Coastal offroad diy weld bumper review/ write up

Ok guys so I have finally *finished* this project for now. More on the for now later. For this post I'm going to walk through all the gotchas and steps I think could be clarified. This will be a multi post thread as I gather my notes and pictures.this is not intended to be a step by step how to, but rather used along side the instructions provided.

First I would rate this as a fairly complex project for someone who has some kind of fab skill and welding experience. It could be done without but it would be way overwhelming I think. I am going to list the things I did , and point out problems I ran into for someone who may come across this post having the questions or issues.

Also before you start, this is the most important part, DONT PUT YOURSELF ON A TIMELINE! Take your time, do what you can in the time you have each day and let it take however long it takes. I originally planned on a week , know how to weld and fabricate, spent an hour or two after work each day and the weekend, and it took me two weeks. Partly because I ran into problems and partly because I didn't care how long it would take so when I hit a snag I stopped for the day so I could think about it with a clear head. And partly because life happens and I had other things in the house I needed to do. I have another truck so I wasn't under pressure to drive it. Also I was working entirely by myself. Some days I spent a good amount of time others I barely touched it. If you can't throw a timeline out the window, you may want to have someone weld it for you because shit happens.

First thing I would do if you get this kit is get all your pieces out and match them to the instructions . Then take a sharpie and number all pieces in the layout. This makes things infinitely easier and honestly idk why they don't do this for you for the ease of the project. Also as you go along and complete each step, before completing the step you're on , read ahead to the next step just to see what the goal is. This will help you to not tack weld where you will have to grind it off later because it's in the way etc, and help you if the step you are on isn't clear to see what the end goal is.

 

I used a 120v welder for tack welds only and used 3/32 6013 lincoln rods. For novices to stick welding , do not cheap out on rods. This one of those times you want to buy the expensive rods and dont cheap out. This could be the make or break of your project. Also size of rods is importatnt. Larger size rod , more power you need to run and hotter they weld. Too much heat and youre not welding but rather blowing holes in shit. Bigger not necessarily better here. For full welding I used 240v. I think this should be how you would want to do this project for strength. Also I used a stick welder because that's what I have and what I used when I welded as an ironworker. If I were to this again I probably would do it with a mig gun for the purpose of cosmetics( they generally make prettier welds) but stick works fine if you know how to run one.

 

With this project you start by making the winch base off the truck, then bolt that on and use that to build off of while on the truck. The pieces fit in precut holes to fit the pieces together. You do want to have c clamps and welding squares to align perfectly.the notches that hook together look like this

 

Then once you have the winch base built at this point you need to do one of two things, remove the power steering cooler and deal with it later ( I would recommend) or relocate it now and remount.

 

Once you've either removed (what I did) or relocated then you start fabbing the rest of the bumper building from the winch plate. At this point common sense is needed . The directions show a picture of the side plates that you weld together and labeled as "passenger side" they do not however indicate outside or inside for the passenger piece. If you get that wrong it could screw you over. Also according to their layout of parts if you follow exactly on those same two side plates for the winch box it will be wrong. Essentially what you want to achieve with those plates is a straight through hole all the way through for d ring shackle points. If you know that is what it is for it makes alot more sense. The way the pictures makes one side look, you would end up blocking one of these holes if followed exactly.

 

From here it's pretty straightforward tack welding the pieces in order. Make sure your tacks are strong enough not to move. Also you want to tack enough so that when you weld up later , your tacks will help prevent heat warping. You also will notice i have my grille off and my paint taped off. Do this unless you want.to catch your truck on fire. If you need the insurance money disregard this step lol

 

I kept my tack welds every 4 inches or so AFTER I got everything where I wanted . Remember as few tacks as will hold it first then when you get it where you want it more tacks to hold firm in place.

 

Now you're getting closer to looking like a bumper . Remember to measure your gaps so you aren't all out whack. Also one very important part they don't mention in the instructions is tighten the mounts like they will be when mounted. If they're loose or uneven, it will throw off your gaps in layout and not fit properly i would dothis before you start on the side "wings"
If you've gotten to this point without a divorce or firey pile of metal then you're doing good. Have a beer. Once you finish all your pieces go back and double check your tack welds and add more if needed. The goal at this point is to take it off in one piece and it not collapse like a loose Allen bolt created desk from Walmart.

 

Ok so you feel like a real welder now !!! starting to feel a little confidence from all your tack welds. Well now is where you will find out if you can weld lol take it off the truck at this point and weld up. Full weld on all the front. Stitch welds are sufficient in the back. I did Stitch welds 2-3inches long every 4 or 5 inches or so. Also I welded 4inches at a time, and then moved to an opposite side of the bumper and welded on that. I did this as not.to overheat and warp the metal. Yes it's a thing, no it's not pretty when it happens and near impossible to fix if it needs to still look good. So don't do that. In this pic you can kind of see where welds start and stop for that reason.

