After almost a year, I finally solved my problem...
04-02-2008, 09:46 PM
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After almost a year, I finally solved my problem...
This past weekend, I finally solved a problem that has plagued me and my truck for almost a year. First, I must say that like most of the users of this board, I am extremely **** when it comes to my truck.
Last April, I ordered a full replacement bumper for my 2007 2500 Mega Cab. I had to wait 2 months as it was a special order item and when I finally picked it up, I could not wait to get it on the truck. Once I put it on, it was the most beatiful aftermarket item I had ever bought for any of my rigs. As the first few days past with the bumper installed, I noticed that there was unusually excessive play in the bumper, like it was loose or something. I replaced the factory bolts with aftermarket grade 8 bolts hoping that they would solve the problem. Well, it didn't. Over the next several months I spent countless hours and and untold amount of money trying to solve the problem. Some of the modifications like welding the bumper to the frame, taking the bumper back off and weling some support brackets then re-welding the bumper to the frame helped in a small way, but nothing solved the problem.
Towards the end of 2007, I had given up and I was going to get anopther brand of bumper. Then I called the manufacturer and told them the problem. They had never heard of this happening to any of their bumpers and they offered, at no expense to me, to build me a skid plate out of 1/4 inch steel hoping that would stiffen up the bumper but it didn't help.
THEN, one night about three weeks ago, I was looking at the body mounts on the truck and I simulated in my head what happens when I hit a bump in the road and it hit me. Our truck's components are designed to handle certain loads, whatever those loads may be. In the case of our body mounts, the vulcanized rubber used in the mount is designed to perform at a maximum level for total GVW and road conditions. If that max level is exceeded, i.e. adding 225 pounds to the front of the truck, they will react to road conditions in a magnified way. This magnification resulted in the oscilating bumper. I realized that as the body mount is compressed when a bump in the road is encountered, the mount will compress to a certain level and then recoil and at highway speeds, this happens extremely fast. As the mount recoils (the body seperating from the frame) the distance that it travels is greater then the distance it travels when it compresses. My solution was to make my own polyurethane bushings using some common PVC fittings and a do it yourself poly resin kit that I bought from a company in Michigan. While i was at it, I bought a new body mount from a local Dodge house and took it apart to see how it ticked. I poured the resin this past saturday into my molds and 72 hours later, I had my poly bushings that I could install on the underside of the two front body mounts. It worked like a charm and there is absouletly no movement in the bumper anymore. The ride is not affected either as I did not replace the factory mount, I just added a bushing to the bottom of it.
Anyhow, I'm sorry for the long post, but many of you have helped me in my quest and I wanted to thank you all for your comments, suggestions and ideas. I can finally enjoy my bumper now and not worry about the shaking.
Thank you again,
LT
P.S. After I took apart the factory body mount, I made an entirely new polyurethane body mount utilizing the factory metal bracket and the resulting body mount matches the measurements of the factory mount. I can provide a picture of it tomorrow.
Last April, I ordered a full replacement bumper for my 2007 2500 Mega Cab. I had to wait 2 months as it was a special order item and when I finally picked it up, I could not wait to get it on the truck. Once I put it on, it was the most beatiful aftermarket item I had ever bought for any of my rigs. As the first few days past with the bumper installed, I noticed that there was unusually excessive play in the bumper, like it was loose or something. I replaced the factory bolts with aftermarket grade 8 bolts hoping that they would solve the problem. Well, it didn't. Over the next several months I spent countless hours and and untold amount of money trying to solve the problem. Some of the modifications like welding the bumper to the frame, taking the bumper back off and weling some support brackets then re-welding the bumper to the frame helped in a small way, but nothing solved the problem.
Towards the end of 2007, I had given up and I was going to get anopther brand of bumper. Then I called the manufacturer and told them the problem. They had never heard of this happening to any of their bumpers and they offered, at no expense to me, to build me a skid plate out of 1/4 inch steel hoping that would stiffen up the bumper but it didn't help.
THEN, one night about three weeks ago, I was looking at the body mounts on the truck and I simulated in my head what happens when I hit a bump in the road and it hit me. Our truck's components are designed to handle certain loads, whatever those loads may be. In the case of our body mounts, the vulcanized rubber used in the mount is designed to perform at a maximum level for total GVW and road conditions. If that max level is exceeded, i.e. adding 225 pounds to the front of the truck, they will react to road conditions in a magnified way. This magnification resulted in the oscilating bumper. I realized that as the body mount is compressed when a bump in the road is encountered, the mount will compress to a certain level and then recoil and at highway speeds, this happens extremely fast. As the mount recoils (the body seperating from the frame) the distance that it travels is greater then the distance it travels when it compresses. My solution was to make my own polyurethane bushings using some common PVC fittings and a do it yourself poly resin kit that I bought from a company in Michigan. While i was at it, I bought a new body mount from a local Dodge house and took it apart to see how it ticked. I poured the resin this past saturday into my molds and 72 hours later, I had my poly bushings that I could install on the underside of the two front body mounts. It worked like a charm and there is absouletly no movement in the bumper anymore. The ride is not affected either as I did not replace the factory mount, I just added a bushing to the bottom of it.
Anyhow, I'm sorry for the long post, but many of you have helped me in my quest and I wanted to thank you all for your comments, suggestions and ideas. I can finally enjoy my bumper now and not worry about the shaking.
Thank you again,
LT
P.S. After I took apart the factory body mount, I made an entirely new polyurethane body mount utilizing the factory metal bracket and the resulting body mount matches the measurements of the factory mount. I can provide a picture of it tomorrow.
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