Jeep JKU New Front Bumper

[zmotorsports]

I had a WARN Rockcrawler front winch bumper along with a WARN Powerplant winch/compressor combo on my Jeep that I had picked up at a reasonable price for the package when I first started building my Jeep. However, now after owning if for a year and a half and having more than a few people give me a hard time for having a "purchased" bumper on my Jeep, I decided it was time to sell the old winch and bumper and fabricate a new one.

I also wanted to sink the winch down into the bumper as low as possible to keep the radiator unobstructed for better airflow while I was at it.

I am putting together an on board air system, so for a winch I just needed a good solid brute. I went with the WARN 9.5XP which has the series-parallel wound 6 HP motor and old style contactor box.

This is the bumper/winch combo that I removed.

Off with the old.

First order of business was to mock up a cardboard template for the winch mounting plate and decide how to tie it into the frame rails.

Bumper attachment points fabricated and the winch mounting plate tacked into place.

New winch showed up.

Deciding on placement.

Along with the eight (8) 1/2" grade 8 bolts holding the bumper assembly on to the frame rails I also added two 5/16" tabs welded to the frame rails that the back of the winch mounting plate will bolt to with two 3/8" grade 8 bolts.

For the "D" ring/recovery points, I welded them directly to the frame attachment points for starters.

I then cut the opening for the roller fairlead as well as the two "D" ring/recovery points to protrude through the front of the bumper. This will allow the "D" rings to pull on the entire assembly rather than just the outside front section which could pull it away from the mounting points. This also keeps my attachment points hidden and out of sight for a much cleaner look.

Front section of 3/16" P&O welded on.

"D" rings welded to front section.

Test fitting the top section with the opening cut for the winch.

Top section welded on. By keeping the fitment nice and tight inside corner to inside corner allows a nice weld bead with very, very little dressing to make a nice rounded corner and removing hardly any weld. I also weld the backside for added insurance.

Now to add the left and right ears of the bumper.

Final welding done and metal finished.

Test fit now with the winch and then I can add my grille hoop and off to the powder coater it goes.

I will post up some pics of it after I get it back from the powder coater as well as once I get it installed on the Jeep.

Mike.

 

[PCO6]

Apart from the welding (... great as usual ) I like the design.

 

[ADSR]

hell yeah. Looks great!

 

[kazlx]

Nice job. The D rings are bad ***.

 

[JonBoehman]

AWESOME!!! Now build me one. Lol!

 

[aggierailroad]

That looks great. Did you hit it with a DA to smooth everything? That finish is pro-level.

Any thought about converting to flatty fenders later and tying in to the bumper?

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I really appreciate it.

I just picked it up from the powder coater a couple of hours ago. I should be able to install it and the winch tonight and throw up some final pictures tomorrow.

Mike.

 

[zmotorsports]

That looks great. Did you hit it with a DA to smooth everything? That finish is pro-level.

Any thought about converting to flatty fenders later and tying in to the bumper?

Thank you. I actually used a Scrotbrite 7" pad and ran over it after using a flap disk to blend the corners/welds.

I will more than likely run flat fenders down the road but for now I am sticking with the OEM fenders. Even at full stuff I am not even close to hitting my fenders so flatties are not a necessity right now. I won't tie the fenders into the bumper, just have the gap between them. I really wanted to build a stubby front bumper but here in Utah they are illegal. I know a few guys in our Jeep club are running stubbies and haven't been ticketed or refused inspection but I don't want to push my luck. Besides, I wanted to still be able to run my Hella lights on the bumper so I needed a little width to accomodate them.

I have had the WARN Rockcrawler on which is close in width, maybe a little wider, and I haven't come close to catching it on anything yet in the past year and a half of wheeling so I should be fine with this little bit narrower and somewhat higher outer ear bumper.

Mike.

 

[Papas63]

At first i thought...what the hell is wrong with a bought bumper? But with the tools and skills that you have, I'd be giving you **** too.

Looks great! It also resembles the MORE bumper.

http://www.mountainoffroad.com/_e/Jeep_Bumpers_Rock_Proof_/product/JFB300/Jeep_Front_Bumper_for_TJ_Straight_1997_2005_Jeep_TJ_s_Wranglers_Includes_Mounting_Hardware_.htm

 

[readhead]

That is some good looking work. Your sanding skills are first rate. Seems like that is where most people mess up. Have you thought about modifying your tow bar to use the new D rings so you can loose the the tow bar mount? When I had the Jeep shop here in Durango we did that modification quite often.

