Thinking of replacing my front bumper. What are the technical issues faced with this replacement? I assume it isn't just a bolt-on application due to aribag sensors, etc. I've heard the term "crush cans", but don't know what it means. I want to add lights to the front too. May just go the cheap route and add to existing bumper but much prefer the look of some aftermarket bumpers. It's a costly upgrade so want to understand what the total impacts are going to be. Thanks.

 

You obviosly have not seen my wife park .........oops, I forgot, she's a member here...

 

The sensors for the airbags are NOT in the bumper, they are inside the jeep itself. (According to the manual, the front ones are below the headlights, in the enfine compartment, on the inside, the side ones ar ein the passenger cabin behind the b-pillar plastic. a different view shows one in the area of the passenger side kick panel, regardless, i know for a fact they arent in the bumper, if they are, mine are in the rafters of the shed behind the house with the remains of my old front bumper.)

the crushcans are as described above, and in my opinion as well, just about basically worthless.


~still laughin' at the air damn ^%$@!#*&$@(*&!@&(^%## comment.


the total impact, will be relief to your gluteous maximus, by aleviating the pressure of to much spare cash in your wallet.

 

Do you have fog lights on your stock bumper? It adds a small complication.

 

What a coincidence, we did them alone together in different states.

I did mine alone as well, but i coulda used a hand, skidplate was kinda heavy to balance, hold, and start the bolts all at the same time...

 

LOL

Don't you guys have any freinds?



Another solution is to use a floor jack to help hold the bumper up, etc...as it allows you to fine tune the elevation, until you can get a couple of bolts in, etc.

We have "Mod Days"...where a bunch of us congregate on my driveway, or where ever, and help each other with maint/mods, etc.

That way, if I have airtools, and someone else has pickle forks or a bearing socket, spare jacks, etc, or what ever, its like a series of automotive barn raisings. If you don't have tools, bring pizza and beer, etc.



And yeah...air bag sensors are in the cabin where the occupants are...that's because they need to be there to measure the decelleration rate, and decide if its too fast to get through w/o a bag deployment.

If you have an after market bumper...it distributes the force of the impact across the face, rather than allowing a typicaly cabin intrusion, or for the middle or just one side of the frame to do ALL the impact absorption.

This lessens the jolt of an impact, as in a SEVERE impact, the ENTIRE crush assembly in the hood, and frame, etc...is slowing you down.

In most stock impacts....ALL the absorption has to be done by one side or the other, etc....,never the ENTIRE system at once....so you are not decellerated as slowly, as the shock absorber has less capacity, etc.

In a Not severe impact...instead of crumple zones crumpling, as all of them together have to be damaged for one to be damaged, etc...they all hold up, and you have no damage to the jeep, as its ALL absorbed by the aftermarket bumper.

I have a Shrock front bumper on my current rig.......and I live in NJ......Deer Alley.

I have made bushells of venison puree, and suuffered zero damage to the truck, other than nasty flecks and spatter that hoses off the next day, etc.



So - I have hit deer before Shrocking....and they wreck you. The aftermarket bumpers spread the impact, and increase your suvivability.

If you are in an accident that decellerates you fast enough to hurt you too badly, the air bags go off exactly like they would with a stock bumper...all they know is how fast you're slowing down...and fire off if you're going to hit the dash or steering wheel to hard, etc.

 

Of course i do, but there little imaginary hands arent much help holding up a 100# bumper.

 

Daggone, when I have mod days, they come over, "mod" my fridge to make it hold more (by emptying it of beer) and then tilt their heads to the right then the left while telling me it's on crooked. I've got to get this figured out.

 

Imaginary freinds don't count.



Unless you only need an imaginary bumper mounted...


Freinds who don't really help each other are not really freinds either...

Sigh.

You guys need new freinds.

 

...no kidding.