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mt.aero's '05 Crew Build

42K views 144 replies 34 participants last post by  Drewby27 
#1 · (Edited)
Things are starting to pick up with my build although a lot has already been done. Im going to keep this as a place to document progress from here on out.

Username: mt.aero
Year: 2005
Make: Nissan
Model: Frontier SE
Trim: SE Crew 6-speed manual 4x4
Color: Storm Grey

Interior: JL audio 8" sub, Alpine amp, Alpine HU

Exterior: Alien x-xeries 30" led light bar, 30% window tint, debadged front and rear. Plasi-dipped rear bumper, AVS hood and window deflectors (not on the truck right now), Custom front grill, MB 72 17" matte black wheels

Drivetrain: Nada...yet.

Suspension & Tires: Calmini 5" kit up front, Radflo 2.0 extended length coilovers, PRG/Deaver 10pack leaf springs and lift shackles, BFG TKO 285/70-r17

Armor: Custom front bumper and skid, Calmini oil pan skid plate.

Performance: K&N cold air intake, Flowmaster 10 series muffler and custom piping, Optima yellow top

Gear and Other: Hi-Lift Jack 48" and custom utli-trac mounts. Custom all-steel recovery shovel, Fiskar's Axe, 30' recovery strap

In Progress: sliders

Future: rear bumper build and full skid build, winch


As it is now


Aux lighting before the Alien light bar


Building the front bumper










Thanks for looking!
 
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6
#3 ·
Sick bumper!


Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide
 
#4 ·
Wow! Great job on the bumper! I like it better than the current aftermarket selections available! Any ideas on how much it weighs? Any concern on the airflow to the radiator? Any chance you took measurements and would be willing to post them for people to take to their local fab shops? I think if you color-matched it, it would be amazing, since it looks so good unfinished as it is. Subscribing to watch for the final product.:goodjob:
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thanks guys!

I thought the same thing about color matching it. I was planning on going the standard black, but Ill have to seriously consider it. Anyone else think I should color match?

No concern about airflow to the rad. Its never very hot where I live and the fan is always there to help out if need be. Without the lights in the way, this bumper would provide more air access than stock. Im always watching temps and havent had problems yet... although it is fall. Havent weighed it yet either. I still need to add a few things and heaviest of all is yet to go in...the winch mounting plate. The truck has been riding high in front since I put the coilovers in, but the extra weight might help level it out. :)

As for measurements, I dont really have a compilation of them. I dont use CAD and am not the best at writing things down....I just remember them until I dont need to know them anymore....which means Ive forgotten them already. Its built around a Calmini lift too, so it may not look so good on a truck without one. Its a big boy.... the angled plates in front are about 12 inches tall. That, and I like having bumpers that are one-off. Any good fab guy should be able to just look at photos and be able to replicate it for the most part.
 
#6 ·
I'm not as worried about the size of it, as I'm lifted 4 inches, so I don't think that last inch would make a huge difference. When you get it finished up, please make sure you take plenty of pictures. I'd like something to reference to if I do end up going to a fab shop to give them ideas. I'll probably add a receiver on mine instead of a full-time winch to save weight, I want to get a hitch mounted winch so I can use it on the front or back depending on the situation. Thanks for the added info!
 
#7 ·
a couple photos from the build.


slotting the mounting plates. Probably my favorite machine in the shop.


I first made a cardboard mockup to make sure that what I had on the computer looked ok and to help work out any kinks in full scale. It helped a lot before I started cutting the steel.

Ill be finishing the bumper this weekend, so more pics to follow soon.
 
#9 ·
Thanks! Ya know, it was really hard for me to decide what style bumper I wanted.... tube vs. plate. The morning I started, I had to make a decision and this is the one I picked. I didnt even think about how much the lines resemble a prerunner bumper, but it makes sense since I was mocking up a bunch at the same time. What really lead me to this final design was thinking a lot about the pre-existing lines on the truck and how I could mimic the grill lines in the bumper. It also had to be simple (I dont like these overly complex bumpers) and aggressive. I think I hit that mark.
 
#10 ·
Holy sh*t that if perfect man. To be honest i am in the market for a bumper but hate everything that is offered for our trucks. I do no know a fabricator and a local 4x4 shop told me having one custom made would cost big bucks!!!

Where are you located. Any chance you would be willing to make another one of those and if so PM the specifics. I am more than interested. :crikey:
 
#12 ·
I did have a 3 week long rock climbing road trip planned for May but it looks like i will now just be flying straight to Wahsington state. Ow well who knows maybe it will turn back into a driving trip?

