my pre-runner/light bar project

[92 5 oh]

So one day my dad and I were shooting the you know what and were talking about how cool it would be to have a pipe bender. just messing around a little bit, nothing serious. My girlfriend caught wind of it and bought me one from harbor freight for my birthday a while back. well, it wasn't the exact one i wanted but i didn't have the heart to take it back. i was concerned that it would kink the tube so my friend found a spare piece of 3/16" thick by 12' galvanized tube that's 1 1/2" diameter (i think). So i figured that i would use this for some testing, not expecting great results since it was my first attempt - but for free what the heck...
it's turning out much better than i expected! i haven't made any sharp bends, so i haven't gotten any kinks or demples from the dies. Here's what i've got so far...

notching the tube with a 4" angle grinder was a pain

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k128/steven1981_2006/Truck Stuff/27baa66b.jpg

i guess because of the camera angle it looks like in some of the pictuers that it's not level or parallel, but it's close - within 0.2*

I think i'm going to put 2 lights in it instead of 3. Still need to add support bars on the side and figure out how i'm going to mount it to the frame.
It might be a few weeks before i can finish it, but i'll throw up some pictures when i'm done. Next will be some step rails/sliders....

 

[89PBR96]

Looks good do three be different.

 

[92 5 oh]

thanks. i was messing around with it a little and 3 would be a nice tight fit. we'll see. still undecided. i am starting to think 3 will look better than 2 because it'll fill it in nicely

 

[straycat]

No.....do four!!!!! I think that is gong to be sharp...how will it mount?

 

[-Nathan-]

i liked my 3. i vote 3.

 

[strvger]

looks like you're doing a pretty good job with that tube bender! harbor freight also sells a tubing notcher for pretty cheap, iirc.

 

[poorboystoys]

First the harbor freight bender is a pipe bender not a tube bender. Tube and pipe are completely different!
Looks pretty decent for first time but try not to use galvanized next time, or pipe for that matter. Use tube. Welding galvanized is not a good idea

 

[RollinWOT]

Yeah I've had bad experiences welding galvanized. It doesn't melt properly. But for lights, I go for three. One spotlight beam in the middle and 2 flood beams on the sides.

 

[poorboystoys]

Yeah I've had bad experiences welding galvanized. It doesn't melt properly. But for lights, I go for three. One spotlight beam in the middle and 2 flood beams on the sides.

Also bad too breath the welding fumes!

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

looks nice man! and yeah go for 3 lights

 

[a-5 freak]

My vote is 3 lights all the way.

 

[92 5 oh]

Also bad too breath the welding fumes!

i was messing around once and welded some galvanized pipe and got really sick for a few hours, a painful sickness. then i talked to my neighbor who welds for the navy and he said that fumes from burning galvanized metal will make you pretty sick. so i'm pretty cautious about grinding it all off and being well ventilated.

as for the lights, i went ahead and welded 3 tabs; i think it looks a lot better than just 2.

as for mounting, my truck is a 98 and has the factory tow hooks. so i was going to take those off and create a 90* bracket and weld it to a J shaped bar that will go up to the light bar. it will bolt in place of the tow hooks. if that makes since. i need to get a better look during the day, i'd like to keep my tow hooks if i can ... we'll see. this was just kind of an experiement anyways. i'd like to lift my truck this summer or fall, but due to the cost of t-bar style suspension lifts i'll probably just a body lift. which means i'd have to do a little rework on the mounting points when that time comes..

i have a few more pics but i have to get them off my phone first....

thanks for the feedback.

Nathan, i really like your truck!

 

[-Nathan-]

Nathan, i really like your truck!

haha thanks, but its a pile of scrap now....got hit, and totalled it.

Bends look good for just a pipe bender

 

[elpoffroad]

When your welding galvanized do it in open air and have some milk around. If you start feeling ill drink milk, I just finished doing some galvanized welding and a have done a good amount doing fence work and it melts pretty decent. My foreman always had a little refrigerator with milk just in case that happened. Looks good HF bender is not that bad as long as its thick wall just my .02 cents