AEV Bumpers: some after pics, and install experience.

[bRett32]

Installed my AEV front bumper a couple weeks ago........ painful. Love the look and promised integration of the AEV JL stuff, but installing it requires significant time and patience.

The rear bumper/fuel caddy/tire carrier was a much smoother operation (sounds like mileage may vary there) - but I think I also had the aid of quite a few great posts here and YouTube installs that called out the missing/mis-ordered instruction items and other pitfalls.

Two things I find fairly obnoxious on AEV's part - 1) the note to chase all the threads to remove excess powder coat - fine they offer the heads up; everything I've ever purchased from them has required it - but at their price point - do it in Michigan before it goes in the box. 2) I've seen a couple of posts that these bumpers are equally difficult to install at their facility and it comes down to the variances/tolerances Jeep allows in production. Maybe; I can't say different definitively but I installed several of their products on my ZR2 and most were more poorly aligned than those I've gotten for the JL with their ZR2 winch mount being a particular letdown.

For those that have the EX/RX bumper and the AEV 7000 series lights.......... do you find that the lights/light mounts rotate side-to-side over time? Both of mine migrate a few degrees left after some miles. I've changed out the hardware/fasteners - but the way the mounting brackets squeeze the roto-molded/plastic hoop cover I'm a bit weary of over torqueing them.

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[Slate]

Installed my front bumper this weekend, and my knuckles and shoulders are still in recovery! At first, I thought the modular parts would be nice, focusing on one part at a time, but now I think I would have rather just had one solid piece. I am pretty sure my ARB on my TJ was one piece and I had to muscle that thing on there.

I had all the tools I needed, but you sure get a lot of hardware. That in itself isn't bad, but wow the directions leave a lot to be desired. Tech Tim's video from Northridge 4x4 was a lifesaver - it's funny how many times he says "hot boron steel", or maybe I have just watched that video about a dozen times too many.

AEV really needs to do their own dang video.

Part of the problem with the directions is that there 1. Isn't enough pictures, and in fact, photos would have been better in some cases than drawings. 2. The drawings will change perspective so it can be hard to orient when you are under the jeep - a "===> Front of Jeep" would have helped in several cases. 3. As mentioned above, the powder coat can be very thick and when turning a bolt or screw it can be really hard - you think you are torquing that thing down like a MF'er, but you are really just fighting the powder coat. 4. They really needed a guide on the bolts - Yeah, I know there is a disclaimer about having some mechanical ability, but bear with me if I don't know what an M10x40 is at first glance. Compounding the issue are the multiple hardware kits for each of the components - not a bad thing on its face since you won't be short hardware, BUT depending on the part you might use the hardware that came with the part, OR you might use hardware from the main weldment kit or you might reuse the factory hardware! It just depends! HAHA!

For the love of all that is holy, why, OH WHY, weren't there more captured nuts already installed?? It is absolutely insane how many times we had to contort ourselves to try and get a nut on the back side, there is hardly ANY room and it only gets worse as you put more parts on. I don't know why they couldn't have either welded a nut on there, as there are some of those on there.

x2 on making sure you plug in your fogs when you can, DO NOT wait until the last minute and you really want to zip tie the harness, BEFORE you do anything with the skid plate, maybe even before you put the winch plate and winch on.

It doesn't make any sense to leave so much "loose" and then have to go around later and tighten it all down later; I understand why though, but many of the holes just won't line up. Those stupid U-nuts make things much harder than they need to be, mainly because of how they just don't line up like a captured nut would. There are certain attachments that need to have better access, like the main bolts holding the bumper to the frame horns, and those should be easy to get to, easy to run down and easy to get a torque wrench on.

It looks us WAY too long to install the factory fog lights. It was the first thing for us to tackle, and I wasn't in the hammer-first-ask-questions-later mood, but holy hell it was stupid hard to get those in there, the screws didn't want to line up with the u-nuts, there is hardly any room to get your fingers in there; thankfully there were some strategic holes to get a tool in there to cinch them down, but I thought I broke something in tightening it all down. Somehow it all worked out and they look great, but I didn't think it was going to.

I did the full monty, sans the big foglights, but I did get the Baja light bar, winch, etc.

Do I love the bumper? Yes, I bought it way back in July, got my Rubi in Sept, and just got around to installing it. I knew it was going to be a project, but it was way harder than it needed to.

Does it look good? Hell yeah, it does.

 

[Ratbert]

Installed my front bumper this weekend, and my knuckles and shoulders are still in recovery! At first, I thought the modular parts would be nice, focusing on one part at a time, but now I think I would have rather just had one solid piece. I am pretty sure my ARB on my TJ was one piece and I had to muscle that thing on there.

