Girder bumper

ned · May 26, 2022

so i sprayed the side panels with stonechip just to keep the rust off it, and then filed clean the areas I needed to weld.

I used two pieces of bar to brace it in position. It's also welded at the hangers. I'll weld the corners in at the weekend, hopefully.

My vertical welding is not great, but it will hold it for now.

stuvy · May 26, 2022

Why not take it off and weld it properly?

Turbo · May 26, 2022

Your front o/s wheel looks soft!

ned · May 26, 2022

Its is soft yes, I have onboard air, i can re-pressurise it tomo.

Im welding corners in, but im going to do them on the vertical also, ill just build it up slowly, grind clean, build it up, grind clean.

Why - because its fixed in position, if i take it off and weld it, it will pull out of shape.
It's being held, in shape, on the car. It's in a brace.

Turbo · May 26, 2022

ned said:
Its is soft yes, I have onboard air, i can re-pressurise it tomo.

Im welding corners in, but im going to do them on the vertical also, ill just build it up slowly, grind clean, build it up, grind clean.

Why - because its fixed in position, if i take it off and weld it, it will pull out of shape.
It's being held, in shape, on the car. It's in a brace.

I think it would be better to tack it in place on the vehicle then take it off, tack on some temporary braces to hold everything in place then weld everything up. If you weld it in situ you might find it very hard to get off as it pulls against the bolts & when you get it off it goes boing, going out of shape making it impossible to refit.
It will also be a lot easier welded if off the vehicle.

Bobupndown · May 27, 2022

Is there a piece of trim that will fill the gap between bumper and tailgate?

pint · May 27, 2022

my bruv stonechipped his winch bumper, that held up fine. well, other than where he rammed it into stuff :laughing:

gravitex iirc.

people told me stone chip isn't waterproof when i did the underside of my 4x4, it'll rust they said. still fine now 10 years later :thumbup:

i did email upol at the time and upol said it didn't need a top coat. different brand i know but how different can it all be :dontknow:

ned · May 28, 2022

@Bobupndown ill have to make a trim piece yes. I'm moving onto the tyre carrier soon as I have the corners done, I anticipate this bumper won't be fully finished for a while off yet, but I'll get the broad strokes done soon. Finessing it is down the road as I'm trying to prepare the car for an off road trip next month.

@Turbo i think you are exactly right thank you, will go about it that way.

@pint thats good to hear. I've found that it's easy to respray a patch and it blends right in. It matches my faded plastics lol

ned · May 29, 2022

got the sides welded in. I have more welding to do later tonight, and then tomo i'll give it all a rub with a fresh flap disc, to try smooth it a bit further.

ned · May 30, 2022

im going to put back on the side steps that were on it, and then decide how to proceed with the side panels

Ill rebuild the frame of the steps to take abuse. Thats not gonna happen anytime soon lol

These are the steps

Bobupndown · May 30, 2022

Why bother? They only reduce ground clearance.

brightspark · May 30, 2022

ned said:
im going to put back on the side steps that were on it, and then decide how to proceed with the side panels

View attachment 348943

Ill rebuild the frame of the steps to take abuse. Thats not gonna happen anytime soon lol

These are the steps

View attachment 348944

nerf rails :laughing:

ned · May 30, 2022

It's a good point, they do hang kinda low, those steps. I'll try configure them such that I'll only lose about 30mm ground clearance.

Some process pics

I grinded most of the material off with a flap disc. Then to get a good finish I used a brand new flap disk on each corner, they are very effective when they are brand new.
Then I used the orbital sander to get it flatter, and then I hand sanded the edges. Was a lot of work.

Bullet2012 · May 30, 2022

Well although it’s not original, I know think it’s a huge improvement from the starting point, congratulations, great job

My Old Landy · May 31, 2022

It is looking really good there Ned :thumbup:

as a current owner of a P38, I think it is an improvement over the standard.

ned · Jun 1, 2022

Im after fcccking this up, bigtime! I cant open the tailgate to the fully down position. So I've to cut a recess and then re-weld. It's the path of least resistance
and will lower the height of the spare tyre, I can support the tyre on the lip.

Found this pic. They are nice in raw steel.

Bullet2012 · Jun 1, 2022

That looks even better with the cut out. Nice solution

ned · Jun 1, 2022

stared at it for a few hours and made the cut wider.

ned · Jun 1, 2022

got it cut and tacked, will weld it later.

made cardboard templates and then cut steel

lots of braces before welding

ned · Jun 2, 2022

welded, grinded, sandpapered, cleaned with thinners, painted. Had to change product becuse I cant get hammerite locally. So that didnt go well, but, its not like the rest of the paint is pristine, im not that fussed so long as its not rusting.