We FINALLY Get a New Rear Bumper for Our Jeep Wrangler JLU Rubicon!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- This has been a loooong time coming, but FINALLY we have decided on which rear bumper we liked the most -
And Motobilt took the cake.
It fits all of our crazy offroading needs AND by using their relocation bracket for the license plate, we no longer have to worry about losing ours!
Hopefully you all enjoy the video!
And, of course, don’t forget to follow my Instagram as well for more rad car stuff!
/ litebritestudios
Motobilt -
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Bestop -
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MetalCloak -
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Milestar Tires -
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Raceline Wheels -
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When you guys repaint any bare metal like that - use POR's system. They make a little "sample" box that is perfect for touch up work. People don't realize that as soon as metal touches the air it will begin rusting - even if you paint over it - which why it needs to be treated with phosphoric acid (to stop the chemical reaction) beforehand. POR has it in their kit, you could also buy a bottle of OSPHO which does the same thing. Sand > clean > wet with OSPHO until all rust turns black > then paint
Source: am chemist
@@boughtnotbuiltoffroad7784 no prob! I've seen tons of people have their bodies rust out because they just painted over the bare metal/rust that was on there :/ swear I'm not a shill for POR haha that's just the easiest for most 😄
I think the factory bumper held up as much as it could with all the heavy hits it took during your trail adventure :) I wouldn't put that much faith in stock components for the type of trails you guys conquered
Not all stock components are rubbish though.
But the licence plate bracket .. that was … rubbish !
Agreed. Especially if you are hard on them they will last for as long as they are designed to hold such abuse :) so can't put the blame on factory parts if your usage is outside of the scope of the engineering design specs it was intended for.
To be fair, a lot of stock components are still around, despite the rough handling … like, the gearbox, as an example. :)
But the factory steel front bumper was fine
@@CalebCissna And that rear bumper is not the steel bumper option.
New bumper looks nice!
I find laying on a big piece of cardboard works better than a blanket cause you can slide around easier and it provides just as much comfort. :)
When she said those bolts were long it was a huge confidence boost. Thanks for that
Note to self, change the rear bumper right from the get go.... Someone should hire her to promote their aftermarket parts. I mean, these guys actually off road. What better people to test and promote true off roading parts. Great video!
If I get one of these bumpers Kevin and I can discuss trail adventures and drink beer while brittany installs mine for me.lol
Quite possibly the best dressed mechanic I have ever seen.
Not only is best dressed she’s absolutely gorgeous such a beautiful lady! Remember Bo Derek aka Farrah Fawcett so stunningly sexy!!!
There are a lot of people who are going to get the same nasty surprise. The order of Jeep upgrades is (almost) always tires/wheels/suspension before bumpers etc. So if you've wheeled your new JL with the stock bumper and scraped a few times, get ready for this same reaction. I'd love to hear TFL ask Brian Leyes about this now.
Hey guys. Sawsall and a 45 deg cut on that tail pipe. Cut about 2” off. Never crush again.
Matt Greene Not a bad idea!
The new rear bumper looks very nice on your JLU Rubicon, Brittany. 👍😊😎 and the rear license plate bracket relocation looks awesome.
As far as tail gate and tire carrier, I'm my JK I've had a Teraflex hinge kit on it for several years... Which I have mod'ed to also have 3 bikes and a spare... (After having to bike 60 miles out of the desert once due to something dumb - they are actually a safety feature for some of the places we go...) But with a heavy spare, and 3 bikes with some serious leverage on it - no issues... I also fill the spare full of tools when we go out, so it that door has some gravity!!! Wooping through the desert and the Seirras - no prop'! Not sure if they have released all of their JL stuff yet - but they make some cool stuff...
You might want to consider tack welding the bumper. I have a DV8 bumper and came down on a rock, and because the mounting holes are elongated the bumper was able to pivot upwards and scrape the paint down to the metal while I finished the trail (the first and only damage my JL has taken). I'm going to weld the bumper at the mounting holes to give it better rigidity.
