Stubby Front and Rear Bumpers with covered ends...

[Rubidozer]

I cut the front stubby bumper, but I wasn't happy with how the cut ends looked. The front looked good, so I figured I would cut the rear and maybe there would be enough leftovers to cover the front ends. I did the rear stubby bumper, and I found that there was enough to cover the front ends. So I covered the front ends... Here's what I can tell you, along with some photos:

Here's how it all started, with the cutting of my Front Stubby:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic096.JPG

I took my bumper off the jeep to try and cut the metal and plastic portions, so I could try to fold the pieces together to cover the ends. It wouldn't line up to create an end piece...
So I cut it off flat on the ends to try and add the short outer end of the stock plastic, but nothing was the same size.
So I created a cardboard template of the areas to be covered, but there were no pieces that had enough flat area to cover them...

Here is a pic from my stubby rear bumper under development:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic0981.JPG

The good news is that I found the leftover pieces fit the front stubby bumper ends perfectly! Start cutting those rears!!!!

By the way, I used a razor-knife to cut the rear since there was no metal behind the plastic. It was way smoother than using a sawzall, and it only took 3 or 4 times to cut all the way through...

Here's the rear, after completing the welds:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic1001.JPG


Here's the photos of the End-caps on the Front Stubby:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic112.JPG
http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic113.JPG

The welds are kinda big, because it was hard to fill the gaps and hold the piece against the bumper at the same time... Plus, it was raining while I did this... Then I burnt the crud out of my thumbs, while I smoothed the welds by heating them with the torch/soldering iron and rubbing them....

The welder is nothing more than a soldering iron. I always use a torch iron that uses butane for fuel. That way there's no cord in the way. You can find them at Walmart for $14, and they come with different tips for different things.
And I also found that the torch with a small flame is perfect for cleaning-up and smoothing all the rough edges and it will even fix any scratches in the bumper and flares!...

If you aren't familiar with how to weld plastic, just use slight movements in a knitting/stabbing motion. It should look a little like stitching. Just be sure to allow the plastic to heat enough so the weld penetrates deep enough into the bumper to hold it firmly. If you don't, the weld will split apart. Also, be sure to allow the weld to cool before letting go of the pieces or they will split...

Also, don't forget to use some extra trimmings from the plastic bumper pieces. You will need them to fill any gaps in the two ends being fused together.


As I mentioned before, the end-caps came from the ends of the rear bumper. Here are some photos of the cuts in the rear to make them fold over, as well as the template for the front caps and the leftover piece from the rear bumper that you cut them out of:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic111.JPG
http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic0991.JPG

I hope this helps... I really like the look of the finished Stubbies...
I'll post some final pics of the bumpers, soon.... Start Cutting!!!!!

[jeepik]

looks really good

props to you for getting this done

[jeepinoutwest]

Thank you for your efforts to post this. Not only does your jeep look great but your detailed how-to will definately help me make mine come out much better. Thanks again for all the tips.

[ThinkMud]

Dude this is by far the best mod for buck ever! I love the way your front welds look like real welds! I would not try to smooth it out any, the raw weld beed look is awesome! makes a "soft" bumper look hard! I love it! can't wait to do mine!

[Piginajeep]

Looks awesome!! You have topped the mirror drill mod by far!

[HappyCurmudgeon]

Looks awesome!! You have topped the mirror drill mod by far!

RUT ROH..... methinks them be fightin' words. :rotflmao1:

[The_Superhoo]

really looks great!!

[Rubidozer]

Looks awesome!! You have topped the mirror drill mod by far!
Funny you should say that, because I just got on here to look at the 'Mirror-Drilling' thread; I noticed mine are leaving runs down the doors....
I'm not sure if this will top the all-time best thread ever, but thanks!

[ThinkMud]

Quick question to the almighty plastic master!

After you planned out the cuts and folds for the rear, do you think now that if you went back you could do the same type of fold for the front? I was looking at mine today and it looks like you could, just would have to just the metal part and plastic separate and you should have enough to fold back over and not have a seam on the front part of the bumper at least.

but your welds look killer, but I know that mine would like smushed bubble gum, that's why i'm thinking of trying to cut out the angles like you did on the rear for front as well. not sure if i'll be able to hit this weekend, but soon....

[Rubidozer]

Hey Thinkmud,

I think you should try it, if you think it will work. I tried, but couldn't get it right. You only get one chance, so leave the flap bigger than you need. You can always cut it down...
If I could do the rear bumper again, I would do it like the front; The rear flaps that folded over left some crazy lumpy bend in the plastic and turned the plastic gray. I guess I should have heated the folded area more, before I bent it over... Plus, it was really hard to get the folded part to stay in place while I welded it...
Good luck on your cutting/welding! The worst you can do, is end up cutting it off and welding the cap on...

Or maybe catch yourself on fire! :ukliam2:
Just kidding!

[ThinkMud]

Hmm.. I was thinking the folded way would be easier, but now that you mention the color changes of plastic it makes more sense to do the full cap like you did on the front, b/c personally I think the bead you got around it looks really cool. So I will try it like that now, just full caps front and rear. and as far as messing up, I have 2 extra front bumpers to get scrap plastic from or even start over if i have to:) but if i catch it on fire, I guess I'll have metal stubbies:)

[JKFirefighter]

Great job! That looks great, and you did it yourself with your own idea. That's a jeep thing!

[dhoffroad]

yea nice job !!

[ThinkMud]

Dozer, quick question for ya, how did keep your plastic cover on the front attached to the metal if you cut off where it is bolted? I was looking at mine and it looks like the only 4 bolts holding the plastic to the metal are past the parts where you cut off. did you just use some sheet metal screws or something? Thanks.

