Bumper/Leaf xmember build up

[XJ Fanatic]

Got the xmember part of the bumper finished over spring break, bout 2 hours more work left to make the ends "legal"


Heres the current pics.

all the steel was free, 1/4 plate, and 3x5 quarter wall box

brackets
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper03.jpg
center tacked into place
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper06.jpg
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper09.jpg
Reciever tacked in place
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper10.jpg
final welds done
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper14.jpg
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper15.jpg
current shots
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper16.jpg
http://xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper17.jpg

[badzook]

Verrry Nice..

Some people are very good at fabbing things up, and it looks like you're one of them...

Very nicely done.... Is that Arc Welded or Mig Welded??

badzook

[XEON]

I just wish I had a welder... :) So I can make some cool custom stuff. The great thing is because its your own and how you want it to be. Not somethgni you buy and get stuck with. Nice work on that. Nice welds :)

[Chris 88 YJ]

Puddle control and bead pattern looks great. You need more heat. This looks like flux core to me? Also, why the switch to leaves?

[XJ Fanatic]

tis is mig...

Yeah the pic is kinda deceptive bout the heat, was talkin to a prof welder last night he said the same thing. It eats into the base metal good. Was a miller 180 set on like 8 heat. There is some depression into the base 1/4 plate as well as the side piece.


Switchin to leaves mainly cus i hate front coil characteristics, and i'd need to go long arms soon anyway, so i am being different. D44, waggy leaves, high steer, premium lockouts.

Should be fun

[ROCKREADYXJ]

I would say that you have your heat to low you should be around 10 on that miller or turn down the wire speed. The wire you are welding with is not diging into the plate to well you can see there are no "bites" taken out. What thick ness wire are you using? you may want to step it up to .035 get a lite better bite for thicker metals.

The millermatic 180 don't remember that model I know the 175 is the small 220v machine goes up to 1/4. then the next one is the 210 up to 3/8. I used to have one and the 251. But now I only use Lincolns. Found they last better.

[XJ Fanatic]

yeah i use lincolns thats my neighbors welder, it did bit into the metal, this pic just is at an angle that the reflection didnt happen.

I'm going to grind the welds down and make 2-3 passes with my lincoln 135 to eat in a little better, i've done 1/4 successfully that way before. I gotta pull the bumper off one more time to finish the ends anyway

[ROCKREADYXJ]

the reflection or not I can tell its not hot enough. and you are holding the torch to close. It will hold but it will not have its maximum hold strenght I know that those welders say they weld 1/4 but they dont unless you have inershield or flux core. That will produce a hotter weld. giveing you more power out of your smaller welder.

If you need some pointers or some help let me know. neither one of those machines is actually strong enough unless you use flux core.

[XJ Fanatic]

i'll be using flux when i reweld it this weekend, and yeah that was my last weld of the project so vision was gettin a lil worse by than

[ROCKREADYXJ]

so whay the leaf conversion?? I have longarms and coilovers nothing rides better I can't understand why you would wan't to do that?

[XJ Fanatic]

http://www.xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper-02.jpg


Fucked up a lil bit but nothing that a grinder and 2 minutes cant fix, the one end angles too far inward.


Gettin the waggy axle in the next 2 weeks along with springs, so i'll have the shackle mounts done shortly after. than everything is finished.

i'll get some day time pics today when i go down to the jeep

[XJ Fanatic]

so whay the leaf conversion?? I have longarms and coilovers nothing rides better I can't understand why you would wan't to do that?

Why well first we have to understand i'm in college. Second there are certain characteristics i dont like about coils and link setups, third, i can do this affordably, get a beefier axle, better steering and real hubs and be done with the jeep for the next two years till i grad from college.


I've heard everyone thats done the leaf conversion say they need coils in the rear to even out the flex, to me thats plenty up front, along with that they also like the ride.... That being said i wanted something not so common and something easy and cheap to tune as i need to in the next few years, that is for wheel base, ride height etc. With what i have available to fab right now long arms were a little otu of the way. I also like just haveing to weld 2 perces and 2 shock mounts onto the axle and being done with that setup.

When it comes down to it, more than anything i actually have 2 xjs in my care, 1's mine the other is my girls, heres will get LA, mine gets leaves and rear coils prolly or rear coil overs, i can do the leaves, d44, warn premium hubs, highsteer drag link, ps flat top for about 550, i can do long arms for about 700 That 150 bux is one new irok.

When in college money talks this is efficient and easy and will get me through for the next 2 years, because right now i dont have th etime to fab long arms, and this needs to be done soon, the jeep needs a front end overhaul or its gonna drive me nuts, nothing works right up there anymore 200k and stock everything will do that though when exposed to 36 tsls

[XJ Fanatic]

daytime pics...
http://www.xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper-001.jpg
http://www.xjfanatic.com/tech/bumper-002.jpg

[XEON]

Looks good! Nice work! Its better to have a homemade one then spend $600 on a fabed one :)

Nice work!

[XJ Fanatic]

Looks good! Nice work! Its better to have a homemade one then spend $600 on a fabed one :)

Nice work!

especially since no aftermarket bumper will suite my needs, now i just need to mount up the shackle tabs, get the front axle and swap away :D