Making homemade bumper. need ideas!

The only one I know of that’s DOT approved is ARB. Theirs have replaceable crush cans that crumple on impact.

But really that has nothing to do with the airbags. I think some just say it and some don’t

 

I would have to look but I think I seen it on the driver side frame rail

 

Yep it’s right here

 

Learn something new every day

 

do you think will i have trouble with inspection if i make my own?

 

I don’t know. I live I’m Mississippi we don’t have inspections. I would seriously doubt that it would fail because of a bumper though

 

ill keep oem bumper around just in case

 

NH, eh? If you make it out of STEEL, get it GALVANIZED before you paint it.... if you paint it.

Most grey-metal street posts are galvanized steel, and they're exposed to more salt than your truck is, 'cause 100% of the time, rather than just when you're driving.

 

would it be necessary if im bedlining it?

 

Nah man that bumper will out last the frame

 

thats what i figured. truck went in for for brakes, tail shaft seal, and a newly discovered coolant leak from the thermostat housing. got the car fully inspected by a toyota dealership before i bought it, but they failed to find a coolant leak. pretty annoyed about that.

 

Yes, ESPECIALLY if you're bedlining it.

The problem with things like bedliner, or powder coating, or whatever other kind of surfacing you choose... As soon as you have ANY damage to the surface that lets water get to the metal, the rust will grow like a cancer UNDER the coating.

Its not expensive to galvanize steel, and it will protect the metal better than anything else you can come up with, for a very long time. For small jobs, companies that galvanize metal will just add the small items in with a job of big things, so it doesn't cost you much.

 

Not without galvanizing it.

 

The one exception might be when a powder coated item is primed before the finish color. Yes powder coating can be primed. If I remember correctly, it's a zinc based primer. The other variable is the type of phosphatizing the item goes through during the washing process. Zinc phosphatizing is roughly 3x the corrosion resistance as compared to the cheaper iron phosphatizing......

 

Do you think the frame is galvanized?







It’s not.

Don’t over think this OP. Just build it. Whatever you do to the frame for rust protection do to the bumper

 

how much does it generally cost?

 

I looked into powder coating over a galvanized surface. We used to do this at work a while ago, but it did become problematic. What I'm trying to point out with the following is that it's not as simple as hang and shoot.....

It is critical that the company performing the galvanizing know that it will have a powder coating applied over top of the galvanized surface. The party responsible for sending the parts out for galvanizing will need to clearly communicate that the parts cannot be quenched. They must be air-cooled. Quenching is a commonly used process in the galvanizing industry where either water or, more commonly, a chromate solution is sprayed on the parts after they exit the molten zinc. This is done both to accelerate cooling of the metal and slow the reactivity of the zinc so that the product can be shipped from the galvanizer without the presence of excessive oxidation. Quenching can create disastrous field failure of coated product due to adhesion loss. Quenched galvanized surfaces are also likely to outgas during the cure process of the powder coating. The relief of trapped air during the heating of the coating can cause crates in the molten film and leave an ugly appearance. The craters can also create voids in the coated surface and allow moisture to penetrate directly to the galvanized substrate.


All galvanized products should be shipped to the powder coater as quickly as possible so that the amount of oxidation that is allowed to form on the zinc can be minimized. Ideally, the galvanized substrate should be coated within 12–24 hours of being galvanized. Since these processes are typically performed at different facilities, this is highly unlikely to occur. Once material is received by the powder coater, the coater will need to make sure that the galvanized surface is free of oil, grease and dirt.


The galvanized surface should be sweep-media-blasted to SSPC-SP7 standard (also known as brush blasting.) Care must be taken when choosing what type of media to use. Steel shot or other spherical media is not recommended, because it can peen contamination into the steel and generate corrosion after the part is coated and cured. Some coaters recommend soft media such as corn cob and walnut shell, but harder media can be used effectively as long as it is used at low pressure by a trained technician who understands that he should not dwell in any particular area of the galvanized surface. If the galvanized surface has voids or the appearance of flaking of the zinc from the metal surface, chipping from the edges, or blisters, then the blast is too aggressive. The goal is to take away the shiny appearance and surface oxidation while removing as little zinc as possible from the workpiece.


A primer coat is recommended to enhance the overall quality of the coating system. The primer coat adds significantly to the performance of the coating. Primer coats should be sprayed within 12 hours of brush blasting the galvanized surface. The powder coater should apply the primer to recommended film thickness and make certain that he understands the recommended level of cure for the primer coat. Most powder manufacturers recommend “green curing” or partial curing of the primer so that proper intercoat adhesion can be accomplished once the topcoat is applied. The primer coat should be allowed to cool, and then a top coat should be applied as quickly as possible.


The parts should be coated with the desired topcoat as soon as possible after the primer coat is complete. The topcoat is often a “super-durable” polyester chemistry, a material that is specifically engineered to add significantly to the ultraviolet resistance and durability of the finish.


As you can see, there is a lot to think about with this type of coating process. A knowledgeable powder coater will be able to give you a good finish and should be able to provide a reasonable warranty against failure.

I have 2 Avid bumper guards that I plan to have Bullet Lined and call it good. I believe they guarantee their work and if there are issues, I'll bring it back to them. Having to pay for 3 coatings doesn't seem to be cost effective.....

 

If need be, you can do a "cold dip" galvanize. Basically a rattle can. Regardless of which process you take, you'll then need to get a specific primer for galvanized surfaces. Any grease, oils, or oxidation as pointed out in the very well informed post above will need to be removed as well.

Bottom line - galvanization is overkill. If you whack the bumper hard enough to expose bare metal through paint/powder coat, then guaranteed the same ding would go through galvanization. They're all just coatings. End of story.

Scuff it, degrease it, etch or epoxy prime it, shoot it with enamel or powder coat or Gator guard bedliner.

 

thank you so much, i learned a ton from that! when i do it i dont think ill galvanize it. Matter of fact, i dont think ill hit it hard enough to scrape bedliner off of it because i dont rock crawl or anything, itd mostly be for brush and stuff.

 

yes i agree, it sounds like galvanizing it before bedlining it is overkill.