Thanks for the heads up....

Guess i am gonna have to find someone local. MY neck of the woods though i bet someone want's thousands to make something like that?
 
#13 ·
I finished the metal work this weekend on the front bumper. I also made a HiLift mount for the utili-track which Ill snap some photos of. I was bored of grinding and had to do something else. Im in the process of painting it and have the primer on right now. Couple of photos with it on the truck. Now to sand and top coat. Im going to do a satin black on it for now and see if I want to eventually color match.




 
#15 ·
Real nice i have bumper envy.

My front end is all ripped apart at the moment also. I decided to black out my headlights before heading in to have the bumper, grill, shroud, and fender flares Line-Xed.

I really want that bumper. Just curious in the event i have one made for me. How many man hours do you figure you have into the fabrication?
 
#16 ·
And now its black. Ill grab some more photos when the lighting is better. Its almost too black to photograph well.



I'd say it took me about 20 hours of fabbing.

I have some steel all ready for sliders. Thinking of doing something a bit different.... we'll see how it looks. I need to go pick up some more steel for the rear bumper, but I dont even have any ideas on paper yet. Hopefully the bumper mods well since I really want to T-swap and get rid of the Calmini bracket. That will change the way the skid plate attaches. Although, perhaps I will just keep the bracket and get lifted another few inches. Dont know if I really need 8-9" of lift though. :confused:
 
#19 · (Edited)
Im flattered guys! Never thought I would get the response to this thing that I have gotten. I would love to produce these to sell, but I dont really have the spare time. Its tough to live in a town like this and be able to work on things. There is seriously just too much fun play stuff going on all the time. If its not downhilling and biking, then its camping and winter is here, so its time to get the sled fired up and the skis waxed. Its 'mud season' now which is why I had the spare time. Gonna spend this weekend going over the wife's car before winter and then its off to Moab next weekend. Hopefully I can squeeze some truck time in there. ha!

I tell you what. If you guys are willing to wait a little bit, Ill get some measurements for you and post them up. Ill need to take it off to get some of them, so maybe Ill do that when I get a winch. (since I can barely lift this thing on anymore its a real PITA to take off and on... my first oil change with this is going to be interesting) I can post external measurements before then if thats all you guys want.... let me know.

To stevugas, I wish I just had a CAD drawing or something similar I could pass on, but I dont. I have a bunch of Illustrator files, but Im not sure that will get you anything. There is a lot to be imagined between the .ai's and real life. :)




Im about 75% sure Im going to color match it now that I get to see it in black. Im going to live with it for a bit, but I spent too much time on this thing to have it look like a black-hole on the front of my truck. :laugh:
 
#20 ·
I know you're proud of your bumper, but how about posting pictures of the other mods you've done to your truck, and different angles? Possibly for a nomination for December Truck of the Month?
 
#22 · (Edited)
Ha! I know I know... Ive fully meant to do that. I can post text when Im at work and have free time (like now) but dont have access to post photos. And at home, we have been having technical issues which has brought down our net for the last couple weeks. It has been bugging me that I made a build thread and then didnt put anything in it.

:thatswck:
 
#23 ·
Ok, starting to get pictures of things for the first page.

Until then, I went to Moab last week on a bike trip. Made a burly bed extender for the bikes to hang from. Really messes with the departure angle though and with nearly $20k in bikes, you have to be really careful. Quick pic of the truck loaded down. Three guys, six bikes and a shitload of gear and party supplies. God knows you dont want to get any of that stuff in Moab! :)

I need to ditch these prg/deaver leaf springs and get a set of custom alcans. I haul too much stuff for them. My sled will be in the back of the truck all winter too, so even more reason!
 
#26 ·
So much! I try to plan a Moab bike trip twice a year (once in spring and once in fall) because of how much fun it is. Its so nice to escape the cold weather and only have to drive 5 hours to do it. (Im sure you dont have much cold escaping to do) Although the nights blur together I seem to remember them being really fun too! :willy_nilly:
 
#27 ·
I got the Alien light bar installed yesterday. Since I made my bumper around getting this light, its fits right in its home nicely. I didnt like how the stock mounting brackets were so tall and how big of a space it would occupy in my bumper, so I knew I would have to make some new brackets from the get-go. I also pulled the Hella lights from behind the grill and overall, I think the front end looks a lot meaner. A good thing in my book! Anyways, on to the photos.





 
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