roaddawg
Active Member
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- #1
Recently installed the LoD Signature Shorty bumper (not the destroyer) on my 2019 JLU Sport, and here is how it went:
Overall, I like the bumper. Strong with welded on D Ring brackets, light mounting brackets and bull bar. Appeared to be well made, nice fit and finish and all nuts, washers, bolts, spacers and such accounted for. Inside the packaging was a link on the LoD website for installation instructions. Youtube also had a few LoD front bumper install videos, which I read and watched prior to undertaking the task. It all seemed very straight forward and appeared it should take no more than a day to accomplish. However, what I quickly learned was that the instructions and videos always seemed to mounting a destroyer or shorty on Rubicon model, which it turns out, makes things a lot easier.
The Install:
Started off good, OEM plastic bumper was easy enough to remove, along with parts, tie-ins and skid pan. Now the first thing to do for the LoD bumper was to install the fog lights. Hmmm, looks easy enough. Wrong! the mounting area for the JLU sport (halogen) fog lights are partially blocked by the welded on plate where the bumper bolts to the frame. Somehow, you are expected to get a button head bolt, washers and a nut, not to mention an allen wrench and box wrench into a space with barely enough room to put you fingers flat, let alone trying to hold everything and reach over and under the light and mount! In the instructions and videos I was able to find I quickly learned that the Rubicon mounted in a different fashion with just using screws from the top, and the destroyer bumper (used for these install demos) had the mounting areas spaced wider apart providing more room for installing the fog lights.
After two and a half hours of frustration I was contemplating leaving the oem fog lights out of the equation and purchasing lights I could mount on the bumper. However my last attempt finally worked. I ended up tack welding the button head bolt to the washer. Then using a rat tail file, I filed a small notch in the hole where the bolt went. I then was finally able to get the bolt up and through the hole from the underside, and tack weld the exposed portion of the washer where the notch was created. This had to be done for both bolts that were located on the outboard side of the light brackets. Now I was able to slide the fog lights over the posts that the welded bolts created and then slowly (because of the lack of space) put on the nut and spend 5 minutes apiece, getting each small nut screwed down.
After that, the winch mount plate went on fairly quick (and the instructions and videos indicate to tighten it up, but I discovered that you should leave it loose to allow for play and getting the bumper to bolt onto the frame. I added the LoD tie- ins and they are definitely strong and hefty.
Bolting the bumper on was somewhat antagonizing like trying to get fog lights in, as there was limited space. I had to enlist the help of a neighbor to hold the bumper and turn the bolts, while from underneath and using a magnetic picker upper thing, I would slip on the washer and then try to get the bolt to catch.
One of the discrepancies I noted was the the instructions mention using a 3/4 wrench to attach the bumper to the frame. In reality, all the hardware supplied for bolts, washers and nuts, were 11/16. Not sure if it makes a difference but you would think the instructions would match the product.
Once everything was tightened up, it looked good. It feels super strong, sits nice and level and doesn't stick out far.
Next up was putting the winch on. I had previously aligned it on the winch plate before adding the bumper to ensure the width fit on the plate and mounting holes aligned. All looked good. I thought about pre-installing the winch, but believed it would restrict access to putting the bolts on to secure the bumper to the frame. Well, I at least should have loosely tried hanging the bumper on, as when all was said and done, the winch would not fit.
The bumper, when mounted sits tight to the body and frame. Because the winch plate sits below the top of the bumper, you loose some width when the bumper is installed. Not much, but it was enough so that while the winch itself would fit it, I had to remove the control box from the top of it and turn it around. In the normal configuration, the large battery wires came out the back of the control box. But the space was so tight that the wires were mashed up against the grill and would not allow the winch to seat. So, turning around the box so the wires faced forward, and adding 3/4 inch spacers between the bottom of the box and the top of the winch, allowed me to mount the winch securely without having to take off the entire bumper and winch plate to add additional spacers (it came with plenty). I then added the matching black steel skid pan, which was a breeze to install. Only downside is all exposed hardware was silver and doesn't match the flat black bedliner type finish. Previous to install, I painted all washers, nuts and bolts in a rattle can flat black to blend in.
So, all in all, it took longer than expected to install, mostly because of the fog light fiasco and then the winch issues. But it looks good on there and I like it.
Pros: Good strong bumper.
Nice fit and finish
Made in USA!
All parts and hardware accounted for
Cons: Purchased from Quadrtec (best price) and should have received within 3 days. However they shipped me the wrong product originally and the actual bumper arrived 3 weeks from the date of purchase.
No easy way (or even difficult) to mount OEM halogen fog lights
Hardware did not match online install instructions
Hardware was a silver/chrome finish, did not match black bumper, skid pan
The shorty bumper is really a pain to install. Unless you have an infant double jointed monkey that knows how to thread nuts and bolts together!
