The BS Daycare but no build thread

Remind me of this

 

Chop some square tubing for me

 

I can’t believe he is installing a window w no shirt on. That’s sketchy!

 

Macho man that's why

 

Fify

 

I put way too much effort into this stupid thing, all for aesthetic reasons too

Milwaukee mini cut-off tool for the win.



Figured I'd get straighter lines on such a small cut out versus the plasma cutter.



Test fit.



Least the hitch face is done, just need to tack it up.



Lock pin will be accessible from underneath the bumper as this was all thought out.

 

With a slight bit of motivation, I pushed myself to do some welding.

It's a tad colder than I'd normally run, but this is a non-structurally item as it's just an aesthetic piece.





Next up was getting the "face" and the hitch welded together. I figured if I get this square and even all around, I can use it to better gauge getting squared on the bumper face.



Once I got it squared up and tacked, I went to town.

Not the best welds, but I had clamps in the way as I wanted to keep the face from warping due to the heat.



Here it is!





Only thing bugging me is being able to see that lip just below the hitch. That's what I get for plasma cutting the face.

Think I should get a die grinder to get it smooth? What do you guys think?

 

Thanks

Next big step will be notching my crossmember

 

What did you set it at? Temp and feed speed

 

On 3/16" I normally go 21v and somewhere around 280 give or take.

Currently at 20v and some 240.

Have to remember, settings on one machine give different results on another machine on the same steel even.

 

Well, this is what I get for saving $10.

The hitch receiver I'm using was originally intended for the 4Runner I used to have. I thought nothing of the length and went with it.

Today, I figured I'd do some drawing up (back's killing me) since I can do that at my bench.

With the face done, it's easier to visualize what I want to do as far as support.



Getting the right angle and measurements is important so I mocked up my frame rails; they're 2 1/8" wide rectangular tubing.



For maintaining some structural integrity, I intended to use the inside bolt holes that were used for the spare tire carrier.

Here's the issue, the closest bolt holes are located quite a bit off of where the square tubing support would land. This would mean, whatever plates I use between the frame rails would need to be at least 11 1/2" long.



This makes no sense.

I could do one of two things:

1. continue with the above support tubing, and weld plates on the ends of them, and weld those to the inside of the frame rails

2. run square tubing for the total width between the frame rails, weld plates on each end, and bolt those into place all while welding the end of the hitch to the newly formed crossmember

I do like option 1, but that means I'll have to deal with more of a hassle with cutting stuff off that's close to the crossmember.

 

Would drilling holes where you want them be an option?

I’m not sure I’m understanding the problem though.

 

Funny cause I am doing something bumper-related.

Sciatica is 95% the reason why I don't work on this thing. Some days I have trouble just sitting up.

Got a chiropractor session coming up soon but will have to find out when I can get it scheduled as I start a new welding job this Monday.

That and a family emergency yesterday.

I want to use pre-existing holes.

I'll just need to cut longer lengths of square tube to bring them back far enough to weld plates I can bolt in.

Drill press arrives tomorrow.

I want to minimize on-ground work as much as possible.

 

What I did get to try out, which I was going to tag you for, was my die grinder.

You remember I got myself that cheap Chief mini die grinder from Harbor Freight.

Figured the important part was the burr bit so I got to put it to use.

Got a swivel so I won't feel restricted.



This thing just easily melts metal away. It didn't bog down a single time even though I had both the regulator set at 70psi and the built-in regulator for the die grinder set to 3/4.

Air compressor kicked on for maybe 3 seconds and that was it, all done.



That huge overlap is gone.

 

Oooh ok. Yeah that works. A better solution I think, especially if that gets you closer to a crossmember.


Hope your back gets sorted out, that shit sucks. Girl friend was hit by a drunk driver a few years ago and rolled. Back broke in 5 places , rotator cuff messed up. She’s lucky to be moving, let alone kayaking distance races. She has chronic pain from it and the solution she’s landed on is medical marijuana. One dose off a particular vape pen with a specific strain in it and she’s golden for at least a day. Something to contemplate I guess if the root cause continues to be evasive.

 

Awesome. Those things rock, and I was also blown away at their appetite for metal. Only downside is the super sharp shavings that attach themselves to everything and make their way through the house

 

Fuuck I'm sorry to hear; drunk drivers are the worst...a touchy subject for me even.

I've been offered multiple forms of treatment, but I don't do medicine, pain killers, etc. Never have even growing up. I just need the time to go in person and get treated really.

I've got both an X-ray as well as an MRI they want to schedule right away; the X-ray for my back/spine and the MRI to ensure my current issues aren't getting worse (I suffered from TBI).

And I laugh cause something so simple, is so difficult to do I mean there's no other way to look at it, just don't let it get you down.

It's why I don't take the ribbing seriously at all in any way. But man I can't wait for my drill press tomorrow.

I'll have to assemble it but soon after I want to drill the side plates for mounting purposes.

 

Oh a feature!

So the die grinder I used at work, has an exhaust at the rear like most do.

As long as you wear full face, or sealed eye and a mask, this one is badass cause the exhaust is at the front!

It's stupid convenient because it keeps the metal shavings out from the space you're working in. Think because of my having it at a low pressure setting, it didn't blow the metal bits any further than the table itself.

 

Yeah, it’s a shit situation to be in. And she’s strictly against narcotics, and there’s lots of side effects long term with most over the counter stuff, which really cuts down on options. Sounds like exercise at work is doing her good tho.


Sounds like you’re in good hands if they want to do all that testing. Just gotta get it done, one step closer to getting back to normal. Don’t make me post the song


Drill press is gonna be great. I finally bought one after remembering the number of times me dad said “now the right way to do this is a drill press…but we don’t have one” growing up It doesn’t get used a ton, but when it does it is the right tool for the job by far.

 

Lookin goooooood!