Stock Stubby Front and Rear Bumpers with covered ends...
 

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!!!!!

looks really good

props to you for getting this done

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.

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!

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

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

really looks great!!

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!

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....

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!

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:)

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

yea nice job !!

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.

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

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.

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?

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!!!

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

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!

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.

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

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....

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;) )

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

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:

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.

Stubby rear
 

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....

OK Im doin it this weekend, couple tips please!
 

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!

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.

Stubby
 

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

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

will do
 

i will try it......

Im IN baby!
 

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

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

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

New End Covers
 

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....