[Rubimon]

Looks awesome!! You have topped the mirror drill mod by far!

Hey! Hey! Let's not get carried away here! It's a great mod and all, but let's just not get carried away!:D

[Rubidozer]

Dozer, quick question for ya, how did keep your plastic cover on the front attached to the metal if you cut off where it is bolted? I was looking at mine and it looks like the only 4 bolts holding the plastic to the metal are past the parts where you cut off. did you just use some sheet metal screws or something? Thanks.
If you look inside the rear of the metal bumper, there are two holes where plastic-plugs line-up with two holes.... I heated the plastic-plugs and smashed them flat against the metal; Then I used 2 screws and some washers that were larger than the holes to mount through those holes. Just be sure not to overtighten the screws....
Then I used two small bolts and nuts to join the plastic and the metal near the outside ends of the bumper, just inside the ends. Then I capped the ends of the bumper, so I cannot remove the twp bolts unless I were to cut some access-holes.

[Rubidozer]

The welded ends on the stubbies held together, even though I beat the snot out of them in Tellico!

I was doing moderate and extreme trails, and I couldn't tear them apart! They took quite a few hits and scrapes! But, most-of-all, they were designed perfectly to allow my tires to climb boulders and rockwalls without denting or tearing-off the stock bumper entirely...

It was snowing pretty hard all weekend, so it was causing alot of sliding into rocks and I really thought I would tear these stock stubbies right off!

[BLKRUBI]

The welded ends on the stubbies held together, even though I beat the snot out of them in Tellico!

I was doing moderate and extreme trails, and I couldn't tear them apart! They took quite a few hits and scrapes! But, most-of-all, they were designed perfectly to allow my tires to climb boulders and rockwalls without denting or tearing-off the stock bumper entirely...

It was snowing pretty hard all weekend, so it was causing alot of sliding into rocks and I really thought I would tear these stock stubbies right off!


Awesome Mod! Not to hijack the thread, but how'd would you compare your stock trip to Tellico, with your lifted trip to Tellico?

[Rubidozer]

The stock trip to Tellico sounded like this:
SCRAPE, BANG, CLUNK, SCRAPE, SCREEECH, THUNK, SCRAPE, SCRAPE, SCRAPE.

The recent trip to Tellico, with the 35s and the 3" lift, sounded like this:
.................................................. .................................................. .........................


It was utterly awesome! I have wheeled alot of different vehicles in alot of places, but my JK Rubi Unlim blew them all away! And a few of them had more lift and bigger tires! I have wanted to go on the extreme trails, but never dared to even when the weather was good... The JK performed so incredibly well, that I decided to go to the extreme trails and try my luck... I couldn't find anything that my JK couldn't traverse! My buddies said that I made everything look easy! In one of the pics, with the green TJ on the ledge, I climbed that 8ft ledge like it wasn't even there! My buddies were freaking-out screaming and cheering! They had never seen anyone come out of the river and just shoot right up the ledge even in good weather! They should have some video....

That's saying alot, considering there was a snowstorm of wind, snow, and ice and the ground was covered with icy mud! It was so cold, that we couldn't stand outside for more than a few minutes without our hands cramping-up!

I can't wait till I go again, when the weather is good.... I'm gonna go places that some rigs never see without a winch, bumpers, and clean underpants!!!

[Rubidozer]

Here are some better pics of the stubbies:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic105.JPG

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic110.JPG

[ThinkMud]

Ok I'm to go try this.... and I was wondering what you did with the side brackets on the rear bumper? right now it looks you would have to either remove them completely or bend them out of the way? or remove them and use the existing 2 holes to put thru the new sides of the stubby?? anyway I don't know what i'll try yet, but i'm about to do it.... wish me luck!

[ThinkMud]

ok, here it is...

http://thinkmud.com/img/bucksjk/DSCN0478.jpg
http://thinkmud.com/img/bucksjk/DSCN0476.jpg
http://thinkmud.com/img/bucksjk/DSCN0477.jpg
http://thinkmud.com/img/bucksjk/DSCN0475.jpg

my welds look nasty as all! but they are holding up. I put some sheet metal screws into the end pieces to hold them on while I did the welding stuff. I also left the stock bolts in the front bumper, so mine is a tad wider then Dozer's but I think it turned out ok, not a total disaster, haha... but close:eek!: I plan on just Hurculine it all later so hopefully that will cover up my nasty welds.

[rupedog]

It looks great, good job! The more I see pictures of this mod, the more I like it.

[ThinkMud]

Oh, I found that using a torch worked better then the little butane portable torch/soldering iron I tried (it was a piece of crap) so I'd use something with a stronger flame, the little butane one I tried at first did more heating and warping the plastic then it did melting.... Mine don't look half as good as Rubidozer's, but I tried and it was fun to do something next to free that looks so good! at a distance it looks nice:) but up close it looks like some of my old G.I.Joe toys that I mutilated with a wood burning kit.... :rotflmao1: I guess somethings never change....

[Rubidozer]

They work! And I commend you on having the balls to try it! It isn't easy, and we'll definitely be in the elite ranks of those who are willing to cut, bend, and mutilate our rigs! Congratulations..... Now go beat the snot out of your rig to see if they will fall off!!!

[ThinkMud]

They work! And I commend you on having the balls to try it! It isn't easy, and we'll definitely be in the elite ranks of those who are willing to cut, bend, and mutilate our rigs! Congratulations..... Now go beat the snot out of your rig to see if they will fall off!!!

