Hey man, being a dentist isn't a cake walk.... �� it does have its upsides though.....��️*♀️��️*♀️ Unless you hate golf and think it's a total waste of time...then you decompress in the garage...⚙️⛓

 

Just busting golfer chops...no ill will intended.

Funny story...

We have a group of hardcore golfers at work, they were all hanging out talking about their "game"...they asked me if l played...I said, "Tried it once, but l didn't find it challenging enough."...and walked away...lol.

Brian.

 

Ahhhh Haaaaaa........that's a good one!

On a positive note, prepping the shop for winter yesterday, I found my slotted
front brake rotors and shoes purchased over a year ago.........I should probably go ahead and install those.......

 

What I'm thinking is...exactly the same upper portion and out riggers. Love the way the inner bracket wraps around the radiator mounting brace. But, instead of round tubing for the bottom pieces around fog lights...I might use similar box tubing (maybe slightly smaller width) and come all the way across, beneath out riggers. Will have to check clearances, too, since I will be mounting a winch below the upper bumper.

I know some folks say that's to low for the winch and you can run into problems...if you wedge yourself in a steep ditch bank...but that's what shovels are for (and no, we don't have boulders here in MI). If I wasn't adding a winch (which, my wife asked me the other day if I was getting a wench...I said "no, don't need another one"...she found no humor in this...and dinner was a foregone notion...lol) I'd probably turn those vertical braces on "edge" and mirror the two heavy out riggers angles, which might offer even better air flow (which you say already improved considerably) and give them some extra strength.

Not trying to critique your bumper in the least, just thinking out loud. Great bumper all the way around...and like you say...the fun part is in the design and learning from past trial and error...what works and what can work even better. Made a rear bumper for my old jeep...and the paint was still tacty...when I came up with two better ideas of enhancement.

Question, how did you make the two out riggers?

Brian.

 

To hell with the bumper, the chalk drawings are the bomb, future Detourer in the making.

 

LOL.......Doug, your a riot.....chalk drawings....

They are correct Brian, low winches blow.
Think out loud all you want!
Outriggers....Base main support/recovery?......3/4" x 3" bar, miter cut, beveled, welded, drilled out 1" holes on the Bridgeport.

 

Awesome......

3rd set of track-bar (panhard) bushing shot.....'3' set's in one year, umm maybe I drive this thing too much? Dunno......

Done........ building my own from an old CJ5 tie rod assembly, already machined my connections.......this is ridicules.

 

Sounds like a plan. I'm not surprised with the tire size you're running and the geometry of the steering gear. I'd say it's not unusual your blowing bushings with that in mind. Any time you mod something in the movables it's going to put stress somewhere else and your finding it right there. Go bigger. I'd still like to flop some Dana's under a Rovah just for the larger gear.

As of this afternoon I'm officially Rover-less and I don't feel too bad about it, it's still in the family... my son came to pick it up. He and two of his buddies came walking down the driveway. I asked em where's their car? They couldn't make it up the first hill on the road and parked it. I laughed big time, I told em my Saturn has no problems and it doesn't. I've put 400 miles on it since we've had snow on the ground and other than starting from a dead stop and spinning the fronts it's been perfect, even took on an ice slick paved hill just outside of town and it made it with a little goose of the gas and some side steering. Stop and go all the way up the hill, jammed with cars that couldn't make it.

 

What bushings have you been using?
I've had some black Britpart polyurethane ones in mine and they've been great. Before them I had installed some new AllMakes rubber ones that lasted about a month.
These are the ones I have now. Mine are black but they're the same thing.
Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/111304936804

 

Thank you for the link Fish, unfortunately I don't have the time to wait on those this time around......Other's out there should take note of that link and pick up a set.

The set installed at purchase...unknown, 2nd were AllMakes, 3rd was Eurospare.....when these go you pretty much grab what you can get your hands on to get back on the road.
I looked for poly last time around, couldn't find them.

'Scout's.......it'll be back, and you'll be the one working on it! LOL!!!