One of the first things many off-road enthusiasts modify on their trucks, following the usual suspension lift and rolling stock upgrade, is a custom bumper. You can choose to upgrade the stock bumper with either a winch mount or driving lights, or you can fabricate a completely new bumper that will outperform the stock unit in both areas. We wanted to see how a fabrication shop scratch-builds a new custom bumper, so we took a trip out to IMZZ Industries' new shop in Brea, California, to watch as the crew fabricated a trick new bumper for a Toyota Tundra that would see limited desert use. The goal was to build a bumper that would adequately protect the front end and the wider aftermarket fiberglass fenders, as well as provide a place to mount a skidplate and driving lights. Check out the results below.
1. The stock bumper on this '03 Toyota Tundra is indeed stylish and does the job under normal circumstances. It's lacking in accessory locations, though, for items such as aftermarket driving lamps, a winch, or a skidplate. It also doesn't extend outward enough at the sides to protect the Trailer Products 6-inch fiberglass fenders. | 
2. The first step after removing the stock bumper and installing the fenders is to cut off the crumple zone area of the truck's framerails. This is done to create a flat area to plate with steel and also provides a reinforced origin for the bumper construction. | 
3. Because the framerails don't have the same shape, cardboard templates are made and used to cut reinforcement plates out of 3/16-inch plate steel. The plates are then slid into the ends of the framerails and MIG-welded in place. |
4. Next, 1-1/2-inch-long, 0.120-wall-round DOM tubing is cut in a chop saw. This tube will become the lower braces for the bumper. | 
5. Tubing is placed into this M-Tech Supply tubing notcher that IMZZ uses to fishmouth the tubing on one end. This is the end that will intersect with the main bumper tube. | 
6. The opposite end of the tubing is cut at a 25-degree angle and then MIG-welded to the end of the framerail. A duplicate piece of tubing is fabricated and then welded to the other 'rail. |
7. With our base tubes in place, a larger piece of 1-3/4-inch, 0.125-wall-round DOM tubing is cut to an approximate length and laid across the fishmouth end of the base tubes. This is the main tube of the bumper and will serve as an attachment point for the rest of the bumper and lights. | 
8. Once we've determined that the tube is the proper length, James Iams, owner of IMZZ Industries, fires up this bitchin' M-Tech Supply electric tube bender. This bender uses the same dies that are available for M-Tech's Model-3 manual bender featured in our Dec. '03 Fabrication Files. The best part is that this bender uses a 110-volt household current, making it the friendliest bender to operate in your home garage. | 
9. When we began this project, James told us that most trucks are not dimensionally identical, so building a bumper with a tape measure and level would yield a crooked bumper once it was all finished. He was right; when we checked this Tundra, one framerail was higher off the ground than the other one, and that's with a stock suspension. James did use a measuring tape to measure the bends he made with the tubing bender. By measuring the hydraulic cylinder piston's extended length each time he made a bend, he could easily repeat the bend on the opposite end of the tubing. |
10. Once the main tube was in place atop the base tubes, it was time to build the lower tube between the framerails. Built from 1-1/2-inch, 0.120-wall tubing, this tube was attached between the bottom of the framerails. This tube will serve as a mounting location for the bottom of the skidplate and another pair of brace tubes, triangulated to the main tube. | 
11. The brace tubes are fishmouthed at the bottom so that they can attach to the lower tube, but are angle-cut at the top and cleaned up using this vertical belt sander from Burr King. This is done because these tubes are installed at a 45-degree angle between the top and bottom tubes. | 
12. The angle will strengthen the bumper to resist collapsing in the event of a head-on collision. The strongest geometric shape is a triangle, and whenever you weld tubes together in the shape of a triangle, the shape makes for one tough part to break. |
13. At the top of the main tube, a new 1-1/2-inch, 0.120-wall-round tube is bent twice and welded in place, leaving an 8-inch opening between it and the main tube. We'll be mounting a pair of KC Hilites 6-inch-round HID driving lamps in this area. | 
14. The last pair of tubes IMZZ adds to the bumper will give it lateral support. These two tubes will each attach to the end of the bumper and to this plate that will be welded over the core support mount, located on the outside of the framerails. | 
15. Next, a skidplate is laser-cut out of 3/16-inch-thick aluminum material, and four mounting holes are counter-sunk into the plate. |
16. A set of four mounting tabs are welded flush with the main tube braces. The skidplate bolts into these tabs. | 
17. Here is the completed bumper with the skidplate in place. All that's left to do is install the new driving lights. |  |
18 A&B. IMZZ cut these trick light mounts from 1/8-inch-thick, cold-rolled steel plate and MIG-welded them to the main bumper tube. | 
19. After the lights are mounted, the ballast boxes are screwed into the truck's core support and wired. Wiring takes about five minutes and consists of a power lead to the truck's battery, a ground lead to the core support, an ignition lead, and a dash-mounted on/off switch. And that's all there is to it. This truck is now battle-ready. | |