Motobilt looks like the go to company right now for all things JLU. Not a bad thing they make some great looking stuff.
A drink for the straightening of the license plate. “There you go”.🍹no trails required.🙃
You can get factory body color match spray paint at most Auto parts stores. Just get the color code from the data plate in the door. I've used touch up paint several times 😳😬
I love Motobilt, I recently installed their Rock Sliders and they are super Dope
Dude, lucky man. My ex enjoyed jeepin'. Riding that is. Of course straight flat mud she loved flying thru but crawling on rocks, forget it. I tried to help but she didn't have the confidence. This women gets in there, knows tools, she understand jeep things like the body torquing. Nice couple. Jeep on! I'm thinking about getting a LOD rear bumper for my 02 Tj.
Have u guys looked into custom gaps, washers and brackets for your fenders...make sure you soak the rubber washers over night to avoid unwanted rubbing noise
I had a bad feeling about the rear bumper on mine. Hopefully the front is better. Thanks for the sacrifice.
Jeep chief engineer is watching going “FUCK they are at it again .” Stupid rear bumper won’t be bothering you anymore , now you can lay the jeep flat on it’s rear door like intended 🤣.
irob rf 🤣🤣🤣
Wonderful! Now I just need a Jeep Wrangler!
I wish I lived in Colorado just for the ideal Jeep license plate design.
No license plate light? That is a big no-no. Acquire some LED license plate bolts, run wires thru tailgate, along bumper to stock plug. Make it all pretty and hidden behind the bumper. Cut plug off original light and solder/shrink tube to said wires. Connect the plug. Yay, you're legal again!
@Bobby Cox Link to a website?
Would you look at your license plate light cable, and let me know which wire color goes into which hole on the plug still on the Jeep. My wires popped off and I need to place the wires back into the correct holes.
I have this exact tag light on my ride. I don't know why I didn't think about it. Maybe I should not be posting comments at 3am.
And middle brake light? Looks as though it might locate over the top middle stencil motif cutout with a bit of custom bracket love.
Love their products have the litedot led taillight kit on my 78 CJ7 they look and work fantastic. Jeep Life
No bumper is going to last when it supports the entire weight of the Jeep on 1 square inch of steel 😉
what a Great Look and now you dont have to worry if you lost your license plate every time you scrap the back end!
The Iron Cross American made in Tulsa Oklahoma rear bumper is nice with their Swing Out spare tire. It looks very heavy duty also
Britt, you did it right; start all bolts with your fingers; starting with the drill is a great way to cross thread them. Bumper looks great! I can't remember what Jeep's senior engineer said about the bad bumper design; as I recall he didn't have many good explanations for any of the issues.....looking forward to the next wheeling trip!
That bumper will make SUCH a difference! Should have been a first install.
That rear bumper will definately help when you're climbing up those rocks. I like how solid it looks.
I gotta say Im really impressed with Moto Built's Business Etiquette ! I live in Australia and ordered some Diff covers for my TJ and they where here in about 3-4 days ! I was blown away how fast they got here ! but also a Great quality
product built to take a beating and keep on going
Prospector Jett Super happy to hear that you liked them!
Great video! But please for next time wear the proper PPE to keep safe! An unseen crack in a socket coming apart at high rpm would take out an eye in a heartbeat. Safety first! 😎
"real men start em with a drill"......hahahahaaha, priceless, the response from Brit was funny too.
I’m gonna miss seeing your license plate getting damaged when you guys go off road. It added comedy to every trip. I was always looking for it. LOL. I like the new bumper. It looks great.
Aw, you just want to mangle the poor little plate, dontcha ?
I'm gonna tell your wife that you're mean to the license plate!
"Brittany, Brittany .. Kev's being mean to the plate!!"
"Wait, he's allowed to do that ?"
"Dangit!" :D
And your front ..
And your back ..
.. even your quarter panels !
