Making homemade bumper. need ideas!

hey guys. bought my first tacoma 3 days ago!! 2006 trd offroad v6 6speed. love the truck so far! a few little things that need fixing and one of them is the bumpers. rear chrome is peeling off due to rust, and front was damaged by hitting a dog yesterday. (at probs 10mph and dog is okay dont worry!) talked with the owner and he offered to pay for damage, but i said thanks but he shouldnt worry about it. now i think ill make steel front and rear bumpers and then bedline or just paint them black. anyone have any good suggestions? i dont want anything too crazy or flashy and i dont need any big brush bars. ill include a few pics of truck in current state and some pics of bumpers that seem cool.

also, anyone have any thoughts on NH Oil undercoating? i think im having this done in the near future (this week or next)

thanks!

 

If you do that, the next dog won’t be okay... ha. Good luck man keep us posted!

 

oops didnt finish. the pic that posted above is a bumper i like, here ill include a photo of the rear that i like, and a few of my truck including one that shows the dog damage.

 

Tire carrier!!




And nice truck!

 

thanks!!! the carriers are so sick, but i feel like they get in the way too much. im a surfer and mountainbiker and need the tailgate to be clear to toss bikes over and lean surfboards on. also, anyone have thoughts on tailgate reinforcers? is the voodoo one the only way to go? ill be needing one because i cant even sit on this gate without a crazy amount of flex. isnt it meant for sitting on?? i also have motorcycles and stuff that need to be able to be supported by it. thanks!

 

also forgot the dog damage pic for the second time lol here it is. not crazy bad but the headlight aims way to far down now and nothing is flush. bugs the shit outta me!

 

hahahaha thats awful! ill post pics as i build the bumpers. im 16 and have 0 welding knowledge but building a plane at a local airport and my buddy over there has years of experience and is making a set for his '16 tacoma and told me to join. now im justified!

any issues with airbags if i do this??

 

That's probably about $2,000 worth of damage. Must have been a big dog.

 

maybe at the dealer? couple tiny clips broken on grill and stuff but im just going to fix it back up myself. i feel bad asking the guy to pay for my truck when hes got the vet bill to cover. hes not struggling (drives an audi q7) but i still feel like thats just bein cheap. im ready to take this bumper project head on!

 

it was just a boxer too. probably around 50lbs?

 

There's a lot more wrong there than just a couple clips. But, hey, it's your truck.

 

im going to get in there and check it out. i believe the metal fender panel is pushing the light in and once i bend it back out a little itll be alright. if its $2000 i doubt its worth doing because id use insurance to cover it, and rates go up and all that shit.

is there a better way to go about it?

 

forgot to quote you^

 

Most likely the headlight mounting tab is broke. That's over $200 right there for a new headlight. Then there's all the bumper stuff and maybe fender, and paint work. I admire your ambition to build a plate bumper, but you have no idea how much work is involved.

 

hmm deciding if youre wise or a party pooper. you may be right, and im arrogant, but im gonna try and toss a bumper together since ive got an opportunity. the final product will show the answer! if i fail, feel free to say "i told you so" but if i succeed, i will post pics and show off my new sty. i feel like itll be tough for sure to build, but walking up to my truck and looking at the bumper and knowing im made it will be well worth it. i love building my own stuff. its super fulfilling

 

anyone know if the bumper would affect the airbags at all?

 

I'm not saying you can't do it. I just think you're going to be surprised when you have spent a ton of time on it and you still have 90% of the fab work left to go. Cutting out irregular shaped panels, welding them together, and then fitting the next panel, takes time. Lots of time. And then there's all the finish grinding so it looks like a work of art, and not some redneck POS. If you're willing to dedicate that kind of time into it, go for it.

 

yes youre totally right. i do think itll be a big project, but ill be doing it in the hanger as we do the plane build. i go to the hanger almost every day after i get out of class so either well work on them on the side of that, or bust them out on a couple weekends. thanks for all the info too i appreciate it!

 

This rear tire swing set up might work for your needs. Tire sits low enough to have the window open for at least surfboards

 

Couple weekends?????

Here's one that took 5 months.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-bumper-build.391397/