Kurt802

Thought you guys would like to see my new Backwoods Bumpers. It was worth the wait. I had them galvanized at V&S in Taunton, MA near Boston. I can always paint or texture them in the future and they will never rust in my lifetime either way. It cost $275 for dipping both bumpers. I like 'em a lot

Fordzilla

I think they look good just like they are......Ben

Blake Clark

That is seasoned with 100% pure awesome sauce!

I wouldnt change a thing. The galvanize looks awesome!

Kurt802

A lot of people like the galvanized that have looked at my truck. It looks industrial for sure. The zinc looks cool where the crystals make a pattern on the metal. I'm waiting on Don Thuren's 3" coils, track bar and adjustable shackles to lift this beast. I should end up with 2.5 inches of lift with the 3" coils due to the weight of the winch bumper and that is right where I want to be. I like the whole idea of the shackle lift and not getting involved with the spring packs for now. Thanks for the compliments on the bumper

Mike Holmen

I put on an iron cross bumper onto my truck. It came out of the box black powder coated. I'm going to install a 15000lbs winch as I need one as I seem to get stuck pulling my trailers these days. I should also put in lockers into my 2010, but thats a different story.
http://www.ironcrossautomotive.com/photo-gallery/dodge

I'm running led lights for fogs. Not sure if I like them. They are bright, but are more of a focused light than the stockers.

I think the aftermarket bumper is lighter than the factory bumper.

Kurt802

I looked at the Iron Cross as a replacement for my deer dented bumper but a check from my insurance co. made it possible to get the Backwoods Bumper.

staarma

Nice bumpers. I never thought of galvanizing a bumper. Neat concept. My frontier is powder coated but I was thinking of line-x'ing it so the bugs don't stick as bad. Do the bugs stick to that galvanized bumper any worse or better?

Kurt802

The bugs stick just fine and wash off the metal easy enough. I don't like texture paint and I didn't want them rusting. The galvanizing seemed to be the simple solution to my coating requirements. It was very interesting to see how they did it. Acid bath, flux bath and into the molten zinc.

Hemisphere2

They do look pretty good galvanized!

Beast2B

like it!

836byK9

Now I'm trying to picture how it will look with the Deep Cherry paint. I'm thinking galvanized may be the way to go.

Swyped from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2.

leonesm

I like the Backwoods Bumpers and am patiently awaiting a rear bumper from Evan. Apparently I'm not the only one who likes his bumpers - the wait is killing me!

I work in the galvanizing industry and am very familar with the process and benefits of galvanizing. There's no discounting the longevity or durability of the coating. It's not a coating like a paint or powder coating. Galvanizing is a metallurgical bond between the zinc and the steel and is incredibly durable. The lifespan of it is well over 75 years.

With that being said, I would be cautious to galvanize a bumper. I'm curious to see what the back of the bumper looks like. I'm sure there are gussets and bracing that would create air pockets and leave a void in the coating. In order to galvanize something it has to be vented in such a manner that will not only allow the molten zinc to flow freely but also so that there aren't any air pockets during the cleaning process. If there are air pockets, the steel won't be clean and the bond can't occur. There are zinc rich paints that will match fairly well, but they don't last. There's also distortion to worry about. Most galvanizing kettles are in the 850* range and the steel has to be submerged and heated to that temperature during the galvanizing process. The stress that's created by heating and cooling the plate during fabrication releases and can cause distortion. It's hard to predict how something will react, but it's something to think about. Did you have any distortion issues?

If you do decide to paint over the galvanized coating, there are certain preparations that will need to be made prior to doing so. It's very common to do so, but just like with anything else, proper preparation is key. Just FYI, it's also possible to powder coat over galvanizing as well. I would recommend some type of additional coating because the galvanizing will start to form a patina with time (about 6 months or so) and will begin to look very dull and aged. A lot of times you'll hear this referred to as "white rust". It doesn't affect the coating, but it's not necessarily aesthetically pleasing.

I love the bumpers and the truck looks great. Not trying to be negative in the slightest, just wanted to comment on something I'm familar with

Kurt802

I went with the galvanizing thinking of it as a starting point and for the corrosion protection. If you don't like it you can always paint it
I happen to like it, so for now it stays as is.
You have to drill some holes in the tubing for venting but the good is that the pipes are also coated inside with zinc and the holes are on the back and under where the pipes meet the bumper. You can fish wires for your lights through the holes.

Kurt802

I agree going this route is taking a risk. I did not get distortion and in the back we drilled a few extra holes to allow for flow. The back turned out great. The galvanizing will also build up over the welds because of the difference between the 3/16" steel and the composition of the welding wire. I am expecting the patina to change and it won't bother me because I like the heavy duty industrial look anyway. I waited about 6 months for delivery of my bumpers.

Busboy

I have a 1971 Landrover that came factory with many parts galvanized including the windshield frame and box rails, all of it is in very good shape even though it spends it's entire life outside. About 15 years ago I made a heavier front bumper for a flat towing hitch, incorporated a 2 inch receiver and a hole for the crank handle. I had the bumper galvanized back then and it still looks like new, it is just straight galvanized and is NOT clear coated. Galvanizing lasts almost forever, I do wash the Landrover every 10 years or so whether it needs it or not. My son has some on order from Backwoods but I think he's going with box liner.