XJLI
Adventurer
FIFY
I remember back when I doing the axle swap on my XJ, how guys out west were going nuts over how cheap we could get the Ford HP60 front ends. I'd rather pay a premium and not deal with all the rust.
2000 Suburban K1500 budget low lift with 37"s
- Thread starter CrazyDrei
- Start date
FIFY
I remember back when I doing the axle swap on my XJ, how guys out west were going nuts over how cheap we could get the Ford HP60 front ends. I'd rather pay a premium and not deal with all the rust.
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Avalanche Bumper: part 1
Very soon after I bought my Suburban some 6-7 years ago I began noticing Avalanche and Silverado rear "step" bumpers. I thought that it looks really cool and also practical to get up to the roof rack. I always wanted one.
Avalanche rear bumper. Yeah I know the plastic is old and brittle, previous owner backed into something with this one and cracked it, I don't care, It's going on my Sub, but first I need to get it off the Avi.
This step is the reason why I'm putting Avi bumper on my Sub.
Despite 17 years of living in New England rust the bolts hoding the bumper came out effortlessly without WD-40 or PB blaster. I took the hitch off while I wan in this general area.
My rear bumper which is slightly tilted from backing into a rather large tree in my back yard.
Avi bumper is on milk crates to get it level with the Sub. It really does not stick out that far on the sides. It's sitting a foot back from the factory bumper.
The step looks cool, but the raised knob above it looks useless. Will figure out what to do with it later.
Dark grey truck, soon to be black, and grey cladded bumper seem to be a decent color combination.
The crack had me worried at one point but there is a metal frame that the plastic cladding attaches to, so it's not structural. Just a little bit of character.
Passenger side seems to stick out a little farther than the current bumper.
Driver side is sticking out a little more too.
Sub bumper that's on it right now is 71" wide.
Avi bumper is 73.5" wide. Still narrower than my fender flares but a little wider than I though it would be.
Next step is to remove Sub bumper and mock up the new one.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Very soon after I bought my Suburban some 6-7 years ago I began noticing Avalanche and Silverado rear "step" bumpers. I thought that it looks really cool and also practical to get up to the roof rack. I always wanted one.
Avalanche rear bumper. Yeah I know the plastic is old and brittle, previous owner backed into something with this one and cracked it, I don't care, It's going on my Sub, but first I need to get it off the Avi.
This step is the reason why I'm putting Avi bumper on my Sub.
Despite 17 years of living in New England rust the bolts hoding the bumper came out effortlessly without WD-40 or PB blaster. I took the hitch off while I wan in this general area.
My rear bumper which is slightly tilted from backing into a rather large tree in my back yard.
Avi bumper is on milk crates to get it level with the Sub. It really does not stick out that far on the sides. It's sitting a foot back from the factory bumper.
The step looks cool, but the raised knob above it looks useless. Will figure out what to do with it later.
Dark grey truck, soon to be black, and grey cladded bumper seem to be a decent color combination.
The crack had me worried at one point but there is a metal frame that the plastic cladding attaches to, so it's not structural. Just a little bit of character.
Passenger side seems to stick out a little farther than the current bumper.
Driver side is sticking out a little more too.
Sub bumper that's on it right now is 71" wide.
Avi bumper is 73.5" wide. Still narrower than my fender flares but a little wider than I though it would be.
Next step is to remove Sub bumper and mock up the new one.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
XJLI,
Agreed, however there a 20 year old HP60 front end in the southwest will have less rust than a 6 month old front end up here. This Hoe is rusty but the frame is still solid so it passes the annual inspection. I also did not get it for the rusty drive train. I got it for the front seats and as bonus found the hydroboost under the hood.
Overlandtowater
Well-known member
they are a little too bulky for the GMT800 IMHO
.
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Todd n Natalie,
I have had my eye out for a 14-19 Silverado step bumper but have not been able to find one under $200, which seems to be a waste of money for a cosmetic piece that I want more than I need. And I really like the look of a cheap plastic Avi bumper for some odd reason.
I don't like the color of the Tahoe and don't really want to completely rip apart the front end again. I also really like the look and uniqueness of the Avi front end. So I'm keeping the Avi front end, will swap over the Avi doors, rear bumper and as much cladding as I can to make it look like a cladded Suburban. I think it will look cool only because I have never seen that.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
nitro_rat
Lunchbox Lockers
if you're handy with a welder you should be able to get ALL of the Avalanche cladding swapped over. It shouldn't be to hard to do a quarter panel graft. If you have access to a plasma cutter you could just whack the Avi quarter at the body line, lay it over the Burb, trim as necessary and zip it up with the MIG...
Ivan
Lost in Space
Front end is finally done!
This is the gap between the bumper and grill that will need to be filled in with trimmed Avi cladding.
Another angle of the gap. It's much smaller than it was with the old grill.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Any reason why the bumper can't go up another inch or two to close the gap?
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
nitro_rat,
I thought about it. My angle grinder/plasma cutter skills are superb, but welding those pieces onto my Sub, well, that's not going to happen, I suck at welding, maybe a couple years down the road when I get to practice more, just not right now. Unfortunately.
Spare tire carrier ugly but strong weld still holding.
Much improved battery tray weld/burn, also still holding. I found out that stick welding metal that thin burns right through.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
nitro_rat
Lunchbox Lockers
Drei, your welding skills are good enough. If you make your cuts on the body line and leave some metal to overlap it's a pretty easy job. You will need a MIG setup, they're pretty cheap from Harbor Freight. Keep a bucket of water and a rag handy. Tack a spot and quench it. Move a foot or so and do it again. It will keep the panel from warping. You'll have a lot of metal to practice on being as you have the entire truck!
Overlandtowater
Well-known member
Spot and move spot and move spot and move then start back to the beginning and spot and move spot and move...I have a 110 flux core from harbor freight I picked up for les than 50 bucks at one of the parking lot sales. That's what I use for body work you just got to remember to keep it clean. I tack my big stuff with the 110 and then take it to my dads shop and use the mig.
Overlandtowater
Well-known member
Drei, Just to clear this up I am a grinder too.
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Ivan,
Yes, I'm lazy. Thats the short of it. Raptor bumper has a vertical edge for a little bit of structure and I would have to cut it off and make new bumper mounts to raise it. I am thinking about just using factory front bumper and make a cover to hide that gap.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Ivan
Lost in Space
It would look much more factory if it was high and tight. At this point what's a little more effort?
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Ivan,
That is a good point as well. I will play with it next time I'm tinkering up front. I might not be able to get it up much higher also because of the frame rail clearance. The only reason I was able to even get in the first place was because of the 3" body spacers. I would really like the high and tight look of a more factory setup. I should be back up there soon when I mount a light bar in the bumper.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!