Front Bumper Trim

[superpowerdave]

Okay so last weekend at URE3 my bumper (stock) and a rock had a disagreement ... needless to say the rock won. We pulled the fog light on the trail, pulled the fender well and then finished up.

As a result I wound up trimming my bumper long before I had planned, but no big deal. I'd read a lot about how people had done it but found it difficult to find good intel as well as good pics so I figured since I was doing it I might as well post about it.

I started by removing the brush guard, easy enough job, although while doing so I found I was missing a bolt (shoulder shrug.) Then I loosened the bolts on the fenders right in front of the tires. It's a weird bolt with a bushing through it, took my moronic brain a few to figure it out. Then I unbolted the four main bolts on the bumper mounting brackets. These were a pain in the ass.

After that I removed the actual plastic fascia from the steel bumper which used two bolts on each end. I disconnected the washer bottle and let that drain into a bucket.

I took the fascia then, set up on a table and taped it off. One thing I had to concern myself with was the fitment and how the steel section would show beneath, which I wasn't interested in. Yeah, I know, I can stare at my undercarriage all night but I'm worried about a little black steel showing!

The other thing was I had to curve the line on the ends (where it meets the wheel well) because one of the screws that keep it attached was lower than the line I'd planned on following. I adjusted.

I decided to use my Dremel with the cut-off wheel. Worked like a charm. I had to go slow at the beginning but once it had cut all of the way through I could follow the line pretty quickly. All in all, cuts took me about thirty minutes.

Hope this helps for anyone who has considered doing so. I'd welcome any other suggestions or helpful hints. Sorry if the pics only work as links but I'm inept when it comes to computers and mechanical things, which might explain a lot

Thanks-

Dave

[Entire bumper removed]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1...614%20comp.jpg

[End on fenders where I had to curve the cut to ensure the sides of the bumper buttoned up right.]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1...613%20comp.jpg

[Front shot, bent cross-member thingy and all]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1...616%20comp.jpg

[Angled shot]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1...620%20comp.jpg

[toyota_jon]

oh i see it's another one of those www.com bumpers. many they are getting very popular

[superpowerdave]

I don't get it ... but then I normally don't.

[96owner]

what bumper is this?

[bama]

Ok i think its a nice idea, ive gone through two bumpers already. do you have any pics of the bumper trim?????

[superpowerdave]

Since I'm retarded I just dropped links in for the photos instead of the actual pics ... hope this works. If not please someone let me know I'm still retarded so I can fix it!

Thanks!

[bama]

no dice!

[Disco Mike]

So Dave,
I am not sure where you are whith your bumper but if you want to talk, PM me your number and I'll call you.
Mike

[superpowerdave]

Okay since I can't get a handle on how to post pictures here I will just drop the link for the blog page the write-up lives on. I hope this helps. If not, well then I might need someone to help me.

http://dwbuchanan.blogspot.com/ - it's the second or third post down from the top.

Mike-

Got your pics, thanks, sorry it's been hectic around here. Still trying to figure out what the plan is. With a move back to Alaska looming on the horizon I'm weighing my options on if I should wait. I'll definitely call you if/when I decide to have one built while here on the coast. You know me, I'm not afraid to call you and ask for advice

[disco12]

Looks great man I'm glad I was able to help.

[superpowerdave]

For those of you who can't see the images click here http://www.flickr.com/photos/superpo...e/tags/bumper/ and that should dump you in my flickr page.