GoMopar440
Caught the Bug
I didn't bother to start this thread with the receiver hitch i just put on last week since that was just a couple of bolts, screws and plugs. Lego type stuff basically.
What I really wanted to start out with was to mount a winch hidden inside the stock front bumper shell. To make the winch fit as well as possible, I'll be remote mounting the relay box. There were no surprises unbolting the front bumper. PB Blaster helped the nuts come loose despite a bit of rust on the threads.
The vacuum pump will be getting moved behind the sway bar using an EVO relocation bracket. When I unbolted the vacuum pump, I found that a hose was broken off of it with part of the aluminum nipple stuck in the end. The area that nipple was from on the pump body was plugged shut with corrosion. So today I ordered a new pump as well as the EVO relocation bracket. The original pump bracket was cut off the frame and then the cut areas were ground smooth before getting a coat of paint.
For the winch mount, I trimmed the front and rear ends of the mount just enough so that it could lay upside-down on top of the frame. Next I trimmed the forward ends of the mount so that the front of the fairlead mount area lined up with the front of the bumper mount plates on the forward ends of the frame. From there, I bent the sides of the winch mount so they would wrap around the outer ends of the frame. I also cut a few pieces of angle iron that will be mounted to the inside of the frame while also butting up against the bottom of the winch mount. I still need to drill the holes for the bolts that will go through the frame, brackets and mount. In the mean time, I started out by grinding and sanding the rust off off the angle iron pieces before painting.
I'll post more progress as I go. I might get slowed down a bit due to the 12"+ of snow we're getting starting tomorrow.
What I really wanted to start out with was to mount a winch hidden inside the stock front bumper shell. To make the winch fit as well as possible, I'll be remote mounting the relay box. There were no surprises unbolting the front bumper. PB Blaster helped the nuts come loose despite a bit of rust on the threads.
The vacuum pump will be getting moved behind the sway bar using an EVO relocation bracket. When I unbolted the vacuum pump, I found that a hose was broken off of it with part of the aluminum nipple stuck in the end. The area that nipple was from on the pump body was plugged shut with corrosion. So today I ordered a new pump as well as the EVO relocation bracket. The original pump bracket was cut off the frame and then the cut areas were ground smooth before getting a coat of paint.
For the winch mount, I trimmed the front and rear ends of the mount just enough so that it could lay upside-down on top of the frame. Next I trimmed the forward ends of the mount so that the front of the fairlead mount area lined up with the front of the bumper mount plates on the forward ends of the frame. From there, I bent the sides of the winch mount so they would wrap around the outer ends of the frame. I also cut a few pieces of angle iron that will be mounted to the inside of the frame while also butting up against the bottom of the winch mount. I still need to drill the holes for the bolts that will go through the frame, brackets and mount. In the mean time, I started out by grinding and sanding the rust off off the angle iron pieces before painting.
I'll post more progress as I go. I might get slowed down a bit due to the 12"+ of snow we're getting starting tomorrow.