Jeep JL Wrangler Rear Bumper Removal for Bumperless Look + License Plate Mount : JL JOURNAL
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
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As much as Cindy and I LOVE the look of the optional steel front bumper that you can get on a Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon, I can’t say that we’ve ever been a fan of the rear bumper. In fact, we had been meaning to remove it for quite some time now but decided to leave it on for our recent trip out to Moab and with the hopes that it'd help to protect the body. Unfortunately, what we found is that the bumper actually caused a bit of damage and that was all the more reason why we wanted to get rid of it. Needless to say, in this episode of the JL JOURNAL, will show you how to remove a Jeep JL Wrangler rear bumper and you’ll even get to see what I did to relocate our rear license plate.
For sure, this budget mod may not be everyone but we’ve always loved the bumperless look on our JK’s and we think it looks just as good on a JL too.
For more information on how how to make your own license plate mount and where to buy lights for it, click on the link below:
jlwrangler.com/showthread.php... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Wow...that was an awesome display of great ingenuity in regards to creating a new license plate frame and lighting system with some of the the original components!! Very cool.
Thank you. All I can hope to do is share what I've done and maybe give others some ideas.
Love it when we can reuse parts that have been removed, for other uses.
Nice solution and low cost too. Can't beat that combination!
Thank you :)
Very nice, love it how you find a way to make things work without missing a beat!
LOL!! Thank you :)
Bro you have convinced me to remove my rear bumper on my 21 JL, thank you for your amazing work
Glad I could help 😎
of all the Jeep videos out there Yours are by far the BEST. i love the way you do and explain what type of tools to use. Thanks For Great Videos..... All the Way from Australia.
Truly flattered, thank you.
5 years late, but needed to see this process. As always, Wayalife puts out a great video that is exactly what I needed.
Better late than never and glad to know it was helpful to you.
Enjoy watching all of your vids / you work so seamlessly. You almost have me convinced that I need to buy a rubicon
LOL!! Thank you, glad to hear you've been enjoying our videos :)
Great video! Glad you added the bit with the license plate light. Some states that’s a requirement.
beniaminv a license plate is required in all states
Nice simple solution. Good use of that extra bracket!
Just a suggestion, but if it were me, I might get some of that black door edge guard, and run it around the bottom of the body tub where the bumper was removed. Not that it will be any protection against rock impacts, but it may keep the paint from chipping further and perhaps give it a more finished look.
Did ours today with a couple differences for the license plate. Couldn't have done it without this how to. Thanks👍
Glad that we could be of help to you :)
Thank you so much. Thanks to your video, I was able to do my bumper the same way.
Another GREAT video!! Keep up the awesome work.
Thanks, we really do appreciate it :)
That actually looks pretty damn good. Nice work. 👍🏼
Thank you :)
Your how to videos are great very well spoken and easy to follow... I’m great with wrenches but I have no skill with the telling how part... really like your videos hope I run into you on the trail some time it’d be great to meet ya... 👍
Thank you and I'm glad to hear it. It would be great to meet you out on the trail someday.
Very cool, great idea and your great at explaining. 👍
Got my next project figured out thanks to you! Thanks!
Awesome :)
I love watching your guys channel with all the experiences you get to have. I hope some day I’ll also be able to get a Jeep Wrangler and do some stellar mods to it. I just had a quick tip. I currently work in the Air Force doing Aircraft Structural Maintenance and noticed that you didn’t scuff the area and then wipe it down real well before applying primer paint and the sealant. There could be a good possibility of it starting to rust under the surface if the surface prep wasn’t spot on and you wouldn’t notice it until the rust came through the paint. Maybe you did do that and I didn’t catch it. Anyways. Have fun as always and I look forward to your next video.
Thanks for this easy to follow video of removing the rear bumper. I want to add a 2" receiver hitch to the rear bumper of my 2018 JLU and there is a metal plate with two nuts that seem to be welded on in the way. I wanted to be able to do this install myself instead of paying the dealership an arm and a leg to do it for me. Now I can/will confidently remove it and do the install myself. New subscriber for your channel here!
Awesome! Glad that we could be of help :)
as usual eddie vary informative
Thank you :)
I wonder if a drummer type ball on the bolts will prevent that damages, just a thought.
Am so glad i found your videos...and I live in las vegas....not sure where ur at...Nevada is a big state...I've seen other videos of yours...Thanks for this video and many other you do.👋🖐
Awesome! Glad to hear you enjoy our videos. We live in Carson City but we have a place down in Boulder City that we spend a lot of time at too. Hope to see you out on the trails someday.
