And now for the weekly-update...

Spent the weekend finishing the rear bumper mount. I was able to get it finish-welded and coated with primer. The next step will be to paint it with truck bed liner, then mount it on the frame, weld it in place and do some touch-up painting on the welds. On another note, I was also able to confirm that the Smittybilt tire mount (swing out) will clear the rear hatch. So I picked one up and will bolt it on once the rear bumper is on for good. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> If all goes well, I will have the bumpers done next weekend (yes, both!). That's my last chance before the holiday-trip to So Cal. Unfortunately, I won't get the OBX diffs installed in time for the trip. But I should be able to get the brakes done... which I really need to do because the big tires were already causing the front brakes to fade. I know the extra weight from the bumpers will only make it worse. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

Here are some pics of the mount, just before I capped the open ends of the tubes and went wild with the primer. For reference, the "U" bracket consists of a 2x2 upright with a short length of 2x2 extending from the bottom (which slides into the stock tie-down bracket on the frame and will be welded in place), another short length of 1.5x1.5 extending above it (will be welded to the top of the frame) and a piece of 2" c-channel between the two extensions (slides into the open-end of the frame and will be welded in place). The rest of it should be straight-forward, I think... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />








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