An elite crazy club!! I thought they looked pretty nasty, but everyone in my local club said they loved it, so awesome idea Dozer, thank you so much for the write-up and balls to do it in the first place!! It satisfies the craving for new bumpers with next to nothing out of pocket!! Best afternoon i've spent mutilating my rig so far! (The second was mounting my Hi-Lift to my tail gate, just drilled holes through it and used the TJ bumper mounts;) )

[possumface]

my luck i would set the whole jeep on fire :eek!:

[Rubidozer]

The next modification to my front stubby will be mounting a winch in it with a hawse fairlead. I'm gonna have to do it differently than INLO did his in the write-up, but that's because I have my swaybar disconnect motor in there.

Now to find a free winch......:thinking:

[BLKRuby]

Could some one please explain the welding portion a little more detailed, like parts and technique.

Thanks

[Rubidozer]

Could some one please explain the welding portion a little more detailed, like parts and technique.

Thanks
The welder is nothing more than a soldering iron. I always use a torch iron that uses butane for fuel. That way there's no cord in the way. You can find them at Walmart for $14, and they come with different tips for different things.
And I also found that the torch with a small flame is perfect for cleaning-up and smoothing all the rough edges and it will even fix any scratches in the bumper and flares!...

If you aren't familiar with how to weld plastic, just use slight movements in a knitting/stabbing motion. It should look a little like stitching. Just be sure to allow the plastic to heat enough so the weld penetrates deep enough into the bumper to hold it firmly. If you don't, the weld will split apart. Also, be sure to allow the weld to cool before letting go of the pieces or they will split...

Also, don't forget to use some extra trimmings from the plastic bumper pieces. You will need them to fill any gaps in the two ends being fused together.

[myfirstjeep]

Can any of you guys please post close-up pics of the rear stubby? Someone backed into my rear bumper and the left corner ie under the licence plate is punched in.....I think I could get away with converting it to a stubby...I am a newbie, never done any mods...I will probably leave my front bumper stock for a while, but the rear damaged bumper looks ugly.....Please help a newbie....

[jeepinoutwest]

Ok I am back home and will attemt this this weekend. After looking at them I have a couple questions.

1. Is it better to leave the front bumper on and cut or remove and cut on the floor?

2. Do I need to remove any other pieces like the front frame cover?

3. If I leave the plastice bumper on, should I cut the plastic first then the metal second? I wanted to recess the metal cut in an inch or so. Also I was going to use a knife to cut the plastice and a sawzall for the metal.

4. If I cut the metal past the two bolts that afix to the bumper, do I have to add additional mounts futher in, past the line that I cut, or are there additional mounts that will be secure enough to hold the front bumper on?

5. Rear bumper, If I just remove the brackets, which is my plan, do I have to add additional rear bumper supports?

Thanks so much to all you stubby pioneers!

[Rubimon]

Can any of you guys please post close-up pics of the rear stubby? Someone backed into my rear bumper and the left corner ie under the licence plate is punched in.....I think I could get away with converting it to a stubby...I am a newbie, never done any mods...I will probably leave my front bumper stock for a while, but the rear damaged bumper looks ugly.....Please help a newbie....

Try hitting it with a heat gun or blow dryer first. You might be able to pop it back out. It's worth a try at least.

[myfirstjeep]

me thinks the stubby looks cooler though....no?

[Rubimon]

Even so it would be nice to try it for the research sake itself. Then cut it off!

[myfirstjeep]

i will try it......

[jeepinoutwest]

Ok here is how she came out! Thank you all for your help!
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper8.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper5.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper7.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper1.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper2.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper4.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/jkwrangler/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper3.jpg

[Rubidozer]

Here's another pic of the front stubby in action:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic115.JPG

[jeepinoutwest]

I added new pics of the ends I fashioned out of the pieces I cut off. See two posts above.

[ThinkMud]

I added new pics of the ends I fashioned out of the pieces I cut off. See two posts above.

How did you get yours to look so clean? mine looks nasty, haha....

[jeepinoutwest]

ARe you being sarcastic? Either way, my answer is the same. I used a soldering iron with a flat tip. I took my time, each end took 20-25 minutes. They seem very secure. Either way, I love the look tons over stock.

[ThinkMud]

ARe you being sarcastic? Either way, my answer is the same. I used a soldering iron with a flat tip. I took my time, each end took 20-25 minutes. They seem very secure. Either way, I love the look tons over stock.

haha, nah man i'm not being sarcastic, I used a torch and mine looks nasty! so you actually used the soldering tip? didn't think of that... maybe I missed the point somewhere, but the torch worked, just made it look all smooth and melted though... but not like nicely smooth, like nasty lumpy uneven smooth.... but i do like the look. but yours looks really good, I would love to do mine over if i could make the end caps look as clean as yours.

[Rubidozer]

Hey Jeepinoutwest,
Good job and congrats on having the balls to cut-up your bumpers!
My welds looked just like yours, then I heated and ran my thumb over them to smooth them a little. I liked how it made them look a little more like real welds. I like what you did for the rear bumper with the cut ends, instead of bending them like I did...

[wayoflife]

Hey Jeepinoutwest,
Good job and congrats on having the balls to cut-up your bumpers!
My welds looked just like yours, then I heated and ran my thumb over them to smooth them a little. I liked how it made them look a little more like real welds. I like what you did for the rear bumper with the cut ends, instead of bending them like I did...

Is that what you did to make your welds look smoother... used your thumb?? :eek!: Can we see some pics of what your thumb looked like afterwards? :D

[bodybrdng]

Is that what you did to make your welds look smoother... used your thumb?? :eek!: Can we see some pics of what your thumb looked like afterwards? :D

:rotflmao:

[Rubidozer]

Imagine a deep-fried pickle, and that's pretty close....:hot:

[Major Ho]

I apologize in advance if this is an ignorant question.
So you put the two desired edges together right? And in soldering terms, I dont know anything about welding, what do you use as the solder to join the edges?
Or do you just touch the edges and melt the edges together as is?

