Basic bumper welding question for you experts

[Desert Rat]

At some point down the line I will be making another bumper for another rig. I bought my Blazer one from 4x4 Iron (RIP). However, I've got a nice Millermatic and I will give it a shot doing my own. I've done basic welding in the past but small projects, repairs, etc. Now, when I go to weld the large pieces of flat metal together for the bumper, I've seen it done two ways. In some of the online welding instructions I've seen the two pieces overlapped. Say the top piece would rest on the front piece. The front piece that is butting up against the top piece might have a bit of a bevel put on it on the outside facing edge creating a small V with a grinder to help with the pooling. Then the pieces are welded front and back.

However, I've seen some folks here who have done bumpers and I noticed that the pieces were joined edge to edge, tacked, then welded all the way with a bead on the outside in the V and a bead on the inside in the V. Which way is the better way to go? I would be grinding down the outside obviously later for appearances. Does it matter which method is used? Is one stronger than the other?

 

[Merv]

Depends on your welding ability and how much grinding you want todo.

Me personally i would weld everything with a joined edge as yo explained it. Doin the outside first. Saves grinding,looks nicer . You then have the joint filled to burn a nice bead on the back side of the seam.

Just make sure you have everything tacked up good before welding.

 

[4X4HIGH]

I'm no expert but i'm guessing butting the two pieces together (the very edges) and welding the "V" on the outside and then welding the backside is going to be the strongest. Why not start with a piece of rectangal tube instead? That is what i did with both my front and rear bumpers and then when i cut an angle off the bottom sides i just plated it with 3/8" plate (yes overkill). I did grind an edge of the plate so i had a nice deep "V" to weld into.

 

[Desert Rat]

I remember following your bumper build thread Scott. We never did get to see the full final product painted and all. I suppose I could go that route. I wanted to have a flat spot on the top where I can stand to work on the truck as well as some tubes for lights and winch protection. I guess I could add some diamond plate on top of your design style. I had planned on making something similar to this:

I was going to fab up something similar to the pic with diamond plate on the top flat area for non-skid and maybe put some openings in the bumper for fog lights. I would make the mounting the same as you did with the tabs going through the front of the bumper so that the D-rings are pulling on the frame.

 

[4X4HIGH]

I remember following your bumper build thread Scott. We never did get to see the full final product painted and all. I suppose I could go that route. I wanted to have a flat spot on the top where I can stand to work on the truck as well as some tubes for lights and winch protection. I guess I could add some diamond plate on top of your design style.

I was going to fab up something similar to the pic with diamond plate on the top flat area for non-skid. I would make the mounting the same as you did with the tabs going through the front of the bumper so that the D-rings are pulling on the frame.

The reason you haven't seen a finished product is because...well it's not finished yet.

I also am adding some diamond plate on the top but it will actually be as a filler panel just behind the tube and following the bumper shape on the front side and the valance panel shape on the back side. I did not want to run diamond plate on the very top of the tube itself because i kneel on the bumper when i work on it and i'm not sure when the last time you knelt on diamond plate was but it sure doesn't feel good.

If you want to "borrow" my bumper bracket template let me know.

This is the current state of my front bumper (same as it was when i posted it here on 8-22-09).

 

[Desert Rat]

I may take you up on it. It would be much simpler to go that route than what I was planning. I was going to do a cardboard mockup first, then cut all the pieces using the cardboard as a template. Going your route would be a lot less cuts and welds. I don't kneel much on my bumper now and tend to either stand on it, or lay across the engine compartment. However, I can imagine the pleasure of diamond plate knobs in the knee cap... I am a ways out from doing the bumper so I will let you know.

By the way, what the hell is that hanging down below your winch fairlead there?

 

[4X4HIGH]

By the way, what the hell is that hanging down below your winch fairlead there?

That is to satisfy the good ole Johnny law around these parts.

The "funny thing" is also in the first pic but it's harder to see when it's "tucked away" on it's spring loaded hinge.

Are you planning on mounting a winch up front also?

 

[Desert Rat]

Yep, I am looking at picking up a really clean Ford F-150 from a neighbor who bought it new in 78. He has since dropped in a 460. It has 33's on it and a mild lift but it is going to be my next project. I won't go to the extremes I did with the Blazer, but I will do a front bumper with winch and a few other tweaks (he says knowing he's lying....).

 

[4X4HIGH]

Yep, I am looking at picking up a really clean Ford F-150 from a neighbor who bought it new in 78. He has since dropped in a 460. It has 33's on it and a mild lift but it is going to be my next project. I won't go to the extremes I did with the Blazer, but I will do a front bumper with winch and a few other tweaks (he says knowing he's lying....).

So this bumper build is going to be for an F-150? If so you may need to make a change to the bracket shape based upon the shape of the frame. Also the reason i asked about a winch is because i have a 8' length of 3"x6"x.250" tube i was originally going to build my bumper with but decided to go with 3"x8" tube instead so i could recess my winch into the tube. So i have this 8' length of tube available for purchase otherwise i was thinking about building a rear bumper and selling it.

 

[Desert Rat]

I'll have to see what I have laying around as well. I bought a length of 3x6 myself a while back along with a bunch of 2x2 with plans to make a rear bumper for my Bronco I used to have but never got around to it. It will be a few months before I am ready so if you have plans for it, go right ahead.

 

[kicker30]

If you dont mind sharing your bracket template I would sure appreciate it, im finally getting my Blazer back together and it's almost bumper time.

 

[Desert Rat]

Check his bumper thread here for a good start: http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255925&highlight=bumper