up for harbor freight email. Every month they send coupons.

 

Don't worry... I get all the coupons. :histerica

BTW, the 20-25% coupons are mostly BS. They're only good on things that aren't already 'on sale' (most everything in the store), and specifically exclude most of the more expensive stuff (tool boxes, welders, jacks, etc.).

 

I love it! Your progress keeps making me go back and forth about buying a new welder.

 

Rodan, I'm halfway through a stick welding course for my auto addiction, not as a profession (a MIG course can be taken after completion of stick). I'm not proficent enough yet to see photos and know which method used, are you using MIG or stick welding ? cheers