I was wondering if it was safe to weld shackles to the front cross member/bumper thing. I know it is a factory tow point for the tow hooks but I have never seen anyones else do it. Also is it any different welding to the frame than it is to weld anything else? Should I like disconnect the battery?

The red circles being approximate locations.

 

Weld shackles or shackle mounts? Don't weld the shackles directly for sure. They would get weak, and you'd need to remove the zinc coating CAREFULLY first. I can not stress this enough: DO NOT WELD GALVANIZED WITH REMOVING THE ZINC -- IT IS HIGHLY TOXIC WHEN BURNED TO THE POINT OF BEING LIFE THREATENING.

The only possible issue with welding a mount on is the distribution of the force. The factory points are distributed over a bigger area of that cross member, which isn't super thick.

What I've seen folks do weld shackle mounts directly to the bottom of the frame. Zach Beard did this and that's a pretty strong alternative -- but it won't work if you keep your valance.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be done because I don't know -- just thinking out loud. For sure though don't weld the shackles themselves.

 

yea the only was i can see you doing it is you would have to take your valance off for the shackels to even be useable i would just make a rear bumper and weld them onto that or even make a front bumper and put it there

 

Oh yea i meant weld shackle mounts. Welding the bottom of the frame is cool idea, but my truck isn't nearly as tall as zach's truck, so i don't think it would be handy to have them under there. I wonder if welding them to a 3"x3"x1/2" plate first, then welding to the frame would distribute the force a little more...