Jeep Bumper Modification
Let me tell you, this Jeep that I worked on was one of most rad little camping/adventure Jeeps I’ve seen in person. Especially up here in Minnesota and the twin cities, there’s so much opportunity to get out and enjoy the state parks and all kinds of great camping, I love to see vehicles like this.
So…this client came to me, with his rad little setup, and asked that I take a look at his rear bumper, which is fabricated from 3/16” steel plate, with a big 6’ swing arm for the spare tire. He had it done by a welding school in the twin cities, and they knocked it out of the park for him, but it needed just a little modification.
First of all, the whole bumper flexed and twisted if you pressed down on the swing arm. Secondly, my man just wanted some kick ass LED lights mounted up.
Step 1…through 3
I’d be lying if I said this was a super complicated project that took more than a few hours…step one through three, trace and cut 4 holes, fit up the lights, and weld in half a dozen new steel gussets to bolster the bumper. There’s a big lesson here: not every problem requires a crazy complicated and elegant solution. Sometimes a little caveman “unga bunga” fix is the glass slipper to your Cinderella.
Taped off and ready for paint.
This project didn’t originally call for paint or finishing, but I’m obsessive, and it felt wrong to hand off this piece without prettying it up…especially considering the fact that the welding process on the back of the bumper absolutely obliterated the powder coat on the outside. I Buffed, primed, and painted with a well-matched textured black enamel.
All in, this was a quick and easy project that put a smile on my client’s face. I’m finding a hard time feeling anything but pride for it.
