Got a 97 350, auto, with intercooler. Transmission fluid temps climb going up curvy back roads, and coming down in D2. Not a problem at highway speeds, but I've seen 260 degrees on some back roads. I have a larger cooler to install, but the intercooler took up the usual space. I looked at mounting the larger cooler back under the cab or bed, but it won't get much airflow and/or will sit flat and gunk up.

So... my thought is to flip the front bumper mounting tabs, so the mounting surface is flush with the front of the frame rails. This will push the bumper forward 3 to 4 inches, and give me plenty of space to mount the cooler. I'll also gain space for fog lights on top of the bumper.

My idea is to take a cut-off tool to cut the fillet welds around the front, top, and bottom of the tabs, then take air chisel to the rear weld and split it off from the top. Drill each tab and frame for two grade 8 bolts, then maybe weld after the tabs are bolted on.

If I can get the tabs off without too much trouble, I prefer to reuse them since they already are slotted for bumper adjustment. If I mangle the tabs getting them off, I can fabricate new ones from angle stock. I think I need to get the old tabs off no matter what, to get enough mounting surface on the frame for new (or relocated) tabs.

Has anyone tried anything like this? Any words of wisdom?

 

are the brackets different from a 94 to a 97?

Mine face forward, so I'm lost.

 

He wants to move them forward to be flush with the framerail ends...

I like the idea, I used 2x2 steel stock and drilled holes in them and used longer bolts to mount my bumper further out (big tires)... But that started to sag and now it looks like crap... I think you might have the answer for me....

 

Oh, okay, i gotcha now.
There would be less problems if ford stuck with the old bolt on style.
More adjustment.
My frame on the passenger front is screwed up. So i cannot push my bumper down as far as I want.

I just use grade 8 washers and grade 8 bolts and tighten the dickens out of it. No sag for me. =)

It works best to put the brackets on then put the bumper on. you can tighten them better that way.
Takes more work to get it ligned up, but its worth it in the end.
Cause if your slick, you can do some adjustments with the bumper on.

 

The frame tabs are angle steel, welded to the inside face of the frame rail. But the mounting surface is to the rear, maybe 3 to 4 inches behind the front of the frame rail. The bumper mounting surface is a plate on the back of the bumper. Think of the bumper as a "D" cross section... the curve is the visible front, the flat is the mounting tab. With the existing setup (frame tab to rear), the frame extends into the center of the "D". What I want to do is get the "D" in front of the bumper. That will give me room for big transmission cooler, and proper adjustment range for my fog lights.

I already have 2 or 3 washers on the bolt between frame and bumper tabs; no more room on the bolts. Oh, and the intercooler is so close behind the frame tab that the bumper bolts have to go bolt head behind the frame tab, nuts in front of the bumper tab. To get the bolts out, I have to remove the intercooler... or cut off the tab. That complicates any Rube Goldberg rig of extensions off the existing tab, and then there are the issues of sag.

The frame piece of the existing frame tabs are in the way of any new tab and don't leave enough flush surface to mount a new tab over or around the existing tabs.

Looks like the existing tabs need to come off if I want to move the bumper forward. The key question is how much of a PITA that will be.

 

I am not the graetest with a torch, but i tried cutting off my 95's for spares with the torchh and had no luck
If you grind the welds, they might come off, but not easily.
I don't see anything going bad with rewelding them further forwards.

 

I am not the graetest with a torch, but i tried cutting off my 95's for spares with the torchh and had no luck
If you grind the welds, they might come off, but not easily.
I don't see anything going bad with rewelding them further forwards.

 

Taking the bumper mount tabs isn't too difficult. Just cut the welds using a torch or cut-off wheel. The back welds are the hardest to reach.

Those that have done the RSK mod using SD springs have had to relocate the bumper brackets forward to clear the RSK mount in the front.

 

Got decent progress on one tab. Looks like the trick is to use a cut-off wheel to remove the weld fillet and start a slot for a sawzall blade. Get a long, high-quality blade in the slot and start cutting. Try to get about 1/4" deep along two sides, a bit more at the corner. That should be through most of the weld. Use a cold chisel in the corner to open up the saw kerf, and crack any remaining weld. High quality blade, and be generous with oil.

I routinely forget or ignore the sawzall, and this time started with just cutoff tool and cold chisel. Forget the sparking stuff, and just get out the saw.

But work is at a pause... the only long metal blades I have are pretty worn, so I need to go buy some more blades. Hopefully I can find Milwaukee and don't have to settle for Dewalt. Oh, and some grade 8 nuts & bolts.