The JL looks good with the new bumper and no spare on the tailgate... Good Job..... Mine has those sensors that are mounted in the bumper so until someone makes a bumper that will have holes for them I guess I’ll have to run the factory bumper...
Mixed on the looks of the JL...hmmm. The Wrangler with large tires and no spare outside looks kinda weird...IMHO. The rear bumper looks awesome...and definitely stout!! Really did enjoy the video...and watching Brittany get some WORK done!! Girl's got talent!! lol
I just removed my rear bumper tonight on my JL. I think it looks pretty good without one, fab'd up a custom license plate bracket, it turned out good.
Garrett Pieren That’s awesome! We’re not that great at fab work, so we usually turn to the people that are. Haha
I think I would be working hard to break my car just to watch Brittany working on it if I were you............. hang on a minute, I think we’ve just worked out why you drive your brand new Rubicon so hard 🤔😉
Happened upon this channel while researching off road wheels for my truck .... great content and WHOA 😮 baby is a baddie!
Cool Chick! and keep that old license plate, it gives it character!
Great idea stowing the spare inside, better then it hanging off the back door. New bumper looks great.
Looks greatI replaced my rear bumper as well but for a little different reason. I needed more light when backing up and replacing the rear bumper was the easiest way.
I would tape a straight line from the flares all the way around the rear and paint the bottom portion with the same paint you used on the bumper which appears to be some sort of spray on bedliner
KY Flatbed Toyota An Hobbies We actually discussed this very idea!! 😄😊
Looks great having the spare inside does help but you can always look into a body mount carrier if you choose to out it on the outside again crawler concepts makes a great body mount replaces a lot of the factory stuff. Plus consider doing a light for the license plate.
First thing I did was replaced the plastic bumpers on my JK to Smittybilt XRC bumpers. Best thing ever.
⋌༼ •̀ ⌂ •́ ༽⋋Husky Power!!!!
I put diamond plate corner covers on mine helps alot.i like the looks of this rear bumper I will keep watching to see how it does if it holds up I get one.keep up the great videos my friends. Lol
Sweet; I like how that bumper doesn’t stick out too far or too low. (That’s NOT what she said) 😄
It always helps to have an attractive mechanic to enhance the video. Lol
Dressed to impress and.. dressed to get down and dirty to work on your Jeep? Hey its working! Don't worry Kevin you look great too lol!
In all seriousness though I thought having no middle brake rear brake light was illegal? I think here in NJ it is.
Prefect timing in releasing this video, my next purchase is the rear bumper. Thanks for sharing!
"Real men start them with a drill." Nope. Best way to cross thread a bolt. Always start them by hand. Learned that the hard way once.
Rear looks good and sturdy, sucks with the damage tho,will help out a lot with yr adventures, one less thing to worry. She's coming along nicely. Classic reaction to the bee 😁👍
Suuuuper high clearance! now ya just need a stubby front bumper to match!
I hope the engineers from Jeep watch this vid too...
Lol. but at the same time those bolt clips slide around .after being beat on rock back and forth back and fourth..I doubt the last thing jeep was thinking was , oh we better make this bumper super super strong..considering it will be changed out anyways due to the fact everyone who owns a jeep that crawls like this one , will get a new after market bumper anyways .
Adventurous Boyd yes, but while they should design basic bumpers for soccer moms, assuming that wheelers will swap them out, they could at least test their designs and when they find things like the plate frame that is worthless and the bumper that actually damages the fenders, they can make a cheap bumper a little smarter. Kinda like they never did for the evap canister on the JK.
I mean that's the whole point behind the plastic bumper. A lot of people won't be wheeling with it so it doesn't matter, if you wheel with it you break it you get an aftermarket one. The rubicon has the metal bumper option because it is intended for the rubicon trail from the get go, you should have to replace it if you break it, not because the bumper is destroying the jeep... Jeep design engineers clearly fucked up on this one. It is pretty lame, very very bad quality control. Charging around 50k for the JL rubicon is absurd, the rear bumper issue and now the issues on the welding. And by the way, the JLs that are not on the recall have mediocre welding, go under your JL and check, it is pathetic. I am kind of glad I got the sport actually. I spent 30k instead of 50k. Yeah I don't get the locking diffs (got LSD) or the electronic sway bar disconnect or the 33in tires, etc etc... but I can add 10k to it and add a lot of cool stuff for wheeling, plus I feel better not spending 50k on a vehicle that I am not sure is worth 50k lol.
