alright i put on a custom rear bumper i made a while ago and just got some pics so let me know what you think. ill get better ones when its not raining out. this was to replace my bent and dented stock one, i went way overkill on building it but i know anyone can rear end me and the worse ill get is scrached pouder coat lol.
its got about 8 square feet of 1/4 plate in total, with some 1/8 plate and some 3/16 dimond plate alum for looks. the back peice (the one you can see from behind the truck) is all one piece (i bent it at work on the break) then the top has 1/8 plate on it with alum checker plate on it for looks. the bottem has 1/4 in plate to help hold the outer shell from ever moving (yah i sed overkill). now on the middle section (under the licence plate) its 1/2 in thick (2 1/4 plates plug welded together and lap jointed all around) this is because i welded on a reciver tube for a hitch mount on there. it is droped an inch lower than the bumper (to clear the bottem lip) and is gussited front and back on both sides as well. to mount it i made arms welded to the inside of the bumper that go to the origonal mounting holes in the frame. i also bent a piece of c-chanel that goes on the bottem of the frame and bolts on to where a hitch would bolt on and it runs to the inside of the bumper and is bolded on there (this is to help when i tow off the reciver hitch whitch is now stronger than any hitch youll ever buy).
now to finish it i had it sandblasted and pouter coated black. i thought about colour matching but thought it would look wierd since nothing else is colour matched. i would have like to have had it crome plated but that would have taken too long and cost a little more than my budjet. before it was putercoated i test fit everything (many times) and pre drilled all the holes then when i got it back i put it on and it looked alright but something was missing and i noticed where i was stepping in the middle was getting scrached so i decided to put the alum on the middle section (there was a cupple holes i put in the top in case i ever wanted to put a traler ball on the top of the bumper) but then it still dident look finished so i put alum on all the top and it looked much better
well here are some pics ittl make more sence when you see them i hope
let me know what you all think


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2 more pics

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That looks good, i need a new rear bumper
how much for the material and how much time to fabricate it ?

 

umm total cost was about $250 including pouder coating

the i only had to pay for the bigger pieces of steel ( i work in a shop where we both build stuff and install it and i do both) so the little pices were just scrap i think the steel was about $90 for me

as for time im not too sure i spent more time thinking of how i wanted it and test fitting it than auchually working on it and when i did work on it, it was during brakes at work it say thow i took about 10 hrs to build but i also featherd all my outter welds so you cant see them

if i had my own shop i could be in bussness ive had a cupple pepole stop me in the parking lot ans ask where i got it and when i tell them i built it they ask how much for me to make me one...if only i had a shop

 

very nice. i hope i don't ever run into it.
are you going to make one for the front with hooks, winch, bull bar ? yeah - you know you want to.

 

add me to the list of people who say "can you build me one?" lol i need a new rear bumper. Looks good wishi had the tools to build my own. need a rear and front bumper

 

looks good! [sm=icon_rock.gif]

 

dhvaughan - yah im sure a lot of pepolehope there not the one that will test it first...and yah your right id like to do a front one but im scared of what itll weigh also i have a grill guard in the front now, id like to make an aluminum one that goes under the grill guard to replace the stock one

tazman6789 - ok your on the list, i keep telling them get me a shop with all the tools i need and ill buld anything you want lol

Bigschwerm - thanks man!

 

beautiful.. much nicer than just an oem.. alot stronger im hoping too.

as for the front bumper.. why not build it to incorperate the grilleguard into it.. , yeah you dont want it too heavy, but just think how much that extra weight may help if some jackass goes and cuts you off end up stopping on you... else even a moose.

 

With all that diamond plate, you ever thought about a chromed tailgate latch and door handles?