DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

EvoSolley
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DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby EvoSolley » Wed Mar 01, 2017 7:44 am

Hello all,

Over the past couple of months, I have been pondering how to mount my kouki rear bumper to my AE86. A while ago, in my build thread, I fab'ed up some homemade bumper brackets which worked, but were crudely thrown together and didn't sit as well as I had hoped. I liked the idea of a rear bash bar, but wanted to try my hand at making one of my own. Don't get me wrong, Danny from Swang Biz and other companies like Street Faction make TIG welded tube bash bars, that are great quality and probably offer a lot more "protection" in the event of a rear collision. They are professionals, I am not. This bar might be laughable to some, but the finished product works for me and I'm happy with it for now.

I wanted this bar to accomplish two things, assist in mounting the rear bumper and add a “little” additional protection to the Bumper. Assuming you have some tools and a little know how, this project is relatively easy for any DIY’er. I got lucky having access to a friends welder, and a cheap drill press. I would think the same thing could be accomplished with an electric drill and some creativity using extra nuts and bolts in the absence of a welder.

Please keep in mind, this is only a way of mounting the rear bumper and will not provide adequate protection in case of an accident. If you try to build your own bash bar, do so “at your own risk”. As with any DIY project, unfamiliarity with the tools and process can be dangerous.

The materials I used were purchased from Home Depot and a local hardware store, Dieruf Hardware:
Metal pieces (Home Depot):
1 - 1-1/4 in. x 1/16 in. x 48 in Plain Steel Square Tube price ea. $16.21
1 - 3/4 in. x 1.8 in. x 36 in. Plain Steel Flat Bar price ea. $4.21
1- 2 in. x 1/8 in. x 36 in. C-channel bar price ea. $14.97
Total(+ 6% sales tax): $37.51

Hardware (Dieruf Hardware Company):
2x – Item #: 73366-F price ea. $1.99
2x – Item #: 73365-E price ea. $1.89
4 – Item #: 73284-D price ea. $0.54
4 – Item #: 73708-H price ea. $0.25
4 – Item #: 73688-H price ea. $0.27
4 – Item #: 76126-F price ea. $0.75
Total (+ 6% sales tax): $15.90

Grand Total (excluding tools): $53.41 **Keep in mind I didn't use about half the material I purchased, so technically it could be even cheaper**

I did not take many pictures during the build, so I do not have many to post. I did however, make a video while building the bash bar, which I will embed at the bottom of this post. Below are some picture I do have, which show the completed bash bar as well as the rear bumper fitment.

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Here is the Video:

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aukword1
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Re: DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby aukword1 » Wed Mar 01, 2017 11:40 am

Nice video, I have to do something like this in the future and will definitely use this as a reference point!

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AE86Kai
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Location: Tokyo, JAPAN

Re: DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby AE86Kai » Thu Mar 02, 2017 12:23 am

Great DIY video!
I think your initial brackets were already good as the OEM version.
(Also, more info on that blue motorized tricycle...! :P)

EvoSolley
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Re: DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby EvoSolley » Thu Mar 02, 2017 4:43 am

aukword1 wrote:Nice video, I have to do something like this in the future and will definitely use this as a reference point!


Thanks, let me know if you have any questions when you start on your own bar.

AE86Kai wrote:Great DIY video!
I think your initial brackets were already good as the OEM version.
(Also, more info on that blue motorized tricycle...! :P)


Thanks for the kind words! They actually did work, I just had issues getting them to mount up correctly. Oddly enough, the old ones weighed much more than this bar. As for the trike, it is a motorized drift trike build I have been working on. I have to overcome 3 more things before it is drift worthy: figure out what I'm going to do for braking, throttle, and I need some wheels! I have some footage of building it last summer, that I may throw together as a quick video for the channel. I'll definitely be posting some skid videos when it is all working the way it should hhahaha

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Jeonsah
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Re: DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby Jeonsah » Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:53 am

Great work!

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saiGone
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Re: DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby saiGone » Fri Mar 31, 2017 9:50 am

Wonder how to attach to a FRP bumper (no mounting tabs on the actual bumper itself)
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EvoSolley
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Re: DIY AE86 Bash Bar / JDM rear kouki bumper mounting

Postby EvoSolley » Fri Mar 31, 2017 11:13 am

saiGone wrote:Wonder how to attach to a FRP bumper (no mounting tabs on the actual bumper itself)


Hmmmmmmm....... you might be able to fab in your own mounting tabs with some fiberglass cloth, plastic and fiberglass resin. Just make sure they are strong enough so the bumper dosent break away from the bar.

I don't know how far the bar is from the inside back portion of the frp bumper, but I know a lot of kitcar guys fiberglass in steel square tubing, rods, and bits of metal to add reinforcement/ mounting points to fiberglass panels. If all your measurements are right, you might actually be able to glass in the square tubing section of the bar, basically mating the bash bar to the bumper and forming one construction. Hope this makes some sense, its hard to describe without showing pictures or sonething lol hahaha