I'm thinking Jeep should have built their most expensive Jeep, and maybe some of the less expensive ones, the way Brit and Kevin did in the first place!
Beat not babied! 🛠🛠🛠
Glad to see you FINALLY getting rid of that bumper! I have to say love the outtakes at the ends of your videos. Good stuff!
I would get that whole bottom strip sprayed with line-x for just Incase the new bumper would rub at some point. You wouldn’t be constantly rubbing off paint
Big Huch Kevin & I actually discussed this idea! It’s likely what we’ll end up doing!
So the Steele bumper did great, it was the brackets and body that got damaged, because the Steele bumper was tougher than the thin aluminum brackets and body.
Looks great!! I love how the camera picked up the dirt particles falling as you lay underneath with no eye protection! I was transported back underneath my own Jeep!😅 great vid, look forward to your next one🤙🏽🤙🏽
Britt, you're kind of my hero. Thanks for all your videos, I just bought my first Jeep and I have learned so much from the two of you.
Thanks, Kev! Will do. You guys ever make it to the east coast?
PA is gorgeous, definitely different terrain, more water, mud and clay. You guys should make it out here sometime, definitely worth the scenery in fall and spring
Yeah, they had events in May, June, and August. They looked pretty legit.
Looks like the rocks are still going to hit the back quarter panels where the bumper was when you hit rocks this time. yes the Rocks hit the bumper into the quarter panel or the corners but this time there's nothing protecting and the rocks are going to hit the Jeep and those corners
I love your teamwork and your Rubicon. I would powder coat the bumper and bracket bright white for safety during night wheelin.
You should throw a axle back exhaust on the jl
I luv your vids. And Mamas running them tools like a boss, to beat in light jeans. Can’t wait to see what’s next
Nice job.!.! Glad you finely got rid of that POS destroying the back of you JLU. Thanks also for addressing the elephant in the room regarding the spare. Again, nice job. Also, don't forget..... according to the Head Engineer at Jeep, that old POS bumper meets all design criteria.....what ever those are. Maybe for a Prius.
Great video but with the way you guys wheel is it smart to not have a spare and to have exposed rear panels where the bumper doesn't wrap around the side?
I feel like your getting rid of the Corvette was a good move (Even though they build them in my home state of Kentucky ;) I might be wrong but think most of your audience base are more interested about your jeep and offroading than the high dollar sport cars. Just my opinion...and you know what they say about those. I love watching your off road adventures!!!
Definitely a good thing to get rid of it if it was just collecting dust and not able to use it to get great content.
Let the Jeep give you a lot of content. That Jeep still still has a lot that can be done to it. No telling what other mods are in mind for it and what other trails in mind. Since it has to provide a lot more content for the channel.
Soon maybe you guys might take a lot road trip which could even last a month or more to get more content.
Enjoy you guys.
Iv seen some people running bumperless and have small guards on the corners you might try to find a set of them to hide the damage
You did a good job installing the bumper better then some shops thAt I know
Lol my TJ's corners are screwed up like that too... I just bought some corner armor. I recommend putting some corner armor on as-well.
Congrats! I would absolutely not get the steel bumper upgrade when I buy a JL. I would get the plastic stock bumper and upgrade to something decent. Not to mention the better license plate location!
Check out JLJournal/Wayalife. He runs 37's or 38's with beadlocks on his tailgate and has had no problems. That being said I don't blame you. I run 35's on stock Rubicon rims and have the Warn rear tire carrier and bumper. I prefer that weight being on the frame instead of the tailgate.
