How to Straighten Bumper

[James92]

Hmmm.. any advice here? I dropped it off at the body shop and they were able to make it maybe 75% better, but I'd really like to straighten it some more if possible. It looks like a PO tried to tow a little too much weight. Thanks!

 

[eaglescout526]

When I restored mine, it was heat and a BFH to knock out dents and fix any bends. 

[ThatJeepGuy]

Back it into a tree... gently, easy now don't get too carried away.

[Eagle_SX4]

I think someone used that hitch ball as a recovery point. Only a quick hard pull would cause that kind of bend in the bumper. 

 

Using a large press would be the easiest and safest way to straighten that back out. I agreed with @ThatJeepGuy you could back into something slowly in low range and push it back in. Just don't get to crazy with throttle.

[James92]

Thanks guys. Yeah, the auto body guy suggested backing it into a tree as well. I just don't want to tweak it more than it already is or scratch it up. I was hoping to come up with some other idea... 

[fiatslug87]

@Gjeep sent his to S&S Bumper Repair in So Cal. Half way down page 4

 https://comancheclub.com/topic/74144-project-slippery-slope-–-a-’91-mj-runner/page/4/#comments

 

[DesertRat1991]

I got a nice result working with a metal refinisher to straighten a bumper. They usually have experience doing restoration work for the hotrod community.  They know how to patch, stretch and shrink metal and can also handle powder coating or chrome dipping.

 

Bodyshops just want to turn and burn insurance work.  What you really want is a restoration. Strip, straighten and refinish. 

 

 

 

 

 

[ThatJeepGuy]

Personally I think it's a fitting character for the patina your truck apparently has (peeling clear and faded). It'd be a shame to go soo far out of the way to straighten a lighter duty bumper like that to only have someone schmuck it in a parking lit a week later. No bad joojoo here but losers will do as they do best and run away from honesty/responsibilty.

[89 MJ]

I’d echo bringing it to a metal shop or a chrome shop and having them straighten it. 

[Gjeep]

Backing into things sounds crazy. Not sure what you're looking to spend, but the repair on mine which was somewhat worse than 92MJ's bumper was $350 ($250 repair + $100 shipping) for repair shipped back from them if I remember correctly. I had to pay shipping to their shop. I should mention the repair will cost less if you remove all the plastic and ship it metal bumper only.  http://ssbumperrepair.com/

[James92]

Alright, thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll call up some metal shops in the area and see what they can do.

 

S&S did a really great job on GJeep's bumper! It looks like there's a couple of bumper shops closer to me that I'll look into before considering shipping mine. I do agree that my truck doesn't need a perfect restoration bumper. I mainly just want it a little better than it is. 

[pizzaman09]

If you don't have a press, park the truck near a very solid object, like a tree, then use a bottle jack to carefully push the bumper back to shape, probably with a 2x4 piece at the contact point with the bumper.

[James92]

Well, I decided to have the bumper straightened by a local shop. I asked for a quote on powdercoating, but they just went ahead and did it without telling me.. oh well. A little more expensive than I wanted, but it came out very nice!

 

[fiatslug87]

Looks great!!!

[Pete M]

nice!!  what was the price breakdown?

[James92]

2 hours ago, Pete M said:

nice!!  what was the price breakdown?

Thanks guys!

 

$350 to straighten it, $275 to powdercoat. Definitely a lot more than I wanted to spend. But it looks great.. I'm going to keep telling myself that to justify it.

[pizzaman09]

That looks fantastic!   Hopefully you avoid scratching it.

[DesertRat1991]

On 5/30/2025 at 9:59 PM, James92 said:

Thanks guys!

 

$350 to straighten it, $275 to powdercoat. Definitely a lot more than I wanted to spend. But it looks great.. I'm going to keep telling myself that to justify it.

 

That looks great!   And not far off what I paid about 6yrs ago. A worthwhile investment for a part that could last another 35 years.

 

 

 

 

[James92]

Haha definitely going to need to avoid scratching it! This is almost too nice for me to be trusted with... 

 

2 hours ago, DesertRat1991 said:

 

That looks great!   And not far off what I paid about 6yrs ago. A worthwhile investment for a part that could last another 35 years.

 

 

 

 

Ah, thanks for that. That makes me feel a little better about the whole thing! It does looks pretty darn good in the daylight.

 

[White_Comanche]

Looks fantastic! Really wouldn't be worried about scratching it...

 

Revealing the cost from your local area helps out too. Have been curious about that and the end result. I have an annoying doof on mine as well.

 

Excluding the cost of powder coating, paying a shop beats what you can find custom on eBay.

 

Some of the ones on eBay look cool, but the price doesn't. KEYPARTS & CROWN SHOULD TAKE NOTE ON MJ BUMPERS.

 

[eaglescout526]

33 minutes ago, White_Comanche said:

CROWN

NO!! They need to take note on what the hell quality means.

[White_Comanche]

Yes, how could I have made that mistake? Would not trust Crown Automotive on such an integral part.

[James92]

On 6/2/2025 at 8:53 PM, White_Comanche said:

Looks fantastic! Really wouldn't be worried about scratching it...

 

Revealing the cost from your local area helps out too. Have been curious about that and the end result. I have an annoying doof on mine as well.

 

Excluding the cost of powder coating, paying a shop beats what you can find custom on eBay.

 

Some of the ones on eBay look cool, but the price doesn't. KEYPARTS & CROWN SHOULD TAKE NOTE ON MJ BUMPERS.

 

Thanks!! Yeah I'm a big fan of the stock bumper. None of the aftermarket ones do it for me. 

 

The $350 to straighten the bumper I was okay with. I was planning on either painting it, or I have a friend who would've powder coated it for a little cheaper. So the extra $275 I was not a fan of... but whatever it's done now. And man it looks so much better now, especially with Brandon's hitch underneath! Huge upgrades to the rear of the truck. I also snagged a spare tire carrier and installed a spare under there, and a new catback with shiny chrome tip :)

 

Being in the bay area definitely adds a little to the price. But, it also means I was able to find a shop within ~45 minute drive that actually specializes in bumper straightening and re-chroming (mainly on 40s and 50s cars), and didn't need to deal with shipping it. So that's a plus. 

 

Too bad about yours! It looks very clean otherwise. This guy would definitely be able to straighten it. I'd be happy to share shop details if you're interested. It certainly would be nice if someone made OEM style bumpers...

[fiatslug87]

1 hour ago, James92 said:

I'd be happy to share shop details if you're interested.

Yes please. 

[James92]

19 minutes ago, fiatslug87 said:

Yes please. 

Auto and Truck Bumpers

https://www.atbumpers.com/

(510) 881-1886

 

Turnaround is ~4 weeks, including the powder coating. I called him and he gave me a cell number to text a pic of my bumper to, then gave me an estimate.