Thanks in advance

[Rubidozer]

I apologize in advance if this is an ignorant question.
So you put the two desired edges together right? And in soldering terms, I dont know anything about welding, what do you use as the solder to join the edges?
Or do you just touch the edges and melt the edges together as is?

Thanks in advance
I used a soldering-iron that runs on butane fuel. I stitched the two pieces together by heating them and stabbing the tip through the pieces and smoothed them with the torch-tip of the soldering-iron.
If you read the earlier posts in this thread, you will find more info...

[ThinkMud]

I used a soldering-iron that runs on butane fuel. I stitched the two pieces together by heating them and stabbing the tip through the pieces and smoothed them with the torch-tip of the soldering-iron.
If you read the earlier posts in this thread, you will find more info...

ah.... that's what i did wrong! I just put the pieces together and torched them until they melted together, that's why mine look so bad...

"I see." said the blind man.....

Thanks dozer, next time I'll know what to do!

[jeepinoutwest]

Ok I need advice. After stubbing my rear bumper (love it), I feel as though the license plate sticks out like a sore thumb. Id like to relocate it so that both rear quarters look symetrical. Any suggestions. See pic for what I mean.

http://mysite.verizon.net/resv19sr/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper5.jpg

[Rubidozer]

Ok I need advice. After stubbing my rear bumper (love it), I feel as though the license plate sticks out like a sore thumb. Id like to relocate it so that both rear quarters look symetrical. Any suggestions. See pic for what I mean.

http://mysite.verizon.net/resv19sr/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bumper5.jpg
I'm going to fab a bracket to mount it on the spare tire, along with the light.

[jeepinoutwest]

Rubi you personally have been a big help, so first, thank you. Second, my concern about mounting it on the spare is I personally like the look of the rim exposed in the rear, so what i was thinking was mounting the plate directly to the bumper and them mounting a little plate light to the left or right of the plate or both i suppose. that way the light fixture(s) wont interfere with the tailgate or departure angle. your thoughts?

[ThinkMud]

Rubi you personally have been a big help, so first, thank you. Second, my concern about mounting it on the spare is I personally like the look of the rim exposed in the rear, so what i was thinking was mounting the plate directly to the bumper and them mounting a little plate light to the left or right of the plate or both i suppose. that way the light fixture(s) wont interfere with the tailgate or departure angle. your thoughts?

I was thinking the spare tire too, b/c I know they already make kits for that, but now that you brought up the bumper, that is not a bad idea, you could just mount a small light on top of the plate (or one on each side) then just screw the plate directly into the bumper like the front is mounted. Good idea.

[Woods]

Joined the club today:

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3729/minidsc3487tm1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2158/minidsc3492ky2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[jeepinoutwest]

hey woods, nice endcaps!

Rubi, do you know if anyone make a cover plate for where the plate holder used to be?

[BLKRuby]

hey woods, how did you go about the endcaps, they look awesome?

[Rubimon]

Woodsy, nice clean job. Looks like you left the plastic long and folded it. Nice welds too!

[rupedog]

Wow, that looks great!. Tell us how you did the end caps.

[bodybrdng]

It looks like he folded over the ends...:thinking:

[Woods]

It looks like he folded over the ends...:thinking:

Yup folded over the ends. Took a soldering iron to the inside of the folds, in order to rout a channel (to make folding material thin). Then took a plastic welder (small heat gun) to the inside of the fold. I kept heating on until it folded pretty much under it's own weight.

I did all the welds from the inside. And only had to touch up the outside.

[bodybrdng]

Yup folded over the ends. Took a soldering iron to the inside of the folds, in order to rout a channel (to make folding material thin). Then took a plastic welder (small heat gun) to the inside of the fold. I kept heating on until it folded pretty much under it's own weight.

I did all the welds from the inside. And only had to touch up the outside.

very impressive. Any chance of a write up??

[Rubidozer]

Yup folded over the ends. Took a soldering iron to the inside of the folds, in order to rout a channel (to make folding material thin). Then took a plastic welder (small heat gun) to the inside of the fold. I kept heating on until it folded pretty much under it's own weight.

I did all the welds from the inside. And only had to touch up the outside.
Freakin ingenious! Weld it from the inside! Now I'm impressed... The shape of your bumper looks good, and your seems look nice and clean. Fantastic job!

[Rubidozer]

Rubi you personally have been a big help, so first, thank you. Second, my concern about mounting it on the spare is I personally like the look of the rim exposed in the rear, so what i was thinking was mounting the plate directly to the bumper and them mounting a little plate light to the left or right of the plate or both i suppose. that way the light fixture(s) wont interfere with the tailgate or departure angle. your thoughts?
Thanks! It looks like Woods has outdone the teacher, though...
As far as the plate on the bumper, you can use your light from the existing plate-mount and attach it to your bumper pretty easily. And for covering the existing plate holes in the body, you can probably get the rear corners from AEV without the cutout for the plate-mount. That's the way their original pics showed their corners...

[Woods]

very impressive. Any chance of a write up??

I thought about doing a complete write up, but there's too much guess work in the details. Here's some tips and summary info.

I bought my Plastic Welder at Harbor Freight.

I used a 40 Watt soldering iron.

I used a razor knife to do the cutting and trimming. Cutting was MUCH easier if I pre-heated the plastic with the welder.

The angle that I made my cuts for folding the plastic was about 49 degrees. Even with this cut, there was still a lot of trimming once the fold was made.

I made all my cuts so there was a V-groove on the back side. I took the soldering iron and welded the outside part, from the inside first. I then added additional plastic and welded it in for strength. I got the additional material by cutting strips from scrap bumper material.

A Dremmel helped in making adjustments.

