I thought I would start a new thread after seeing the red renuel bumper. Thinking of getting one :confused: on the brand yet. Tough country bumpers like JJGMC's are nice. I would like to see the different brands! Who's got 'em:grd:

I have a www.buckstop.biz 'baja' bumper coming. Having it PC'ed to match my truck.

Will post pic's when it's installed.

they look nice, but I wish they had beefer uprights. Anyone have a trail ready bumper?

We're going to be getting the Warn HD Bumper.

i have a color matched road armor, will posts some pics this evening if I get a chance. I still have not purchased the winch or lights yet though :rolleyes:

i like it as it is not made from a pipe and does not stick out 14"

road armor.....argghhh

What a biatch the owners wife is.......

I would highly suggest Line X on whatever you get. I've seen a lot of rusty bumbers in MN/Wi and mine is hold up great. Something to ponder.

Jeli, I have been planning on getting linex applied;)

What is ballpark $$ for linex-ing a bumper? Can it be applied smooth?

Here is a close up of mine. It's pretty smooth and even has a slight gloss to it. I love the fact bugs won't stick. They wash off with zero scrubbing. I had my bumper and a 1/8" sheet metal rollpan to replace the plastic one done for $200. The manager said he should have charged a bit more. I could have had the bumper done at my work's powder paint shop for around $100. I figured the added protection and durability is worth the money.

What kind of bumper is that? It looks stout, but not too bulky like most others.

In case anyone is interested, i've been collecting URLs of different places that selll aftermarket bumpers for our trucks. I've been researching, wanting to get one - but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I"m sure there is others out there - but here are a few I've collected - in no particular order.

TREX
http://www.trex-tech.com/

Tough Country
http://www.toughcountry.com/chevy/

ALIARC
http://www.aliarc.com/pickupbars.html

Road Armor
http://www.roadarmor.com/ra3/chevy_trucks.html

Ruenel
http://www.reunel.com/

Buckstop
http://www.buckstop.biz/

Ranch Hand
http://www.ranchhand.com/

Warn
http://www.warn.com/

that roadarmor is freakin sweet ... it gets my vote hands down!

Fianlly got my Buck Stop "Baja" bumper on. Guess it's teh first one they've made. This thing is a work of art, very nice. Pic's don't do it justice.

http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/front.jpg


http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/side_left.jpg

http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/side_right.jpg

Compartment for a winch:





http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/compartment.jpg

Area for 6" lights built in:
http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/lower_light.jpg

Crappy pic with the Hella 4000 HID's installed. This is the main reason I got this bumper. The stock bumper and N-Fab light rack was way to flimsy to hold the weight of these lights.
http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/lights.jpg

Mike:

You are a Godsend! Thanks for posting those pictures man. I hadn't bought a bumper yet - I LOVE the RoadArmor ones - but there wasn't enough room to mount my Lightforce 240XGT lights on it without them sticking out in FRONT of the bumper. This baja has the room for it.

Mind if I ask what you paid for it - and where you got it? (direct, etc).

Also- how much cutting/mod did you have to do to the truck to get it on - or was it truly a bolt on?

:ro)

I am not sure what he is charging for it.
Dorian at www.buckstop.biz (http://www.buckstop.biz/)

It was truely a bolt on, I was rather amazed as I usually have the worst luck with aftermarket parts.
One frame bracket hole was not prefect but I was able to tread it in (rather than push it in like the others) and it was a non issurew.

Hardest part is getting it up that high. It's about 200 pounds. I used a jack as suggested in the directions.
Also took me a couple tries to get it to sit level. Tighten one side then get the otehr side to sit the same height.

Only thing I need to trim is the fender liner (or whatever it's called). I'll trim it to be in line with the bottom of the bumper. This pic is before being trimmed. (I have not trimmed it yet) Not to sure how far over I want to cut it. May make the cut angle down towards the 1st dip/corner in the skirt.

http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/fender_pretrim.jpg


Over all I am really pleased with it. It's an amazing piece of metal! The top bar bolts on with the larger bar using a 3/4" bolt and the 2 smaller ends using 1/2".

The light 'buckets' bolt in as well.

To see how the lights mount CLICK HERE (http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/cad_light.pdf).

Install instructions has a few more diagrams HERE (http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/INSTALLATION.pdf)

And this is how the top lights would mount. Drilling into this thing made me nervous :) Had to measure and remeasure to make sure everything would be equal distance apart.http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/cad_cutaway.jpg


Here's a concept drawing:
http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/cad_concept.jpg

I have been thinking about build my own because nothing was quite what I wanted, and I'm cheap. Plus I just like making stuff and welding. However that buckstop is really sweeeet... Probably too expensive for me too though...

that roadarmor is freakin sweet ... it gets my vote hands down!
Me too - how much...?

