CBI vs. Boulder - How to Repair

Sooooo... I sort of ran into a boulder...



I'm trying to bend the steel back into place as much as I can but I'm not having much luck. So far I have tried the following and none have succeeded in bending the steel:

• Come along attached to a half buried concrete barrier - it just dragged the Tacoma
• Chain attached to an S10 with the parking brake on - it dragged the S10
• Chain attached to a 1950 Chevy 3/4 ton - same result as the S10
• Bridle between the S10 and the 3/4 ton - dragged them both

So the bumper is apparently crazy strong even at the point it's crumpled. Suggestions?

 

Based on no research or direct experience, my hunch is the bumper needs to be removed, and might not be very salvageable or worth the effort. How much is that bumper going for new? $600 $1200? $2500? Body shops use special equipment to unbend things, and it think without the right tools on metal that thick, it will be impossible to get a good result. There might be less obvious damage too, if the bolt on points in the frame moved/bent with the bumper bending.

 

If it is possible to fully bend back into the original shape, i think best chance of success is when off the truck, not sure what it would be braced against or how to do safely without risk that something goes flying with a lot of force/danger, like those tow attempts you might see warnings about. Maybe if braced against the ground a large hammer indirect with some wood to take the impact might work.

Hence maybe a new bumper is the cheapest option, if the bumper still will fit new.

Edit: disclaimer - just throwing out an idea, could be a bad one.

 

At minimum, need to secure the rear of the truck to something immovable, and then use a port-a-power to pull the front bumper out.

 

I would probably try by taking it off heating it up and use a hammer. I'm no expert though.

 

See if ypur local napa has a rental "porta power" kit. Should have an air actuated hydraulicf foot pedal and an assortment of low profile poston "puck" type jacks, spacers and the like.

If they do, take the bumper off, weld some heavy steel plste above/across the top plate oriented like the web of an i-beam, and use the jacks to press the winch plate flatter. Pre-heating the buckled area with a torch may make it much easier. You'll need the rib above it to prevent you from just smashing the top plate up.

Alternatively, heat the crumpled area with a torch and hit it as much as you need with a BFH.

Do either off the vehicle.

 

If it was me I would remove it, place it front side down on concrete, put some weight on it like sandbags to hold it in place, then hammer it from the backside with a sledgehammer.
You could get it close with hammers and heat but I doubt without some hydraulic power you would never get it back to perfect.

 

Sledge hammer

I’ve straightened a lot of 3/16 skids after hard wheeling that way. Helps that they are supposed to be flat, but you can still get that straightened a lot

ETA: take it off first

 

Id see if you can sneak a bottle jack or similar in the bumper and brace it against maybe the top of the bumper. Just make sure you dont start bending it more.

 

This has all been helpful. I think I'm going to pull it, check for damage to the mounts and use this as an excuse to buy a porta power kit.