Front bumper and fenders questions

Feb 08, 2007 3 Replies
C

Hey all Jeep owners...I have a 2005 Rubicon Unlimited....very factory, have made no customizations to it thus far. I'm not very mechanically inclined, e.g. I don't change my own oil or really do anything myself to the Jeep. Last week I hit a patch of ice and slammed the front passenger side of the Jeep into a cement wall. It shoved the front- right part of the bumper up about 6 inches into the fender...basically, that part of the bumper is trashed, and both fenders need replaced. The fog light on that side is also broken. My question is:


1) Would you replace the bumper and fenders with the factory stock, or are there better non-Jeep made bumpers out there that you would recommend?


2) Is it tough to replace a bumper, or could a more mechanically inclined buddy of mine and I pull it off?


3) It looks like most non-factory bumpers don't have the fog lamps on the bumper...so if I went this route, would I just disconnect the other fog lamp that is working?


4) If I don't go the DIY route, I'm having trouble finding service places in the area who would do non-Jeep customizations to a Jeep...I live metro-Detroit, so obviously there are a lot of Chrysler dealerships, but would they only work with factory replacement parts??



Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can offer!


-Chris



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M

Yep.

Agreed but granted that bumper is basically thick sheetmetal, it doens't take much to bend it. It comes off with six bolts, four on the top and two on the bottom. 10 minute job at most.

I'd be more concerned with steering linkage damage if the wheel was hit.

If nothing else, they can

Agreed, a replacement stock bumper and foglights can often be found on eBay as well.

Remember

The airbag control module on the TJ is on the transmission hump in front of the shifter, under the dashboard. There are no sensors in the front bumper area.

I'd agree with this, make sure your frame & suspention isn't buggered up.

I am also in metro detroit, shoot me an e-mail at mlmacchiarolo at comcast dot net. My off-road club members are a gold mine of advice and practical help...I bet some of them even have some stock parts lying around. wolverine4wd.org

Good luck and keep warm!

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J

Aftermarket for the bumpers. Get good steel and not that stock crap they use. Stock for the fenders, since I doubt you want to tube fender it.

10 minutes, and a couple of wrenches is all it takes.

-jenn

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S

For the bumper go on EBay, there are tons of aftermarket bumpers which look nice and are cheaper then stock. Try the Warn bumper, I have this on my Jeep and it is great. Also so many people are upgrading they will sell the stock bumper for next to nothing. For the fog lights, buy some after market 100watt ones and you will actually be able to see. Check out any 4x4 website. For the fenders, just go to to a body shop and get them fixed, if not ask them to go to a junk yard and pick up a set.

Hope this helps, remember the stock parts are $$$ while used parts are $.

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