Nice Explanation 👍
Looks really nice!
Glad you like it :)
Another helpful video.
Do you have a link to purchase or product identification information for the 3 stage touch up paint that you use?
Appreciate all the information that your channel provides.
What brand is your touch up kit and where did you find it? I had a similar issue on my JK recently.
Hi Wayalife! Can you please provide the mopar part # for the wiring harness for the license plate light? It’s difficult to pick up in the video!
Very cool way to fix it up.
Thank you :)
I see you pit the marking at 4 and a half, what about the other markings what are they at, are they measured from center line, if so what are they measured at
Not sure if I like it or not; would need to see it in person. Overall, looks great.
Nice work!
Thank you :)
Great video, what brand are the touch up paints?
Gives the JL an old school look. Hard to believe but the JL bumper actually looks less durable than the JK's, with more pieces to fall off. I would have tapped out that small pinch on the seam before painting. Also, the spare looks vulnerable without a bumper below it. Not so much for the tire but for the shock to the gate mount if you came down or backed on a rock or trunk.
Whats the brand of touch up paint you are using? Thanks....
A real nice fix on the L.P. Bracket and lights plus good information about the steel bumper making contact with the body. I will probably not buy one with the steel bumpers for that reason. Save some money and do what you did. Stubby bumper up front and bumperless in the rear.
As I've said, we really like the front bumper but the rear is a no go for us. I definitely would recommend that you save your money and not get the steel bumpers.
Hello! Can you please put the link for the paint, thanks!
The license plate relocation tip is brilliant. Especially compared to what JCROffRoad is suggesting (and selling), for example.
LOL!! That's because they're in the business of selling you stuff - I'm just sharing what I've done on my Jeep :)
Which three stage auto paint system did you use?
Nice idea!
Thanks :)
I’ve always been curious if insurance could deny you coverage if you’re running bumperless and get rear ended
Would like the measurements to do the bracket, can hardly make out marks due to the light.
So genuine question, because we're considering going this route with out JL - Have you hit or come close to hitting the spare tire or rear body on rocks since deleting the rear bumper? We know you guys wheel pretty hard, but are you having to be more cautious about your departure angles now that the rear bumper is gone?
Thanks in advance for your help! And as always, awesome video!!
I've made and run what I call a Hitch Stinger and so far, it's done a good job of protecting our spare tire from getting hit. Without it, our tailgate would have been destroyed long ago. I won't say that people out there don't hit their rear quarter panels without a rear bumper because I have seen it happen but in all the years we've been running our JK's bumperless, it hasn't been a problem for us... so far anyway. Hope that helps.
Where did you get the paint from?
So I'm not the only one who's hands get cut up working on the jeep? Lol
Awesome video👍
LOL!! How can you not :)
Do you think JK rear tow hooks would fit on the JL? I'm trying to install a passenger's side rear one. Thanks!
Hard to say for sure being that I haven't done it before but I suppose it is possible.
Another clear and concise video, Eddie! Well done! This is a great mod and practically free. One question, do you know if anyone makes any block off plates for the frame rails on the bumper delete area near the license plate and the other side? The frame rails are open ended and exposed. Not sure that's a huge issue. But, it would be nice to finish off the bumper delete with some plates on the ends. Thoughts?
There are companies like EVO that sell facias to make the rear end look cleaner.
@@wayalife Do you see any issues with running it naked like you are doing in the video where the frame rails are exposed with no plates?
Wayalife Can't the bolt be shortened and the corner panel be bent slightly to reduce the chance of bolt caused damage? What about the possibility of adding a washer to mount the bumper slightly farther away from the rear body panels? Have you selected an aftermarket rear bumper that you will do an install video of yet?
Possibly. I suppose if you really wanted to keep the factory bumper, you could make it work. For us, we were done with it. Regarding aftermarket bumpers, so far, nothing has really caught our eye or at least, nothing that's currently available. Also, we've been running our JK's bumperless for so a long time so if we stayed bumperless, it wouldn't kill us. In some ways, we prefer it.
Looks great! I've been thinking about doing this to my JT. Do you think that would work well with a similar setup to what you have on your JL?
Having removed the rear bumper on my JT to install a new one, I can say that it doesn't have the same look and it really wasn't for me. But then, you might find that you like it.