Those roadarmor ones are...amazing...gets my vote as well!!

here's all the lights installed

http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/lights_side.jpg





http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/lights_front1.jpg


Trimmed fender skirt
http://www.sandbros.net/mikesride/chevy/dmax/bumper/fender_trim.jpg

Very nice pics man - are the 6 inch lights hella as well?

and the top lights - were you able to just drill a hole and bolt them through the top of the bumper?

The 6" ar Hella 500's.

Yes drilled 3 holes and mounted them there.

It's tight getting the lid to the bumper off due to the wires from the lights. The wires to the ballast are not very long.


Very nice pics man - are the 6 inch lights hella as well?

and the top lights - were you able to just drill a hole and bolt them through the top of the bumper?

Nice pics Mike330R. Lets see a pic of those lights on at night.

Hard to get a good pic but I will try next weekend.

Mike,
Frontend replacement looks nice. The "Baja style seems very popular these days. I stuck a bit more conventional with the Reunel and wanted the uprights protruding a bit to protect Winch Pin roller. You will enjoy having some stout metal out front. Hard to believe when I was moving around the factory bumper, I can lift it with 1 hand and put it under my arm....man is that OEM thing flimsy....No worries now though.

No matter which brand anybody purchases, it is money well spent, not only for looks, but safety

Mike, how far does the bumper stick up from the grill? I went custom for a number of reasons but still would like to know if it would have fit in my garage.

Road armor may not be doing so good. Look at Berk's post. http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25393

Jeli,
How far UP or OUT?
UP= even with the top of the hoold (the bar anyway)
OUT=about 8 inches.

Jeli,

the bumpers Berk is referring to are from the guy that left road armor to start trail ready and branch out on his own. i think they are the earlier generations as the trail ready guy has been absent from road armor for a while. Nothing in the pile is current, all first generation

whoops that sucks......proarmor don't look real thick in that picture.

I have been noticing and lot of similar looking frontend replacements. I guess there is no loyalty anymore. Easy to duplicate a product, tough to envision one. I have heard through circles that are quite a few pending lawsuits against some of these for stealing concepts. Might drive a few out of business. Only a few that still lead, the rest are copycats.

Look at the option list on the new start ups/ Similar looking ones:
Frenched fog lights,
bars upright
Saddle clamps
All using PIAA lights

Makes you wonder, not that it is bad. Free enterprise I guess. Sad thing is the prices are not dropping even with competition.

Thanks Mike. I wanted the out dimension. 8" would have been tight for me to still get into the garage. Mine is only 2-2.5".

Mike330r


That bumper is looking sweet...I love that front shot, it makes the hood lines and the front end of a chevy look sweet. What type of lift and shocks do you have on that beast?

Jeli

I also like that custom bumper of yours. I have a GMC also ...that looks like the perfect bumper for me since I dont need a big bumper. What did you pay for that one if you dont mind me asking. Your bumper blends in better than most of the ones I have seen. It has a nice and clean look!

Thanks :)

It's a CST w/ Fox shox. More info in my Sig :)

Mike330r
Jeli

I also like that custom bumper of yours. I have a GMC also ...that looks like the perfect bumper for me since I dont need a big bumper. What did you pay for that one if you dont mind me asking. Your bumper blends in better than most of the ones I have seen. It has a nice and clean look!
I made mine myself. The bumper is 8x2x3/16 tubing. Since it doesn't have a winch I located off the factory bumper location using a 4x4x1/8 tube cut to fit. The sheet metal was finished off later. I have approx $850 invested. That doesn't include a weekend of my labor. I got the sheetmetal done at a shop for a deal. I can't guarantee that good of a deal again. The $850 includes Linex on the bumper and front pan. I took off the plastic one and had a 3/16 plate formed. It should take care of most animals, small children, etc.:D

Now that I've got a working sample someone could duplicate pretty easy and in a lot less time. Unfortunatley my frame was twisted in an accident, (reason for the bumper). Even though the frame was straightened I had to fudge my dimensions a bit so I can ball park dimensions but final fit on mine may be a little off from a virgin truck. Nothing you can see with out a tape measure. I've got pictures and general dimensions for anyone interested in doing one. It weighs around 125 to 150 lbs.