Front aftermarket bumper opinions

[Bugout 1]

I kind of hated to start a thread on this because in the back of my mind Iv already made my decision, and a lot of times when opinions are asked about product A, B or C - most people will respond with that product D, E or F is better simply because that's what they purchased---- but anyways, at least this thread will give us something to discuss - lol.

 

So iv been slowly restoring my 1988 Comanche pioneer. The plan was to only drive it on the weekends or when I needed a pickup and I was going to keep it as close to stock as possible but ever since early summer Iv been using it as a daily driver and just leaving my LJ hooked up to the boat but now the LJ has thrown a P0016 code so I need to handle that so I'm still driving my MJ and loving it. I took it to the farm last weekend and was checking on the deer feeders and trying to avoid a planted field I slid into a low spot. Luckily it was bone dry and 4 hi pulled me right out. Another spot the grass was super high around the beaver pond I was driving around to go to another feeder and I hit some tractor ruts running perpendicular that I could not see and bottomed the front end out in them. 4 low crawled me right out. The other morning on the way to the gym at 4:30am I had to lock up the brakes to avoid hitting a deer. All this got me thinking about a better front bumper for:

1 - protections

2 - multiple recovery points

3 - High lift jack points

4 - extra light mounts 

and possibly a winch mount

The bumper I really like is from Warrior products but it does not have a winch mount or a receiver tube to use a portable winch.  JCR has a more basic bumper I really like but I'm not a fan of the hoop option so id get the basic one. Dirt Bound has one very similar but once again I hate the hoop option, but without the hoop its the most reasonably priced. I thought about modifying the warrior products bumper and welding on a receiver.   Warrior products does make a Gen 1 bumper similar to the one I like but the headlight hoops are dinky. 

I was really wanting to keep the stock look on the MJ and not mod it but I feel like the MJ would be more useful if I did add a better bumper. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bugout 1]

Here is the warrior products Gen 1 bumper with winch mount. Not a fan of permanently mounting a winch nor do I like the headlight hoops. 

[GrandBoost98]

I'm all for an aftermarket bumper but if you really want to keep the stock look, have you considered a front hitch receiver and/or factory tow hooks?? That would provide you with a factory look, multiple recovery points and give you the ability to use a hi lift or winch. Doesnt do much for added protection though. 


The first warrior pic you posted has a nice factory upgraded look to it. If only it had recovery points, I feel like youd still need tow hooks for front recovery with that one. And I personally like the DB one, probably without the receiver for my needs, but its more than Id like to pay. The JCR one reminds me of a rear bumper that was repurposed for the front

[89 MJ]

If I were to put another aftermarket bumper on my truck, it would be the warrior products. Or an ARB, but those ARBs are expensive. 

[Bugout 1]

The Warriors Products bumper is available with shackle points and that's kind of what I'm leaning towards and then having a local guy weld in a receiver hitch on it.

I did think about leaving the factory bumper on it and adding a front receiver but something about that just looks off to me.

 

My first thought was spend the money on the LJ and add a winch and leave the MJ alone but I like using the MJ for hunting season because when I put the receiver rack on the LJ I can't really access the rear and IMO its a lot of weight hanging on the hitch bouncing down the road to the processor, but storage is limited in the MJ even with a tool box. 

 

[fiatslug87]

As 89 MJ said, option D the ARB one looks best in my opinion.

[fiatslug87]

Forgot to mention, no fender trimming with the ARB bumper if you weren’t already aware.

[Bugout 1]

One concern I have about any of the bumpers, or even mounting just a receiver and tow hooks up front, is having to modify the air dam valance and fender flares. This isn't my jeep, its raining so I couldn't get a picture, but this is what mine looks like and I know id have to cut and modify. I don't mind modifying the MJ as long as it could easily be returned to stock. 

[pizzaman09]

My first Comanche had the flat towing setup on it.  A previous owner used it to push around airplanes.  The person who bought the truck from me loved the front receiver for his farm.  He even sent me a photo a year after buying the truck with the excited caption that I can't get this truck stuck, it was covered in mud and hauling a log splitter.

 

I know this won't give you deer protection but it is a very useful setup, could be a good starting point for a custom bumper.