Overall, I like the bumper. Strong with welded on D Ring brackets, light mounting brackets and bull bar. Appeared to be well made, nice fit and finish and all nuts, washers, bolts, spacers and such accounted for. Inside the packaging was a link on the LoD website for installation instructions. Youtube also had a few LoD front bumper install videos, which I read and watched prior to undertaking the task. It all seemed very straight forward and appeared it should take no more than a day to accomplish. However, what I quickly learned was that the instructions and videos always seemed to mounting a destroyer or shorty on Rubicon model, which it turns out, makes things a lot easier.
The Install:
Started off good, OEM plastic bumper was easy enough to remove, along with parts, tie-ins and skid pan. Now the first thing to do for the LoD bumper was to install the fog lights. Hmmm, looks easy enough. Wrong! the mounting area for the JLU sport (halogen) fog lights are partially blocked by the welded on plate where the bumper bolts to the frame. Somehow, you are expected to get a button head bolt, washers and a nut, not to mention an allen wrench and box wrench into a space with barely enough room to put you fingers flat, let alone trying to hold everything and reach over and under the light and mount! In the instructions and videos I was able to find I quickly learned that the Rubicon mounted in a different fashion with just using screws from the top, and the destroyer bumper (used for these install demos) had the mounting areas spaced wider apart providing more room for installing the fog lights.
After two and a half hours of frustration I was contemplating leaving the oem fog lights out of the equation and purchasing lights I could mount on the bumper. However my last attempt finally worked. I ended up tack welding the button head bolt to the washer. Then using a rat tail file, I filed a small notch in the hole where the bolt went. I then was finally able to get the bolt up and through the hole from the underside, and tack weld the exposed portion of the washer where the notch was created. This had to be done for both bolts that were located on the outboard side of the light brackets. Now I was able to slide the fog lights over the posts that the welded bolts created and then slowly (because of the lack of space) put on the nut and spend 5 minutes apiece, getting each small nut screwed down.
After that, the winch mount plate went on fairly quick (and the instructions and videos indicate to tighten it up, but I discovered that you should leave it loose to allow for play and getting the bumper to bolt onto the frame. I added the LoD tie- ins and they are definitely strong and hefty.
Bolting the bumper on was somewhat antagonizing like trying to get fog lights in, as there was limited space. I had to enlist the help of a neighbor to hold the bumper and turn the bolts, while from underneath and using a magnetic picker upper thing, I would slip on the washer and then try to get the bolt to catch.
One of the discrepancies I noted was the the instructions mention using a 3/4 wrench to attach the bumper to the frame. In reality, all the hardware supplied for bolts, washers and nuts, were 11/16. Not sure if it makes a difference but you would think the instructions would match the product.
Once everything was tightened up, it looked good. It feels super strong, sits nice and level and doesn't stick out far.
Next up was putting the winch on. I had previously aligned it on the winch plate before adding the bumper to ensure the width fit on the plate and mounting holes aligned. All looked good. I thought about pre-installing the winch, but believed it would restrict access to putting the bolts on to secure the bumper to the frame. Well, I at least should have loosely tried hanging the bumper on, as when all was said and done, the winch would not fit.
The bumper, when mounted sits tight to the body and frame. Because the winch plate sits below the top of the bumper, you loose some width when the bumper is installed. Not much, but it was enough so that while the winch itself would fit it, I had to remove the control box from the top of it and turn it around. In the normal configuration, the large battery wires came out the back of the control box. But the space was so tight that the wires were mashed up against the grill and would not allow the winch to seat. So, turning around the box so the wires faced forward, and adding 3/4 inch spacers between the bottom of the box and the top of the winch, allowed me to mount the winch securely without having to take off the entire bumper and winch plate to add additional spacers (it came with plenty). I then added the matching black steel skid pan, which was a breeze to install. Only downside is all exposed hardware was silver and doesn't match the flat black bedliner type finish. Previous to install, I painted all washers, nuts and bolts in a rattle can flat black to blend in.
So, all in all, it took longer than expected to install, mostly because of the fog light fiasco and then the winch issues. But it looks good on there and I like it.
Pros: Good strong bumper.
Nice fit and finish
Made in USA!
All parts and hardware accounted for
Cons: Purchased from Quadrtec (best price) and should have received within 3 days. However they shipped me the wrong product originally and the actual bumper arrived 3 weeks from the date of purchase.
No easy way (or even difficult) to mount OEM halogen fog lights
Hardware did not match online install instructions
Hardware was a silver/chrome finish, did not match black bumper, skid pan
The shorty bumper is really a pain to install. Unless you have an infant double jointed monkey that knows how to thread nuts and bolts together!
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