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DIY winch bumper 'builder' brackets


hawairish
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Time for an overdue update...

 

A few weeks ago, I finally got around to pulling everything (bumpers, tire carrier, sliders, skids) off the truck for some finishing.  For the rear bumper, that meant getting some plate on the bumper, and grinding off the rust "patina", priming, then spraying bedliner on everything.

 

B70-D89-AB-F727-473-D-84-F2-0221-E160697

 

C888560-F-A600-4-E6-E-B0-FC-5-C9000-A114

 

E46-BCEF9-8-FC0-4-FF2-AF09-69-D380-BB475

 

640-CA164-7126-403-C-9-E2-D-A657-BF71-C8

 

The center piece ended up being the first attempt to cut a piece on the plasma table that was longer than table itself.  Did it in two half-passes and it actually turned out well...tiny offset, but fine for this use.  Put the finger brake bender to use to get the contours matched,  Not shown in the pic is a 1" square tube that runs between the brackets and supports the long flat part.  Plate was 1/8".  I also added 1/4" brackets to the bumper wings that attach behind the wheel well.  I thought about making some sort of notch for Hi-Lift usage, but decided against it.  Was pleased with the end result:

 

9167-E81-E-273-D-478-C-99-D8-CC84-C1-DCD

 

 

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After getting the rear bumper finally ready for finishing, I decided that I was going to put some enamel colors onto the AZ flag and Nissan logos, and then bed lined around things.  The enamel process was a bigger PITA than I had planned on (I hate painting), but I think the results turned out well*.

 

F4EEF6F6-E9A5-46E8-8251-5378AA20EFC4.jpg

 

4601-B5-F2-959-E-43-EF-BC99-F33611669-CC

 

BC68642B-BBCB-4014-B399-490BAB3CD2DF.jpg

 

F7-DA3-B98-DEA8-4-C46-AAD2-220450-B58-BC

 

8-E069-C9-C-FB6-E-4-E45-9-D81-C2-D17370-

 

55D8E5C1-5231-43B0-8571-54E4CA867C75.jpg

 

91DCDD9D-0043-4A7A-998C-F812F0D742D5.jpg

 

1D5D3967-DE8C-4FD0-8615-8ED4473E9E63.jpg

 

(*=great considering my hatred of painting, despite not being pleased with the bedliner color.)

 

I used tintable bed liner from Custom Shop on Amazon.  The color is supposed to be Battleship Dark Gray, but I'd argue it is neither dark nor gray.  I've complained to a few buddies that I don't like the color, but it does offer some degree of contrast that I was looking for.  I still need to spray the sliders, and that will be a couple weeks out given my schedule, but I'll find out if that completes the "look".  If I don't like it (and chances are that I won't), I'll probably pull everything back off for some spray paint (ugh) and get it closer to the dark gray I was hoping for.  The bedliner product itself I'm pleased with; nice texture, hard, smooth, but provides grip without feeling rough.  The Custom Shop stuff is the same as the U-Pol Raptor product.  It was a mess spraying on the side of my house...I spent a day building a rack to hang all gear from, plus a few hours converting my HF easy-up canopy into a spray booth.  Mostly successful, but I hated every minute of it.

 

The front bumper got sprayed, too, and I finally got around to mounting the IPFs graciously donated to the cause by @Jax99.  I have yet to wire them up, though...trying to find a decent switch for the left-hand panels, as the Carling rockers interfere with the dash a little.  I thought I'd have some luck with a Toyota-sized aftermarket switch, but will go a different route.

 

2B262EE7-0650-4751-BF1C-81EC6EADF98B.jpg

 

91957955-959A-49E6-B73F-1A6A09D697FA.jpg

 

 


 

 

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Looking good - about time you painted all that steel.

The IPFs are right where I ran my 130w KC Slimlight Driving Lights. That’s a great location for a forward driving light. Consider mounting floods at 30-45* angles in that protected lower lateral space (kind of where the fogs are stock). I had the Flood lens of the same 130w KC Slimlights in that location. I just barely overlapped the beam edges & it gave me about 200* of forward light stretching back to about the B pillars. I set it up for desert use when I was in AZ & have always been really happy with it.

