Thanks for chiming back in on project “goneTITAN”. This was definitely a fun stage with it’s ups and downs. Good protection is a must. Upgrading your rig’s durability  decreases unwanted  carnage and increases off-road opportunities. The trail becomes much more enjoyable when thoughts of damage are not in the forefront. Sure, the hard core guys would call such a feeble concern ridiculous and unnecessary. However, this is also your daily driver, not Uncle Jesse’s pickup. So I decided I needed something to be hardnosed and to keep the side of the truck a little more susceptible to abrasions.

       First, let me begin by explaining the current tube bumper. A year ago I turned to a local fab shop, after constant pounding on the phones to major and upcoming off-road bumper manufacturers. NO LUCK. I then turned to Sin City Sandrails in Las Vegas, which turned into a huge mistake. I didn’t check credentials or BBB first. Eventually it lead to shoddy craftsmanship and loss of time and money on a fairytale lift kit. The undesired design of the bumper was absolutely not friendly to highway speeds and wind seemed to literally become trapped into the open cavity of the vehicle.

As you can see, the old tube bumper was a cluster of good ideas gone wrong

         Now with that in the past, I move on to more internet footwork. The combination of availability, thinking stages, “coming soon !“, or just not matching the lines of the truck, I give Kyle a call at KennesawMountain bumpers in Georgia. They had exactly what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I wanted a full steel bumper with options for lights but never cared for the big bull bars, that protect the grill and head lights, and also the additional weight that came along. I ordered the “WINCHER” style, opting for the light bar and receiver hitch(instead of permanence of the winch being placed inside). I will eventually scheme up a system, so the winch can be quick connected front or back. I skipped on the fog light option to keep cost down. Kyle is also working on a skid plate that is specifically designed to fit from bumper to the front cross member of the PROCOMP 6” SUSPENSION LIFT. I also ordered a rear bumper, I call it JEEP STYLE, with attachments for gas can, hi-lift, large spare tire. Unfortunately, this was lost in transit shipping. So hopefully, I can show the installment next month.

Here is the install of the Wincher……with the help of Mark and Joe @PERFORMANCE MUFFLER SHOP(VEGAS)

Here we start anew and disassemble the shoddy old tube bumper

With the bumper off, Mark then cuts the front cross member close to the welds inside of the frame rails. Be careful here and avoid hitting your radiator or AC hoses

Clean area by grinding down jagged surface and welds flush with frame rails

Enlarge existing/triangular holes in frame for application

Joe does the same on bumper holes after  measuring and tapping…sweet tatts Joe

Now we confirm if holes align, this part took patience and constant adjusting

Once aligned, and bolted tight, bolt the supplied braces under the front of the frame rail and secure with some stitch welds

Reinstalled the lights, cleaned here up, close up shop….thanks Mark and Joe!!