push bar
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 114
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Me and my buddies all built these in our high school welding class (some 20 yrs ago now) and put them on our trucks. If I remember right, we used 1/4 plate on the uprights, and you could not break them. One of my friends hit an approach at a pretty good clip, bent the frame, broke an axle and all, but the push bar and grill remained unharmed. We would put them up against trees, and give it heck, smoke the back tires, but they wouldn't buge. So, unlike the ones you buy, you can build them to be "colision" bars.
I am now a welding teacher, had a kid make one for his little ranger ford, he said he was out chasing coons or something, and ran right into a round bale at about 30mph, just stopped it dead in its tracks, but nothing happened to the truck. I should have taken pics of that one, it was a beast. I second the use of the cardboard and make a template.
I am now a welding teacher, had a kid make one for his little ranger ford, he said he was out chasing coons or something, and ran right into a round bale at about 30mph, just stopped it dead in its tracks, but nothing happened to the truck. I should have taken pics of that one, it was a beast. I second the use of the cardboard and make a template.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20,678
Likes: 82
From: NorCal
I have that in the works.... me and another FTE'er have been traded PMs, emails, and pics... I should have a prototype by mid-year cuz I've alot on my plate right now...
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,779
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From: Waterloo IL
Sweet. I remember seeing you talk about it but I wasn't sure if anything ever became of it. I'm kind of thinking I would have it chromed. But are you doing the 73-77 style?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20,678
Likes: 82
From: NorCal
Yeah, gonna dial in the 73-77s first cuz thats' what I got to work with (and a 70 bump on the way in mid-April). It appears the only difference for the 78-79s will be the mounting plates and the tubes to which they mount.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: Ideeho
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Joined: Nov 2003
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The one I made in high school, orginally was on a '75. I later tried to put it on a '78, and it wouldn't work, it was like the grill stuck out to far so it was hitting the top of the push bar so I was unable to mount it on the '78. Now, this was a '78 that had been rolled at one time, and I don't know exactly what the truck was made up of, because the cab was obviously not a '78 because it didn't have shoulder seat belts, so maybe there were other reasone why it didn't work, but I couldn't get it on. I had a bumper from a '75, so I thought just change that and it should go right on, but it didn't.
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jmadsen
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Aug 14, 2009 10:35 PM
