poncho1965
Well-Known Member
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- 1,263
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- Ridgecrest, California
Sweet, get to see that bumper in person!
Mike
Mike
-
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cbetts' 2006 H3 Build
- Thread starter cbetts
- Start date
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
If I don't injure myself before the next run! Truck needs some other work done yet so the heavy lifting to put the winch on may be done by Ant. Not sure yet.
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
cbetts
NERD!!!
- Messages
- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
A big box from THORparts arrived today! Pics to come soon.
Thanks 4speedfunk!
Thanks 4speedfunk!
Cyouincourt007
Pavement Prince
- Messages
- 542
- Location
- Miami,Fl
Found this under the tree!
Looks like I get a Thor Parts front bumper! Gonna order it when I get back from vacation. I also have a winch waiting for me at the inlaw's to go with it!
Showed this to the wife last night...maybe next christmas Santa leaves me something like this too. I've got the hummer toy in the closet just have to leave it laying around where it's visible come christmas time hehehe :wink:
cbetts
NERD!!!
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My battery took a dive this week. Almost made it to five years on a Die Hard Gold. Not too bad!
Thanks to rascole, I had an Optima Yellow top in the back waiting to go in.
Now, to start pulling the front end off.
Thanks to rascole, I had an Optima Yellow top in the back waiting to go in.
Now, to start pulling the front end off.
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Fish
Well-Known Member
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- 871
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- San Diego, CA
Your motivating me to finally get a winch. I have a winch bumper gathering dust in the garage that's just begging to be installed.
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Got everything off the front this morning.
Started with the bumper base.
I am loving that aggressive look. I need to do some bending on the end brackets to get them in alignment. I also need to go purchase a disk cutter to trim back the fenders. My air tank will not fit inside this bumper so I will either need to relocate it or buy a smaller on to place under the hood. It is only good for running the air horns (which also need to be relocated) so the smaller size will suffice.
Started with the bumper base.
I am loving that aggressive look. I need to do some bending on the end brackets to get them in alignment. I also need to go purchase a disk cutter to trim back the fenders. My air tank will not fit inside this bumper so I will either need to relocate it or buy a smaller on to place under the hood. It is only good for running the air horns (which also need to be relocated) so the smaller size will suffice.
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cbetts
NERD!!!
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- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Test fitting the grill piece.
Need a bigger gap at the bottom since I have the body lift. The grill attaches to the body, not the bumper. If for some reason I want to pull the spacers, I don't want to redrill the mounting holes.
Here are a couple pics showing the side mounts and how much the got tweaked.
Need a bigger gap at the bottom since I have the body lift. The grill attaches to the body, not the bumper. If for some reason I want to pull the spacers, I don't want to redrill the mounting holes.
Here are a couple pics showing the side mounts and how much the got tweaked.
06 H3
a.k.a. "The Jackal"
- Messages
- 9,496
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- Meridian, ID
Looks good Craig! Funny mine wouldn't line up either....CJ has had a ton of installs with no issues. I guess the so cal crew has beat up their trucks. we should of put the bumpers on before we started wheeling!
poncho1965
Well-Known Member
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- 1,263
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- Ridgecrest, California
Looks good Craig! How's your back doing?
Mike
Mike
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Doing okay so far. Fortunately, the THORparts bumper is in several pieces so I have been able to wrangle it with little effort. The hard part will be putting the winch in place. I am hoping it does not have cable already spooled. I haven't opened the box yet.
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
I finally got a look from below and found what was keeping the bumper from reaching alignment.
Chris was right. The SoCal group is little rough on our trucks and things get knocked out a bit. I used a little percussive persuasion and got it to line up.
Next was the lower grill. Since I have the 1" body lift, I mounted the grill 1-1/2" inches from the bumper in case I ever want to take lift out.
The A/C line gets in the way but can be manipulated if you are careful. I kept the retainer on the line when I removed all the plastic junk. Then I drilled a hole the the brace and popped it back into there.
I had to pull the right headlight assembly off to put a slight notch for the grill to clear. Something I missed when measuring.
Once everything looked good, I mounted the driving light pods onto the grill and put it in place.
