Front Bumper Removal

[yat74]

Ok, I have been sitting on CrisB's HD front bumper mounts for the winch platform. I too had an awkward and heavy pull a couple of months back and bent my bumper mounts forward about a 1/2 inch. Now comes the time to cut off the bent old ones and weld on the HD ones. I have the books that show the schematics but, I was wondering if one could remove the metal front bumper wthout removing the wheel wells. I know you have to remove the front two plastic bumper fascias and the upper slotted grill to get to the lower metal bumper brackets. Any suggestions or short cuts....I took the front end apart one other time a while back and it was a PIA to take apart and put back together. Please Help

[usetosellhummer]

wish I could help bro. I hope F5 for someone with advanced knowledge still visits the forum

[ChasH3]

Maybe this will help alittle....

http://www.defeliceinnovations.com/P...7/Default.aspx

[SR1355]

PM Cris or give him a call if you have his number. I know he has had his off and back on and said it was pretty easy. Let me know how it goes, I need to install the HD plates also....

[CrisB]

Originally Posted by ChasH3

Maybe this will help alittle....

http://www.defeliceinnovations.com/P...7/Default.aspx

Use the DeFelice instructions, they make it prertty easy. Only six bolts need to come off, but you have to get to them...pull a few of the plastic plug clamps so you can fit your hand in!

[yat74]

Thanks Cris..i will let you know how it goes. What kind of weld is best for this application MIG or TIG? What is the differnence anyway?

[CrisB]

Originally Posted by yat74

Thanks Cris..i will let you know how it goes. What kind of weld is best for this application MIG or TIG? What is the differnence anyway?

I'm no pro, can't ever remember which one's which...I think it's the TIG that uses argon gas to shield the weld, no spatter & very clean...that's what I used. MIG is just a wire feed with current, requires some cleanup when you're done. The hardest part is getting the old ones off & cleaning up the surfaces so you get a nice match with the new brackets.

Turn the juice up to high, that frame steel is tough!

[KCJohn]

I have a Defiance winch ... The instructions work just fine.

As to the welder ...
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG) welding, is a semi-automatic or automatic arc welding process in which a continuous and consumable wire electrode and a shielding gas are fed through a welding gun. A constant voltage, direct current power source is most commonly used with GMAW, but constant current systems, as well as alternating current, can be used. There are four primary methods of metal transfer in GMAW, called globular, short-circuiting, spray, and pulsed-spray, each of which has distinct properties and corresponding advantages and limitations.
Originally developed for welding aluminum and other non-ferrous materials in the 1940s, GMAW was soon applied to steels because it allowed for lower welding time compared to other welding processes. The cost of inert gas limited its use in steels until several years later, when the use of semi-inert gases such as carbon dioxide became common. Further developments during the 1950s and 1960s gave the process more versatility and as a result, it became a highly used industrial process. Today, GMAW is commonly used in industries such as the automobile industry, where it is preferred for its versatility and speed.

This is as opposed to TIG:

Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, is an arc welding process that uses a nonconsumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area is protected from atmospheric contamination by a shielding gas (usually an inert gas such as argon), and a filler metal is normally used, though some welds, known as autogenous welds, do not require it. A constant-current welding power supply produces energy which is conducted across the arc through a column of highly ionized gas and metal vapors known as a plasma.
GTAW is most commonly used to weld thin sections of stainless steel and light metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys. The process grants the operator greater control over the weld than competing procedures such as shielded metal arc welding and gas metal arc welding, allowing for stronger, higher quality welds. However, GTAW is comparatively more complex and difficult to master, and furthermore, it is significantly slower than most other welding techniques. Furthermore,
manual gas tungsten arc welding is often considered the most difficult of all the welding processes commonly used in industry. Because the welder must maintain a short arc length, great care and skill are required to prevent contact between the electrode and the workpiece. Unlike most other welding processes, GTAW normally requires two hands, since most applications require that the welder manually feed a filler metal into the weld area with one hand while manipulating the welding torch in the other. However, some welds combining thin materials (known as autogenous or fusion welds) can be accomplished without filler metal; most notably edge, corner and butt joints.

I do alot of simple work like frames and simple panel replacement. MIG is easy to use by controlling the following:
correct size wire
correct heat (current)
correct wire feed speed
inert gas
and you will have a beautiful weld

While TIG welds are a thing of art it is MUCH harder fo the following:

You have to use 2 hands to do the welding
You have to modulate the frequency of the welder (usuallly a foot pedal)

check out Wikipedia under TIG and MIG ... that is where some of the prervious came from.