I had all the tools I needed, but you sure get a lot of hardware. That in itself isn't bad, but wow the directions leave a lot to be desired. Tech Tim's video from Northridge 4x4 was a lifesaver - it's funny how many times he says "hot boron steel", or maybe I have just watched that video about a dozen times too many.

AEV really needs to do their own dang video.

Part of the problem with the directions is that there 1. Isn't enough pictures, and in fact, photos would have been better in some cases than drawings. 2. The drawings will change perspective so it can be hard to orient when you are under the jeep - a "===> Front of Jeep" would have helped in several cases. 3. As mentioned above, the powder coat can be very thick and when turning a bolt or screw it can be really hard - you think you are torquing that thing down like a MF'er, but you are really just fighting the powder coat. 4. They really needed a guide on the bolts - Yeah, I know there is a disclaimer about having some mechanical ability, but bear with me if I don't know what an M10x40 is at first glance. Compounding the issue are the multiple hardware kits for each of the components - not a bad thing on its face since you won't be short hardware, BUT depending on the part you might use the hardware that came with the part, OR you might use hardware from the main weldment kit or you might reuse the factory hardware! It just depends! HAHA!

For the love of all that is holy, why, OH WHY, weren't there more captured nuts already installed?? It is absolutely insane how many times we had to contort ourselves to try and get a nut on the back side, there is hardly ANY room and it only gets worse as you put more parts on. I don't know why they couldn't have either welded a nut on there, as there are some of those on there.

x2 on making sure you plug in your fogs when you can, DO NOT wait until the last minute and you really want to zip tie the harness, BEFORE you do anything with the skid plate, maybe even before you put the winch plate and winch on.

It doesn't make any sense to leave so much "loose" and then have to go around later and tighten it all down later; I understand why though, but many of the holes just won't line up. Those stupid U-nuts make things much harder than they need to be, mainly because of how they just don't line up like a captured nut would. There are certain attachments that need to have better access, like the main bolts holding the bumper to the frame horns, and those should be easy to get to, easy to run down and easy to get a torque wrench on.

It looks us WAY too long to install the factory fog lights. It was the first thing for us to tackle, and I wasn't in the hammer-first-ask-questions-later mood, but holy hell it was stupid hard to get those in there, the screws didn't want to line up with the u-nuts, there is hardly any room to get your fingers in there; thankfully there were some strategic holes to get a tool in there to cinch them down, but I thought I broke something in tightening it all down. Somehow it all worked out and they look great, but I didn't think it was going to.

I did the full monty, sans the big foglights, but I did get the Baja light bar, winch, etc.

Do I love the bumper? Yes, I bought it way back in July, got my Rubi in Sept, and just got around to installing it. I knew it was going to be a project, but it was way harder than it needed to.

Does it look good? Hell yeah, it does.

Awesome job!

People always look at me kind of weird when I mention how thin the hot stamped boron steel is. Then their eyes widen a bit when they touch it and realize how incredibly thin it is.

 

[JLR_AEV]

Anyone here with the AEV front bumper also running the bolt hood lock?

Just from seeing how the lock is position I feel like its right behind the bull bar and wont be able to stick the key in but hoping that is not the case.

 

[Whatevers]

Anyone have issues with clearance between the fuel caddy and the rear windshield wiper? Mine gives it a little kiss, or else I have to lengthen the tie bolt enough that it causes a horrendous rattle while driving.

 

[kkarnage]

Anyone have issues with clearance between the fuel caddy and the rear windshield wiper? Mine gives it a little kiss, or else I have to lengthen the tie bolt enough that it causes a horrendous rattle while driving.

I just took the wiper off. Not much point having it there to clean just the bit of class between me and the caddy: can't see anything out of that bit anyway

 

[Whatevers]

I just took the wiper off. Not much point having it there to clean just the bit of class between me and the caddy: can't see anything out of that bit anyway

So very true. Probably going to be my solution as well.

 

[Ratbert]

Anyone have issues with clearance between the fuel caddy and the rear windshield wiper? Mine gives it a little kiss, or else I have to lengthen the tie bolt enough that it causes a horrendous rattle while driving.

None here, but mine was installed by AEV.

 

[Whatevers]

Anyone have an idea of what tool to use to remove the fairlead without disassembling the front bumper?

 

[kkarnage]

Anyone have an idea of what tool to use to remove the fairlead without disassembling the front bumper?

Spanners and a ratchet should do it. There’s not a lot of room, but can be done.

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