Design help needed

[Flyingpig]

Good thoughts all. The squeaking in the case comes when the strap cracks and is annoying the other part of what it used to be. The truck came home. Ill get some pics.

[Bert]

Yeesh Paul, what derby are you entering in THAT thing!!! I guess you don't have any trouble running over deer!!!

Flyingpig, stop running over deer!!
If you do, do you guys take it home and eat it??? just curious, I have
no clue, since we don't have em here...

Can't wait to see pics of bumper and how you fix it!!!

[Flyingpig]

Bert we have a great plenty of deer. How many do you want? You pay the freight. Yes we eat the ones that arent tore up.

Heres the pics. The girly bumper, the broken bracket, the good bracket in place, and the bolt where the broken one was.

Note how the bolt in the radiator support also holds an X brace. The bracket then is stressed unevenly by that brace. The bolt is at the end of the "L" rather than close in. I think it would work better if it was under the X brace but there isnt enough clearance.

In my first post I said it was breaking at the bend. You see in the picture thats not the case. Thats just because I have CRS. The second break is right next to the weld from the first break.

[Bert]

YEESH! THAT'S A GIRLIE BUMPER??!!!
LOOKS! HEAVY DUTY! Well, compared to Paul's, I guess it is!!!
Looks like you can do heavier/thicker brackets or put more bracing like you mentioned, that's cool,

but food for thought:

If you do that, and make the bumper and bracing more stout, would you have a harder time fixing the radiator support when that gives way instead???? And anything else that you add attachments to???

Never had deer meat. Wanna trade for some fish??

[Flyingpig]

Yeah that really is a lite duty bumper.

I dont really want a heavier bracket but do need a stouter mount on the radiator side. Ive got it here on my desk and it measures 1 3/8 wide by 1/8 thick. It has 3/8 bolts instead of 5/16. The bracket is equally as girly as the bumper but the geometry on the one end is shyt. I think its a "universal" mount which means it works for everybody but me.

What kind of fish?

[Bert]

Yeah that really is a lite duty bumper.

I dont really want a heavier bracket but do need a stouter mount on the radiator side. Ive got it here on my desk and it measures 1 3/8 wide by 1/8 thick. It has 3/8 bolts instead of 5/16. The bracket is equally as girly as the bumper but the geometry on the one end is shyt. I think its a "universal" mount which means it works for everybody but me.

What kind of fish?

usually easiest to get mahimahi. aku or ahi (lot more expensive) I haven't checked what has been biting recently! or, if you want it cheaper, I can get some roadkill also Dabar39 had some fish sent to him frozen, said it came frozen, no problem....If they send it to Japan and all over the U.S., should be fine!!!

[Flyingpig]

I aint never heard of any of those. That all sounds like something you go to the doctor for.

[Bert]

I aint never heard of any of those. That all sounds like something you go to the doctor for.

mahimahi is also know as dolphin fish in Mexico

[chevyman_de]

If space permits I would shorten the bracket and install an anti-vibration mount between bracket and radiator tray. That should solve the problems. Something has to give. A stronger bracket would just cause a different part to break.

[fjk]

chevy-man's mounts are a good idea. you can probably
find something at www.mcmaster.com

from the picture of the bracket you posted
it looks like you'll have to rebuild the end with the
long slotted hole -- it's broken through there :-)
Where the bracket broke it looks like there might
be some sharp corners -- notorious for being a
stress point... when you rebuild the bracket
consider adding more material to the end with
the slot (like sistering boards in carpentry).
and bringing the added material onto and along
the long arm of the bracket a bit -- leaving most
of the long arm the original thickness to do the
flexing and vibration damping you mention earlier.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how it goes

And how bert's fish is!

Frank