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So the install. Let me first say that this was all made much easier by reading the writeup I found here: http://gunscarstech.com/2015/01/03/s...-installation/ 10 times better than the instructions Smittybilt sent.
Anyway, we had company in town last weekend for the start of football season and my wife had cleaned the entire house top to bottom. The only thing left was the bumper & tire carrier taking up space inside the entry way. I decided to take off the entire day Friday to finish the install so the house would be clean. If I'd done this on a Saturday I would have had someone there to help me with everything. As it was, everyone else was at work and I was alone, underneath my Jeep on a hot as hell Friday afternoon.
Getting the old bumper off was a pain in the ***. I was cursing everyone I everything I ever knew. But, in the end, it came off. If you have enough time, you can accomplish anything.
The next step was getting the passenger side nutstrip on, which was also a pain in the ***. Before I bought this bumper I read TONS of reviews online, they all said the same thing, the fit can sometimes be a little off. And they were right. The nutstrip needs to be bent from the factory so that it will fit inside the frame and into the bolts. I almost went to the store and got longer bolts, and I probably should have, but I just didn't feel like it. I worked with what I had.
The entire time to take the bumper off and insert the new nutstrips/bumper brackets was around 3 hours. The entire install should only take 2-3 hours according to the instructions. I'm a novice when it comes to all things mechanical, but I'm not sure anyone would have done the entire install in only 2-3 hours. Not unless they had several sets of hands helping them.
The instructions say to place the brackets "a little under 34 inches," that should be enough to tell you about the fitment issues everyone runs into. "A little under 34" isn't much of an exact measurement. It also didn't mention whether under 34 was from the insides or outsides of the bracket. Regardless. I had to loosen the brackets on both sides several times to get the bumper to slide on properly. Again, this would have taken a lot less time if I had an extra set of hands to help me.
Those were the hardest things about the install. Everything after was a breeze. As you can see below, I did have to use some creative methods to hold my bumper at the correct height while I bolted everything in. Yes those are pieces of scrap wood on fold out chairs. I've had them laying around from when I made the shutters on our house. Yes this could have been a stupid thing to do. I realize it could have fallen on me and crushed my skull into oblivion. BUT it's probably not as unsafe as you imagine. I slid the bumper into the correct position, and kept it place with one hand while I hand tightened several bolts before I ever crawled under the Jeep. I didn't plan on dying.
The one thing that gave me a little trouble after everything was bolted on was the alignment of the swing arm. Again this would have taken 5-10 minutes if someone had been there to help me. Instead it took closer to 2. I also still don't love the way the tire sits at a slightly reversed angle from the hatch's, but I think some further adjusting will help get it into place a little better.
As you can see the bumper weighs a ton. My entire rear has dropped about .75". My leaf packs are only about 2 years old. I've ordered some JKS boomerang's that should help get the height back and help with ride quality. Hopefully I can get those in fairly soon.
A lot of people are down on this product because of fitment issues. To me, that's not a problem. It takes some adjusting and a little bit of extra time, but in the end, you can get it to fit perfectly. The price and quality are right. I got mine for $650 shipped to my door. That's almost $1000 less than similar tire carriers. The powdercoating is a bit thin, but that's what Rustoleum is for. It's not a perfect product by any means, but it's a perfect product for the price. The price lets you put more money into more important areas, because let's be honest, a rear tire carrier is one of the least important investments you can make on your XJ. Even with all the headaches I had during installation, I highly recommend this carrier.
Where did you find a Smittybilt bumper for $600 shipped, I've only seen the for $750.
Where did you find a Smittybilt bumper for $600 shipped, I've only seen the for $750.
I got it for $649.99 + free shipping from Morris4x4. They price match almost anything (other than eBay or Amazon). I found it for that price originally from 4x4groupbuy but I decided I'd rather buy from Morris since they're a vendor here and they've got such a great rep.
I was just reading through thinking how clean your ride looked!
Was everyone OK after the wreck?
Yeah I was the only one inside. I was sideswiped turning into a parking lot. I was in the turn lane, other guy wasn't. We were both turning left. I have no idea what he was thinking. I'm taking it for an estimate today and hoping his insurance picks up the tab (it should).
I've been fighting insurance over this for 3 weeks now. I'm getting a settlement that goes with what I think my Jeep is worth, but it's been absolutely insane how much back and forth we've had to do.
Guys, you're going to be mad at me, but I bought an FJ80 Land Cruiser. I couldn't find a good used XJ nearby, and I found an FJ80 for a price I couldn't pass up. Everything you see in this thread is up for sale. DM me if you're interested.
still have the bumper and truck lies for sale? if so send me a message. i sent you one but not sure if you got it or not. Glad you were okay in the wreck. loved the jeep. it was such a clean and simple build
still have the bumper and truck lies for sale? if so send me a message. i sent you one but not sure if you got it or not. Glad you were okay in the wreck. loved the jeep. it was such a clean and simple build
how do you know? just curious since i didn't see him post anything about it
All the threads where I listed anything for sale have been marked as sold for a while now. She's gone but not forgotten.
This is what I'm in now.
This is what I'm hoping to turn her into, subtle, understated, but will still cost more than everything I ever put into my XJ because parts and mods for FJ's are absurdly expensive:
I'm still scanning Craigslist daily looking for a cheap XJ to pick up and put in my driveway. You can never own too many cars & trucks.