To mount the plastic bumper to the metal bumper, I used 1/4" T-Nuts. I was able to reach inside the plastic bumper to mount them. You should take a bolt and washer and seat them. Drilling the holes was very easy. With the bumper removed from the Jeep, Cut the metal bumper down to the correct size. Place the metal bumper inside the platic bumper. Drill 1/4" holes about half an inch in, from the end of the metal bumper (top and bottom, four bolts total). Then take a larger bit, and increase the 1/4" holes to fit the T-Nuts. The T-Nut specs say to use a 5/16" hole, but I used a slightly smaller size, for a snug fit.

Given this summary, there is a lot of grinding cutting and fitting, to get everything to fit tight. This took hours, not the minutes of the Doojer style stubby.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8110/tnutmf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


To simulate the texture of the outside bumper, you can heat the plastic (from the outside) let it cool for about 5 seconds, then press a piece of scrap against it. That works for smooth surfaces. If you have a bumpy surface, you can do the same with 80 grit sand paper. The sand paper has the benefit of being flexible enough to get between the bumps.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1121/minidsc3496fz9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8571/minidsc3497hn7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Woods]

Updated my description from above.

[MacDobhran]

Man, I'm jealous. I was so jazzed to do this. I love the look! Then I actually had to go and read. I found out this wouldn't be legal in WV. The bumpers can't be any shorter than the wheel track (the distance between the center line of each tire tread). :wah:

stupidfreakinstatelaws

[Rubidozer]

Hey Woods! Stop hi-jacking my thread! Get your own write-up!
:rotflmao1:

[Woods]

Hey Woods! Stop hi-jacking my thread! Get your own write-up!
:rotflmao1:

Just so you know who you're dealing with. My definition of R and D is Rippoff and Duplicate.:brows: :crazyeyes:

[Rubidon]

Nice Job!:yup:

[HappyCurmudgeon]

Wow, that looks really good. :yup:

[CLACKEY(_!_)]

Hey Woods. Great job!!!!

Can't wait to see it for real.
I think we're going to call this "The Woods front stubby"
If anyone has hacked up their bumper beyond recognition and want to do it like woods let me know I have a slightly used factory front bumper I will donate to the cause. Preferably pick up. I don't really have alot of time to package and ship.

[doojer]

Wow... Woods that is excellent work! :yup: A fantastic improvement on the SSB design! :2thumbs:

[Woods]

Sticking with the subject of this thread, I've now completed my rear stubby.

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4299/minidsc3500rb0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/3425/minidsc3502le2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[jeepinoutwest]

KUDOS on a great looking rear bumper!

Also extra kudos for the cool receiver plug.

[nickc]

damn woods, are you for hire? Seriously, i was going to do this mod but i know i would f it up.

[Rugbyduck]

So...am I missing something? Did you take the plastic bumper cover OFF the bumper in order to cut the metal? Where did you know where to cut the plastic then?

[jeepinoutwest]

go for it nickc, no matter what you can tell everyoone you did it. mine didnt come out like woods' but im proud of it.

rugbyduck, i did take the bumpers off, only the front has a metal frame, this allowed me to cut on an angle and retain just enough of the bumper to use the factory retaining screws for the plastic outer skin.

[Woods]

So...am I missing something? Did you take the plastic bumper cover OFF the bumper in order to cut the metal? Where did you know where to cut the plastic then?

Yes, I had to take the plastic off, to cut the metal (on the front bumper). In the back there is no metal to cut. You just have to remove the side mounting brackets.

Figuring out how to cut the plastic is the hard part. You just have to figure it out. The rear bumper was easy. The front was a bit more tricky. That's why I posted the pics of the peice that I cut off. It sort of gives you an idea of where to cut.

[Woods]

damn woods, are you for hire? Seriously, i was going to do this mod but i know i would f it up.

we are going to be holding a bumper cutting course at my house. The fee is, no just kidding.

For the amount of time that it takes to do this, you could easily justify the cost of an aftermarket bumper. Hmmm 10 minutes to cut it Doojer style, or 6 hours to do it Woods style. I'm certainly not sure that it was worth all the extra time. I do enjoy the process though. I would NOT recommend this to anybody who does not have a lot of patience. You really have to enjoy doing this sort of work.

[CLACKEY(_!_)]

we are going to be holding a bumper cutting course at my house. The fee is, no just kidding.

For the amount of time that it takes to do this, you could easily justify the cost of an aftermarket bumper. Hmmm 10 minutes to cut it Doojer style, or 6 hours to do it Woods style. I'm certainly not sure that it was worth all the extra time. I do enjoy the process though.

Woods that looks awesome.
I could use a plastic repair guy here in the shop. Can I email you the app?

I'm glad you brought up the time and money thing. That was in my mind but I didn't want to rain on your parade. With that said I ordered my new rear bumper in Jan. I am still waiting.

By the way side note: I love the hitch plug!!!! Wear it proud!:2thumbs:

[njch412]

Thats a good looking..... dog.

Heres a question, you guys are talking about plastic bumpers and stuff. When I got mine the dealership pt the off-road bumpers on it for me. Do you guys have plastic covering off-road bumpers, or am I working on something completely different?

[Woods]

Thats a good looking..... dog.

Heres a question, you guys are talking about plastic bumpers and stuff. When I got mine the dealership pt the off-road bumpers on it for me. Do you guys have plastic covering off-road bumpers, or am I working on something completely different?

The factory bumper is metal covered by plastic. I think any aftermarket off-road bumper would be all metal, no plastic on the outside. Have any pics of yours?

[njch412]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a272/njch412/Jeep/Photos2007winterandspring023.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a272/njch412/Jeep/Photos2007winterandspring017.jpg

Thats the MOPAR off-road bumper, it has plasticc in front of the tow hooks and thats it.