Have you taken a look at your front diff drain plug? Eddie's from wayalife was pretty beat up.
FINALLY!!! I couldn’t wait till you got a rear bumper lol. Looks great! Congrats on the new armor! Keep up the awesome work guys!!
I like the rear bumper look but I think the functionality of it will be an issue. When you come down hard there is nothing protecting your rear quarter panel body from hitting directly and causing more body damage. Just something to think about.
SubZero JL The edge of the bumper hangs lower than the quarter. If you’re referring to the section just below the fender flare, that has no protection from factory either (just plastic bits). You won’t hit there. 😊
@@LiteBrite outstanding! I am going to check it out. How are you liking the Motobilt tire delete kit? Any regrets on not having your spare tire readily available?
Dang I didn't think there was anything wrong with your rear end, I mean it looks good on all the videos?Wait... you were talking about the Jeep???
How did you prep and paint the bumper? Looks like it has a little bit of texture which looks great!
Kevin killed it
The bumper was a good one the relocation license plate bracket I don't like that now the spare tire has a ride inside the Jeep .
jimmy jk332 Motobilt is working on a spare tire mount that should confidently carry the weight of our spare. 😊 We’re just holding off for that!
I watch all your videos and I agree with most of them and everything you say but I have to say this time the factory steel bumper does not suck. For 90 percent of the people it does work fine. y'all talked about this before what y'all are doing to your Jeep and what your doing it's what you wanted to do. like you said and most people wouldn't do that so for the kind of wear-and-tear you're doing on ride on the rocks and what you're doing no it won't hold up but I don't think the factory steel bumper sucks. for some people that do off-roading and don't go over rocks harder then you do it will hold up fine. like you said before you are putting your jeep through a lot of wear and tear that 90% of people wont. I've seen many people know of any people that go to Moab and have no problems but I like your videos keep them coming
Jeff Prevett It’s true that most people won’t experience the crunched bottom quarters unless they hit it on a rock. However, just by driving on uneven trails, a lot of JLs have received that paint damage higher up (because the bumper flexes so much in comparison to the body)
The Wrangler YJ rear bumper design seems to be better.
Bumperettes? Dude, you're insane.
Nice work! Maybe get a roof rack of sorts and ratchet the spare wheel to that. Plus extra area for storage.
that much weight up high is dangerous
ibrokeit How much can the tire with a bead lock wheel weigh tho? If a rack is body/bumper mounted then all there is is the wheel/tire weight. I wouldnt personally run that set up, but what you think the minimum weight should be?
roger willcutt well I just did some research and the wheels are 42 lbs and the tires are 82 Lbs, so pair those up and you have 125 plus the rack (for ex. AEV) weighs 70Lbs. You’re looking at roughly 200lbs on top.
Might not seem overwhelmingly heavy, but with it added on , the center of gravity is altered.
In my experience, even people with roof tents notice a drastic difference in off camber situations. Just my .02¢ but I try to keep weight positioned as low as possible.
ibrokeit Interesting. Really wasnt aware of the tire weight being that heavy. Maybe ratchet strap the wheel in the cargo area then lol.
That really sucks guys! Sorry to see the damage to those rear corners. I did some pretty good damage to my rocker panels with the factory sliders. It's always best to upgrade those pieces of armor that will be in contact with rocks often. The factory stuff is garbage. I also just recently upgraded our rear bumper to crawler concepts American steel! Great video guys
Nice bumper. Remember to hang some tow shackles from that rear bumper so you have good tow points. I have a rear bumper, I don't remember the brand at this moment, that has a swing away spare spare tire mount that mounts to the actual bumper so the tailgate does not support any of the weight. I believe it holds up to a 40 inch tire. With some of the hardcore stuff you do I guess you could catch the spare on some rocks but it is nice to have the spare out back and not inside taking up valuable space. I run 37s and have never had a problem on the Rubicon trail, etc. with catching it on the rocks.
fastdude2002 We’ll be getting some D rings for the bumper! 😊 And Motobilt is working on creating a spare tire holder that should handle the weight more confidently!
