JimyJames Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 how much welding is required on this build? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 how much welding is required on this build? I'd suspect that a qualified welder could have the brackets and nut strips welded up under 2 hours, if I'm understanding the question correctly. I probably took twice that because I am far from qualified, which is why nothing is coming pre-welded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelAndrews Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Can't wait to see what this turns in to for perhaps adapting an XJ bumper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remus92 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I'd suspect that a qualified welder could have the brackets and nut strips welded up under 2 hours, if I'm understanding the question correctly. I probably took twice that because I am far from qualified, which is why nothing is coming pre-welded. That just means it's easier to ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Can't wait to see what this turns in to for perhaps adapting an XJ bumper No promises, of course. Buying another bumper is somewhat out of the budget, but I'd also need a 96-00 truck to see if what dimensional differences exist for the grille. Since XJ bumpers will mount higher, the bumper would need to protrude forward for the winch to clear the grille. As mentioned earlier, it'd also have to be for a specific aftermarket bumper. TowndawgR50 is going to get me some dimensions from his setup so can assess what would be necessary. That just means it's easier to ship. Precisely. Everything fits into a flat-rate USPS box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuasarDecimari Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 This is super awesome, might have to throw some money at you myself if you're still selling this when I get my winch. You mentioned earlier in the post about having a hidden snorkel? I have been trying for a long time to come up with a design for one and I just can't seem to figure out something effective and hidden. I'm not a huge fan of the snorkel look on the pathfinder, and of course that's just preference, but a hidden one would be super cool. Any idea what you might do for that? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturn Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 This is super awesome, might have to throw some money at you myself if you're still selling this when I get my winch. You mentioned earlier in the post about having a hidden snorkel? I have been trying for a long time to come up with a design for one and I just can't seem to figure out something effective and hidden. I'm not a huge fan of the snorkel look on the pathfinder, and of course that's just preference, but a hidden one would be super cool. Any idea what you might do for that? http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/25150-my-new-selectable-air-intake-with-a-little-extra/?p=460747 Fleurys did a sort of hidden snorkel which I shamelessly copied, works good so for, and his thread is well documented. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vikinglife Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Hey wow what a great set up. Your a wizard! I would be interested if it could be shipped to aus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 (edited) Under 200$ shipped sounds amazing, hell I'd be willing to pay more. I have a trail run around March 11th and I'd love to have my winch mounted up before then, any chance I could get a set before then? Sorry, Saturn, time hasn't been on my side since my last post. But, am still working on clean-up. I'm also wanting to wait just a little longer until I can get more of my bumper going so that I can get a better idea on the changes. Progress there has been slow, too, but it's coming together. This is super awesome, might have to throw some money at you myself if you're still selling this when I get my winch. You mentioned earlier in the post about having a hidden snorkel? I have been trying for a long time to come up with a design for one and I just can't seem to figure out something effective and hidden. I'm not a huge fan of the snorkel look on the pathfinder, and of course that's just preference, but a hidden one would be super cool. Any idea what you might do for that? I should clarify that mine likely won't be a true snorkel by any means, but rather a duct re-route somewhere under the fender. There are some universal flex ducts (and not the stuff for clothes dryers) that I was thinking about, but I've not looking into routing options quite yet. I just need something to replace the wonky pre-airbox-airbox. Not necessarily this, but like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J3JGDM2 http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/25150-my-new-selectable-air-intake-with-a-little-extra/?p=460747 Fleurys did a sort of hidden snorkel which I shamelessly copied, works good so for, and his thread is well documented. I remember seeing this approach and thought it was clever. I'd rather not modify the airbox if I can avoid it, but my goal is less for water intrusion and more for getting rid of that ugly pre-box. Hey wow what a great set up. Your a wizard! I would be interested if it could be shipped to aus? It's something I can look into! ... As a small update, things are going slowly. The core bumper is together, still need to tack up the tubes under the channel and do the wings. I toasted my metal-cutting saw blade the other day, so I'm dragging my feet