Have you ever seen " Rusty's Rear Fascia Cover Kit - JL Wrangler? That would cover your damage on the tub corners and back with steel with a clean look!
Yup, I've seen it. I have since applied black vinyl to the rear pinch seam and it worked just as well and for a lot less.
i would say take caution when thinking about doing this, it may work for you but may not be optimal for everyone and where they wheel. Personally, i would never run bumperless, be careful on tight trails with lots of vegetation and rocks, i.e. big bear california lots of trees and rock gardens. The rear steel tube bumper on my trail rig took all sorts of hits and scrapes, got in a few tight spots lost traction slid back into rocks, had to reverse into a tree gently and so on. I guess it would prolly be fine in moab and more open places. With no bumper all the damage is going straight to body and frame if it happens. Ya the stock isnt ideal and does a minor body damage but at least it will distribute hard impacts and send it to more durable places. best to upgrade to a aftermarket bumper or if none exist im sure a fab shop and do a simple cheap tube bumper or something, worth the investment idk just my opinion to each their own.
I would be the first to say that this isn't for everyone and something that we've just chosen to do. If you ever take the time to watch any of our other videos, you'd know that's we're just mall crawlers and never play on the kind of badass trails that you find up in Big Bear. I guess that's the only way we've been able to run bumperless on our 2 JK's and for years and without any issues. Clearly, to each their own.
Great clean job 👍🏻 does the JL have canbus? I assume even without resistors those bulbs aren’t throwing a bulb out dash error?
We got the LED group with our JL and so installing new LED bulbs didn't effect anything.
Went through 3 sets of those license plate bolt light. Horrible lights. Kept burning out.
Are there sensors in the JL bumper for the rear park-assist that comes with the safety group or can the bumper still be easily removed if you get a Jeep with that group?
We didn't have the rear park assist option so this wasn't a problem for us. If you do and you want to keep it, you might want to look for another option.
Nice you're so handy with tools. I'm trying to learn also and your vids are the only ones helping so far :p
Just a small question, why did you go for Cooper STTs? And not KO2s or KM2/KM3 ? Hate those Cooper tyres :p
The Cooper STT Pro has proven itself to be a superior tire for me especially off-road. They perform far better than KO2's or KM2/KM3. See the video of how well they do here: czcams.com/video/0LC_2vyfS4E/video.html
They hook up better on the rocks and have stronger sidewalls. Where BFG does better is in tread life.
How would one go about installing bumperettes for a throwback look? Could most likely utilize those L brackets you removed at the end of the frame for one side.
I'm sure something could be fabbed up to make it work.
Nice work, love your videos! Was actually adding this bumber and noticed there should be 2 long bolts that attach to the bumber in the middle. Problem is the metal bumber doesn't have any bracket to attach these to. Strangely I noticed the plastic bunper has one when I removed it. Could the metal bumper be missing a bracket? Seems strange the plastic one would have more attachments than the metal bumper!
The steel bumpers have the brackets built into them.
@@wayalife that is interesting, mine didn't come with one when I ordered it.
Identified the issue, the metal bumper requires a new hitch plate with the four screws mounting on the frame. The plastic bumped had 2 going to the frame and 2 into the bumper in a bracket inside the plastic bumper. No longer the case with the metal bumper, it relies on the 2 nutserts below the bumper to connect the middle. This install should have been painless, but it was a real hassle to get the metal mopar bumper installed. Bad instructions, missing hardware and no youtube video on how to replace the plastic rear bumper with the metal one.
On fixing your "bumper rash", did you consider using something like a bed liner paint or finish? Just to apply something more durable than touch-up paint?
Not a fan of bedliner but I had thought about applying a clear bra tape to help protect it.
Wayalife some people really over do the bed liner. I get you. That’s the best thing about mods, many ways of doing something, you just have to decide what YOU want to do. Keep up the good work!
Nice
Thanks
What did you do on the rear corners to cover up the pinch seams? I noticed in videos after this you added some kind of armor but I can’t find a video showing what you did and I love the look...lol
It isn't armor. I just applied some flat black vinyl to the pinch seams :)
@@wayalife oh cool, thank you!
Quick question what holds the two bottom 16mm bolts to the rear crossmember? What do they thread into?
There's a nut welded inside the cross member.
@@wayalife Thanks man!
Looks more like the bolts causing the damage are the top ones holding the plastic to the metal bumper parallel across from the top bumper mounting bolt looks like the head of the bolts causing the damage the bottom one seems like it’s be too far down
Eddie, why is there rust already there where the wire harness is? that.s interesting.