Chris was right. The SoCal group is little rough on our trucks and things get knocked out a bit. I used a little percussive persuasion and got it to line up.
Next was the lower grill. Since I have the 1" body lift, I mounted the grill 1-1/2" inches from the bumper in case I ever want to take lift out.
The A/C line gets in the way but can be manipulated if you are careful. I kept the retainer on the line when I removed all the plastic junk. Then I drilled a hole the the brace and popped it back into there.
I had to pull the right headlight assembly off to put a slight notch for the grill to clear. Something I missed when measuring.
Once everything looked good, I mounted the driving light pods onto the grill and put it in place.
cbetts
NERD!!!
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Now to put the driving light in.
It was time to open the box with the winch and get her out. It was a little heavy with the cable already spooled but I managed to get it in by myself.
I was trying to figure out where to mount the controller. after messing around with several ideas, I decided to try it on top of the winch as designed. It was snug but worked out.
Time to put the tow hooks and brush guard back on. Perfection!
Made a last minute run to the hardware store since I forgot about the front plate. Used some clamps around the brush guard. Voila! Also made sure all the lights are working.
So long stock bumper. You have served me well!
It was time to open the box with the winch and get her out. It was a little heavy with the cable already spooled but I managed to get it in by myself.
I was trying to figure out where to mount the controller. after messing around with several ideas, I decided to try it on top of the winch as designed. It was snug but worked out.
Time to put the tow hooks and brush guard back on. Perfection!
Made a last minute run to the hardware store since I forgot about the front plate. Used some clamps around the brush guard. Voila! Also made sure all the lights are working.
So long stock bumper. You have served me well!
Panzer07
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,548
- Location
- Ontario, CA
Looks pretty legit. I haven't seen this bumper in person before. Can't wait to see it....and man that some nice scratches you got in that factory bumper !!
Torres
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Torres
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
mudbug
trail blazer
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- 232
- Location
- Brighton,Co
That looks awesome. Did the weight of the bumper and winch drop the front end down much?
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
I wasn't noticeable but I am running Alpha torsion bars. The extra weight got rid of the bumpiness I acquired with the Alpha bars though. Gonna drive it to work today and test it on the freeway. Should be able to drive at highway speed since it is a holiday.
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Test drive was great! The suspension rides nice and smooth now. I am glad I got the Alpha torsion bars from Chris.
I have a new problem (actually been there for a while, but who's tracking?). When I crank the steering fully to the left and run in reverse, I get a loud thump from the front right of the truck. I suspected it was the right differential mount but replacing it did not fix the problem. I suspect it may be the differential going out.
I have a new problem (actually been there for a while, but who's tracking?). When I crank the steering fully to the left and run in reverse, I get a loud thump from the front right of the truck. I suspected it was the right differential mount but replacing it did not fix the problem. I suspect it may be the differential going out.
Cyouincourt007
Pavement Prince
- Messages
- 542
- Location
- Miami,Fl
any update on the thump? Thor Bumper with whinch is looking great
cbetts
NERD!!!
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No update. I ordered a mag mount for my GoPro along with a lanyard. Gonna take some video in hopes that I see it happen.
4speedfunk
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,250
- Location
- Tardville
Looks great CB. A couple tips...
Tweeked frame rails are more common than people think. Sometimes it helps to get a couple fasteners installed loosely...then you can slowly tighten them all together, adding more fasteners along the way...and eventually the bumper itself will pull everything back into the original position. Of course...a dead blow hammer, crow bar, and profanities also help! I have many customers that initially complain that the holes are "off" and they immediately reach for a grinder to open-up the holes. But, in reality...its the truck that is off! Rear frame rails do the same thing...often worse than the fronts. Once both bumpers are on...frame flex is a thing of the past.
On most trucks (without a body lift) I find that using a couple decks of cards (or some Skoal cans) makes a good shim between the bumper and the grille. This way you can space the grille up off the top of the bumper, and locate the four holes you need to drill in the radiator support. Its a good idea leave at least a 1/2" between the two pieces because they will move around independently from each other. Since you have a body lift...there is more of a gap to work with. I like your idea of mounting the grille up high in case you decide to remove the body lift in the future.