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9 hours ago, RainGoat said:

Looking good - about time you painted all that steel.

The IPFs are right where I ran my 130w KC Slimlight Driving Lights. That’s a great location for a forward driving light. Consider mounting floods at 30-45* angles in that protected lower lateral space (kind of where the fogs are stock). I had the Flood lens of the same 130w KC Slimlights in that location. I just barely overlapped the beam edges & it gave me about 200* of forward light stretching back to about the B pillars. I set it up for desert use when I was in AZ & have always been really happy with it.

 

Thanks.  Yes, I plan to add some sort of lights that retain the fog light wiring (if not purpose).  I'm undecided how I want to wire the IPFs, whether they can only come on with either low or high beams.

 

53 minutes ago, Astrorami said:

showoff

 

Don't be jelly.

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  • 5 months later...
On 6/29/2019 at 1:25 PM, ZombieGTA said:

I’m interested in those front brackets if you’re going to sell them.

 

On 12/12/2019 at 7:20 PM, Aerolyth said:

God I need those bumper brackets. Wanting do design my own bumper and I'm dreading drawing up the brackets.

 

Sorry fellas, guess I hadn't been following this post.

Yeah, the bumper bracket projects got put on hold while working some other projects.  I may resurrect this project in 2020, since I'm planning to redo mine with plate style bumpers.  I think that'd might open up some other options.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Hi would like your brackets if you get back to them ?

I think I seen your pathey on metalgwars channel

How is it holding up looks like you really do some tough stuff? 

Any tranny problems?how many miles

Not sure how to pm but would like to talk about things to look for. Love our r50 Pathfinder. Want to do something like you're doing

Thanks ?

Edited by LSK
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On 3/29/2020 at 10:19 PM, Megaton said:

Anything new on the front bumper brackets? I'm interested in the rear bumper also maybe with a swing out tire carrier on the bumper?

 

Nothing new quite yet.  If push comes to shove, I can revisit the original design, or see what improvements can be made since my original set.

A rear bumper will be the primary focus once the new plasma table is up.

 

On 4/18/2020 at 7:52 AM, cdq109 said:

Is it possible to purchase the winch mount kits anymore? Those things look awesome!

 

Thanks!  Never did get around to making/selling them, but as above, perhaps I can whip something up if you want something to build around.

 

On 4/18/2020 at 9:52 PM, LSK said:

Hi would like your brackets if you get back to them ?

I think I seen your pathey on metalgwars channel

How is it holding up looks like you really do some tough stuff? 

Any tranny problems?how many miles

Not sure how to pm but would like to talk about things to look for. Love our r50 Pathfinder. Want to do something like you're doing

Thanks ?

 

Yep, I was on a video from the CANVAZ event in NV last October...complaining about my transmission, no less.  he transmission is "fine", though I just hate it sometimes.  Truck's pushing 182K and seems to get over anything I point the tires towards.

 

Depending on where you're at in WA, there's several PNW guys that get together.  To PM members, just hover over their username (or click it), then you'll see a "Message" link.

 

 

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  • 10 months later...
On 3/1/2021 at 9:25 PM, Francium said:

@hawairish Hi been looking at bumper options for my newly acquired R50 and they are pretty slim, would you be willing to cut anymore brackets so i can fab a bumper? Thanks.

 

Possibly.  I never got around to making any new sets, and in the years that have passed, I've been wanting to do a redesign on my setup.  That may be happening soon.

 

13 hours ago, Fr8Train said:

@hawairish are the front plate CAD files available to download if I wanted to get a local profile cutting company to cut me some out?

 

Undecided on that.  I'd have to see if I still even have originals to work with, but there's a general reluctance to hand-over work like that unfortunately.

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5 hours ago, hawairish said:

Undecided on that.  I'd have to see if I still even have originals to work with, but there's a general reluctance to hand-over work like that unfortunately.

Ok, cheers :)

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