JL JOURNAL : BADASS BUDGET BUMPER & How to Flip the Sway Bar Disconnect

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Maybe it's because Cindy and I came from humble beginnings and pretty much every modification we made on our first Jeep either came from the Pennysaver or was something I had to make but when it comes to things like bumpers, we still prefer to keep things simple. I think it's for this reason that we were so inspired by the "Jeep King" JK Wrangler concept that was revealed way back at the 2007 SEMA show and it's why much of Moby and Rubicat were built up the way they were. Needless to say, now that we have JET Li, our 2018 Jeep JL Wrangler, we decided to move more in that direction as well - first by removing his rear bumper and now, by minimizing things up front as well. In other words, we wanted to give him a no frills - no thrills, badass, basic front bumper that could be had on a budget. Now, to do this, we installed a WARN winch plate that we had originally bought for our factory steel front bumper and just left the bumper part off. To secure it in place, we recycled D-ring mounts that we still had from a previous JK bumper and just bolted everything to the frame rails. That's it - just the essentials and nothing else. In this short video, you'll get to see what we did and just how easy it is to install. As an added bonus, we'll also show you how to flip or clock a Rubicon electronic sway bar disconnect motor and for cheap. While we weren't able to keep this setup with our new WARN winch plate, it is something that we do hope to make work out with some day. Of course, depending on your front bumper setup, it may still be something you can benefit from.


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What You'll Need to Make Your Own Badass Budget Bumper
WARN Winch Plate: https://amzn.to/2OsCn29
EVO D-Ring Mounts : https://amzn.to/2unK14i
D-Rings: https://amzn.to/2DBOntR


:cool:
 

USMC Wrangler

New member
I like it for all the reasons you mentioned. Is it just me or have stingers lost their coolness factor? Wonder if an EVO stinger could be added for a little more, ya know, ruggedness.
 

MericaMade

Active Member
I like it! Do you thing it could take a pretty good front impact hit and keep the winch safe and the tray in current shape?
 

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Love the look! Thanks for the video!

How are you liking now after some time running this look? You still iffy about it or has it grown on you?
 

MericaMade

Active Member
Question for you guys, I have been told by a few people that the JL and JK front ends are the same and you can mount a JK bumper on a JL. Is this true or fake news?
 

wjtstudios

Hooked
Nice and clean! I’m glad I’m not the only ADD person that likes to lay all the parts out per each side of the Jeep and double check everything before I dig in...


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rubiDave

Active Member
I need to figure out how to clock the motor on the JK . And get a skid plate to protect it . What are folks running?


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
There are several out there for the JK. I think I bought the one from Ace. For $20 you get a bolt & washer. The end thread on the bolt was damaged and I had to chase it with a file to work. I really felt I got ripped - it's about $2 in hardware you can diy if you take the time to measure.

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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
That looks really clean. I like it. I'm trying to picture it on a blue jt truck.

LOL - I think it'll look badass :yup:

Minimalist look...can’t get any lighter either...

It's funny because a look like this used to be the norm. :crazyeyes:

I like it for all the reasons you mentioned. Is it just me or have stingers lost their coolness factor? Wonder if an EVO stinger could be added for a little more, ya know, ruggedness.

LOL - a lot like black wheels, I kinda feel that stingers have been played out. I could us trying to run a small bar to protect the winch but that's about it.

I like it! Do you thing it could take a pretty good front impact hit and keep the winch safe and the tray in current shape?

Can't say for sure but it is made out of 1/4" steel and is welded nicely.

Love the look! Thanks for the video!

How are you liking now after some time running this look? You still iffy about it or has it grown on you?

It's grown on my quite a bit. I actually like it a LOT now :yup:

Vey functional and definitely an easy way to go especially if want to get read of JL standard bumpers[emoji106][emoji106]

Easy and cheap! Wait, we are still talking about bumpers, right? :crazyeyes:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Question for you guys, I have been told by a few people that the JL and JK front ends are the same and you can mount a JK bumper on a JL. Is this true or fake news?

Both. The JL frame horns are the same distance apart as the JK and the bolt hole on are exactly the same as well. The problem is that the JL grill has a greater curve to it and depending on what bumper you're working with, this can be a problem and especially so if you're mounting a winch.

Looks awesome! Certainly a great, cheap alternative option [emoji106]

Thanks! Just trying to offer solutions for people on a budget :)

Nice and clean! I’m glad I’m not the only ADD person that likes to lay all the parts out per each side of the Jeep and double check everything before I dig in...

:cheesy: Nah, I have that problem too :D

Nice cheap alternative because let’s be honest, when i finally pull the trigger on a JL it’ll be about all i can afford [emoji23][emoji23]

:cheesy: Damn things are pricey for sure!

Curious what brand D Ring shackles those are. I like the red ring with black pin.

I have a link to what I bought on Amazon in my first post :)

Love the look!

Thanks, me too :)

Wow, that's pretty minimalist. Thanks for another demo on what's available.

You bet. Always happy to help others out and with ideas like this :)
 
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