The_Magicians_Eye

Yes it hits the area where the upper mount is. That's on the frame not the body. Look at the picture you will see scratches where the sway bar hits at full flex. It's no big deal but if you had any part of the link still attached to the upper mount the sway bar would hit it. You see what I'm saying?

Here is the problem with a quick disconnect on the rear. The end of the sway bar will move up and down as the axle moves. It will actually move so far up that it will hit the bottom of the truck. That's not a problem if you don't have the link hanging strait down. A quick disconnect will always have part of the connecting link hanging strait down from the upper mount. So imagine how long the link will last with the sway bar moving up and down and hitting it. Our best bet is to just remove the upper link mount on one side and swing the link down and zip tie it to the sway bar so it stays out of the way. Or just completely remove it.

Rocker shafts are more than likely really warn out too. When I changed my lifters I found that out the hard way.

Air flow and hi-lift mounts. I'd block half the radiator if I didn't cut the holes for air flow. Turn signals are on the grill now.

No a 4x4 sheet would be too small. The top plate on the bumper is longer than 48 inches. We used the stock mounts as a template for the upper mounts. However there was quite a bit of fitting, measuring, cutting, and tack welding to make sure everything was right where we wanted it. We started with the top plate. Made sure we got the curve of the grill just right and then created the corners (the parts that requires the fenders to be cut). After that we made the front center plate. Made sure it was center and square. Then we placed it on the truck holding it up with a floor jack. Made sure it was right where we wanted it. Bolted the stock mounts in with a 3/16th spacer between the mount and the frame. Then we tacked the stock mounts to the bumper. Pulled the bumper and then used that as a template for the new mount. Once we created the new mount we cut the old one off. Hope that helps.

I used a very thin disk on a 4.5 grinder. Just went slow to try an avoid getting it too hot. Metal lol. ???? Sorry I'm not quite sure what you are asking. Upper mount is 3/16th plate like the rest of the bumper. Lower mount we used some angle iron and some 3/16th plate to create a more boxed in mount. We wanted to use square tube but the stuff we had was too thin and we couldn't find a steel yard open. So we did it the hard way. I hope that answers your question. If not please explain a little more.

Great idea. I'll be pulling one on my next trip to the wrecking yard and see how I like it. If nothing more maybe I can use it for the rear bumper.

Disconnect one one side. The other side will hold it out of the way. That's what I did. This is really the only option short of taking the whole thing off. Our sway bars are attached to the live axle rather than the frame of the truck. Because of that there isn't any option (other than what I said above) to keep the sway bar out of the way. When the axle moves it's going to move. Securing it to something else will still have the same effect as leaving one side attached. I'd rather rely on the stock mount that some bailing wire or some other half ass way of doing the same thing.

May just hit you up on that offer once I figure out what needs to be done to my credit to buy a house up there. If all else fails I guess we'll rent but we're trying to avoid that option like the plague. It's real frustrating I wanted to move up there this summer and now it looking like next spring.

Here is it all finished.

The bed liner is going on it right now. First coat on the inside of the bumper is on and drying right now. I'm using Dupli-Color BED ARMOR. Hope it turns out good. Most likely will only use two coats on the inside and 3 on the outside were it's most likely to take some damage.

It's legal in AZ. Forgot about the front plate issue when I move to NY but I can always make a receiver cap that acts as a plate mount. I have new LED strip lights that I'm using for turn signals. They are mounted to the lower corners of the grill. Once I get the plate mount it should be legal in every state. AZ doesn't require a front plate.

$180 for a full 4'x8' sheet. That's enough for both front and back bumpers with some left over as long as you plan your cuts and use your material wisely.

Got my ball mount and trailer wiring in the mail so I installed those. I also installed some little 6 inch LED strip lights that I'm now using for turn signals. In the pic below you can see them on the lower corners of the grill. I got them from the local parts store. They stick on with double sided tape.

So I got my ball mount in the mail today. It worked. The trailer jack is far enough away where I can tow it. It's still pretty tight. I'll have to be really careful not to turn too tight. I'm still going to move it back though. I'll be taking the trailer with me when I go to get the rear bumper made and the rock sliders and have the guy help me mover the jack back just for peace of mind. Anyway here is a pick of my dirty ass pathy with the trailer hooked to it. Ready to hit the road. One step closer to my mover to Syracuse NY.

When I pull it off to put the bed liner on it I'll take some better pics and give some measurements. I ordered a full 4x8 sheet of metal. I've only used about a third of it on the front bumper. I'll have plenty to do the rear bumper and still have some left over for something else.

3/16th

Yes I do. Black hood, Roof, Rear Hatch and Rockers. And thanks. It just now started to rain in my neighborhood for the first time in God knows how many months. I coated the bumper in cooking oil but I don't have high hope that I won't wake of to a nicely rusted bumper lol.

Or E. get the right ECU and don't worry about it lol

Thanks. I just now finished smoothing everything out. Now I have to plan to remove it and hit it with bed liner.

By the way I'm now eligible for Truck of The Month for August. This is my 102nd post

No plans for a body lift. If I ever doing any type of "lift" it will be with a SAS but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Plus this bumper would work great with a SAS because I have the clearance to move the axle forward a couple inches.

Thank you. The guy in the pics did all the welding and plasma cutting. I was just the assistant and the one calling the shots on the design. And I was the jack ass the grabbed the receiver with my bare hand right after he welded a plate to it.

Thank you