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Post by jeepfever on Sept 26, 2006 21:36:00 GMT -4
I visited a local welding shop in my town and asked him to build me a simple rear bumper for my YJ. The stock YJ "bumperettes" are useless on the trail. Originally I asked for a 2" hitch recepticle but then he offered to also drill out two holes for tow point shackles and paint it for me. Its a 4" by 4" angle iron made from 3/8" stock. Pretty sturdy and weighs about 35 lbs. I haven't figured out to post pics yet but I do know how to post links. i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/LibertyFever/Jeepin/Projects/New_Rear_Bumper_Installed.jpgi147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/LibertyFever/Jeepin/Projects/New_Bumper_Profile.jpgGetting it on was as difficult as removing the "bumperettes", there's four nuts on the inside of the bumper that are hard to reach. He charged me $200 which I thought it was a fair price considering all the work he did. My next project is the front bumper. I don't want to replace the entire thing but I do want a brush bar/winch plate combination.
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Post by Paul Boudreau on Sept 26, 2006 21:52:04 GMT -4
randy the winch plate usually come with the winch
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Post by jeepfever on Sept 26, 2006 21:57:21 GMT -4
Gee Paul, are you stalking me or something? I'm not really considering the winch plate idea anymore but I do like your idea of replacing the entire front bumper with a sturdy "C" channel with a brush bar welded to it. Any ideas Paul as to how long I should make it?
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Post by Paul Boudreau on Sept 26, 2006 22:00:17 GMT -4
well talk about it friday at the mcdo
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Post by Dr. Burkeee on Sept 27, 2006 7:09:24 GMT -4
Bumper looks nice, but... Drill holes and weld a reciever to a piece of angle? I would have, and I'm sure any other enthusiast with a welder would have done that for a six pack. $200! Yikes. Maybe I'm missing some gold plating or diamond studding that was done to the backside that you can't see in the pictures.
Paul
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Post by SocialWheeler on Sept 27, 2006 7:55:51 GMT -4
200 is a big number... hope you were well lubricated. ;D
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justajeep
Moderator
Valley - VP
Bear River, NS
Posts: 7,214
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Post by justajeep on Sept 27, 2006 8:40:22 GMT -4
I wasn't going to say anything, but seeing it's already been mentioned, $200 isn't a good deal on that. Might be $50 worth of steel, and the work to build that sure isn't worth $150. But if you're happy, that's all that matters.
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Big G
Hardcore
Posts: 5,146
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Post by Big G on Sept 27, 2006 8:49:23 GMT -4
X2
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Post by Paul Boudreau on Sept 27, 2006 9:11:27 GMT -4
i tought 200 buck was a lot too but i didn't want to burts your bubull so i kept quiet ...until now
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Creepy
Administrator
Dartmouth
Posts: 18,718
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Post by Creepy on Sept 27, 2006 11:54:53 GMT -4
He charged me $200 which I thought it was a fair price considering all the work he did. $30 for the steel, tops 1. cut 4x4 to length - 5 minutes 2. plamsa/torch holes for shackles - 5 minutes 3. grind area for weld - 5 minutes 4. weld on reciever - 10 minutes 5. paint - 10 minutes ouch. there's nothing wrong with it at least. you just paid a lot.
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bill richards
Jeeper
Millwood Marauder
mud re-freshener
Posts: 4,169
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Post by bill richards on Sept 27, 2006 15:03:04 GMT -4
Granted it's not a great price, but like he said, it was a "fair" price considering he walked into a welding shop. It's not like this was done by a fellow jeeper who does this sort of thing as a hobby. These guys are in the business of making money. For your front bumper, you may want to steer clear of the welding shops... generally you can get exactly what you're after for less. Plus you'll get to hang around and learn something. Post up here or on the NB board when you're ready for the front. I'm sure someone will help you out.
And Len... how much did you pay for your old ZJ bumper that weighed 600 pounds and was used for a week?
Bill
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Post by SocialWheeler on Sept 27, 2006 17:48:11 GMT -4
More than that. LMAO Having been not lubricated at all from that experience I feel qualified to this time be the rider as opposed to being the ridee. ;D Thats why I stay away from welding shops. Good memory Bill, I had totally forgotten about that bumper. O the joys of early Jeep ownership.
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Post by jeepfever on Sept 27, 2006 22:31:24 GMT -4
Thanks for the feedback guys.
I must confess I am new to Jeeps and didn't know better not to walk into a welding shop looking to have a bumper fabricated.
I certainly didn't expect to pay as much as $200 but hey, I thought it was worth it. It is pretty sturdy.
The next time I need metal work done, like the front bumper, I'll steer clear of the welding shops and head over to a friend with a welder.
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Creepy
Administrator
Dartmouth
Posts: 18,718
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Post by Creepy on Sept 27, 2006 23:10:56 GMT -4
well the thing is made right at least. with the homemade guys ya get into the whole world of bad design. some people shouldn't be allowed to own a welder, but they do and they build crappy stuff. the design is just as important as laying a bead. and you'll pay for it all, one way or another. i guess, $200 for that, tax in, good design and bolted on......it's not totally outrageuos or anything, its just us guys around hali and the valley have access to a good group of people to build stuff. we are used to a bit lower price - but that's all from home shops with no overhead and no tax. don't feel bad about it - you mighta saved a few $$, but hey, it's on there and you know now to ask around a bit first. it would be worse if you had a bumper welded to the sheetmetal for a towpoint, huh? now go back into something! ;D
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justajeep
Moderator
Valley - VP
Bear River, NS
Posts: 7,214
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Post by justajeep on Sept 28, 2006 8:36:33 GMT -4
Yes, those damn welding type shops, I'm glad I don't own...oh yeah, nevermind.
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