[njch412]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a272/njch412/Jeep/Photos2007winterandspring020.jpg

There is the rear Mopar bumper. Basic metal into the frame. Two eyes in the back for pullin, stamped out Jeep logo.

[CarFanatic]

what happened to pics??

[CarFanatic]

Ok, I tried to do it Woods style, but he is the master and I am just a little grasshoper. Here's pics...


This took so long, I ran like this for a week:
http://my.project-jk.com/data/648/medium/20070522_001.jpg

In the end, here's what I got.
http://my.project-jk.com/data/648/medium/20070522_006.jpg
http://my.project-jk.com/data/648/medium/20070522_003.jpg
http://my.project-jk.com/data/648/medium/20070522_007.jpg
http://my.project-jk.com/data/648/medium/20070522_010.jpg

All in all, fun mod. Actually too much fun if you get the plastic smoking:crazyeyes:

What part of the bumper did you take to make the end pieces?? Also how did you know where to cut the bumper at? You measure from a specific point?

[rfrogman]

You fold the end over. This is my rough cut just before adding the "V" cut top and bottom to allow the fold.

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Jeep-winch_019.jpg

This is how my end came out. Woods did his welds from the inside which make much cleaner line.

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Jeep-winch_026.jpg

[CarFanatic]

ahh! ok, does anyone have a how to step by step to do this? What do the v cuts look like?

[flyer415]

SOUNDS like an awesome mod but I don't see any pix

[rfrogman]

ahh! ok, does anyone have a how to step by step to do this? What do the v cuts look like?

Go to page 6 & 7 of this thead. Wood has photos of what he cut off his bumper. you can see the "V" cuts. This thread has all the information in it but some parts of this mod is guess work. Guess work meaning you will still have trimming and palstic welding or epoxy to deal will. Making the end caps from the rear bumper scraps is easier and less time consuming than cutting, folding and welding the ends from the existing front bumper. Both mods look great, you have to choose which one to apply.

Good luck!

[CarFanatic]

I never seen the back bumper mod? anyone have pics?

[Woods]

I never seen the back bumper mod? anyone have pics?


Check post number 74. The back was a lot easier to do than the front. Link to Page (http://www.jk-forum.com/showthread.php?t=6331&page=8)

[CarFanatic]

Check post number 74. The back was a lot easier to do than the front. Link to Page (http://www.jk-forum.com/showthread.php?t=6331&page=8)

wow your welds look awesome!! ITs kinda hard to see the back ones. Looks like you did a diagonal to fit the body lines. Do you hav a pic of how you cut the front diagonals to fold the bumper in?

[Woods]

wow your welds look awesome!! ITs kinda hard to see the back ones. Looks like you did a diagonal to fit the body lines. Do you hav a pic of how you cut the front diagonals to fold the bumper in?

See post #64

[CarFanatic]

I had no idea there was a such thing called a plastic welder! I guess this is pretty much just hack and go at it. I wish I could see the plastic cut before it was bent in.

[red7]

I caved in the corner of my front stock bumper yesterday and want to try and do Woods fold over mod. The problem is I'm not sure I have enough bumper to work with. From the bulge in the stock front bumper, how far out towards the end of the bumper would I need to cut to have enough bumper to work with? From the bulge to the start of where I caved it in about 8.5 inches although I could probably salvage more even though it's starts to gray from stretching the plastic. Would I have enough to work with? Thanks!

[red7]

Also, I have a regular electric soldering iron or a torch for copper plumbing. Will an electric soldering iron work? I live in Mexico so I'm not sure if the Home Depot or Walmart here will carry the torch soldering iron thing you guys talk about (I've never heard of those before).

[Rubimon]

In the meantime, until someone answers your question, I have heard of guys taking a hairdryer or heat gun to the dent and it comming back out. You may have to help it a little from the inside if possible.

[davebloomer]

i used an electric soldering iron for mine:)
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/bansheeboy132/IMG00979.jpg

[Seth]

How strong are these welded joints? I had an extra set of bumpers that the dealership gave me and after I finished them, I gave them a good stomp to see if they would split, and sure enough, they did. The front one was the easiest to break, and I welded that one from both inside and out. If you guys have an idea to make them more durable for the trail, please let me know.

[Angryitch]

I didn't use a solder at all. I simply used an epoxy to glue the pieces together and has held up strong since the mod...

[red7]

i used an electric soldering iron for mine:)
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/bansheeboy132/IMG00979.jpg

Do you know how many watts your soldering iron is and did you weld yours from the inside? Not having done this before (welding plastic) I'm not sure of the technique but my personal preference is for the photos of the ones where they were welded from the inside. Do you have any close up photos of your DaveBloomer?

I did pop out the dent with a little help from inside after heating it up good and it looks pretty good but I know it's just a matter of time until I hit something again. I'm ready to try this mod but want to be sure my soldering iron will work just as good as the torch style ones (still have no idea what those are). Mine is a large 60 watt electrical iron, do you guys think that with that it could turn out just as good as the photos of the guys on page 6? If an electrical iron won't work as good I'll have to wait until my next trip to the States as Home Depot doesn't sell the torch style here.

[[N]UGE]

Do you know how many watts your soldering iron is and did you weld yours from the inside? Not having done this before (welding plastic) I'm not sure of the technique but my personal preference is for the photos of the ones where they were welded from the inside. Do you have any close up photos of your DaveBloomer?

