Build Thread: Sixstringsteve's 2002 Tacoma double cab: Carlos

More bumper progress. This thing is STOUT! So far all we've used is 3/8" which is total overkill I'm sure.

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I'm excited to get the outer shell mocked and added to this.
 
Kevin B. said:
I see someone has the same discerning taste in quality welding helmets as myself. :)
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I use to see tons of union welders an other welders that would use those welding helmets on the job.

Looks good Steve, don't have to worry about the thickness of your material being strong enough.
 
blznnp said:
I use to see tons of union welders an other welders that would use those welding helmets on the job.
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It works. I'm afraid to wear a good one though, right now I don't know what I'm missing and would like to keep it that way. :D
 
Coming along nicely!

Before you get to bolting it back on, absolutely do the "end-cap" mod on your frame, otherwise you will fatigue and crack the stock end cap with heavy winch use.
 
Thanks for the heads-up, I'll do that. Seems like good insurance. Plus I have to pull one of the end-caps off anyway to re-weld the nuts in the frame. They've broken off inside the frame rail.
 
sixstringsteve said:
Thanks for the heads-up, I'll do that. Seems like good insurance. Plus I have to pull one of the end-caps off anyway to re-weld the nuts in the frame. They've broken off inside the frame rail.
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Well worth the time (under an hour) it takes to add them. Re the nuts, it's obviously much easier to do while you have the end-cap off, but if you still can't get good access to it, weld a nut in through the bottom. We've had to do this a lot over the years on bottom mounted frame nuts as they get covered in a layer of mud and seize, turn the bolt out and they either shear the bolt or bust off from the frame. We'll drill a ~7/8" hole in the frame, then get a the proper thread nut (14x1.5mm I think on those ones?) and then round off the corners of the nut with a grinder to give it an approximate 7/8" diameter. Put the nut on a long bolt, hold it flush with the bottom of the frame and nuke it in. remove the bolt, clean up your welds for a flat surface and ideally run the bolt through to clean up the thread or worst case run a tap through it. Stronger than stock and the only real option if you can't get to it from the top or side.
 
great idea with the nuts.. On the endcap mod, do you use angle-iron, or is a 2x3? cap of 1/4 fine? I like the idea of running some angle iron a ways down into the frame, but not sure if it's necessary.
 
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sixstringsteve said:
great idea with the nuts.. On the endcap mod, do you use angle-iron, or is a 2x3? cap of 1/4 fine? I like the idea of running some angle iron a ways down into the frame, but not sure if it's necessary.
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I've done both in the past but as of recent I just cut a piece of 1/4", drill the hole and weld the nut and then fit it to the frame and do a full perimeter weld with the exception of the bottom corners where I leave a small 1/4" gap to allow water to drain. With the angle you need to drill a hole in the side of the frame and weld to have any benefit, it does make sense but given the area of weld for the standard 1/4" plate, your not going to have any issues with it.
 
I will have to put a little more effort into my next plated bumper, Steve that is looking great!
 
I've got a few things to complete in the next week before my newfoundland mtns trip:

- Trim rear fenders
- finish front bumper enough to drive with it
- add recovery points to the rear bumper
 
Kevin B. said:
It works. I'm afraid to wear a good one though, right now I don't know what I'm missing and would like to keep it that way. :D
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[HIJACK] I can tell you that's some of the best fab money I've spent is upgrading from the HF Auto-Darkening to the Jackson Trusight W60 hood. Night and day difference in the ability to see; what you're puddle is doing, what is coming up ahead, etc. I'll never go back. I honestly feel it has improved my welds ~200%[/HIJACK]
 
I'm sure if I did more welding and fabbing I'd appreciate it more, I didn't feel like gas was a huge improvement over flux core, and I didn't feel that a $250 mask was much better than my $50 auto-darkening. I guess I was expecting a huge difference between the two.
 
For just general occasional fab work, the harbor freight one will work great. Its better than having a $35-$50 non-auto darkening hood. If you do a lot of fab then I would get a better one or if it was something for work, my work one was $400 and my home hood is about a $150 one. But I got that from my neighbor at a good deal otherwise I would have gotten a HF one for general home use. Some people say that using the HF one a lot will have an effect on your eyes later on down the road since its a cheaper one, but I have never used one so I can't say any noticeable differences. I don't know if the HF one would have held up to the abuse of job site welding, rain, snow, falling from multiple stories up like my work one did, but garage abuse is much easier on the hood. Plus you probably don't through it as much as I did mine on the job so that would help out too.
 
blznnp said:
Some people say that using the HF one a lot will have an effect on your eyes later on down the road since its a cheaper one, but I have never used one so I can't say any noticeable differences
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That's BS..I have Harbour Freight and Speedglas, they meet the same ANSI standards. 100% of the reason I bought the Speedglas is the adjustability. I can fit it to my large diameter cranium. I can keep the mask up when I want it. I can adjust the window up and down. I can add cheater lenses so I don't need my reading glasses. I can adjust from grind to #13 shade. For me, fit means everything. I would like to try welding with a gold lens sometime (not auto-darkening)
 
frieed said:
That's BS..I have Harbour Freight and Speedglas, they meet the same ANSI standards. 100% of the reason I bought the Speedglas is the adjustability. I can fit it to my large diameter cranium. I can keep the mask up when I want it. I can adjust the window up and down. I can add cheater lenses so I don't need my reading glasses. I can adjust from grind to #13 shade. For me, fit means everything. I would like to try welding with a gold lens sometime (not auto-darkening)
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Just what I have heard, maybe its just people trying to justify the cost of the nicer ones. I have a speedglass as well, and I don't think I will ever buy a different brand, I actually have two of them. My regular non auto-darkening was only for welding in the rain and being spoiled with a auto-darkening made me use my speedglass in the rain as much as I could, or at least until the protective lens got all fogged up or water on the lens so I couldn't see.
 
I personally use a Huntsman VXL 4x4 auto and I love it. I don't like welding with the HF one, the image feels cheap looking through it. I think it's the clarity of the glass that's the issue lol.

and I've got a couple of gold lenses laying around somewhere they are nice but the image seems to burn into my eyes more. So I don't use them.
 
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