Tubing Bender Project

OK, I have a set of 3/16 steel armor plates for the back corners of my Jeep. I’d really like to bend some tubing and create something like a handhold / step to wrap around the corner (I will take some pics of a friend’s jeep when I see it). I’m curious what it would take to do something like this, and whether anyone has done something like this already and can provide some guidance.

If anyone can also ballpark how many hours it might take if I were to get this professionally done, I’d be interested in hearing that as well in case that makes more sense.

Thanks,
Ian

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You have an LJ right?
I’m assuming you kinda wanna do a lower corner gaurds/tube wrap?
What corners do you have now? & how well are they installed? Any body damage underneath them?

I know it may sound funny but I have friends that put corners on without fixing the underlying body damage. It made it a PITA to get on.

Yep, have an LJ. I have a set of rear (from the top of the wheel back) plates that I have not installed. I actually got them from someone who had them sitting uninstalled in their garage; they ended up with the full plates that extend back from the door on their TJ. They would need to be sandblasted and painted / powder coated after the tube is put on (they are black, my car is white). There’s really no damage to the original body back there so that shouldn’t be as much of an issue.

I figured order of operations would be to

  1. get the tubing close
  2. Fit and mount the panels to the vehicle
  3. Tack the tube to the panel
  4. Remove the panels
  5. Finish weld
  6. Sandblast and powder coat
  7. Refit and finish the panels to the vehicle

Sounds like a lot of work when I break it down like this… not sure it’s worth the time and effort since I’m selling the thing next June / July

Not to derail the thread but I’d love to make tube doors for my JKU but we don’t have a tube bender here right?

I will be likely loaning mine to the space. I do have a die for the CLR for tube doors on JK’s. It is a 1” pipe die but I don’t remember the CLR.

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