I did pop out the dent with a little help from inside after heating it up good and it looks pretty good but I know it's just a matter of time until I hit something again. I'm ready to try this mod but want to be sure my soldering iron will work just as good as the torch style ones (still have no idea what those are). Mine is a large 60 watt electrical iron, do you guys think that with that it could turn out just as good as the photos of the guys on page 6? If an electrical iron won't work as good I'll have to wait until my next trip to the States as Home Depot doesn't sell the torch style here.


just my opinion but i think you 60 watt would be fine for the job. i do agree with you with the finish on the inside. much cleaner look. keep us up to date on how it goes

[davebloomer]

Do you know how many watts your soldering iron is and did you weld yours from the inside? Not having done this before (welding plastic) I'm not sure of the technique but my personal preference is for the photos of the ones where they were welded from the inside. Do you have any close up photos of your DaveBloomer?

I did pop out the dent with a little help from inside after heating it up good and it looks pretty good but I know it's just a matter of time until I hit something again. I'm ready to try this mod but want to be sure my soldering iron will work just as good as the torch style ones (still have no idea what those are). Mine is a large 60 watt electrical iron, do you guys think that with that it could turn out just as good as the photos of the guys on page 6? If an electrical iron won't work as good I'll have to wait until my next trip to the States as Home Depot doesn't sell the torch style here.

well, i really glued it with plastic epoxy and then went back over it with a soldering iron to smoothe the cracks out where you cant see the line of the two pieces of plastic or any gapping... it looks good was very easy and has held together well..

i used the rustoleum black spray paint to repaint where the plastic epoxy dried white... have no fear you don't have to repaint the whole bumper as it is a perfect match in color :yup:
if you have any other questions please feel free to PM me i love feeling like i am helping people seeing as this forum has helped me SOOOO much

[The Diesel]

Im think i might start this little project tonight. Has anyone though about bolting some simple "L" brackets inside of the ends to give it more strength? Then the welding would mostly just be cosmetic. Has anyone painted it with herculiner? i might try this also.

[Dustoff '68]

Hmmm......gee....forgot what I wanted to say:sad2:

[The Diesel]

Hmmm......gee....forgot what I wanted to say:sad2:

..............i dont get it...........

[kidjeep]

davebloomer, love the avatar! :rotflmao1:

[avosfit]

Im think i might start this little project tonight. Has anyone though about bolting some simple "L" brackets inside of the ends to give it more strength? Then the welding would mostly just be cosmetic. Has anyone painted it with herculiner? i might try this also.

Have you done any work on this mod yet? I've had my JK for less than a month and I can't keep up with everything I want to do in my limited time. I think you are on the right track herculiner; I think that will look great!

Keep us posted.

[urbikesucks]

can't wait to get back to the states and working on the jeep

[deconstructionist]

2 questions-- What happened to the pics in the first post????????? They're gone and I cant access his Jk gallery????????

Second question-- Has anyone done the herculiner on thier bumper? Wondering if anyone has pics of that........

thanks.:thumbsup:

[Greystn JK]

http://my.project-jk.com/data/512/stubby-4.jpg
http://my.project-jk.com/data/512/medium/stubby-3.jpg
http://my.project-jk.com/data/512/medium/stubby-2.jpg
I know its not perfect but Icouldn't wait any longer. With my new tires I think it looks great!

[Rubidozer]

I still haven't broken my welds, but I did them by stiching them together with a torch-style soldering gun and a pointed tip to stick into the two pieces and push the melted plastic together. Mine may look ragged, but everyone who has ever seen them says they make it look really welded and tough.
I ALSO GOT RID OF THE WHITENESS BY JUST GOING OVER THE WELDS WITH THE TORCH ITSELF.

[sixt7gt350]

Well, after cutting the free bumper from chevy51deluxe to a stubby, I wasn't done with the open ends. I decided I would close them up today. In the process, I matched up the angle from the front view with the grille and from the top and side views with the fender. (used t-nuts to re-anchor plastic to steel)

An important note for those unfamiliar with blow molding: inconsistent wall thickness.

The right side went together well. Plenty of fat plastic for melting and holding the end piece to the main. On the left side, the plastic was so thin that it kept curling away every time I got heat near it. Every attempt to patch it up or fill in caused the paper-thin plastic to pull away even farther. The bump over the crush can was super thin. While I was melting near it, it warped. The left side now looks like pure crap, with a gap between the cap and the crush can bump. I may just use some filler or epoxy to clean up the shape, then spray the whole bumper with bedliner or similar. <sigh>

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/DSCF0380.jpghttp://my.project-jk.com/data/500/DSCF0381.jpg

(Yeah, I know. She needs a bath.)

[deconstructionist]

http://my.project-jk.com/uploads/1048/DSCF0380.jpghttp://my.project-jk.com/uploads/1048/DSCF0381.jpg

(Yeah, I know. She needs a bath.)

:redx: :thinking: no pics..........

[deconstructionist]

But hey...Here's mine...Plastic welded with soldering gun both inside and out along the seams. And yes- that IS herculiner on her: we'll see how well she holds up.

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/Rubicon_Projects_8_007.jpg

[sixt7gt350]

Well, with some cutting of inserts, fillers, and patches from the leftover plastic, the left side now qualifies as frankenbumper.

[Ewok]

OK so in the install on the 1st page I get :redx:

[paulp575]

OK so in the install on the 1st page I get :redx:

You are lucky!!!
All I get is text, not even the red X!

There seems to be something in the forum software that deletes pictures after a certain period of time.

The same problem exists in the 07-08 locker mod write-up.

I guess the best solution is for someone to grab these write-ups and put them somewhere else so the pict do not get deleted!

Forum moderators/administrators?????? Are you reading this???

[deconstructionist]

You are lucky!!!
All I get is text, not even the red X!

There seems to be something in the forum software that deletes pictures after a certain period of time.

The same problem exists in the 07-08 locker mod write-up.

I guess the best solution is for someone to grab these write-ups and put them somewhere else so the pict do not get deleted!

