Let's see your bumpers!

What did you use? How did you mount them? What would you change?

Mine are 3/16" wall 3x5" tube welded to bent 1/4" brackets. I have a 2x2" reciever built in with the hitch pin on the other side of the bumper. Front and rear are essentially the same but the front has the CJ-era grille gaurd and the towbar mounting points made from scrap steel. All bolts are grade 8. The front has three 1/2" bolts on the drivers side (two go to the steering box) and two 5/8" and one 1/2" bolt on the passenger side. I did NOT use the stock bumpoer mounting point for anything. They were never designed to have ANYthing pull on them. The rear utilizes upgraded strength stock bolts and then I added a 3/4" bolt per side. That bolt also is the rear mounting point for the rollbar and the tire carrier bolts to the center of the bumper for some triangulation in the system. I left the ends open for practical purposes like reaching bolts and providing nesting areas for sparrows (stupid birds). I trimmed the rear of the truck so the bumper brackets came straight out from the bumper. This negated ever using the tailgate again, but I had planned on ditching it anyway for the tire carrier. I could have fashioned the front bumper to follow the lines of the truck better, but prefer knowing that trees and rock will stay that much further from the body.

All in all, I expect the bumpers to out-live the truck by several decades. :D

Jeep on!

--Pete

front bumper:

rear:

passenger side front bracket

in the rear I used part of the old bracket to provide the spacer to clear the shackle bracket cleanly.

Notice there are only 3 little bolts. One of the old ones snapped off. Rust sucks! I figure with all the other anchor points it won't make a difference so I didn't bother to try drilling it out. The 3/4" bolt wasn't installed yet at that time.

It's hard to tell, but this is the passenger side rear view showing the big bolt, bumper bracket, and the rollbar bracket all together.

I hadn't drilled the holes yet when this shot was taken, but you can see how the tire carrier integrates with the bumper.

I had to search around a while, but here's one showing the towbar.

I've always really liked your setup Pete 8)

I'm just good at bolting stuff on, I really don't have the skill to make anything like that, but fortunately I know someone who does! My rear bumper (and rails and tire carrier) were made by Mark at Detours the bumper looks alot like the ones he makes for XJ's but is all custom fab. He really tucked it up close, it's one piece and the diamond plate ends wrap around to protect the rear quarters. The tire carrier is easily removeable and holds up to a 35.

My front bumper is from Rigid and is the regular XJ winch bumper, actually I had this bumper on my XJ for half a year before I switched it to the MJ. The way the ends angle back makes it useful for squeezing through tight places, just put the bumper up against a tree or rock and give it a little wheelspin and it usually slips right by :P

Right back at ya. As much as mine is elegantly simple, yours is simply elegant. :D Did he use the stock mounting brackets on the rear bumper?

Jeep on!

--Pete

Not much special 2 mine just a plain stocker but w\ a Push Bar from an 88 Dodge Raider, got it outta a scrapyard for $50 as is (minus stickerand lights) but didnt need 1 dor of paint 8)

This is my back bumper

4 Inch gas well tube i think its a 1/4in thick, gonna get sandblasted then chipguard, its heavy.

I have some more tube, enough to make another bumper, if anyone wants it come pick it up, Hastings, Pennsylvania it about 35 mins from Johnstown and about 30 mins from Altoona.

I copied the ARB design using 2.5" sqaure tube because I don't have a tube bender... :cry: Here's a pic from a year ago when it was new and my MJ was stock:

I made frame reinforcements too. They're hard to describe, but I can take a pic if anyone needs one.

88Emjay

My front bumper is a Rigid Co FBW, I am currently working on my front stinger for this :twisted:

My rear bumper is something I made on my own.... It is made out of 2x4x1/4 Cchannel for the back, and the sides of it are 2 x4x1/4 tubing. This was my third attempt at a rear bumper. It is tied in using all the stock bolt holes plus reciever hitch mounting points.

I ended up cutting the lower portion of my bed off... it was well dented, and kept on getting hits so it had to go. Ubfortunately I don't have any current pics of it.

Patrick

Okay for a little humor here.

My bumper is straight from the Menard's discount pile.

Yep, good ole fashioned Doug Fir.

I used some angle stock I had laying around, and made some brackets that bolted to the factory mounts.

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I am working on the front now. I'll post up with piocs when finished!!

CW

Finished the front last night!!

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I also just finished the diamond plate on the sides. No pics yet....

CW

Never been a fan of round, but it looks clean!