Brittany having a great hair day and installing a nice bumper. Best part was watching Kevin the Beast pull that bumper. Great channel
douglas walther 😁😁
Kevin the Beast, huh ?
Is that what they call him these days ?
Nice bumper but I'd like to have seen it wrap around the corner just a little farther for better protection.
Stepchild looks good with the new bumper. I still think that has to be the worst "redesign" Jeep has made on the JL. That Engineer from Jeep was pretty dismissive of most of your complaints, IMHO. Goes to show you how sometimes the car companies are not in touch with the reality of what their own customers want. It's kind of why Jodie and I are so stuck on YJs... TJs, JKs and probably the JL just don't have the same feel to us. No matter which one, you just HAVE to do upgrades, though, even if you don't climb cliffs. I mean..."It's a Jeep Thing" :)
To be fair, they *are* in touch with the majority of their customer base … y'know … all the mall crawlers ! >_
Yeah, too true :( It is good to see one keeping up with the big crawlers, though.
True.
Finally a new rear bumper but should have added a rear winch great job though keep them coming😀
Nicely done. I hope the engineers at Jeep will take note and make needed improvements on future models. Nice job Brit...You know what you are talking about and there is no BS.
I found myself watching you videos waiting for the license plate to fall off! Not any more!! What about mounting the spare back on?
Looks much nicer. I bet the Factory folks are watching all the great additions you are doing to your Jeep and hopefully taking them to heart.
A couple of questions. What is the ring and pinion ratio in you Jeep and what is the low range reduction in your transfer case?
4 to 1? WOW!!!!! That is amazing.
You guys should bed line the bottom edge all around your Jeep to protect
As nice as it all looks I think the mangled plate makes it look better, real Jeeps need a mangled plate
Well, you missed an opportunity to go down to the local DMV, slap the mangled plate on the counter and ask "Can we have another one?" :D
Stock bumpers are for holding the license plate and low speed impacts not like u guys with the jeep nearly standing on end with the bumper jammed into granite. Im not hating i like your vids i just think thats asking a alot of an OEM.
George Dube Unfortunately the oem bumper has damage a lot of JLs, including Wayalife (who wheel much less extreme than us)
The 16mm socket is probably supposed to be 5/8" (15.88mm) which is pretty close to 16mm.
Im sure its somewhere but HOW have those Patagonia M/Ts been? ON and Off road? (seen videos look like they do really good- Thanks!! also GIRLS RULE!!
Alicia Clinton We’ll be releasing an actual review video here pretty soon!
COOL!! BC I have been looking at tires as I need new ones. Like tons of tires and prices and video and reviews and... you get the point, I have Nittos AT now and they are good but I want better and do more Offroad but also a lot of highway (right now but will change) and WINTER IS COMING to the Northeast... I hope pretty soon is like within the next week or 2 lmao THANKS!!!!
Cool thanks!! I have an Xterra so ill be on 33s.
Nice bumper looks to have great clearance. Wondering why you choose to keep your spare inside rather than mount on a swing out carrier on bumper? Still need to address a license plate light.
Maybe whatever bumper you have does not matter. Maybe someone can make a kit which moves the bumper from 1/2” to 1 away from body and painted surfaces.
This guy does these videos to get his GF to work on his Jeep. Brilliant!
Sorry tried to go through comments. Quick question
How did you paint? Spray paint? Does it eventually chip?
Spare delete? What about the light and third brake light?
Might want to pull the trigger on both. Thanks for answering
Sounds like the first things to replace are the bumpers, then add skid plates lol... What's your plan for the spare? Change the rear bumper again? or do they have a solution for that as well?
Have you taken your JL into Jeep to make sure your frame is ok. There are some welds on the JL that are faulty!!!
James Lamont Ours is fine. 😊 Already checked!
Hey, Just curious what paint U guys used on bumper or did you get it dipped? And what kind of prep did you have to do if any ? Love the look !