 

[great white tj]

Thats some good looking work..

 

[bullnerd]

Beauty z!

 

[toddacimer]

That looks great but do you have to remove the winch to unbolt the bumper? Any thoughts for "theft proofing" the winch ? It seems that the 4 mounting bolts are the only thing preventing somebody from walking away with it. I know it seems like a lot of work but I had a friend who "lost" his Ford Raptors rear Fox Shocks while the truck was parked over night in his driveway.

 

[deere2210]

Absolutely fantastic!! Great job!!

 

[aggierailroad]

I really wanted to build a stubby front bumper but here in Utah they are illegal. I know a few guys in our Jeep club are running stubbies and haven't been ticketed or refused inspection but I don't want to push my luck..

Mike.

Makes sense now

Looking at those d rings just now I wonder if you've thought about making a bolt on stinger for trail days. Just a thought from an ex south Texas climber.

 

[NASTYZEN]

Top of the line work as usual.
That looks just awesome Z. Your welding skills are peaking!

 

[jhelrey]

How much for the old winch?

 

[cj7365]

now start mass producing them!!! great work

 

[zmotorsports]

That is some good looking work. Your sanding skills are first rate. Seems like that is where most people mess up. Have you thought about modifying your tow bar to use the new D rings so you can loose the the tow bar mount? When I had the Jeep shop here in Durango we did that modification quite often.

Thanks. I am keeping the towbar mount as when I built the towbar mounting bracket I built it low so I wouldn't have to raise my towbar on my coach as high as I have seen some. The higher the rise on the towbar on the coach the more wandering there seems to be.

A couple of friends tow theirs with the "D" ring mounts and although there is nothing wrong with that it is just too high for my liking. This thing tows straight as hell with zero wandering. The bracket doesn't affect any offroading as it is low and back behind the bumper and doesn't compromise my approach angle at all.

Mike.

 

[zmotorsports]

That looks great but do you have to remove the winch to unbolt the bumper? Any thoughts for "theft proofing" the winch ? It seems that the 4 mounting bolts are the only thing preventing somebody from walking away with it. I know it seems like a lot of work but I had a friend who "lost" his Ford Raptors rear Fox Shocks while the truck was parked over night in his driveway.

Nothing to protect against theft. Bolts and locks seem to only keep the honest people honest, if someone wants something bad enough there is nothing that is going to stop them.

Makes sense now

Looking at those d rings just now I wonder if you've thought about making a bolt on stinger for trail days. Just a thought from an ex south Texas climber.

No stinger for this guy. If I need a stinger I am probably on a trail or dropping down off of an obstacle that I probably shouldn't be on anyway.

Top of the line work as usual.
That looks just awesome Z. Your welding skills are peaking!

Thanks NASTY, coming from you with your skills that is a huge compliment.

How much for the old winch?

I just sold the WARN Powerplant over the weekend.

now start mass producing them!!! great work

Thank you. It is hard to mass produce these as I cut each section by hand and the mass produced ones are bent in as many ways as possible with minimum welding. I have built a couple for other people and express right from the get go that I cannot build one any cheaper than they can go buy from a supplier. The couple that I have built are for people that wanted something different than the others out there and a one-off so those are the ones that I enjoy fabricating. Throwing not only my ideas but also the Jeep owners personality into them.

Thanks again for everyones compliments and kind words.

Mike.

 

[zmotorsports]

Here are a couple of pictures after bending up the grille hoop and welding it on but just prior to sending it off to the powder coater.

Here is a picture after just picking it up from the powder coater yesterday and unwrapping it in the shop.

Bolting it on the Jeep.

Picture of it completed with the winch installed, new roller fairlead and my Hella 500 Black Magic lights bolted on.

I was able to get everything done just in time for our club's Meet & Greet tonight. Next project will be the on-board air system now that I don't have an air supply.

Mike.

 

[bluebolt]

Nothing to protect against theft. Bolts and locks seem to only keep the LAZY people honest, if someone wants something bad enough there is nothing that is going to stop them.

Mike.

Fixed that, I dislike the other saying.


