Poor-boy radiator guard

[bgwolfpack]

When I first got this TV and found this site I needed to do a mod, any mod. So I took the front bumper cover off and cleaned and painted everything real nice. Looked good, wife wouldn't shut up about how stupid she thought it looked, so back it went on. But in the mean time I realized how far down the radiator fell in regards to the height of the TV and it's frame. I knew I could purchase a guard for it from the vendor area but that's no fun(and can't afford it right now).

So this is my poor-boy mod. I still like it. Comments welcome

[The Roadie]

Cool idea. If you could only extend some tubing from that back to the front crossmember you would have a way to divert force that could push both brackets back. I wish I had done that to my radiator skid plate after hitting a very tall rock.

[Philberto]

I love the poor-boy mods! Awesome work, I may just copy that if you don't mind.

[bobbyblaze]

That's a great idea. I would like to refer to that as a thinkin' mans mod cause you was thinkin' that you don't wanna' smash stuff down there.

Is that scedule 40 pipe ? I like Roadie's idea about linking that to the crossmember to spread the force of a hit. Dosen't look like it would be too hard if you weld or know someone who does.

[Gordinho80]

Nice work, wolf... Always cool to see the custom mods like this!

[fishsticks]

I thought this was such a neat idea that I decided to run with it.... here's what I came up with.

DISCLAIMER: Amateur welder, didn't have gas so I used flux core wire. You're going to see some ugly looking welds. Also, some of my pictures didn't turn out...


I drilled and fit my 3' section of pipe like bgwolfpack did. Then I cut a 16" section of 3/16"x1" steel and drilled holes to match the front oil pan skid plate holes. Bolted it in and mocked up some 1/2" steel rod. I believe my center sections came out to be about 14" before bending.

Then I used my precision bender:



... and bent the rods gradually. I test fit them after each bit until I got the angle I wanted. Once I was happy with the fit I marked my attachment points while under the truck, then welded the center supports to the rear plate.



...and then to the front pipe.



Yes, that is galvanized pipe. Yes I realize the danger present in welding galvanized metal. I hit the area I was welding with a grinder first. We also had some serious wind yesterday, and I took advantage of it.

After that I test fit the unit on the truck. Success! (picture didn't turn out). I then ate some corndogs.



...because proper nutrition is important to your health.

Next came the outer supports.



I added some 22 gauge sheet metal to the frame for some extra protection. This is where my welding skills failed me... I really made a mess of attaching it to the frame.

Here it is after the first coat of paint.





It's ugly, but I jumped on the thing a few times (I'm about 210lbs) and it didn't flinch.


On the truck (sorry the lighting in these are terrible):








In conclusion, it's ugly as sin, but under my truck so I'm not worried about it. Obviously I'm not going to use it as a jack point or be landing my truck on it. It makes me feel a little better about my radiator though.

Suggestions welcome.

[Gordinho80]

Not bad... I wish I could weld!

[MrSmithsTB]

Nice work! Always better to be proud of the imperfections that you created than to pay for the perfections someone else did.

[Trail X]

Very nice! It will at least give you a little safety factor before you run your nose into something... now your radiator end cap isn't the first thing you bash into.

You could clean up your spatter with a little time with the grinder ya know... an ugly weld doesn't have to stay ugly.

[fishsticks]

Thanks for the kind words folks.

Welding seems to be an exercise in patience more than anything. I had trouble not blowing through the sheet metal and started to lose that patience. Sloppy welds were the result. I ran outta time on Sat...I'll probably go back and grind on it some more later. Also, there are two holes in the front of the cross member that I'm considering tapping and using as added support points.

[Zero]

what you did is great! Now you know what to do differently next time, and you should be a bit better or have a understanding of why you had trouble welding the plate. congrats.

[bgwolfpack]

Off-Topic

You guys who weld on a regular basis could really help the rest of us with your knowledge. Would one of you consider a "How to Weld" thread? Just the basics?

[KE7WOX]

Not bad... I wish I could weld!

I wish I could at least have a welder lol.

[Trail X]

Off-Topic

You guys who weld on a regular basis could really help the rest of us with your knowledge. Would one of you consider a "How to Weld" thread? Just the basics?

Have you looked on youtube.com? I saw a few pretty good tutorial videos there.

For example these:

[fishsticks]

Not bad... I wish I could weld!

I wish I could at least have a welder lol.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=55250

This is what I use. Nothing special...but works for the little I do.

There is a 110volt version also if you're not into wiring a 220v outlet for your welder.




I learned to weld by using the internet to find out some of the technical stuff. Apart from that I just took my cheapo welder and started putting every bit of scrap metal I had around together. You learn what works and what doesn't. It's not too hard. I have the most trouble with thin metals (like sheet metal). Probably because my welder doesn't have a lot of power adjustments. For that spot welding seems to work better for me than trying to lay a bead on it.

For structural type welds (rock sliders come to mind), I have a buddy who welds professionally and has a pro grade welder. I don't know that I'd trust something the weight of my truck was going to sit on to my welder or my skills.

[Hatchet669]

ive done mig tig and stick... its something everyone should learn... i really recommend it...

fishsticks.. i like it... welding thick bars to thin sheet is always gunna cause problems lol... mite want to add a hole or 2 for air flow in there... just my 2cents