cjj98xj

OK, I've been working on this off and on for a few weeks now. There's a ton of welding because of the way I did it, combined with me working on it for only a few minutes at a time, but it's slowly getting there. Still need to weld all the inside corners of the end/side corners. I cut them out on our plasma table here at work from 3/16" plate and welded them all together. The center section is 5"x2"x3/16" rec. tube. The frame tie-in plates are 3/16" also. I know that's debatable for a frame tie-in, but I'm confident it'll work.

I still need to cut holes in the front lower angled skid to weld in some shackle mount tabs. They will be welded to the face of that skid, as well as the entire 5" of the rec tube. They will be positioned close to the frame tie-ins as well. They won't be welded directly to the tie-in, but again, I'm confident they'll hold. Also, I will be welding a small hoop over the lowered section. It won't be very tall, more or less just to protect some lights I may put there some day. Once I get it all welded out, I'll bring it in to get sandblasted and will likely finish off with some spray paint of some choice. Can't decide yet on black, some accent color, or white for the monochromatic effect. Feel free to shout out a vote here.

This was all welded with .035" flux-core wire and my Millermatic 140. The Miller has the autoset feature, but I find it somewhat lacking for this thick of plate. Works nicely on thinner stuff though. Also in some pics, you can see the rolling welding cart/table I made last year. It's been pretty handy. It's got some notches in the shelves and top table where I can mount a gas bottle when I get one.

nick_n_ii

That thing looks good.

357confederate

hell yea man..thats nice.

cjj98xj

Thanks guys! I wanted something that looked good but was still easy to build at home with limited tools. I kind of combined parts of the Hanson bumper and the Iron Scorpion bumper to make what you see here. I'll tell ya though, it's a ton of welding versus just using rec tube steel and mitering it back from the tie-ins towards the front corners of the Jeep. But I think these designs look better than regular tube steel bumpers too, so it's a trade-off.

xjbones

looks great!!! starting on my new front bumper and rear swing down tire carrier soon. when i built my last ones that are on my jeep, the welds took forever!!!

mobilecherokee4

yeah man that looks good cant wait to see it on the jeep

warthog

that looks real good man, can't wait to see it all painted up and installed

zjrog

But Chad... It would look better on something that gets WHEELED!!! JK brotherman... Nice work. I think you should rethink the 3/16th to the frame. But only if you are going to add a winch.

cjj98xj

Waca Waca Waca! You're a real funny Guy Roger!

I figure with (7) bolts in each plate, (14) total, it'll be fine at 3/16". I won't ever be putting a winch on it. I've never needed one in the past, and don't see needing one in the future. 3/16" will be plenty strong in this application. I'll prove it to you by pulling you out some day!

TheGreatGazoo

Wow nice build. looking at you guys build your own bumpers i think i may give it a shot too. GOOD JOB..

1990cherokee

very nice bumper, how does that welder do and about how much is it?

_StationWagon_

That design looks like a winch bumper. Why design it that way if no winch?
Not knockng you (it looks awesome) but I'm curious.

cjj98xj

More for looks than anything else. I also plan to put some lights on the recessed area and didn't want to restrict any air flow to the radiator. I already deal with that battle, no need to make it worse. Besides, if I ever decide to sell the bumper down the road, it's more desirable as a winch bumper. Would be easy to fit one on there if needed.

That welder is awesome. I learned on an old Lincoln stick welder when I was 8, and used that all my life. Wire is a whole new ballgame though. Took me a while to learn not to push into my puddle. LOL I've found with the heat cranked up and set the wire speed on level 5 (50?) that it works perfect for the 3/16" plate. As you know, position is everything though, especially for someone learning to weld, which it feels like I am learning all over again with this machine. I do wish it had a higher duty cycle though. 20% doesn't feel like enough, but maybe it's because I'm used to burning entire rods without stopping. I think I paid $600 for the machine 2 years ago. Actually, my wife surprised me with it for Christmas. I believe it was on sale at the time, and was regularly $720 at that location.

Get to it! If I can do it, anyone can. Even a cheap HoboFreight welder would suffice enough to run wire. I have a few friends with those welders. I will say though, ditch the wire that comes with them and get some quality wire, it makes all the difference.

ToyComa

Great looking bumper. I want to build one similar for my buddies grand cherokee since his bumper is trash. I want to use the stock metal bumper under the cover to build off of though.

aircrewallan

nice bumper dude! and talk about limited tools, I have yet to buy some steel...how much does it cost by how much youve used??? cuz basically once I get the steel I dont care how long it takes, its more just getting the mats to get the project started ya know