Nice work on that bumper ZT!

 

[archirelic]

that's better work than I've seen come from shops around here!

 

[mattlago]

Just stellar fabrication work. On that note, I have a question for you since you clearly know what you are doing.

I fabbed a bumper for a JKU. On it, I fabbed a D ring which was welded flush mount, similar to yours. I beveled the edges to get very good penetration and it was done very well.

Then I just got an onslaught of cr@p from people saying that was not safe. They are saying that the D ring mount needed to slot through the metal and be welded from both sides otherwise "it will turn into a missle" on a tough winch pull.

I didnt listen and tested it by raising my jeep off the ground with the winch only attached to the mount.

I am assuming you agree that your weld is more than adequate, but I am wondering if you put any similar thought into it?

 

[zmotorsports]

that's better work than I've seen come from shops around here!

Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Just stellar fabrication work. On that note, I have a question for you since you clearly know what you are doing.

I fabbed a bumper for a JKU. On it, I fabbed a D ring which was welded flush mount, similar to yours. I beveled the edges to get very good penetration and it was done very well.

Then I just got an onslaught of cr@p from people saying that was not safe. They are saying that the D ring mount needed to slot through the metal and be welded from both sides otherwise "it will turn into a missle" on a tough winch pull.

I didnt listen and tested it by raising my jeep off the ground with the winch only attached to the mount.

I am assuming you agree that your weld is more than adequate, but I am wondering if you put any similar thought into it?

Thank you for the compliment. As far as the "D" ring mounts it boils down to penetration. I have welded many of these on the exact way you described, beveled edges and burned them into the parent material. Never an issue. Look at how the majority of the aftermarket bumpers "D" ring mounts are welded, most in the same manner you are describing.

At work I have done similar to seven (7) large cranes of ours and used it for lifting purposes with a 75 ton air over hydraulic bottle jack. Used this welded on bracket on seven different cranes now for over 20 years.

We have such a tendency to "overbuild" things that when some people see a single weld around the perimeter of an item they automatically assume it is a failure point. Again, it depends on the weld itself and the penetration into the parent material.

Mike.

 

[mattlago]

"At work I have done similar to seven (7) large cranes of ours and used it for lifting purposes with a 75 ton air over hydraulic bottle jack. Used this welded on bracket on seven different cranes now for over 20 years."

Well that answers that!

 

[mattlago]

You did forget one critical accessory that I put on my bumper.

http://www.homewetbar.com/Guinness-...-p-1338.html?gclid=CILxsZHYkbgCFc9xQgodO2YAmw

 

[marty_p]

HELL YEA!

 

[csp]

When I had the Jeep shop here in Durango we did that modification quite often.

Which shop did you have?

 

[toolfreak]

That looks great! Now you have me wanting to put a new bumper on my JK. If it wasn't a daily driver I would make one but I know it wouldn't be as nice as this.

 

[Jason280]

Great work, you've motivated me to start on my own bumper build!!

 

[readhead]

CSP I owned Durango Truck @ Offroad.

 

[bluebolt]

You did forget one critical accessory that I put on my bumper.

http://www.homewetbar.com/Guinness-...-p-1338.html?gclid=CILxsZHYkbgCFc9xQgodO2YAmw

If zmotorsports put that in his bumper it would be in its own contoured pocket

 

[zmotorsports]

That looks great! Now you have me wanting to put a new bumper on my JK. If it wasn't a daily driver I would make one but I know it wouldn't be as nice as this.

Thanks. Nothing wrong with having a nice stout bumper for a daily driver, mine is a daily driver/weekend wheeler.

Great work, you've motivated me to start on my own bumper build!!

Glad to hear that. Post up some progress pics when you get to building your own. There is nothing hard about it, just need a starting point and start cutting steel.

If zmotorsports put that in his bumper it would be in its own contoured pocket

Thanks. That is a good idea. I like everything to flow and be contoured.

Mike.

 

[MarkG]

Nice job. Looks great!

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice job. Looks great!

Thank you.

Mike.

 

[motobilt]

Awesome bumper build. Nice work.

Dan

 

[zmotorsports]

Awesome bumper build. Nice work.

Dan

Thanks. I appreciate that.

Mike.

 

[Bears Fan]

Nice work!

 

[saceone]

looking FABulous!