4x4Labs front bumper build (1 Viewer)

[VagabondJesse]

I purchased front and rear bumper kits from 4x4Labs, making a build thread for each to make things a little easier for those that come after. Here's the rear build: 4x4Labs rear bumper build

The front seems to be far simpler, which probably explains the dearth of build details out there. I couldn't find any photos of how things went together, which I was looking for just to gauge the time required. Hopefully this helps someone.

Step one: remove front bumper. There are three plastic bumper clips that work like interior clips, located behind the front grille on top of the bumper plastic. Access from under the hood. Mine were 20 years old and brittle, so all will be replaced, since they also attach the grille. Then there are a few bolts along the inside top edge of the bumper which need to be accessed from under the vehicle. One bolt on each extreme top edge on the bumper, accessed from the wheel well. Finally, unplug the fog lights and the bumper should slide off by pulling forward. Remove the foam which sits between the bumper fascia and the underlying steel bumper structure, and finally remove the 4 bolts on the front of the bumper structure to remove. Piece of cake. Probably took me 15 minutes all-in.

Here's a couple of shots of how the center section gets put together. It's pretty straightforward, and everything is in place fairly solidly even before anything is tacked.

I'll check back with more later.

 

[VagabondJesse]

A few more shots of progress.

My bumper-to-body clearance ended up being a bit tighter than I wanted. Roughly 1/4" all around. I suppose if it becomes a problem I'll cross that bridge then.

I was able to fit one "wing" on my own with the help of a hydraulic table, but definitely needed a second person to get the second wing symmetric. I used a piece of string tied around the stinger attached to the hood with magnets to hold the stinger while I got it tacked in place. I had to do some straightforward trimming of the stinger to get it to fit in place, and some fairly complex notching of the stinger supports to get them to fit. My work wasn't perfect, but the gaps between the supports and the stinger were not so big I couldn't fill them at weld time, and they're on the lower backside where they're not very visible. Overall happy with how things turned out.

Also, I opted to fill the pre-stamped holes for the small LED indicators. I'm planning to stick a light bar on the front wired to the fog lamp circuit for the time being.

Here's some more pics, in case they help anybody.

 

[changingground]

Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to seeing your completed bumper. My first thought upon completing my 4x4 Labs rear bumper was that I needed to replace my TJM front bumper with something that was more in keeping with the rear. If you don't mind, what was the cost of just the front bumper and it's share of shipping it to you (if that can be estimated- I'm guessing you had both shipped at the same time)? I figure front range CO locations should be about the same

 

[VagabondJesse]

I don't have the breakdown of cost handy, but I can tell you it was $2765 for front and rear shipped to a commercial address (with a loading dock) in Longmont. If I recall, the prices were all laid out before you hit 'submit' on the order, but I didn't get any sort of email order confirmation, which surprised me.

 

[DTCsk8er]

Looking good! Oddly enough, my bumper has more clearance to the body than yours.. Mine also didnt have the hi lift and tiny light cut outs like yours.. Overall, wayyyyy easier than the rear bumper

 

[DTCsk8er]

I don't have the breakdown of cost handy, but I can tell you it was $2765 for front and rear shipped to a commercial address (with a loading dock) in Longmont. If I recall, the prices were all laid out before you hit 'submit' on the order, but I didn't get any sort of email order confirmation, which surprised me.

It also depends on what you add as features on the rear bumper.. here is my receipt from my 2018 order:

I am sure Luke's prices are higher since the cost of material is much higher than even 3 years back.

 

[atnolan94]

It also depends on what you add as features on the rear bumper.. here is my receipt from my 2018 order:

View attachment 2776348

I am sure Luke's prices are higher since the cost of material is much higher than even 3 years back.

Its more but not a whole lot. I got basically the same rear and it was like $1650?

 

[VagabondJesse]

I should probably mention that 4x4Labs called me up when they were ready to ship everything and asked if they could ship to a commercial address with a loading dock, otherwise they were going to need to increase the shipping cost. If I were to do everything over again I would have placed the order over the phone while talking to one of the 4x4labs folks to make sure everything was in order. But all's well that ends well.

 

[VagabondJesse]

Mine also didnt have the hi lift and tiny light cut outs like yours..

Ha! I didn't even realize those holes were for that. I was assuming it was for me to stick my hand through when I need to work the clutch on the winch. My license plate is going to cover the hole in the middle, which is what I assume you use for that purpose? If so, maybe I just need to work up a license plate hinge so I can stick my hand in when needed. I like the look of those lights without a separate mount!

I dropped everything (front, rear, and sliders) at the powder coater's today. Driving away without all that weight made it feel like a whole different truck!

 

[changingground]

Did you happen to take pictures after you got the bumper back from powdercoat? I’m about ready to pull the trigger, and seeing one painted and installed would be helpful.

 

[VagabondJesse]

I took a couple when I got them on the truck, but had been too busy to worry about uploading. Here's how it looks. I'm pretty happy with the final product! Now just gotta clean up all the newly exposed underbits...

These are before I put in the Smittybilt 12klb winch, which fit great. I'll add a front-on shot one of these days if I think about it.

 

[VagabondJesse]

Here's how she looks now from the front, dirt and power steering fluid puddles and all. License plate required me to drill a pair of holes and weld 1/4-20 nuts to the back. I ended up using the same holes to secure a couple of brackets I whipped up to hold the 20" light bar. Clearance to the body is tighter than I was shooting for at about 1/8" all around. We'll see if it becomes a problem.

 

[changingground]

Here's how she looks now from the front, dirt and power steering fluid puddles and all. License plate required me to drill a pair of holes and weld 1/4-20 nuts to the back. I ended up using the same holes to secure a couple of brackets I whipped up to hold the 20" light bar. Clearance to the body is tighter than I was shooting for at about 1/8" all around. We'll see if it becomes a problem.


View attachment 2828908

Super slick. I just pulled the trigger on mine. Hope it comes before Thanksgiving!

 

[changingground]

Here's how she looks now from the front, dirt and power steering fluid puddles and all. License plate required me to drill a pair of holes and weld 1/4-20 nuts to the back. I ended up using the same holes to secure a couple of brackets I whipped up to hold the 20" light bar. Clearance to the body is tighter than I was shooting for at about 1/8" all around. We'll see if it becomes a problem.


View attachment 2828908

Couple questions, if you don’t mind: what are you doing about turn signal lights; and do you know the diameter of the three round holes on each side?

 

[VagabondJesse]

Couple questions, if you don’t mind: what are you doing about turn signal lights; and do you know the diameter of the three round holes on each side?

I didn't need to change anything about the turn signals- the only lights in the bumper that came off were the fog lights. I used one of the two fog light connectors for the light bar.

I don't know the diameter of the holes that were pre-drilled into the bumper. I didn't necessarily need them, and preferred the look without, so I just filled them in and ground smooth.

 

[changingground]

I didn't need to change anything about the turn signals- the only lights in the bumper that came off were the fog lights. I used one of the two fog light connectors for the light bar.

I don't know the diameter of the holes that were pre-drilled into the bumper. I didn't necessarily need them, and preferred the look without, so I just filled them in and ground smooth.

Appreciate it.