Chevy truck bumper build
 

So far what I have is a reese hitch foundation that bolts up to the frame just like the stock bumper. I chose this reese hitch because it was cheap and it follows the line of the front end pretty closely.
This is going to be an on road and improved road bumper, so it doesn't have to be up high. And wont have any kind of permanently attached bull bar or brush guard.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453256840

The reese hitch will be for connecting my portable winch, moving trailers and other front end accessories I dream up in the future such as car harpoon and post apocalyptic zombie bars. The plan is to cover the reese hitch hole with the license plate.
I think I will need to make the square tube on the winch base longer.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453256946

Welding stuff isn't a problem for me.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453257207
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453257141

Other things the bumper needs to do is hold an air to water cooler, 11''x24'' air to air intercooler, hydraulic power unit, electric coolant pump, fit a mostly stainless steel shock mounted covering over all that then fit a light bar and halogen lights on there some how and have it be some what aerodynamic.
Just the usual extreme set of specifications.

The original post started over here:
bumper build - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums
They were more concerned with my winch chose than the bumper its self at first.

Here is the original concept from 2012:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ant-22160.html
So glad I never got around to building it then.
I like my new idea much better than my old idea and in 2012 I never imagined I would make it out of stainless steel.

Very nice looking welds :thumbup:.

regards
mech

Next time I'm around my parents place I'll snap some pictures of my dads front bumper on his '89 2500. Has a hitch mount and winch as well.

This is the main requirement for air flow:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453511488

The water to air heat exchangers for the intercooler and my big air to air intercooler. These need air flowing through them.

Building materials:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453511488
304 stainless alloy 3/16 inch thick diamond tread.
I have a lot more.

Don’t feel alone, I have wanted to build almost the exact same thing for a long time, and will if/when I start my next project vehicle. (Way too heavy for the Tacoma, plus crash/air bag issues.)

You mentioned a shock mounted covering; I assume you are emulating a crumple zone between your stainless cover and the rigidly mounted steel hitch. (Which I hope you meant as that is why I say your build is very similar to what I have been dreaming of.) I look forward to seeing what you come up with, as I have rolled that idea around in my head for some time. The best way I have been able to figure out how to accomplish that in a durable packaging is as follows.

First I would want the bumper to be able to slide forwards and backwards (aka crumple) without being damaged. I came up with either using a pipe in a pipe (like a hitch with no pin) to connect the two where the outer pipe is welded to the hitch base and the inner pipe is welded to the bumper; or alternatively welding coil springs to the hitch to hold the bumper, with them recessed back far enough so that coil bind isn’t the limiting factor.

The second thing I wanted was to provide energy dissipation as the bumper travels backwards. I took a note from racecars, and found they are using aluminum honeycomb or shaped extruded polystyrene for their crumple zones. You could make squares of extruded polystyrene foam (XPS, the blue/pink stuff) like a pyramid, progressively getting larger as you go back. Progressive absorption would reduce the shock wave transferred to the vehicle. Fit those squares between the two bumpers, with glue or something to hold them in place.

Then if (hopefully not but if) you needed to use your crumple zone, it would be there, and all you would have to replace would be the foam pyramids. Anyway that is how I dreamed up adding a crumple zone to a pre-1995 Chevy truck. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Oh, and I would also suggest buying a piece of some stainless pipe and cutting it into quarters, and using those radiuses to help flow air into your ventilation openings.

I already have a 5 inch pipe I bought from the scrap yard last year some time to cut in sections to do the top curve.
I have many feet of 2, 3 and 4 inch pipe. Then have hundreds of pounds of diamond tread and flat plate ranging from 1/8 inch to 5/16 inch thick.

This is what I am thinking for the top deck.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453777924
I have welded in some more supports and a hanger for the intercooler (not shown).
My stainless diamond tread is in fact 1/8 inch, not 3/16 like I though which is even better. I like that its not as heavy.
The "top deck" is going to sit about 2 inches higher than whats shown, sitting atop of sway bar bushings, bump stops, shock bushings, body isolators, not sure yet. I can stack 2 or 3 of what ever I go with as long as they stack up to between 2 and 3 inches tall.
The metal is very square, I have not tried to shape it beyond getting the middle of the chevron edges lined up.

I am also thinking I want to weld hat nuts under and behind the holes so I can take the whole bumper off like a front clip.
Pull 6 or 8 bolts and the bumper comes free. That way I can access things like intercooler, aftercoolers, hydraulic power unit, rectifier, engine coolant pump, intercooler water pump.

Then on top of it all add more lights.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453777924
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1453777924

I welded up my large stainless steel chevron.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854

Installed it somewhat.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854

The top deck is using anti-sway bar bushings to buffer and space it up off the frame I made to support it. The top deck is held down with stainless 3/8 bolts.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854

Side view.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854

Light bar views. This is the 42 inch light bar I picked up. I am not 100% sure I want to go with the 42 inch light bar instead of the 32 inch.
But first I need to decide on light bar forward or light bar back.
I believe light bar back looks better and makes the top deck of the bumper more functional.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454305854

Here are my 100 watt each anti-ice lights. They came with 55 watt H3 bulbs, then I upped them to 100 watt H3 bulbs. Not sure where I am going to put them. I may just end up making them into some kind of reese hitch accessory.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454306802

Then all the lights on just to see what it looks like. That is the 32 inch light bar in this picture.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1454306802

Its been a while since I updated this.
The main thing holding me back was I didn't have a tig welding machine at home and the bumper was already to big to drag back and forth to work so I built a tig welding machine. With that problem solved back to work.

The top has kind of a curved radius edge (r=2.5'').
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1456251738

Still staying with the splitter type design.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1456251738

Aerodynamic low profile welds:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1456251738
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1456251738

The reese hitch hole is going to be covered by the license plate.
The openings for the intercoolers and after cooler will have openings but will have attachments so I can cover them during winter use.

Some kind of arc to it would help, looks pretty straight and flat so far.

On my S10 some of this is an optical illusion via camera lens, but not all of it.

Chin Spolier - fast/easy/cheap/effective - Page 2 - Pelican Parts Technical BBS
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps1b72edf4.jpg

This does have real life consequences.

S10 4x4 Pick Up by George Kachadoorian | Photobucket
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps9gh5xmh4.jpg

It is actually a bit of a wedge, it measures to be about a 169 degrees or so.
When most people make a bumper they build a center section that is perpendicular to the wind and the outer portion of the bumper, usually about even with the head light will flare back.

Like this:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...9&d=1339002338