Remove all the plastic and this is what you get:
Cut the corners:
No bumper, but I have steel:
Put the new one in place, this is a 4"x2"x3/16" piece of steel, I choose this thickness for strength, certainly not for weight saving - its heavy:
Close the hatch to make sure it fits:
It is not straight across, there is a 7 degree bend:
And from the side, the ends need finishing and there is a space to fill:
That is what you see from the outside, underneath the bracing is what adds the strength to jack, tow, and take impact. Behind the reciever is this plate bolted through the floor, I choose to pin the bumper to the plate so that it can be removed for whatever reason while still leaving all the under parts in place (they won't come out as easy once the tank is in):
And on the uni-body frame:
This bent pipe will connect the back of the reciever plate to the frame pieces for bracing:
Under the carpet on the inside is a large steel plate (44" x 18" x 1/8") that acts to spread loads on the bolts across the floor. By spreading the load I hope that it is stout enough for my purposes. That is what is complete to date. The second stage will involve a swing out tire carrier on the passenger side and a fuel can holder on the other. Also grinding and painting when it is all done. I will continue to update progress.
James
Call me BCDelica-less
Have you gotten that 35gallons of filtered veg yet? Totally keep a template, I am interested in a bumper like yours... really interested. And I should do it before I install a tank also... I'm loving the updates. Keep up the good work.