[89 MJ]

4 hours ago, Bugout 1 said:

One concern I have about any of the bumpers, or even mounting just a receiver and tow hooks up front, is having to modify the air dam valance and fender flares. This isn't my jeep, its raining so I couldn't get a picture, but this is what mine looks like and I know id have to cut and modify. I don't mind modifying the MJ as long as it could easily be returned to stock. 

I believe with the ARB and the Warrior products no modifications to the front fenders/flares/valence need to be made. Any others that I've found require you to cut the fenders.

[coheed]

I have the old AMC style factory grill guard and it's really light. We've only got smallish whitetails here, but I doubt it would stand up well to a deer. They do look great though.

 

 

Another alternative to consider is Affordable offroad. I just grabbed their elite brush guard bumper for $550 shipped to my door (obviously it can be built for cheaper than that), which is half the price of the Warrior or ARB ones. I don't know what the Warrior mount plates look like but the ones on the AO one are decently thick and tie into the frame in a lot more spots than the ARB one. I've only found pictures of it installed on a trimmed front end, but in theory you could run it without trimming fenders or removing the valance. It's def not for everyone, but if you're a cheapo like me and want the functionality but aren't as concerned about aesthetics they have a lot of options. They also have non-winch bumpers and can add a receiver hitch if you want the winch removeable.

 

 

 

 

That said I personally love the ARB. Also, as far as I'm aware the ARB is the only one crash tested. They're made in Australia and they require crash testing for aftermarket bumpers.

[ThatJeepGuy]

19 hours ago, fiatslug87 said:

Forgot to mention, no fender trimming with the ARB bumper if you weren’t already aware.

 

Minot note to add to this statement - there are 2 style ARB Bull Bars mind you, the 97+ and the 96-. They obviously bolt up similarly  as in my experience the 96- used adapters while the 97+ mounts were directly to the unibody like most current aftermarket bumpers.

 

The point though about trimming to be noted is that I would imagine most folks would opt for buying one used vs new (new cost being ~$1k and used cost in my experience $200-400). The 97+ have a longer reaching end cap that extends back towards the wheels and ends just under the fender flares - similarly to the factory bumpers. The 96- however cap off just in front of the factory fender flares. Soo running a 97+ style on the older body would require some fender trimming while running the 96- style comparatively on the 97+ would not require trimming.

[AZJeff]

I have a RockHard bumper on my MJ.  I don't have the brush guard/bull bar for it, but it's a bolt on item that can be added as needed.

[ghetdjc320]

I’ll throw in my .02. On my first MJ I went with the JCR Vanguard. Nice bumper, well made but the design doesn’t fit the truck. I’m also not a fan of a winch sticking out on an MJ. After seeing a lot of the factory options, hidden winches and Mopar brush guards, I settled in the first gen warrior with shackle mounts. To me, it most resembles a slightly more modern but still factory option. The arb looks nice as well. It’s a thinner bumper than the warrior though and is more engineered to provide crash protection than off road protection. With the gen 1 warrior, there is no need to trim fenders or flares, and a set of stock Marchal fogs fits almost perfectly in a factory style position. I have that bumper still wrapped up sitting in my shop ready for my current build. I’m running the boostwerks hidden winch setup also and what a clean combo indeed. Both the warrior and arb are pricey bumpers.

 

PS. The Hansen rear bumper is almost a perfect match to the front. But you have to call them to order as they don’t list the Comanche rear bumper on their sites

 

 

[scguy]

On 10/12/2023 at 7:38 AM, Bugout 1 said:

One concern I have about any of the bumpers, or even mounting just a receiver and tow hooks up front, is having to modify the air dam valance and fender flares. This isn't my jeep, its raining so I couldn't get a picture, but this is what mine looks like and I know id have to cut and modify. I don't mind modifying the MJ as long as it could easily be returned to stock. 

 

An ARB sounds just like what you're looking for, but they are pricy. I love mine though. Found it used on FB marketplace

[DesertRat1991]

On 10/11/2023 at 11:21 AM, Bugout 1 said:

Here is the warrior products Gen 1 bumper with winch mount. Not a fan of permanently mounting a winch nor do I like the headlight hoops. 

