The Lair

With your track record of ripping off mirrors, I vote full hoops.

 

That's funny! My wife & I think my truck looks like Mater now when it's parked in the driveway with the new windshield shade in it. It's the one that member sells on tw with the toyota trucks emblems on it...makes it look like eyeballs

 

If history tells us anything it's that full hoops don't help with mirror carnage.

 

That may be so, but if you murder mirrors on the reg...then it's just a short hop on over to killing headlights.

 

I think full hoops and a stinger center piece for rollover mitigation with integrated recovery D-ring. Here's my proposal:

 

I feel like there isn't enough cross bracing on the stinger.

 

And down the rabbit hole we go.....

 

Bending large sticks of tubing is very difficult. It really tested me with getting measurements and angles right, and had to go back and tweak it after the initial bending was done. The angles could be a little tighter to the body but for my first time doing something this large (and like 3rd time ever bending) I’m happy with it.

I made the tube extra long because the last thing I wanted was to come up short. I worked from the middle outward, going off of the fabricator series videos on YouTube. Overall I’m happy I got it with this tube and didn’t have to scrap it and start over, even if it’s not perfect.

 

Build ya a light weight jack stand with good swivel castors so it supports the tubing but let’s it roll with the bend.

 

Great idea. What I was doing was had it rest on the table, and if bend a little, then unlock the casters on the bender, rotate it back, and do it again. For my the difficulties were keeping it on the same plane, and just getting it in and out of the bender. Shoooooo doggie it was awkward at times.

 

I wish I had my own pic for the “before” but I don’t, so I’ll borrow this other one instead. You can really see how much of a difference it made sucking up the skid plate.

 

And here I am celebrating getting my axle shims installed, replacing the wheel Stud and lug nut that sheered off the last drive home from work!. Good work Randy!

 

A victory is a victory! Glad you didn’t crash or anything

 

Dude...43mi drive home now realizing the "new" rear shimmying wasn't the u joint issue as I thought. Thankfully one of the remaining 5 lugs was fully snugged and needed the impact to get off...the other four I took off with my fingers (most were halfway off...).

Glad I just left it at the neighbors that evening... especially after passing a guy in a truck without a front wheel and tire last week on the interstate shoulder.

 

Whoa.

 

Where is the flag sailor?

 

Need more full hoops.

 

Would it help to anchor the free end of the pipe on the table, release the bender casters, and let the bender rotate as it bends?

 

I did that too near the end of my day, as I Was figuring stuff out. I didn't even need to anchor it, just lightly held it with my hand. Was much more efficient.