Mounty71's 4x4 Long Travel Build

[cybergasm]

It does? Whose/what frame horn does it look like? I don't remember seeing any like this which is why I did it because I want it to be unique.

Also, found out last night that the laser cutter fell through, so I'm looking for a different place to go.

See what i mean now?

I am sure your bumper will come out looking just fine tho

as a thought have tried Contactng Brandon and see who does his laser cutting?

 

[mounty71]

I forgot that one was boxed and bolt on. This one is going to come out much cleaner looking and less overdone. And Brandon i'm sure uses someone local to him, which is too far away for me. I'm not concerned, i'll find someplace tomorrow.

As for today, I got the lower mount done.

My welding is getting better!

I'm going to put these slugs through the frame, 3 per side, and the boxed part of the bumper will sandwich them when it's bolted on.

And i had to turn my front lower A-arm bolts around so the nut faces forward, and taking them out required releasing tension from the torsion bars, so for fun i sat my truck down on the ground to see what it would look like as a hotrod.

 

[Stic-o]

Looks Great

Need to find me a Mounty Lights and Grill, Love the look

 

[mounty71]

Thanks! I agree, the mountaineer's front end is so nice and clean looking, even for an 11 year old truck it still looks great.

 

[mounty71]

Ended up deciding to not get the frame horns laser cut, and i'm currently in the middle of cutting everything out. I did get a quote from one place, for 4 sides and 4 tops/bottoms, they wanted about $110. No way I was going to pay that since i'm doing this bumper on a budget, so I got a sheet of 1/8" for $22, and a few sawzall blades and cutting wheels. I unfortunately didn't get any other quotes from other places, I guess they didn't feel like responding to me. Another reason i'm cutting everything myself is because laser cutters have a turn-around time of a week or more, and I want to finish this before I go back to school next Monday.

I finally got the courage to chop the ends of my frame off. I felt kinda bad after doing it, like I just ruined my perfectly good truck. Oh well. So tonight i'll get the plates all ready to weld, and tomorrow start putting them together.

 

[mounty71]

Lots of progress today! And check out these beautiful welds, not bad for someone just starting out! The welds around the cutout are stitch welds because the material i used in the middle is super thin and i kept burning through it.

 

[Stic-o]

I finally got the courage to chop the ends of my frame off. I felt kinda bad after doing it, like I just ruined my perfectly good truck. Oh well. So tonight i'll get the plates all ready to weld, and tomorrow start putting them together.

Cut your front cross member off, and then come talk to me: Talk about thinking WTF did I just do.

 

[mounty71]

Ya i can only imagine how painful that would be. Maybe one day when i convert the front end to beams...haha j/k. Kinda. :scratch:

 

[lynchy wa]

Lots of progress today! And check out these beautiful welds, not bad for someone just starting out! The welds around the cutout are stitch welds because the material i used in the middle is super thin and i kept burning through it.

Awesome Awesome welding mate, bloody flash as!!!

 

[cybergasm]

Pretty Obvious you are not using a HF welder

but looking good so far

 

[mounty71]

No, my roommate has a Miller 210 i'm using.

 

[section525]

Lookin great, Matt!

 

[mounty71]

Got the main tube tacked on to the frame horns. Still have to fully weld them, trim the main tube to blend with the fenders, bend the plates around the main tube, bend and weld the down tubes for the skidplate, and bend the kicker tubes from the frame to the sides.

 

[Stic-o]

Looking good Are you going to run a skid plate, or anything to protect the radiator?

 

[mounty71]

Ya, i'm getting those tubes bent tomorrow. I definitely need that skidplate, i've dented my radiator, a/c condenser, and power steering cooler several times from having no protection.

 

[Dannyboy]

Matt, I might suggest keeping your templates in a safe place for reference, I'm thinking 1/8" might be a little on the thin side and you'll be coming back for 3/16 in the future. My bumper uses similar "frame horn" style that involved cutting the frame, boxing it in. It's seen plenty of abuse but the tubes and the skidplate have all changed shape. I'll include a couple pics, I suggest boxing in your frame if you haven't. When I take my bumper off, it doesn't exactly line up to go back on. Then again, you've ridden with me so it probably makes sense. A few pics to help you with any ideas. The fab work looks great!

 

[mounty71]

I have the template in Solidworks so I could easily print it out again, or just get it laser cut next time. And the frame is boxed from the factory from i think the firewall forward or the torsion bars forward, can't remember exactly. And ya, I know how you drive so I can imagine that several things on your truck aren't straight, haha. Thanks for the tip though!

 

[mounty71]

Didn't get the skidplate tubes bent today, it took longer figuring out the bolt holes and drilling them than i thought it would. I did get the kicker tubes in a place where i didn't need to bend them though, and i didn't need to trim any of the body either like i thought i might have to. Also finished welding the main tube to the frame horns, and bent and welded the top and bottom plates around the front of the main tube and ground them smooth. And i trimmed the edges of the main tube at the wheel well.

And yes, the holes do actually line up, they just weren't aligned in that last pic.

 

[FROADER]

I like it, Matt. Nice work!

 

[mounty71]

Finally got the skidplate tubes on today, and got it bolted up at the frame and A-arms. It's really solid!

It's not completely finished, I still have to get the slugs through the frame for the bolts to go through, cap the ends of the main tube, build the removable light bar, get tabs on it for the skidplate, and buy and cutout the actual skidplate. Skidplate won't come for a little while though. Also need to figure out where my license plate will go. And last but not least I need to paint it.

I'm so happy with how it came out though, especially considering I did 98% of the design and fabrication myself, and i've never done anything even close to this capacity before.