Ordered the DIY front bumper kit from Luke. The kit arrived in a very heavy box. I was lucky to get the kit about a week before my trip up to the Rubicon Trail. The great part about the DIY kits from Luke is the ability to make subtle tweaks to the design. Not that they are mandatory, the bumper is great out of the box. Just tweaks for personal preference.
My LC is a daily driver and I really wanted to get the bumper below the blinkers and also keep the higher clearance. I was able to shorten the overall height of the bumper by an inch and a half. The side wings sit just on the lower line of the blinkers. Luke's design for this bumper is well thought out and I did have to make some small adjustments in other places to compensate for the 1 1/2. I tilted the winch plate to a horizontal position (it's tilted slightly down on the front edge from Luke) and the belly pan fit right in place. The belly pan angle was a little different and required a little trimming of the tow hitch. Having the winch plate tilted to the horizontal position pushed the winch back a little further. This made some trimming of the lower valance between the blinkers necessary. By trimming I mean I removed an 18 inch section.
I eventually was able to get the ac dryer up over the frame rail (after this photo) and will trim up the inner fenders and core support later this week. I made it back from the Rubicon (what a great trail). Front bumper didn't touch anything accept the rock I gently tapped while making a three point turn in a tight section. Didn't even scratch the rattle can paint.
My LC is a daily driver and I really wanted to get the bumper below the blinkers and also keep the higher clearance. I was able to shorten the overall height of the bumper by an inch and a half. The side wings sit just on the lower line of the blinkers. Luke's design for this bumper is well thought out and I did have to make some small adjustments in other places to compensate for the 1 1/2. I tilted the winch plate to a horizontal position (it's tilted slightly down on the front edge from Luke) and the belly pan fit right in place. The belly pan angle was a little different and required a little trimming of the tow hitch. Having the winch plate tilted to the horizontal position pushed the winch back a little further. This made some trimming of the lower valance between the blinkers necessary. By trimming I mean I removed an 18 inch section.
I eventually was able to get the ac dryer up over the frame rail (after this photo) and will trim up the inner fenders and core support later this week. I made it back from the Rubicon (what a great trail). Front bumper didn't touch anything accept the rock I gently tapped while making a three point turn in a tight section. Didn't even scratch the rattle can paint.
