After getting rear ended by a loser with a suspended license and no insurance I decided it was time for a real rear bumper. I really didn't want to spend $700-1500 for a bumper so I started building my own. It's all 1/4" plate with 1/2" brackets. I got all the metal from Metal Supermarket from their cut table for 0.75 per pound. I still have to cut holes for the back-up lights,  weld the bumper to the mounts, and either paint or powder coat it. When this one is finished I will be moving on to the front bumper. I plan to build it in the same style and have a winch mount. If anyone has done something similar i welcome any input, criticism, or advice. This is my first bumper build but I'm pretty happy with the way it is going. Ill post more  photos after its comple.

I found time to cut the holes for the lights and weld a few more things. Got the bumper welded to the brackets but forgot to take pictures on the truck. Here are a few of the rear.

I like the braces. Nice touch. That's where a bumper always gets tweaked and pushed into the bed. Those should help a bunch.

Looks stout! Frame might bend before the bumper if you're not careful. Lol

I'm hoping the other guys stuff bends before mine does.

I'm pretty sure people backed in to my truck before in parking lots,once in a while I find paint chips missing on pieces that stick out. Once a year I touch them up and keep going. 

This thing is too heavy to hang for some pics so these are all i got. Ready for paint unless anyone can tell me something i missed or something i need to add.

I used the factory license plate lights. The leds are from Amazon. The trailer plug is newer ford part that has 7 way and flat 4 connectors under separate covers. From what i can tell gm, ford , and Mopar are all using something similar if not the same. I just used what was easy to find in Pull-A-Part. Lots of dead fords there. D-rings were given to me by a friend. He said he took them off an old wrecker his shop scrapped years ago.

Ummm... It made from heavy steel. Should have built it out of aluminum. Weight takes HP to move.

 

@Gregturley That looks nice! Mike is right steel does weigh a ton but who cares your goal is to prevent body damage and steel is going to work better for that than aluminum! 

1 hour ago, Marcus2000monster said:

Mike is right steel does weigh a ton but who cares your goal is to prevent body damage and steel is going to work better for that than aluminum!

 

Yea... true but don't whine about super low MPG after strapping on an extra half ton of bumpers. Rather common up here the ranchers do the same thing put on heavy bumpers and steel flatbeds and wonder why the truck dropped from the nice 19-21 MPG to mere 14 to 16 MPG. Weight is weight still takes fuel to move the extra weight. 

Edited March 23, 20196 yr by Mopar1973Man

Nice bumper sir! Don't worry about the weight, you made what you want to do what you want.

IMHO.. these trucks need more weight on the *** end anyway     

2 hours ago, 01cummins4ever said:

IMHO.. these trucks need more weight on the *** end anyway     

Just like my buddy thought too. Taken a 3rd gen flatbed and heavy front bumper and increased overall truck weight by 1,400 pounds. Now trying to gain MPG back and lower EGTs which now are higher.

 

Mopar1973Man. Goal was build something as strong as i could that didnt weigh TOO much for as cheap as possible that would protect the rear of my truck. I have around $100 in this build. Im not whining about the weight but hanging this thing by myself for a few pics wasnt happening.

 

Marcus2000monster 

Dave110

Thank you both. With all the traffic and lights around here I've been getting 12-14 mpg in the winter. Milage already sucks when 50% of my driving is stop and go.

Edited March 24, 20196 yr by Gregturley
Spelling

My mileage suck above 65mph if I stay under that I'm over 20, so it's more to do with speed and tire size imo.

59 minutes ago, Gregturley said:

Im not whining about the weight but hanging this thing by myself for a few pics wasnt happening.

 

Kind of figured. They get heavy really quick. I like the bumper as well just know that there is that weight factor. I've seen plenty I'd love to have on my truck just too heavy for my blood. My problem is I haul heavy in the summertime hauling firewood and my RV.

 

 

22 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

My mileage suck above 65mph if I stay under that I'm over 20, so it's more to do with speed and tire size imo.

 

So far with my lastest tune I've managed a solid 18 MPG at 80 MPH on the I-84 on the last weekends tank. Then my 65 MPH is netting right at 19.6 MPG on the last tank. My 55 MPH shows to be in the 24-25 MPG mark range on Quadzilla which is very close to right.

 

I plan on a Quadzilla in the future but right now the priorities are paying off some bills. If i can get a judgement against the idiot that hit me i am setting aside money from that (if he pays) for the Quad and a valve body. He has a court date for 3-28 and i will be there as a victim. I have an estimate for $2900.00 but theres no telling what the judge will do. 

I am thinking of using VHT all weather epoxy paint in satin black to paint this. Has anyone used this stuff before? Does it hold up well? I decided against powder coat because i cant easily touch it up. I have a habit of forgetting things and dont want to have to weld something else after its "done" and not be able to easily touch it up.

Finally got the bumper painted and installed. Got sidetracked with a nasty oil leak from the tappet cover that i couldn't deal with any longer. 

Ill get better pics tomorrow. For those interested ill be posting rough measurements of build soon.

Looks bad a$$ man! Only thing that I would have suggested would have been a recessed license plate maybe maybe 1'', purely for looks obviously, well done!!

Stanley thank you. I had a plate made for above the tag but i didnt really like the way it looked so i left it off.