Ok question,.. The rear bumper is attaced to a bracket by 2 bolts, and then looks like the bracket is attached to the jeep via 4 bolts if I am remembering right.. My question is this is it easier to just remove the bracket or remove the bumper from the bracket?

 

Both ways are a pain, and don't be surprised if you break some of the bolts..

 

I had to remove the rear bumper on the side of the road and it wasnt too hard but can be a pain to get a socket or wrench in the bracket to get to the back of the bumper bolts. I still have to backets on the back of my XJ so I dont know how difficult those are to get off.

 

I found it easier to remove the brackets from the uni body with the bumper sill attached to them. Mainly becuase my bumper didn't want to detach from the brackets themselves.

 

I soaked the eight unibody attaching bolts for about four days and mine came off easily. I used a couple of bolts that were longer than the stock bolts when re-attaching my new homebuilt bumper so I could put nuts on the backside. You can't get to all eight but you can do two per side IIRC

 

i broke both my bolts to bracket and had no plans of keeping the bumper so i cut it off on both sides of the bracket. Made it wayyyyyyy easier

 

I recommend removing the brackets & bumper as a unit.
WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES.
I replaced my rear bumper on my '89 XJ a couple of weeks ago...I removed the brackets from the unibody....it was 8 bolts attached to welded-in unibody nuts.
Pretty easy...15mm? deep socket works well... I needed a breaker bar with a cheater to get them started, but I'm lucky to have a CA Jeep.
(You Midwesterners may have less fun... )
On some years, the bumper-to-bracket bolts are Torx...and they suck, IMHO.

Good luck!

 

Eh shoot I have been lucky so far that none of my bolts have broke and they all seem to be easy to get on an off with a cheater and breaker bar...I'll just take bracket and all off..Seems to be the easiest method..I am just painting the stock bumpers is all I am doing. Not adding new ones..I have decied new aftermarket bumpers will just add to much weight and well my pocket book just can't justify spending that much on new bumpers..

 

I took mine off the brackets first then took the brackets off. It was a pain to get the bumper bolts off but it wasn't terrible. Taking the brackets off wasn't that hard either but then again I was using an impact wrench. I didn't break any bolts taking it off either surprisingly.

 

I painted my bumpers with them still on the Jeep - much easier than taking them off. Just remove the end caps and that plastic trim strip thingy at the top, and mask it off.

 

Ive been wanting to fabricate some custom bumpers for my xj but have been reading posts about doing so and it seems weight might be an issue. So...has anyone done (or know of someone who has done) herculiner on the bumpers? I did it on my rockers and it seems to hold up pretty well. Do you guys think it'd be worth doing it on the bumpers?