to do the remaining compound cuts I need before I break down and buy either another blade or proper chopsaw. Not sure what it is, but this .120" tube has been exceptionally brutal to both my saw blade and the cut-off wheels I've got, noting that the same blade has cut through .250" steel without issue before. I guess that's a good sign for the bumper, though. Haven't really paused long enough to take more pics than this, unfortunately. But since this pic was taken, I've filled in more welds and smoothed up the tube ends under the fender. Made no progress over the weekend due to being out of town. Edited June 12, 2018 by hawairish 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowndawgR50 Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Pull back on the throttle. Steel requires slower rpms. Blades will last longer. Toss a little oil on there too. Or get a metal chop saw with a carbide tipped blade and never buy a blade again 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 I use a speed controller and carbide-tipped blade, and it's served me well. Wasn't exactly cheap either, so may try to sharpen it up. I need larger chopsaw anyway, but my wallet has been hating me recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturn Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 No problem man, I got my junker yota running! First engine swap I've ever done! Still psyched for a winch bumper though, keep going dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainGoat Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Hawairish, take your time. Im sure it will pay off in little nuances. Plus dont hurry the fun out of it. Were looking forward to your end result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stancliff Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Count me in for the DIY winch bumper brackets...also interested in the front bumper and skid plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 (edited) I'm long overdue on a reply here! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to touch this project for several weeks due to all sorts of stuff, but this week is looking a little promising. Right now, I'm about 85% done with the bumper: I've been driving it around like this for a while, and well...it hasn't rattled off the truck, so I must be doing something right. What remains are mounting the winch solenoid box somewhere, and putting some sort of coating on. The former issue has been a pain...the control box is somewhat large and obnoxious, so I'll likely end up using my CNC router to create a mounting plate from 1/4" ABS sheet and mounting the box vertically in front of the radiator behind the grille, plus some other re-wiring to relocate the remote control plug. More work than I was hoping to do, but whatever. For the latter, I'm leaning towards using Monstaliner and one of their tintable kits, probably just their dark gray (not a fan of black). I'd love to go with an orange color (for bumper, sliders, tire carrier, and rear bumper when done), but I'm not really flashy like that...and there's a small premium on most colors. Of course, that 85% excludes a bunch of other smaller tasks, like blacking out the washer fluid reservoir and deleting the pre-airbox squid. I'm also trying to figure out lighting; might just go with 4 cheapo LED pods inside the angular openings. I've not welded up the skids, but I did make the necessary bends: I achieved my goal of making this a slide-on/off process. Just loosen the six bolts (4 under the radiator support and 2 under the crossmember) maybe 3/4" and slide forward. I may actually weld the two skids together, though that wasn't the original plan, but it'll work fine like that. Reason for wanting two pieces was to have 3/8" of steel plate under the support. With my existing mid-skid plate, I've also got additional layers under the cross member. I may also add some side wings for a little extra covering of. The ribs on the backside of the plate might be a little too close to the sway bar on articulation, but I may just test it out as originally planned. It may only make contact if my front end bottoms out, but when I replace my current OME MDs with HDs soon, that'll rotate the bar upward for more clearance. I can move the skids forward a little to add some clearance, too. .... I've been really slow on making progress towards getting the next set of brackets cut up, for several reasons. But, I've not lost sight of the project. My main concern is seeing a real-world application (mine) and making any corrections or improvements. The other thing is still avoid a repeat of the file snafus from the first set...too much rework on files. I intend to re-CAD my original drawings in another application, and that's just a matter of time becoming familiar with the application. The same application will be use when I get my CNC plasma table...oh yeah, I hinted at it previously, but it's official: I bought a CNC plasma table. I won't see it until June, though, and I'll need all the time until then to get a plasma cutter, air compressor, and electrical drops in the garage. I would like to have the 2nd set of brackets cut by the local shop still, just to not stall getting these out there. There will be a v2 design with the following changes, and I'm open to questions, concerns, and suggestions: Shackle mount depth: the shackle hole will move forward and protrude beyond the face of the bumper. I like the recessed location in general, but it presented some issues when trying to avoid blocking access. Hi-lift flat: one thing I wish I had incorporated was a simple flat spot for