It was time for Project KR to get much-needed protection for the front and rear of the truck. Under the hood of the Super Duty there are many hidden coolers: engine coolant, transmission, power steering, fuel system/turbo actuator, A/C condenser, and the intercooler. While the grille hides all this from sight, it doesn’t provide much in the way of protection for these pricey components. So we decided we needed to build some help for this area with the addition of frame-mounted guards.
| project Kr Part Six Adding Frame Mounted Guards new Front Frame Mounted Guard
Form and function breed good design, and we thought there was no better place to look for ideas than the off-road race truck market. Off-road race trucks are required to survive in extreme environments—they’re pushed to the limits and finishing the race is a necessity. Project KR is not a race truck, but for our Super Duty we still want the strength, quality materials, and craftsmanship that are required in the racing world. The fact that we planned to mount the guard directly to the frame on both the front and rear ensured a strong platform for our guards.
| 01. After we discussed the design with Bryan Mathews, he measured the front bumper for the length. Then he procured a stick of 1¾-inch 0.120-inch-wall 4130 chromoly tubing, marked it, and cut it.
So the next step is finding a qualified fabrication shop that builds off-road race vehicles to produce what we want. Tubing fabrication is an art form, as bend rotations, coping, and welding all take a lot of skill and talent. One shop that has been successful in building both off-road racers and prerunners is Penhall Fabrication in Costa Mesa, California. Owner Jerry Penhall has built and raced off-road cars for years, with his shop offering both custom work and production work. The shop builds turn-key cars in classes 1,10, and 1600 and also does race preparation in classes 1, 7, 7s, 9, 10, 12, 1600 and Trophy Truck.
Working with Penhall Fabrication was a pleasure; these guys are professionals. Jerry and his team of craftsmen will build you exactly what you want.
| 02. Penhall Fabrication has a roll bender, which puts a curve in the tubing. This will allow the part to follow our factory bumper profile.
