tandersen45

Anyone know where to get a decent bumper for a zj thats not 500 bones like every website i check, ino theres people on here that make xj ones, but does anyone make zj bumpers??

stuckhere24

just build your own got mine ay local metal shop for 100 bucks

K3ndawg

Sorry to tell ya bro, but you're not gonna find one for less than that new. My advice, find a buddy that can weld, but him a case of his favorite beer and go get yourself some steel.

Take a good close look at those bumpers that do cost an arm and a leg and show your welder what you're wanting. If he's a decent welder, he'll be able to look at the steel and be able to fab it up for ya.

Good luck.

Irongrave

spend 500 on a good used welder and DIY

country_boy454

I have plans for this bumper.

tandersen45

I really like that bumper alot, i didnt know if any1 on here sold them.

CRoading

@country_boy454

Thumbs up to that awesome looking front bumper....
The design and the overall appearance looks sharp...

sth

hi

very nice job.

is it possible to get the sketchup plans from you?

thanks

dave1123

Hey countryboy, you'd better patent that before it grows a life of it's own! That's really something to be proud of.

andrewmp6

Know anyone that can weld good? http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/JGC/DIY-ZJ-F-WN.html

Minndave13

I too am looking at making a front bumper. Except I am thinking of going in a little bit of a different route. I am not thinking of doing much wheeling. I want a front bumper because of the deer population. I dont want a deer to go through my radiator should one jump out in front of me. Since I am thinking of this route I am thinking of building a bumper out of aluminum. I do like the one from jcr but notice they dont offer aluminum. hmmmmm

dave1123

Aluminum is expensive and difficult to weld. The nicest one I've seem was TIG welded out of 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum. It was 1/4" plate and cost the guy $1000 to be made and mounted. It sure was pretty though.

Then again, I saw one that was just 10" channel iron.

Minndave13

Just so happens that I work at a Aluminum extrusion facility. Right now Aluminum is selling for a $1.00 a pound. I also do realize that I would have to tig weld Aluminum. This would be one of the bigger downers. Steel is alot easier to work with I do realize. For me it's more about the weight. I guess the hardest part about working with Aluminum is grinding. With steel you just grind off what you don't want, Aluminum is a whole different critter. Guess the way I am looking at it is that once I get good at tig welding Aluminum then I can make other things I am wanting.

dave1123

I've been a toolmaker most of my adult life and have worked with aluminum a lot. I made a front spoiler for my 67 Camaro out of T6 plate and a machined center piece. I just bolted it together with stainless flatheads. It might as well have been welded because due to dissimilar corrosion, they wouldn't come out or even loosen. I polished it bright and clear coated it. I got several remarks about it. I even went to the extreme of cutting vents in it and running hoses to the front brake area just like the Trans-Am guys.

You can grind aluminum as long as you use a heavy grit paper and keep the speed down so as not to clog it. Where it gets touchy is on an external weld that you want to be cosmetically perfect. Grind it close then use a hand file with chalk on it.

I used to work with a guy who was the best aluminum welder I've ever seen. He used to make fuel and oil tanks for racers out of 1/8 plate that were perfect enough not to leak! He even welded a cast aluminum intake manifold that didn't break again. He was GOOD!