Forum moderators/administrators?????? Are you reading this???

it MAY be the software but chances are: going off a lot of other forum experiences....someone just MOVED all thier pics on the host's site into a folder-- forgetting it breaks the links....and just simply forgot to re-link.

[lc619fr]

it MAY be the software but chances are: going off a lot of other forum experiences....someone just MOVED all thier pics on the host's site into a folder-- forgetting it breaks the links....and just simply forgot to re-link.

DING DING DING DING what do we got for'em johnny:ya: that's exactly what happens to the T

[jejome]

i started my front got the one side done wasnt as hard as i thought im welding it on the in and out so i didnt get the smooth look i like but i think when im done all smoth it out with filer sand it and paint it with duplicoler bed liner se how it looks post pics when don with front and rear

[jejome]

i got ming done i decided to leave it when i was done all i did was sand it down and heated it up and presed some 50 grit sand paper wear i welded it together i turned out got i think let me know

[rkcuscg]

why can;t i see the pics?

[4x4fn]

:redx:[QUOTE=Rubidozer;62845]I cut the front stubby bumper, but I wasn't happy with how the cut ends looked. The front looked good, so I figured I would cut the rear and maybe there would be enough leftovers to cover the front ends. I did the rear stubby bumper, and I found that there was enough to cover the front ends. So I covered the front ends... Here's what I can tell you, along with some photos:

Here's how it all started, with the cutting of my Front Stubby:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic096.JPG

I took my bumper off the jeep to try and cut the metal and plastic portions, so I could try to fold the pieces together to cover the ends. It wouldn't line up to create an end piece...
So I cut it off flat on the ends to try and add the short outer end of the stock plastic, but nothing was the same size.
So I created a cardboard template of the areas to be covered, but there were no pieces that had enough flat area to cover them...

Here is a pic from my stubby rear bumper under development:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic0981.JPG

The good news is that I found the leftover pieces fit the front stubby bumper ends perfectly! Start cutting those rears!!!!

By the way, I used a razor-knife to cut the rear since there was no metal behind the plastic. It was way smoother than using a sawzall, and it only took 3 or 4 times to cut all the way through...

Here's the rear, after completing the welds:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic1001.JPG


Here's the photos of the End-caps on the Front Stubby:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic112.JPG
http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic113.JPG

The welds are kinda big, because it was hard to fill the gaps and hold the piece against the bumper at the same time... Plus, it was raining while I did this... Then I burnt the crud out of my thumbs, while I smoothed the welds by heating them with the torch/soldering iron and rubbing them....

The welder is nothing more than a soldering iron. I always use a torch iron that uses butane for fuel. That way there's no cord in the way. You can find them at Walmart for $14, and they come with different tips for different things.
And I also found that the torch with a small flame is perfect for cleaning-up and smoothing all the rough edges and it will even fix any scratches in the bumper and flares!...

If you aren't familiar with how to weld plastic, just use slight movements in a knitting/stabbing motion. It should look a little like stitching. Just be sure to allow the plastic to heat enough so the weld penetrates deep enough into the bumper to hold it firmly. If you don't, the weld will split apart. Also, be sure to allow the weld to cool before letting go of the pieces or they will split...

Also, don't forget to use some extra trimmings from the plastic bumper pieces. You will need them to fill any gaps in the two ends being fused together.


As I mentioned before, the end-caps came from the ends of the rear bumper. Here are some photos of the cuts in the rear to make them fold over, as well as the template for the front caps and the leftover piece from the rear bumper that you cut them out of:

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic111.JPG
http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/medium/Pic0991.JPG

I hope this helps... I really like the look of the finished Stubbies...
I'll post some final pics of the bumpers, soon.... Start Cutting!!!

:redx:

[paulp575]

it MAY be the software but chances are: going off a lot of other forum experiences....someone just MOVED all thier pics on the host's site into a folder-- forgetting it breaks the links....and just simply forgot to re-link.

According to wayoflife (forum administrator/moderator), it's got somethign to do with the way write-ups are posted.

I really don't understand it all, but it's something about the BB software code the forum uses!

I'm working with Bofer84 to see if we can get both of his locker mod write-ups posted WITH PICTURES!

Will let forum know when it's accomplished!

[vgullotta]

According to wayoflife (forum administrator/moderator), it's got somethign to do with the way write-ups are posted.

I really don't understand it all, but it's something about the BB software code the forum uses!

I'm working with Bofer84 to see if we can get both of his locker mod write-ups posted WITH PICTURES!

Will let forum know when it's accomplished!

If you email me the pics, I'll post them for you. vgullotta@intermedia.net

[paulp575]

If you email me the pics, I'll post them for you. vgullotta@intermedia.net

I;'ll keep your offer of assistance in mind.

Boffer84 and I are working on getting the article, with pictures online so it will permanently have pictures!

[G888R]

http://www.jk-forum.com/picture.php?albumid=432&pictureid=2244


Here's my "Cut and cap".

[castor07jk]

Finally convinced the wife to let me do this mod. :clap:

My plastic welding skills need some work. But it's back together so she can drive it during the week.
Next weekend I will try and use a heat gun and a scotch bright pad to add texture to my welds.:thumbsup:
Maybe even do the rear bumper.:brows:

[castor07jk]

smoothed the plastic welds and add texture with 80grt sand paper:thumbsup:

[TINMAN080]

I removed 10 inches from each side of my front bumper, reused the stock ends as caps, riveted inside the shortened ends....:D

[08JKWrangler]

:thumbsup:Joined the club today:

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3729/minidsc3487tm1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2158/minidsc3492ky2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I think this is the cleanest stock stubby I've seen thus far...:thumbsup::thumbsup: Very nice...