2003 Toyota 4Runner Unlimited - Skill Meets Metal - Tech

Next, Daniel traced the pattern onto a sheet of 1/8-inch cold-rolled steel plate, and center-punched the hole locations.

Desolate Motorsports has a Piranha ironworker in its arsenal. The Piranha can bend, shear, punch, and notch metal plate. It's a great machine to have, as it saves time, energy and shop floor space. The Piranha sheared the edges of the pattern, and punched the holes in short order.

The same process was used to create a second set of mounting plates. The two sets of mounting plates were temporarily bolted in place, and served as the foundation for the fabrication that followed.

After taking a measurement, Greg cut a piece of 1-3/4, .095-wall 4130 chromoly to length and tack-welded it between the lower mounting plates. The radiator and air conditioning condenser hang down pretty low, so it's essential that they're protected from road and trail debris.

Two main support tubes will tie into the frame plates. Greg took a measurement, and then sliced a tube to the same dimensions.

Matt Carter helps Greg mock the main hoop into place atop the two supports. "We always build our bumpers to line up with the body lines," Greg said. "If you use a level as your reference point and the truck itself isn't sitting level, you'll end up with a bumper that looks crooked.

Four bends, two per side, were planned for the main hoop. First, the center of the tube was found and marked. Next, the distance to the start of the first set of bends was measured and marked.

Greg used a protractor to plan the first set of bends. This protractor is ready-made, but a homebrewed version can work well, too. Note that the vertical support tube is notched on the end for a clean interface with the main hoop.

For accuracy, the protractor was set atop the bender during the bending process. This made it easy to tell when the bend had progressed far enough.

To keep the bends consistent side-to-side, Greg measured the length of the extended hydraulic ram. If you use a manual bender, you can measure the distance between the pins at the ends of the actuation arms. A degree ring on the bender is a good reference point, but it's still advisable to take a second measurement.

Creating the second bends involved the same process as the first. The second bend is near the center of the photo, and Greg's hand rests on the first bend.