Making homemade bumper. need ideas!

talked to my buddy today, hes got basically all the welders, and said hes probably going to do an aluminum tubular bumper. he doesnt have cnc or plasma cutter unfortunately, so that would make a plate bumper very difficult.

the tube bumpers are cool, but i feel like they dont look as good as plate ones do on the second gens. is there a good way to have a combo one? like a tubular frame and just weld on a few plates in high impact zones/places itd look good? i think that would end up being the best way to do it.

thanks for all the replies!

i would prefer to do it in aluminum to prevent rust and save tons of weight. i dont need THE most durable one, but would still like a solid one.

 

ive come back slightly less ignorant, and now know that a hybrid will fit my needs. they dont seem to be too much weight, so ill probably do it in steel. i really like these ones:idk how to tag the owners, but these are sweet

 

Check out bruteforcefab. They do tube/hybrid bumpers. And they do them well.

 

You didn't ask for fab tips but here's one. I can't recall if it was mentioned, but if you're going to set aside a weekend and you have the tools, when you begin you can use cardboard for mock-up and transfer the shapes onto plate. Yes this is crude but it's easier to hold and easier to trim than plate.

To get the perfect angles for bends in tubing or pipe, instead of guessing, bend a metal coat hanger to the desired angle and place it on your tubing in the bender until they match

 

i guess i didnt specifically ask but this is what i need! thanks for the input if i were to make a hybrid, how would i mock up the tube sections of the bumper? pvc maybe? nevermind that wouldnt work well with angles unless i heat and bend, and that may be going too far.

thanks!

 

those are super sick, but theres one issue- im 16 and cant spend that much money! maybe ill use them for inspiration building one tho! thanks

 

you just have to set it where it needs to be. mark a bend then repeat for the next bend.

the hard part is making two pieces exactly the same. If you bend it to much or just need to tweak it a little you can heat it with a torch and move it by hand

 

I mean, if you really want to go nuts on mock up, sure lol. Realistically I feel PVC may not be necessary.

I would initially start with the frame mounts (plate) and then build off of those.

The tubing will be your basic shape. And you're essentially tying them together with plate, yeah?

 

yes i agree that pvc would be overkill. I think ill do a hybrid of some sorts because i like the looks and to save weight probably something like this (but either with a smaller brush guard or supports to it):

i really like this one too but i would probably re use the oem fogs because im broke:

 

I like it but it's hard to find 12 or 38 degree elbows for pvc

 

That’s what I mean. Inspiration

 

i appreciate it! do you know of any companies that sell plans by any chance?

thanks

 

I’ve seen them sell “assemble yourself” bumpers but not plans. Probably proprietary.

 

what do they run for?

 

I didn't see this question get answered - I was mostly skimming though. The sensors that set off the airbags are in the cab, not in the bumpers, so they will not be affected.

 

ive heard a few different responses theough other threads saying yes or no, but this seems to be the most logical. thanks!

 

I can confirm the sensors for the airbags are on the frame.

 

awesome. whats the difference with the aftermarket airbag approved bumpers and non approved ones?

 

You're saying they're not part of the sensors associated with the VSC (yaw, pitch, etc) under the driver's seat? I know they're inertia sensors (regardless of location), and not directly behind the bumper - so the bumper still won't affect the airbags. I would be interested to know where they are actually located though. Thanks!!