After reading a bunch of threads about custom built bumpers, I got inspired to take my meager welding skills and to try doing one myself. I'm a little biased, but I think its coming out pretty good. Here are some pics of where I am so far, and here is a video of the beginning of the fabrication process.

 

Didn't watch the video but judging from the pictures, you look like u are off to a good start, I like the design.

How thick is the metal?

 

hey, I've been following ur videos! Didn't know you were on Cherokee forum. Nice to see you here. Keep up the videos too!

 

Its 3/16, but I'm going to have to skirt it with some thinner stock I have lying around. It was big piece of scrap I was able to scavenge, and I've just about used it all up, but the majority of it will be in the 3/16 stuff.

 

Cool! Thanks for checking them out. This is where I get a ton of help when my "repairs" don't quite seem to go as planned. The knowledge base on this forum is amazing.

 

With a crazy work schedule, this week, progress has been slow... limited to an hour a night, if I'm lucky.

My hats off to all of you who know how to weld well. I'm not worried about how my welds looks, because I'm grinding them all smooth, but I'm really trying to get better, so I'm trying to lay them as if they would be front and center.

I know some of the issue is probably the HF POS welder I'm using, but its a poor artist who blames his brushes... oh well. Enough feeling sorry for myself.

Here's where I am so far, and the next video in my series about making this bumper.

 

just watched your video a couple min ago. It's starting to look pretty good. You gonna make a winch plate on it?

 

Not on this one. This is my DD and only sees some light trail use when we go camping and some muddy two tracks when the kids want to go out, so was trying to keep this one as light as possible. Its more for cosmetics than anything. Also, for now, I'm not even tying it in to the frame, beyond the stock mounting points, so I'm not even putting recovery points on it. Its just for looks, add some cool lights or a light bar, once the Jeep goes flat black, I think it will just better than the stock bumper.

I'll be making another one for the 1990 and do plan on putting a winch on that one. Its my wife's DD for this winter, but its also in a lot better shape than the '96 and will hold up better to some real wheeling where I might find myself in need of a winch. That will be a project for next spring though. I'll have to change up the measurements to incorporate a winch, and hopefully, by then, I'll have a little more skill at welding. Plus I do plan on eventually picking up a better welder... I was looking at the Lincolns... so between some more practice, and better equipment, I think, by then, I'll be able to whip out a better bumper, a little faster, and better able to handle the "fun" stuff.

 

Looks good. I would round those corners off a bit but its way way better than anything I could do. Word of advice, that hf welder, throw that wire it comes with away and buy a new roll. Trust me on that.

 

Funny you say that... When I first got, I opened it up and went to play around with it, and the splatter from that wire was nasty. After reading on here that the Lincoln wire was good stuff, I picked up a roll of that and have been using it ever since.

It was night and day difference, although this last roll I put on, seems like it has a lot more splatter than the previous stuff I've used. Bad roll maybe?

Hard for me to tell for real though, because I just don't do enough welding to know the intricate characteristics of the different wire brands. Does bad wire cause the splatter? Does poor technique cause splatter? Atmospheric conditions? The more welding I do, the more I'll learn this stuff, plus I've been doing a lot of reading in the fabrication section here, and am trying to strengthen my knowledge base.

The more welding I do, the more I enjoy it, and the more projects get planned in my head for me to tackle. As I take on more welding projects, I think it will only help me get better... and the better I get, the more I want to do... its a nice circle to be caught in.

 

I've only welded a few things and my welds are getting better but that's what I found. That wire it comes with just splatters like crazy. Switched wire and my welds are already way cleaner. Only things I've welded are a fence, a pillar light brackets, a front bumper and a shock mount and I'm getting better. Practice makes perfect.

 

But in this case however it's legit...there's a lot of truth to it. I have a HF mig, and also have a Miller 211. The difference between the two is HUGE. While the HF welder does work, its settings are lax, and the wire feed sucks. I used mine to make bumpers, sliders, and DIY beadlocks. Once I got the Miller, the HF has been set out to pasture, loaded for flux core only, and only used for outdoor jobs around the house...I advise you to consider saving your coin for a decent setup, if you plan on doing a lot of fab, it is worth every penny, it's more consistent, and just all around better...take your paintbrush analogy, if you need to paint a wall, would you use a trim brush, or a roller? What I'm getting at is while both can get the job done, having the proper setup will get you done much easier and faster.

 

Amen. If I could afford a better setup, i would have it

 

Changed up the design a little bit, and angled in the outside corners. I like the layout of this a little better. Pretty much done with the main structure.

Tomorrow morning, I'm hoping to fab up the mounts and get them welded in place, then I'll figure out how to finish off the bottom of it, paint it up, and call her done.

 

Dang you took my advice on the corners. Lol. I think it looks better. Now make them that nice and sell them.