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Front Bumper Mk.2

From 1983 Ford Bronco “That dirty old truck” — documented by Steve83.

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1983 Ford Bronco - This is the plan: a C8x11.5 (just like the previous one) with some 1/4" plate attached by square tubes to the frame, and a fold-down t… 1983 Ford Bronco - There's barely room for the trim & the fairlead, which will be partially hidden. 1983 Ford Bronco - This is how I start a bumper! 1983 Ford Bronco - A couple of cutting wheels later, and I have the core of the bumper. 1983 Ford Bronco - I'm really enjoying my new (used) drill press. 1983 Ford Bronco - Good thing I added an inch to the bumper mounts, or the gearbox would hit the core support. [url=http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/… 1983 Ford Bronco - One of the motor drive cover bolts is VERY close to the condenser bracket bolt on the core support. But since I have poly body mounts, neit… 1983 Ford Bronco - With the winch drum centered between the frame rails, there's barely a half inch between the motor & the R frame tab (where the green wires… 1983 Ford Bronco - I found these 1 1/4" (cross-section) shackles (galvanized cast iron) on sale at the Hot Springs AR off-road park, and they turned out… 1983 Ford Bronco - The bull nose gives these drawbars a finished look, and probably strengthens them slightly. I had planned to make them from solid 2" s… 1983 Ford Bronco - It's not welded in yet, but this bar will stow the cable hook and also be strong enough to use as a recovery point. It mimics the plastic d… 1983 Ford Bronco - The hook storage bar is now fully welded-in, and the top front panel is going on tomorrow. 1983 Ford Bronco - Ouch - need T-shirts with SLIGHTLY longer sleeves. 1983 Ford Bronco - Scattered showers & a tornado warning kept me indoors most of the day, so I cut the front plates, and then ducked out to weld them on betwe… 1983 Ford Bronco - The plating on the front face includes slots for this turbo-diesel (& high-trim) bumper pad. It will help this bumper look more like it bel… 1983 Ford Bronco - With the front plating & the structure that holds it in place, the center section of the bumper is now honeycombed, making it even stronger… 1983 Ford Bronco - This 3/8" chain link will not only prevent the shackle pin from coming out (while the draw bar is fully-inserted), but it can also wor… 1983 Ford Bronco - The front plates are just tacked on while I fit & square everything. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. I really like the aftermarket pro… 1983 Ford Bronco - I had this drop of 1/4" plate rolled into a 12" O.D. at a local fab shop. 1983 Ford Bronco - After laying out the angle of the front panels onto the curve, I cut the bumper corners out. 1983 Ford Bronco - It's coming together just the way I planned. 1983 Ford Bronco - The alignment looks perfect. 1983 Ford Bronco - After torching the curve into the upper angled strips, I tacked them all together & cut the angled curve onto the corners. I'm not quite re… 1983 Ford Bronco - It looks more complete than it actually is... IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. 1983 Ford Bronco - I think these are all the parts I need to finish the front bumper, & replace a part I never liked on the rear bumper. They came off a plasm… 1983 Ford Bronco - I hand-bent this 1" lip. 1983 Ford Bronco - The outboard top panel (below the headlight) is just resting in place while I check its fit, and several other parts. The front receivers a… 1983 Ford Bronco - I spent a lot of time taking measurements before drawing these panels, but I was still surprised by how well this fit. I hope the rest come… 1983 Ford Bronco - This will cover the winch, but it'll be easy to slide out, and it's strong enough to stand on. [url=http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/reg… 1983 Ford Bronco - I was never happy with the previous door on this bumper, and I finally came up with a revised design that I think I'll like. So while I was… 1983 Ford Bronco - I wish I hadn't cut so much off the curved ends - they don't reach back (up in the pic) far enough, so I'll be butt-welding some on later.… 1983 Ford Bronco - This plate will cover the winch, but it can be pulled out for access, or to use as a step. I might add a hidden latch later, but it won't h… 1983 Ford Bronco - Despite the complexity, and all the mistakes I made during fabrication, the first storage box & its door are coming together reasonably wel… 1983 Ford Bronco - It's looking pretty close to what I wanted. I just hope the other side comes out the same... [url=http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media… 1983 Ford Bronco - The uprights for the grille guard are fabricated from 1/4" plate, and include internal latches for the folding mechanism. The pins wil… 1983 Ford Bronco - I cut off the tack welds holding the R box together and added that grille guard mechanism. The tubing for the actual guard should be here M… 1983 Ford Bronco - This lever operates the latch at the bottom of the upright, inside the bumper, but I'm not happy with it... 1983 Ford Bronco - Crossbars going in. It looks like the body might be ~1/16" low on the driver's side because the bumper is dead-square to the frame. Th… 1983 Ford Bronco - Can you tell which welds were done with the gas hose pinched off? 1983 Ford Bronco - It's taking a long time, and several skim passes in some places followed by a LOT of grinding, but the joints are coming out about the way… 1983 Ford Bronco - I got the nerve up to start building the L door today, and I almost finished it. It fits at least as well as the other, but there's a lot m… 1983 Ford Bronco - These storage compartment doors are heavy & difficult-to-build, so I don't want them falling off or getting misplaced. I've since revised t… 1983 Ford Bronco - These doors are heavy & difficult-to-build, so I don't want them falling off or getting misplaced. 1983 Ford Bronco - The front bumper doors fit so well & slide so easily that one fell off on this drive. I ran over it, but there was no damage. I'll get to w… 1983 Ford Bronco - This went a lot faster than I expected - only about 4 hours including cleanup. I still may add a flat bar (1/4" plate) between the hea… 1983 Ford Bronco - I'm not really happy with these curves, but they're as good as I could do for now. They'll keep the shackles from swinging forward as I dri… 1983 Ford Bronco - I was sweating these latches, but they came out at least as good as I expected. The door can be installed without touching the latch, and t… 1983 Ford Bronco - My thumb is still sore, but the winch is back in. I'll probably stress-test the whole thing later this week... IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, c… 1983 Ford Bronco - I removed the torch-rolled shackle keepers and installed these bandsaw-cut pipe crescents, which look & fit much better. And I added the he… 1983 Ford Bronco - This leg will prevent the guard from being pushed back into the headlights. But the tab it fits onto still allows the guard to be tilted. T… 1983 Ford Bronco - These became really complicated, but they turned out at least as well as I expected. Much better than my previous attempt: [url=http://www.… 1983 Ford Bronco - There are still a few internal things to do, but the outside is done. It came out pretty close to my original sketch. [url=http://www.super… 1983 Ford Bronco - YEAH! That looks a LOT better! I had a little mishap with an air compressor... It's a long story. 1983 Ford Bronco - Looking good, but I still want to sandblast & powdercoat the whole front bumper eventually. [url=https://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/regis… 1983 Ford Bronco - Looking good, but I still want to sandblast & powdercoat the whole front bumper eventually. [url=http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/… 1983 Ford Bronco - Yeah, the fold-down grille guard works. And it's at least as strong as I had hoped. UPDATE: Turns out, it's a helluvalot stronger... [url=h… 1983 Ford Bronco - A screenshot of the CAD drawing for the revised front bumper. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. [url=https://www.3ds.com/products-servic… 1983 Ford Bronco - A solid bumper starts at the frame. A solid grill guard does, too. [url=https://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/1056125] https://www.sup…