Michele Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Well it's time to share here the latest upgrades to my 1997 D90, the old Cube II... It all started when - a couple of years ago - I found out the rear crossmember was rotten beyond repair;not a big surprise, being a well known "mud trap" due to poorly thought design, and made of thin foil too. I immediately binned the idea to replace it with a standard spare part, simply not worth the money and effort required;I looked instead at a better solution (read: custom-designed and fabricated), and I liked the idea of some heavy duty, bolt-on rear bumper, Jeep style. Pros:1)stock looking (stealth mode: ON)1)easy to remove/repaint/repair if needed2)better designed and made, a simple open "]" profile, built stoutly out of, say, 6mm plate While there, it happened that a few months ago I was finally able to afford a proper rollcage, beautifully built by Protection & Performance; sooo, to kill two birds with a stone, all I needed was the right person to do the job, my way. Meet Edoardo, the brain behind Payustech Performance.With a straightforward approach and armed with a 3D scanner, the rear section of the chassis was checked and scanned,and a HUGE jig was built to ensure precise fitment of the new repair sections and crossmember. All the rotten metal was chopped, the whole structure was designed in 3D, checked and approved, then and laser cut, bent and assembled.The Protection & Performance rollcage came already welded and painted, but the supplied mounts need to be welded to the chassis.Edoardo didn't think twice and incorporated the rear mounts into the design, along with gussets and bracing to ensure bomb-proof rigidity. Beads of weld were laid down on the chassis and the puzzle went together.The result is a stock looking chassis, until you get closer and start noticing the big bolts which hold the new bumper in place... Here's a link to a bunch of photos I shared on FB: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155718505470403&type=1&l=d6a1098f12 A cool 3D video showing the design of the whole thing: https://www.facebook.com/Whitedog.Comics/videos/10155722701710403/?l=4729284162753972044 And a link to Payustech, they make their own bolt-on accessories other than dealing with custom projects like mine: http://www.payustech.it/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soren Frimodt Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Wow! That sure is great stuff Michele! Never thought of making it removable that is very clever indeed, even more-so if one where to fit a winch back there that was nicely tucked away, this way it could still be serviced with relative ease. The 3D stuff is (sorry for the Yank expression) Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thanks Soren for the kind comments! I did it mainly with ease of maintenance in mind...should I ever need a new bumper made, it would be replicated in a blink of an eye, at a fair price. Plus, I could think of some custom mod and had it added to the original design. I have yet to refit my rear recovery eye and winch, also the bolt-on corner protectors are missing, they were supposed to come ready but Edoardo ran out of time and I helped putting the truck back on wheels when I got it back My rear winch is an Husky and it was fitted right behind the tailgate, in the tub. Again, bolt on and removable cradle, originally made by Equipe but then binned and built from scratch because of the unique footprint of the Husky. Now I'll have to get new brackets done, these will be again fairly simple in design and will use the same bolts of the rear plates (where the stays are welded to). Hopefully it will squeeze in there, I only took a rough measurements when ordering the cage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thats just showing off! Lovely job. Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 Ha! Not really :-) Just happy with the result and wanted to share the idea, it's a common issue and someone may find it useful. The cage is lovely, too...very nice :-) Happy happy bunny...I look forward to getting out in the woods and enjoying the truck a much as possible during his summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Very nice Michele! Certainly doesn't look like it will fall off in a hurry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 Thanks, now it's just a matter of adding a few touches I've been waiting for...for years :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daslandroverman Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I like what's been done there, could almost consider doing similar on my 110. A towbar mounting could be a little more of a challenge though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbz460 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 The rear bar does not look wide enough to protect the rear quarters, the last inch or so. Coming off a large rock or ledge looks like it could clip the edge of the body. Maybe its just the perspective in the photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 Indee, the new bumper keeps the shape and dimensions of the stock crossmember, but if you look carefully you'll see it's ready to accept bolt-on corner protections. They'll be made soon :-) Thanks, Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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