"PIGPEN" 2018 forester light build and fun adventures

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Smileyshaun

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2,779
Happy Valley, OR, USA
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Shaun
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Hoffman
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Wheels came in so I got them all mount it up but I can't find my balance or anywhere so it looks like I might have to go buy another one then I'm probably guaranteed to find the old onehdr_00820_0.jpg

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Smileyshaun

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,779
Happy Valley, OR, USA
First Name
Shaun
Last Name
Hoffman
Member #

4799

went up Sunday but really diddnt take any pictures just went for a enjoyable drive down some gravel roads and to give the tires a little testing and get a little dirt on the tires . The ride offroad has dramatically improved , at 32psi the new setup rides as smooth as the stock setup aired down to 20psi and that little step up in tire size is keeping me from scraping the bumper as much .Biggest downside is the tire noise my original plan was to just run these for the winter then get some new tires but I may get tires sooner because of the noise .

Hopefully this Sunday we can head up and try it in the snow.
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Smileyshaun

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Happy Valley, OR, USA
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Shaun
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Hoffman
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Haha dig it man

thanks man , the way I look at it is the factory style trailer hitch that hides up under the bumper is around 225$ , the last 2 bumpers I built cost me around 200 in materials ... I'd rather have a little more protection and ground clearance. The only real challenging part is going to be making the bumper both lightweight but rigid and strong and fit the body lines of the vehicle.
 

Smileyshaun

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Happy Valley, OR, USA
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Shaun
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my thoughts are something simple like the one I made for my grand Cherokee, just have to build the filler pieces a little different or get another stock bumper to chop up for the filler , it's got some odd angles that will take some work to make the steel bumper work right . IMG_20160214_140023.jpg
 

Pathfinder I

1,685
Bellingham
my thoughts are something simple like the one I made for my grand Cherokee, just have to build the filler pieces a little different or get another stock bumper to chop up for the filler , it's got some odd angles that will take some work to make the steel bumper work right . View attachment 76185
Yeah man I agree. I made my outlander front and rear bumpers for like 250$ haha.

I really wanna re do them though like your Jeeps. I went with tubing as it’s easy to work with and simple to build but I’m wanting something more “robust”. Did you make a basic frame first then fill it in? I don’t know if I should just box in my tubing or cut it all off and re do it entirely!!!
 

Smileyshaun

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Happy Valley, OR, USA
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Hoffman
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or more like the rear one I made

it's hard to judge without pulling the bumper because I have the spare tire well and muffler to hide behind the bumper so it will be interesting covering it without making the bumper huge .20160630_115613.jpg
 

Smileyshaun

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Happy Valley, OR, USA
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Shaun
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Hoffman
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most the time I do my bumpers this way
I start off by getting a chunk of rectangle steel and whatever size will cover the crap and weld on a universal winch plate
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get it up on the rig and figure out what angle is needed to get the right look and coverage , find the point you want the bend to be at , divide that angle by 2 so when it's bent it matches up in the middle
2018-11-16_08-21-47.jpg
make sure all your cuts are straight and then I use some ratchet straps to bend it , tack weld it in place 2018-11-16_08-21-58.jpg

Repeat that process for the other angles , then after the basic shape is done and its welded togetger cut off the excess pieces and weld plate on to cover the cuts
2018-11-16_08-22-48.jpg

. do a crap ton of welding and grinding . It may seem like wasting a lot of material but I find it a lot easier to keep the bumper perfectly flat and straight rather than trying to cut individual pieces and weld them all together and have it all turn out square .
Screenshot_20181116-203523.png
 
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Pathfinder I

1,685
Bellingham
Nice man, very cool. I’ve only made tube ones. I had one on my old Xterra I made but that was like a 2 day project.
IMG_4702.JPG

Thanks for the pics. Gives me some more details on what I can work with [emoji1598]
 
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Smileyshaun

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,779
Happy Valley, OR, USA
First Name
Shaun
Last Name
Hoffman
Member #

4799

sometimes it's the little upgrades that bring you the most joy , there is these handy little cubby holes on both sides of the trunk area but no way of strapping stuff into them . couple of d rings and that problem is solved 20181124_122738.jpg
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probably put in 2 more and make some sort of web to go across it .
 
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Pathfinder I

1,685
Bellingham
Dig it. My Xterra had these neat little cargo areas in back that had netting on them. My outlander has cubby’s but $hit still flys all over. I just keep things in a gear bag in back now mostly.