Front bumper build
Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 8:45 am
Well I finally got started making my bumper as per previously posted thread:
http://www.cntc.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3406
This is what it should look like when done:
I have changed the material to 1-3/4” x 1/8” wall CREW tube for the body of the bumper. I started out with DOM but could not bend it. I actually ruined a $40 length of DOM to find out. I tired 4 different bends with various techniques in my PA bender and all either kinked the tube or cracked it. To solve the problem I contacted my buddy who builds race car tube frames and roll cages. He checked out my design and confirmed that CREW will be more than sufficient for the application and the extra cost of DOM is not worth it. I ended up buying and cutting the tubes to length and got him to do the bends for me with the money I saved on material.
Progress this weekend was slow as I was fitting the main pieces to the X. I had to fine tune most of the critical bends – something that the PA bender is quite sufficient to perform. Adding a little bit more bend or taking a little bend out of the tube as I progressed.
Working in four different planes has been quite challenging in my basic shop which is really set up for woodworking. Most of the notching will be done with a Pro-Tools notcher I bought for this project but some of the notches are done with hand and eye by nibbling away at the material and doing constant test fits.
All of the critical pieces have now been tacked in place so I am hoping progress will speed up.
Here is what it looks like at this point:
I am posting my build pics here if you want to follow along:
http://s822.photobucket.com/albums/zz14 ... %20Bumper/
http://www.cntc.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3406
This is what it should look like when done:
I have changed the material to 1-3/4” x 1/8” wall CREW tube for the body of the bumper. I started out with DOM but could not bend it. I actually ruined a $40 length of DOM to find out. I tired 4 different bends with various techniques in my PA bender and all either kinked the tube or cracked it. To solve the problem I contacted my buddy who builds race car tube frames and roll cages. He checked out my design and confirmed that CREW will be more than sufficient for the application and the extra cost of DOM is not worth it. I ended up buying and cutting the tubes to length and got him to do the bends for me with the money I saved on material.
Progress this weekend was slow as I was fitting the main pieces to the X. I had to fine tune most of the critical bends – something that the PA bender is quite sufficient to perform. Adding a little bit more bend or taking a little bend out of the tube as I progressed.
Working in four different planes has been quite challenging in my basic shop which is really set up for woodworking. Most of the notching will be done with a Pro-Tools notcher I bought for this project but some of the notches are done with hand and eye by nibbling away at the material and doing constant test fits.
All of the critical pieces have now been tacked in place so I am hoping progress will speed up.
Here is what it looks like at this point:
I am posting my build pics here if you want to follow along:
http://s822.photobucket.com/albums/zz14 ... %20Bumper/