 

 It looks like WP does make a Gen1 without hoops or winch cradle.  It sounds Iike this what you want, but with a receiver tube and d-ring mounts.  I'd give a call to WP and see if they can do it. There was a time when all of their bumpers could be had a la carte. All the add-ons were just options on their order form.

 

https://warriorproducts.com/jeep-cherokee-xj-front-rock-crawler-bumper-gen-1-560.html

 

 

 

 

[Bugout 1]

So I had decided on the warriors product gen 1 but apparently my LJ is jealous and wanted me to spend money on it. It either needs just a timing chain or a complete motor. 😕

Not good. The MJ may be up for sale to fund the LJ. Or I could sell the LJ as is and......

[ratrapp]

i would be selling the LJ.

[pizzaman09]

That's disappointing to hear.  What makes you think it needs major repair?  The timing chain isn't a terrible repair and the parts are fairly cheap.

[ghetdjc320]

7 hours ago, ratrapp said:

i would be selling the LJ.

And I would be buying the LJ 

[Bugout 1]

11 hours ago, pizzaman09 said:

That's disappointing to hear.  What makes you think it needs major repair?  The timing chain isn't a terrible repair and the parts are fairly cheap.

So it started off as a slight rattle coming from the internals, now it has a slight knock when you shut it off and when running it has a some vibration. Its throwing code P0016 (Timing is off from the cam and the crank shaft) I'm really leaning towards trying the timing belt and the cam shaft synchronizer and see if that helps. My hesitation is that wasting time and money then to find out its something internal   Id almost rather just put in a reman engine and sell the current engine. Id REALLY like to put in a 5.7 but at a cost of $20000 I think ill wait. 

I'm getting so frustrated with having 2 jeep projects that if you catch me on the right day Id sell both of them and start over with a Wrangler 392 or AEV Wrangler with a V8 conversion. 

[Bugout 1]

7 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

And I would be buying the LJ 

How much? I might be having a bad day and a moment of weakness - lol 

[pizzaman09]

6 minutes ago, Bugout 1 said:

So it started off as a slight rattle coming from the internals, now it has a slight knock when you shut it off and when running it has a some vibration. Its throwing code P0016 (Timing is off from the cam and the crank shaft) I'm really leaning towards trying the timing belt and the cam shaft synchronizer and see if that helps. My hesitation is that wasting time and money then to find out its something internal   Id almost rather just put in a reman engine and sell the current engine. Id REALLY like to put in a 5.7 but at a cost of $20000 I think ill wait. 

I'm getting so frustrated with having 2 jeep projects that if you catch me on the right day Id sell both of them and start over with a Wrangler 392 or AEV Wrangler with a V8 conversion. 

I understand your pain, I typically play with 90s vintage BMWs with their plastic pressurized cooling systems.  The Jeeps are practically reliable vs the BMWs.

 

 

At the very least you can spend a hour disassembling to the timing cover to find out if there is an obvious drive issue, like a stretched chain or sheared key.  Luckily the 4.0L is not an interference engine so it is unlikely that the valves or pistons made contact.  You might try changing your oil, I've had collapsed lifters make a lot of nasty sounds that were fixed by an oil change.

[89 MJ]

18 hours ago, Bugout 1 said:

So I had decided on the warriors product gen 1 but apparently my LJ is jealous and wanted me to spend money on it. It either needs just a timing chain or a complete motor. 😕

Not good. The MJ may be up for sale to fund the LJ. Or I could sell the LJ as is and......

Where are you located? I’ve been looking for an LJ

[Bugout 1]

23 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

Where are you located? I’ve been looking for an LJ

Leesburg Georgia. 

 

Now the MJ is spitting oil into the air box. 🤬

I had seen a little oil in it so last weekend I replaced all the vacuum lines, the valve cover gasket and did the valve cover mod that I saw on here. My oil pressure has been a little high so I purchased a new oil pump and screen and was going to change all that out this weekend.  Guess I'll start a repair thread on that. Could the oil pressure be causing this or something else? The only thing I did not replace was the ccv check valve on the back of the valve cover.