Project freebie!

Wow thanks for the comments. There are quite a few really detailed builds on here as well as the IH parts america readers rides forum. I usually try to look for posts that have multiple pages cause it usually means the project hasn't stalled. Lots of good info and inspiration.

To answer your question yes I got excellent penetration on my plug welds. The metal was pretty thick so I was able to turn the heat up pretty high. Once the floor panels were laid onto the floor braces I take a pick tool or screwdriver and stick it down into the plug weld hole to scrape away the paint just in that spot. I realize some of the paint burns away during the weld but I was trying to coat as much metal as possible to prevent rust in the future.

 

I finally started building a front bumper for Freebie and it’s about time. Been driving it too long without. To start I completely rebuilt an old Hickey Sidewinder winch including all new seals, bearings, bushings and a new motor. I have been building the bumper to accommodate the winch. The bumper is made from 3/16” steel and the recovery hooks are 1/2”x4” flat bar. I used my plasma cutter to cut all the pieces and have tack welded it all together. Just need to final weld and build the top bar. The piece that mounts to the frame I took to a shop to have it bent in a press break. I also not only have the two bolts the go through the stock bumper location but also have 2 bolts that go through the horizontal holes just inboard of the vertical ones.

 

Nice work !

 

Well it took a while but I got the front bumper done finally. I purchased plans online to build my own tubing bender. www.gottrikes.com if anyone is interested in building their own bender. It calls for an air over hydraulic ram From Harbor Freight. I decided I wanted to add a hydraulic ram with log splitter valve an electric motor and pump and a fluid reservoir so that I could use it anywhere there is a 110v outlet. No need for compressed air! I did this cause I want to build some tube rocker steps a roll bar or cage as well as the final piece for the bumper. Plus I think its a cool tool to have. Anyway here are the final pics of the front bumper build. I do still need to wire the winch and spool the cable into it but I am happy with how it turned out.

 

Very nice work on the bumper and on your scout sir !

 

I'd like to see the finished tubing bender in action also.

 

Thanks Vince. I will add a pic of the finished bender to the post. I do have a couple videos of it but the forum tells me they are too large to load onto the thread so not sure what I can do about that.

 

Here are some pics of the finished tubing bender. I was very happy with its performance. The round tube on the bumper is 1 3/4 11ga which is close to .120 wall thickness. It bent it without hesitation. I plan to build the roll bar or roll cage (haven’t decided yet) out of 1 3/4 tube also. Anyone know how I could add a video of the bender in action?





This was my first bend. Wanted to do a full 180 to confirm it would do it.

 

Upload your vids to YouTube and copy and paste the link here.

 

Sweet. I have a jd2 model 32 with air over hydraulics that works quite well. I would imagine you could bend .250 wall with your setup. Nicely done !

 

Wow! Nice fab work on that bumper and the bender!! Thanks for posting the build info on the bender too. I think I will follow your lead on that - something I've wanted to add to the shop for awhile now.

 

Thanks for the comments guys. Yeah this bender works very well. It uses Pro-Tools 105 dies. If I had just used the air over hydraulic ram i think I would have had maybe $300 into it not including dies. I only have one die right now the 1 3/4” and it was $500 shipped for the 180* the 90* are quite a bit cheaper.

 

Thought I would post another update on my apparent never ending build. Always something to do on the ole Scout! I finally got around to building a roll bar. I built it so I could add 3 point seat belts front and rear here in the near future. I also decided I needed some tunes so I used the original center console as a template and made it a little longer and 4” taller. It’s not perfect but it works well for me.

Console is made from 16 gauge steel and would have been a lot nicer if I had a sheet metal brake that could do 16 gauge without deflecting. Anyways I bought a new console lid from IH Parts America (has deeper cup holders than the original and is well made). I hid my stereo amps in the bottom and bolted some angle iron to the sides so I could have a false floor for the storage compartment. I simply remove the carpeted wood pieces to access the amps. I also found a nice lockable slam latch that’s works well for this application. Obviously its not super secure but better than nothing.

 

That's a great place for the amps. I put mine under the seats where they tend to collect dirt. Do you have some ventilation?

If you need anything bent in the future try Roadrunner fabrication. They broke my gas tank skid plate for a good price.

 

How did you separate the A-pillar from the rocker panel? I'm going through virtually the same process, but this is my first time and I'm discovering what needs to be replaced as I go. This thread is exceedingly helpful! Appreciate the time you invested in posting. I have rust-through on my tranny tunnel so i'm planning to cut out the profile and add some "framing" where the floor plans join together. I hope to add a cross member provided I can cab-off to add some rigidity, but we'll see. Can't hurt anything over sheet metal.

Thanks,

Matt

 

Awesome work and welcome to the free project club so many cool builds on here its impossible to keep up with them all

 

Hi Matt, are you replacing the full length of the rocker panel? I always peel away old metal in layers to avoid taking too much. I use a cutoff wheel with an 1/8” thick abrasive wheel and grind directly on the spot welds until a ring forms. Hard to explain but a ring will form once you have ground through the first layer of steel. At that point stop grinding and try to put a wedge or pry tool between the two pieces of metal and it should pop apart. If it doesn’t you may need to grind a little more around the edges of the ring. It’s sometimes tricky finding all the spot welds but once you get the hang of it it gets easier.



Here are some pics of a 75’ Scout that I am putting full length rockers and floors in. First pic shows the tool I use and the ring that forms when grinding. Second pic shows the bottom of the A pillar to show the spots where the rocker is welded. This is what it should look like with the old rocker removed. I hope this helps and makes sense.