That AC line can be manipulated by hand and most of the time, the winch will require that line to be moved. Rather than separate the AC connection, you can take that vertical support off (that your horns were mounted to), and simply bolt it back on over the AC line. That way the line will be behind the support, and it will give you some extra room so it does not vibrate or chafe on the back of the grille. Not always needed but, I mention it so other guys are aware.
That "thump" could be a ball-joint. I had a similar noise on a customer's H3, and it turned out to be an upper ball joint. Of course, it could be the rack bushing too (if you haven't upgraded yet).
Tweeked frame rails are more common than people think. Sometimes it helps to get a couple fasteners installed loosely...then you can slowly tighten them all together, adding more fasteners along the way...and eventually the bumper itself will pull everything back into the original position. Of course...a dead blow hammer, crow bar, and profanities also help! I have many customers that initially complain that the holes are "off" and they immediately reach for a grinder to open-up the holes. But, in reality...its the truck that is off! Rear frame rails do the same thing...often worse than the fronts. Once both bumpers are on...frame flex is a thing of the past.
On most trucks (without a body lift) I find that using a couple decks of cards (or some Skoal cans) makes a good shim between the bumper and the grille. This way you can space the grille up off the top of the bumper, and locate the four holes you need to drill in the radiator support. Its a good idea leave at least a 1/2" between the two pieces because they will move around independently from each other. Since you have a body lift...there is more of a gap to work with. I like your idea of mounting the grille up high in case you decide to remove the body lift in the future.
That AC line can be manipulated by hand and most of the time, the winch will require that line to be moved. Rather than separate the AC connection, you can take that vertical support off (that your horns were mounted to), and simply bolt it back on over the AC line. That way the line will be behind the support, and it will give you some extra room so it does not vibrate or chafe on the back of the grille. Not always needed but, I mention it so other guys are aware.
That "thump" could be a ball-joint. I had a similar noise on a customer's H3, and it turned out to be an upper ball joint. Of course, it could be the rack bushing too (if you haven't upgraded yet).
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Thanks for the input! I recently had most of the front suspension replaced (upper control arms w/ball joints, wheel bearings, lower ball joints, shocks, steering rack (one year ago) w/PCF mount.
I forgot the lower control arms so I suspect my issue is there. I am just hoping it is not my front diff. I pretty much ruled it out when I heard the same thumping noise while braking heavy. I had the clutch in so there would not have been any tension on the drive train.
By the way, I have been getting a lot of great comments about the bumper. I broke my rule of having no advertisements for vendors on my truck and put the THORparts sticker on the back window. I am hoping Santa will bring me a rear bumper to match at the end of the year!
I forgot the lower control arms so I suspect my issue is there. I am just hoping it is not my front diff. I pretty much ruled it out when I heard the same thumping noise while braking heavy. I had the clutch in so there would not have been any tension on the drive train.
By the way, I have been getting a lot of great comments about the bumper. I broke my rule of having no advertisements for vendors on my truck and put the THORparts sticker on the back window. I am hoping Santa will bring me a rear bumper to match at the end of the year!
Fish
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 871
- Location
- San Diego, CA
Very nice Craig :thumbs:
I'm officially moving winch install to top of my list ( after wiring up LED bar )
I'm officially moving winch install to top of my list ( after wiring up LED bar )
cbetts
NERD!!!
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- 3,188
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- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Got a few things done today. I had an "incident" with a ball joint while changing a half shaft with a torn boot.
Came back from the shop and proceeded to take an angle grinder with a cutting disk to the inner fenders. Looks much better now.
I also tweaked the torsion bars a bit since the addition of the winch did make it sag a bit. I am keeping the front a tad lower so things will even out when I put all my gear in the back.
All ready for next weekend to go to Redondo Beach!
Came back from the shop and proceeded to take an angle grinder with a cutting disk to the inner fenders. Looks much better now.
I also tweaked the torsion bars a bit since the addition of the winch did make it sag a bit. I am keeping the front a tad lower so things will even out when I put all my gear in the back.
All ready for next weekend to go to Redondo Beach!