Went camping at Eleven Mile State Park and drove a lot of washboard roads in old Indy. One of the brackets on my brush bar gave out and was clanging on the body pretty badly. I know nothing about welding, so I'm reaching out to see if you all think this may be salvageable. I'm thinking the cross bar needs to be cut out and replaced.

Any leads on shops in the Denver that may be willing to cut and weld this at a reasonable cost? Indy looks a little bare without it.

 

Really depends if there is any solid metal really left. It looks like she is a bit crusty

 

that looks like the stock brush bar... aka "Damage multiplier".

I'd either leave it off or find a better functioning replacement.

 

Yeah, I'll probably just trash it. I may get an ever so slight MPG increase. That sucker is heavy!

 

Slight as in .001 mpg better going downhill. Honestly it's a very easy fix but you have to know a thing or two...... It's plastic coated so that has to go bye bye before any welding, kinda stinks when it's roasted. With metal prep'd simply cut square pads out of near size thin wall pipe and weld the patch over the holes. Clean up brackets and such down to bare and voila'. Add a few extra gussets and good to go, powder coat the whole enchilada. Already have the hot sauce, your 4.0 head gasket vaporizer.

 

The problem with these bars is exactly what you are seeing. They rust from the inside out so I bet you won't find any decent metal left to support the welding

 

Well negative Nancy I have the same brush guard, still hanging in the barn rafters... They rust where the plastic coating is compromised by stress, like the frame bracket weld or at the cross bar joint connections when flexed. Moisture stays trapped under the coating. They’re right out front and they get twisted and see salt before you do. Internal surface rust from condensation but not like open exposure. It could be glued back together like I said, I’m not a rookie welder. I looked mine over but never made top of the priority list since it’s a decoration.

 

I like the way it looks, and agree it is mostly decoration. But then right now so is my front bumper with the flow through ventilation holes...