OK - So I had some 2" square stock, and an old shower stall safety grab handle laying around. - Figured I could make use of it. - - Here's my new rear step bumper.
Saitcho: They're pretty stout, but if you really tried, you could bend them. But what I really wanted was something to give me a little warning if I got a little too close to something backing up, instead of denting my tailgate.
Arty, I like your intuitiveness! Very professional workmanship! I don't know how much weight that would support, especially the farther out you go, as you understand. I'm not trying to nock your project at all, but my thoughts are simply this. I know that I'm a little over 200 lbs. and just when your not looking, the 250lb. or more friend will jump up on it at possibly bend or break it! For me a bumper is back there to kinda BUMP things, as you said to protect your tailgate, which I do like, your thinking! I have a tendency to over build things, taking the weight of the material install in mind, but again, I truly do appreciate, the way that you took advantage of something not being used, and utilized it! Just my thoughts! Limestone
I'm a bit like you Limestone, in the fact that I do tend to overbuild things, but in this case I just used up some stuff I had lying around. In other vehicles I used to just leave the hitch ball in place - and be damned if it caused some nasty grill damage to someone rear ending me, but around here there is apparently a by-law stating that it's illegal to leave your ball hitch on if you're not actually towing something. The police got on a tear, and started ticketing people with their ball hitch still on if they coulodn't find anything else to fine you for. - - Thus my new rear "bumper". - I expect it will still leave a mark if you rear-end me.
I get you Arty! As far as two sides of the coin goes. I know more people who would leave their hitch in, and it would become so rusted up that it would take a torch, when needing to remove it! I taught my wife yrs. ago, when walking through a parking lot at night, in a shopping center, not to cut through isles, between vehicles, especially trucks, with hitches left on, their knee busters! On my F 150, that I bought a couple yrs ago. I built a hitch mounted, corner step, that goes into, the bumper, and I usually put in on at hunting camp, making it easier to climb up and down into the bed of the truck, with the cap on! Simply because today's pick up trucks are more stylish, than practical working vehicles, hence the raised height on these trucks! They must know something, because they keep posting record sales, and everyone else seems to copy, and follow! I built the step hitch in three pieces, with reflective tape, on the rear face, in case I head out on the road with it on, trying to prevent the whole rear end thing! On the top of the corner steps, I put some coarse sand grit in the paint, when I painted the diamond plate 1/4 steel, for step pads, for extra grip. When hunting, your boots are usually wet and slippery! I kinda don't like falling! LOL! Limestone
Looks good Dave! Very practical, especially, to step up on, when climbing in the bed. The tubular, stylish, round material, for a bumper looks nice, but it's easier to slip off of, if needed to climb on! I like your square tube choice, plus it's easier to fab to, and work with, square corners, so to speak! Limestone
OK - so you guys were right. - It took me about 2 weeks to fold my "shower stall" bumper in half. - (Backed into a rock pile - - I'm using my stiff neck as an excuse.) So here's my new model. - I searched in my scrap pile, and found two old legs from a kitchen chrome set - got some black iron pipe that slid perfectly snug inside the legs as stiffener, cut , welded, painted, polished etc. and came up with the result pictured below. - You couild still cave it in if you tried since it's only mounted from the middle, but still, it's pretty stiff and tougher than the old one. - I'll try to avoid rock piles in the future.
Arty, I'm gonna go out on a limb, like I tend to do! Yeah, I've been known to overkill, and overbuil, things, maybe a little on the heavier duty side, but I's always worked, and I didn't have to re due it!!! Look at what Dave is doing, and look at what others have done, and then look at what you did, and now what your doing. I'm all about keeping the weight down on these little trucks, and being care full, not to add too much to these little trucks by overbuilding them, and I'm all about saving a buck and, re purposing things, but I think you need to find a better scrap pile to work from! LOL! The pickin's are getting slim. When you get an idea do you run with it, or do you mull it over a little and think maybe, I better try to improve on that? I think you run with your first notion! Hey, I know were not spring chickens any more but, throw them darn shower curtain rods away, and find some thing that you can be proud of putting on that mini of yours! I wish that we were closer to each other, cause I'd hook you up! Look around the sight and expand your idea horizon! I hope your laughing at me! You wouldn't be the first!LOL!!! Limestone
Arty, I'm glad you could, take it that way! You'll get your turn at me. I can take it! LOL!!! Limestone
OK - I know "bumper envy" when I see it! - - Actually, it's tougher than it looks. - - (But I admit I didn't jump up and down. - No point in whipping a dead horse.)
Oh Yeah,Dave, Been strippin legs my whole life! My son and my Brother in law,(Marine Corps Vet's), both said that I missed my calling. Should have been a Drill Sergeant! Lol! Just don't know how to beat around the bush! I'd never make it in politics! Limestone
I like that. I don't like to sugar coat things myself. If someone thinks I screwed up tell me. I keep an open mind. Thinking of putting 2 LED lights on the front I haven't done any wiring on this thing read it's a lot different than what we are accustomed to? Just thought I'd run a whole new circuit to the battery. Any thoughts.
I can see pretty good in front of me, changed all lights to LED put some running ground lights in front bumper if you can call it that and hooked up these on the back just disconnected the little backup light & they come on when in reverse no problem seeing behind me now
I plan on doing mine in the near future, also. Jigs and Fixture can weigh in also, he has a link for the LED, conversion also, that he used! These Guy's are the lighting Gurus, having done it already! I know when I do, go ahead to do mine, I;ll be reviewing what they've done! I like what installer's done with his. Pretty cool, all the resources that we have, through the network, that we keep building on! Limestone
Here is what I used for the LED headlights. I had read all kinds of posts here & there about High & low beams working & not working cause of polarity ? anyway I used these items & It was painless unplug old plug in new attach ground wire. Now I don't know if the converter works for other model trucks as I have no experience other than with my old Suzuki carry Regards Brian
I installed a few LED on my truck and I did a brand new circuit. I dont like messing with existing stuff. I ran 2 wires from the battery to the cab and installed 2 distribution blocks. All my circuit end up to these blocks. Make sure you use relay for your switches.
Here is what I did for a front bumper. To satisfy one of the many things I had to do to get my truck certified here in Saskatchewan, the inspector told me there wasn't enough crash protection in the front of the truck, (the plastic bumper wasn't enough) and that I would have to add some channel iron to pass inspection. I wasn't happy about it, because I wanted the truck to look reasonably close to stock - so--. I used a pricey piece of 4"x2"x1/4" channel, cut, bent, shaped, drilled, welded etc. to fit under the stock bumper. - -You can't really tell it's there. It's bolted to the front of the frame horns, so it's pretty solid.
Dave they have ground controlled lighting, so even though they have a standard plug for teh headlights, it has a hot to what would normally be the ground, and then controls which element is lit, by opening and closing the ground. Works fine with incandescent lighting. Won’t work with LEDs because with them the polarity matters. Easiest way to to buy a really kit, which uses one of the stock headlight sockets to control two relays, one for high and one for low beam. I ran a power feed from the battery to the headlight well, and installed the relays in the well behind the new LED headlights, and fished the new socket across behind the facia panel which runs above the “bumper” from headlight to headlight. I used the same area to get speaker wire from one side of the truck to the other. This is the kit I used. If you’re feeling handy you could definitely make one up, but this is really quick, and not that much more than the cost of the relays and sockets. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6W1PMK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RXjMFb8DCQ93S