CWLONGSHOT, that rear bumper is slick, I love it dude. My rear bumper is made of wood, I might gets pics at some point.

CWLONGSHOT, that rear bumper is slick, I love it dude. My rear bumper is made of wood, I might gets pics at some point.

Happy to help, duplication is the highest form of flatery!! :D :D

I have a buddie with a 4x4 shop up your way. Drop him a line if you need any fab prjects.

He is a good guy, his name is Bob, tell him Brian sent you!!

www.oceanstateoffroad.com

http://arizonaxj.com/photogallery/displayimage.php?album=51&pos=75

Here's the rear.. Front is 1/4 thick 4x4 angle welded to the frame plates.

What did you use? How did you mount them? What would you change?

 

 

 

 

Mine are 3/16" wall 3x5" tube welded to bent 1/4" brackets. I have a 2x2" reciever built in with the hitch pin on the other side of the bumper. Front and rear are essentially the same but the front has the CJ-era grille gaurd and the towbar mounting points made from scrap steel. All bolts are grade 8. The front has three 1/2" bolts on the drivers side (two go to the steering box) and two 5/8" and one 1/2" bolt on the passenger side. I did NOT use the stock bumpoer mounting point for anything. They were never designed to have ANYthing pull on them. The rear utilizes upgraded strength stock bolts and then I added a 3/4" bolt per side. That bolt also is the rear mounting point for the rollbar and the tire carrier bolts to the center of the bumper for some triangulation in the system. I left the ends open for practical purposes like reaching bolts and providing nesting areas for sparrows (stupid birds). I trimmed the rear of the truck so the bumper brackets came straight out from the bumper. This negated ever using the tailgate again, but I had planned on ditching it anyway for the tire carrier. I could have fashioned the front bumper to follow the lines of the truck better, but prefer knowing that trees and rock will stay that much further from the body.

All in all, I expect the bumpers to out-live the truck by several decades. :D

Jeep on!

--Pete

 

front bumper:

 

rear:

 

passenger side front bracket

 

in the rear I used part of the old bracket to provide the spacer to clear the shackle bracket cleanly.

 

Notice there are only 3 little bolts. One of the old ones snapped off. Rust sucks! I figure with all the other anchor points it won't make a difference so I didn't bother to try drilling it out. The 3/4" bolt wasn't installed yet at that time.

 

It's hard to tell, but this is the passenger side rear view showing the big bolt, bumper bracket, and the rollbar bracket all together.

 

I hadn't drilled the holes yet when this shot was taken, but you can see how the tire carrier integrates with the bumper.

 

I had to search around a while, but here's one showing the towbar.

Well children,I need to dredge up an old thread so that I can get

some specific help from a specific Pete M.

Pete,I'm doing my rear bumper very much like yours.

I like the way you did it,I want that exit angle too.

I'm using a Tomken front bumper that I ordered months ago by accident.

It's 2x6 tube,tow points and hitch tube.

I trimmed my 1/4 panels about like yours,but I left about an inch of

sheet metal under the tail lamps,so a little less trimmed off than you.

All extra sheet metal and junk like tire winch is cut out or removed.

Nothing below the bed floor bracing.

I have my original brackets,plus a set from a step bumper I'm not

gonna use any longer.

I want to raise the bar,so to speak,like you did,about level with the bed

floor and tuck it in tight to the rear end and under the lamps.

Two questions for you.

1. In the 4th pic in your series,I see you cut down the old brackets to

space the new ones around the shackles.How'd you cut them?

They're welded to some channel.

2.How did you trim the 2 pieces of sheet metal under the bed so you could run your brackets straight out?I have an air cutter,don't see it

fitting up in there,but haven't tried yet.

3.Ok,I lied,3 questions.Did you build or buy your new brackets?

And do they run straight out to the bumper and weld to it just along the

thin edge of the bracket?Or is there more bracing that I can't see?

And what are they,look like maybe 1/4" plate?

Finally,has everything held up well?

If anyone wants pics,yell,but I'm doing basically what Pete did.

Sorry for such a long winded post,you may have the floor.

Thanks for your help. :cheers:

Tracy.

1. In the 4th pic in your series,I see you cut down the old brackets to

space the new ones around the shackles.How'd you cut them?

They're welded to some channel.

Are you asking what tool I used? Probably a cutoff wheel on the air grinder or electric grinder.

2.How did you trim the 2 pieces of sheet metal under the bed so you could run your brackets straight out?I have an air cutter,don't see it fitting up in there,but haven't tried yet.