 

Ok so once you fully weld everything, it's now time to get familiar with a flap disc , and grinding wheel. Be ready to be deaf for a few days. I cant hear anyway, so no change for me there. Also make sure you don't need feeling in your hands as well. Lol careful with gouging when using a flap disc. It can run out the metal and make low spots. Don't want that. Just let the grinder do the work

 

At this point do whatever body work you need to. Inspect your welds once smoothed out. If you have hairline gaps or cracks that are visible , don't just paint over them. That's a flaw in the weld, so it's now time for another pass of weld and grind. Repeat until you're solid. Then at this point once all that is addressed , prime and I would paint the backside that the truck will hide at this point .from here you can either paint the other side too then mount or out then mask stuff off and paint on the truck.

 

Now at this point I had some issues. I painted the whole thing before I mounted. If I were doing again if I painted first I'd let that thing set in the sun for a week before I moved to let the paint harden and then use a bunch of moving blankets when mounting. I didn't and will be repainting because of it

 

Next issue I ran into is the power steering cooler. The kit relocates the brackets and moves it up and they do a real hard sell this is needed to fit the winch. They also do a hard sell on how easy it is. A) it doesn't b) its not .
I did the relocation in the instructions, and used a winch they recommended would fit smittybilt 10k x20, and let me tell you no way this will work. I lack at least 2 to 3 inches of clearance to fit the bumper with the winch.




In the pictures I only have one nut threaded on the left side . A floor jack is supporting the right and that's as far as it will go

 

So to run a winch I will be doing a custom application. Their "solution" is not viable. I also felt its somewhat telling in their website pics they dont have a winch mounted in their bumper...... Be warned. Also the instructions say to mount all lights prior to mounting the bumper. For the light bar , sure do that. DO NOT do that on the fog light cutouts. It makes it infinitely easier to mount the bumper nuts leaving them out with the extentions and u joints below . Trust me you will thank me for this time saver. You also have plenty of room later to mount the lights and aim.

 

Second problem I have with the lights is that they are a factory connecter so you can connect directly to your factory wiring. Problem is that's not the case the connectors are different. Lights are nice though. I'll be emailing Monday to see what's up with the connectors. Not sure why my finger looks like belongs on 400lbs person in this picture.

 

And there you have it . Overall I really like the bumper. Love the profile and even with the power steering issues, I'd get it again because I think the design is worth it. I'll prob end up running an aftermarket power steering cooler.

 

One other thing, if you run a factory or rci skidplate there will be trimming to get it to fit. I have the rci skidplate and had to trim the piece at the very front of the skid so that it fits flush.

 

Ok I'm done posting, replies ok now lol

 

And THAT folks is how you make the "Stickies List!" Bravo Will! Very thorough and easy to follow.

 

Great write up. Can I send you mine and you weld it together for me? Haha

 

Also I should clarify, the power steering cooler mod they have you do does allow the bumper to fit, just not the winch mounted to it

 

Where are you at ? If you're close by I work for beer

 

Oh really?? I’m around the Bham, AL area. I don’t have the coastal yet, but I’m debating between the coastal and Heftyfab bumper. I don’t personally know any welders and I don’t want a shop to charge me $arm + $leg to weld it together for me.

 

Nice job! I did the rear kit for my first gen so I can attest to all that you’ve said. Definitely not a project for a beginner, it put my skills to the test for sure. I tacked it all together like you did, and then had my friend with a 220mig stitch weld and then fully weld it all. He made quick work with the sanding disc, no flap discs in my house! On my rear I did add extra wing supports and then build my own swing out.

 

Yea that's a bit far for me lol I'm in utah. Personally I think this is the best one if you can get past the power steering debacle. Also they ship flat rate it was like 20 bucks shipping which was a huge plus. If you can't weld , I'd figure 400-500 for a welder to weld it.

 

400-500 isn’t bad at all. I’ll start shopping around for a welder locally now. Thanks for the info and thanks for the great write up!

 

Yea I have both 120v welders and 240v welders at my house. My 240v is in my shop which is why I used 120v to tack. I don't have a 240v hookup Near my driveway. I used to be a structural ironworker and that fabrication experience came in handy. As a novice it would be challenging. For me honestly the welding and fab was the easiest part for me. The first couple welds were challenging to get my heat right with a new welding rig, but the paint and power steering were my biggest headaches. yours looks good!

 

very nice ! are you planning on adding the bull bar at some point ?

 

Haha I was wondering how long before someone caught that lol I'm undecided. I figure I'll run without for a bit and see how I like it. Easier to add later than it is to remove.