the tongue of a Hi-Lift to fit under. This might not be useful for all builds, but would be easy to incorporate. Shackle mount width and/or orientation: The current width is 1-1/8" (3x 3/8"), ideal for a 3/4" shackle. I don't want to change the width, per se, but the layered approach (pieces on each side of the main bracket) created some limitations when determining how to mount the bumper to the brackets. I may reduce the layer to two, giving 3/4" (2x 3/8") of shackle width, which actually seems pretty standard on other bumpers. Fewer attachment plates: the current design uses 3 separate plates for attaching a bumper face to the main brackets. I found this to be a pain, in terms of aligning everything and accounting for metal twisting from welding. The next design will have two plates (one per bracket) only. I will probably have a separate set of places specifically for creating a receiver tube attachment. General main bracket: couple small changes here and there regarding cuts, shape, etc. Hopefully more to follow this week... Edited June 12, 2018 by hawairish 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjotrainbrain Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 That skidplate is absolutely awesome! Obviously I already have a bumper, but I'd be down for a set of those skids whenever their available. Too bad it says Pathfinder (although that's the cool part), but I'm not picky. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelAndrews Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Nice work, take your time I'm sure the community here appreciates you trying to pave the way for others like myself, less inclined to pull something like this off 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 That skidplate is absolutely awesome! Obviously I already have a bumper, but I'd be down for a set of those skids whenever their available. Too bad it says Pathfinder (although that's the cool part), but I'm not picky. Thanks! For a second there, I had to think about what else it would say if not Pathfinder...but once I've got that plasma table operational, it would be trivial to put Infiniti logos/texts, custom stuff, etc., without being tied to quantities. Nice work, take your time I'm sure the community here appreciates you trying to pave the way for others like myself, less inclined to pull something like this off Thanks! I keep telling my wife that if she can just get a job that provides medical for the family, I'll quit mine to just do this stuff! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilca Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Very nice work. Can't wait to see the finished product and the kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I might have to move back to Arizona full-time just to see this work of art coming together in person ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpounds Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 I've been watching this thread with a lot of ooh's and aah's directed at my computer screen. I'm very interested in what you're doing here although I have a lot of other stuff to work on right now. I used to go down to Quartzite and Yuma in my motorhome for the winter and I've been thinking about doing that again except with my Pathfinder and a small trailer. If I decide to do that I could just swing by Surprise and pick this fine work up. Completely interested, take your time and do life and family right first! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainGoat Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Ive already told you but both TowndawgR50 & I are very excited to use your mount as the foundation of new bumpers for our trucks. I love your work. Take the necessary time to get it right & yet not make it such a burden that you dont enjoy it. I think the inclusion of a front receiver would be very handy as well. Hope I get a chance to see you at Overland Expo West this May! Keep up the great work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryboy98 Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 Holy cow, Sorry I'm late to this topic. Is this project still on going? I'm am having to go back to my QX4 as my daily and I'm back on the hunt for a bumper design. I just searched and came up on this thread. For some reason I cannot see photos of anything on this thread but, I'm so desperate I'm willing to go in even without seeing anything. LOL anyone know why I might not be able to see the photos? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted May 21, 2018 Author Share Posted May 21, 2018 Holy cow, Sorry I'm late to this topic. Is this project still on going? I'm am having to go back to my QX4 as my daily and I'm back on the hunt for a bumper design. I just searched and came up on this thread. For some reason I cannot see photos of anything on this thread but, I'm so desperate I'm willing to go in even without seeing anything. LOL anyone know why I might not be able to see the photos? Thanks Not late, I'm just a little stalled for the time being. I'm trying to ramp back up for a v2 of the bracket, but too many other projects at the moment. Hoping to have a much better answer within a month. I still have all the pics, but my image host, Post Image, did something stupid with links. Checking with them to see if they have a better solution before I have to redo everything. Here's the abstract: 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 How did i miss this thread? Such amazing work as per usual -Kyle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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