I hacked at them with a sawzall likely. I just sliced the vertical cuts and pounded the sheetmetal up out of the way. Crude, I know, but once I realized that my truck was going to rust out from underneath me eventually, cleanliness of cuts tends to go by the wayside. :(

3.Ok,I lied,3 questions.Did you build or buy your new brackets?

And do they run straight out to the bumper and weld to it just along the thin edge of the bracket?Or is there more bracing that I can't see?

And what are they,look like maybe 1/4" plate?

They are bent 1/4" plate. A local fab shop cut the steel from plate and bent it at a right angle to my specs. I used cardboard and the old bracket piece to mock up what I wanted, then clamped the 2 brackets together (they are mirror images after all) and drilled the holes.

I belive this is the front bumper, but the concept is the same. Once I had everything mocked up in steel and tacked together, I hauled it off to a pro for final welding.

Finally,has everything held up well?

Absofeakinlutely. Admittedly my rear bumper is tied into the rollbar, but I swear you could grab the rear bumper with a crane and twirl the truck around like a toy. :D It's also important to note that I added that ginormous bolt that goes through the existing hole in the outer frame wall and through a hole I drilled in the inner frame wall. I've got very little confidence in the stock bumper bolts when it comes to yanking my butt out of the mud.

Oh, and kiss your tailgate goodbye unless you do it slightly different. :(

Thanks,that helps a lot.

The sawzall solves all.Crude is good.

I've got a 115v wire welder,I can fab the brackets and tack them

and get them to a real welding shop.

I will bolt them in a little better than stock,I plan to be able to use my

winch front or rear,it's mounted to a plate that mounts in a hitch hole.

Cables are run to the rear already.

Tailgate is and has been off,don't plan to reuse it.( Anyone need one?)

I took an old piece of aluminum diamond plate bed rail protector I scrounged

from work,bolted it across the bed,and mounted the tag and lights to it.

Trimming the 1/4's was a treat.Tell ya,cutting sheet metal gets addictive.

After you take that first slice,you start looking for things to cut off.Doh!

I'm trying to use my own plan,but I saw your thread and I really like

how you did yours.Hope you don't mind me steali...borrowing a few

of your ideas. I'll try to post a pic or 2 as I progress,in case anyone else wants to know what we're talking about,but it's raining tonight so I'll have to wait.

I may move my spare carrier to the rear too,it's in the center of the bed now,and I see you've still got a usable bed.

Would really like to find a roll bar too.

Well, I see a trip to the metal supply place tomorrow on lunch.

Thanks again,I'll bug you some more I'm sure.

BTW,don't try swinging it around with a crane,I trust you. :D

Don't "find" a rollbar, make a rollbar. Something that'll save you head in the event of a roll over.

This is the only shot I have of the trimming underneath. It's dark outside, so anything better will have to wait til tomorrow.

Don't bother,I think I'm on a roll now.

I have to find some plate to make brackets before I

can go any further.Will search today.

I'll post my efforts and you can critique them for me, :cheers:

if it ever quits raining here. :roll:

Next project,roll bar.

The front is a Smittybuilt. Can't beat $110 for a brand new bumper.

And rear we have a Ford Ranger stock bumper with some custom mounts welded in. It seems to fit closer to the body than the Jeep one did.

pipe-$38

paint-$4

welding wire-$14

seeing people doing doubletakes and

hearing the coments of people who see it

PRICELESS

lost of places to pull on

i cut the factory mounts to fit the curve of the pipe and welded on a 1/4 plate steel for the bottom tube

soon adding 3 heavy bolts through each side just in case the welds brake

and here is the front

i just wanted something to hold some lights i had got board and built this

88, I really like the front bumper and do like the simplicity of the rear bumper, but I have to say there are absolutely no points on the rear bumper which you could ever get me to tow from...those welds are none too pretty, and the clevis mounts don't weld through...they are not sturdy enough, and with the welds as they are...well, I like to avoid flying metal objects.

just advising you so you avoid issues like such. that would be a terrible incident.

really they are just to pull my but out when i get stuck

i olny got 2wd so really i never stuck stuck just in a spot where i need 4wd

i don't tow any thing ever

that little thing in the center i use as a step

Possum, I used to have one of those front Smitty's. Loved it, sold the truck with it on. Do they still make them? Where did you buy yours?

The front is a Smittybuilt. Can't beat $110 for a brand new bumper.

And rear we have a Ford Ranger stock bumper with some custom mounts welded in. It seems to fit closer to the body than the Jeep one did.