It's how it came.
Quick question, i realized that the removal of the bumper means the removal of the rear backup sensors. Any suggestions on how to delete the bumper but still keep that necessary feature of the backup sensors
I am sorry but I don't think you can do this without removing the sensors.
@@wayalife Okay thanks for the information
Yeah those steel bumpers are not impressive. If I got a JL Rubicon I think I'd stick with the plastic bumpers because I'd put aftermarket ones on soon enough. Originally I thought I'd upgrade to and keep the steel bumpers but not after seeing these videos. Great job though, I like how you're putting the JL through its paces and showing people where the good parts and the problem areas are!
Also personally I would have moved the license plate to the center of the spare tire.
You have to remember that the JL's come with rear back up cameras that stick out through the center of it. The only way to keep it and to mount the license plate there as well is to put the license plate above the camera. Needless to say, I tried it and thought it looked kinda weird if not a bit lame. A good portion of the plate above the wheel and into the sidewall - it just didn't look good to me.
I thinking You have a under coating
Do you plan to use some mud flap to protect the inner body from road projection ?
Mud flaps are a bad idea to have if you play on the rocks. When in reverse, the flaps will get caught between rocks and your tires and will tear off and or take your whole fender off too if they're connected to it.
Great 👍🏻
Awesome video as usual! Is it legal to run "bumperless"? Just curious.
Thanks and it's never been a problem for me. Granted, I live in Nevada.
Did I see some new shocks at 18:18?
Yes you did. Hope to have a video on this soon. Just want to get some more testing in first.
Great job repurposing those left over parts. Now you can recycle that bumper into a park bench...LOL
LOL!! Too funny
When you removed those last two bolts from the cross member, how did they screw in to the cross member? I am trying to find those parts, as I am adding the steel bumper to the rear of a sport. I would greatly appreciate your help.
The steel bumper comes with brackets that the plastic bumper does not.
Wayalife for the two bolts that screw into the crossmember? Any idea what brackets those are?
@@JakeHolder Like I said, the brackets come with the steel bumper.
Wayalife I think maybe you are mistaken. I have a steel bumper... there are no brackets nor do I see them on a parts list. I’m wondering if they are nutserts that go into the frame for the bolt and nut to screw into.
Yes, the front and rear steel bumpers that you get from the factory come with brackets AND nuts welded in the frame for installation.
pretty sharp lookin..
Thank you :)
Never ever hold a socket while using it. Unless you like having a lot of damage done to your hand. I used to do that looooong ago till one day I grabbed a socket and I fortunately saw the socket was cracked. And yes, it was an impact socket.
LOL - cool dude.
You did a good job, you know what you’re doing and you like it, but for me at the end I think it looks ugly. I’ll just keep a bumper on mine, wether stock or aftermarket. The video is good though too.
DoubleJ Yeah, I have to agree. I think a short stubby would complete the look aesthetically. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder kind of thing✌🏼
Do u still run your rear in this configuration
Yup, sure do.
@@wayalife is their anyway you can give exact measurements for the bracket on where to bend I plan on doing the same
New shocks? No vid? Am I crazy?
LOL!! It's coming.
I noticed that too!
The only thing missing: How the Jeep looks before and after.
.
I love how you spent a total of maybe 10 bucks for something a name brand could charge 100 or so for lol
LOL!! Glad you could see the value in doing this :)
13:32 deez nuts
Lol
If someone were to rear end you wouldn't they ram right into the frame and possibly bend it and total your jeep? I guess I'm pretty neutral about my rear bumper.
I suppose that's possible but it's not something I've had to deal with yet.
@13:32 DEEZ NUTZ
Speaking of protecting the body paint, let's scratch the body with the clip remover, run the solder and heat gun over the paint lol Just kidding!
Have you found out the cause of the issue where the JL lost power briefly while climbing?
Nope. The only thing I've found is how to prevent it from happening. Just make sure you're shifted in manual mode.
you touched it should have grease removed it first to let the paint stick better
LOL!! Just because you didn't see me clean the surface again or apply 3 coats of primer, base coat and clear coat doesn't mean that I didn't do it.
What about body damage?
LOL - You mean like what the bumper has been doing? Seriously, we've been running our JK's like this for years and have had ZERO body damage.
Wayalife what if someone runs into the back of you? Possible the insurance company wont cover you if you dont have a rear bumper.
Wait a second, you removed the bumper on this Jeep and painted a little scratch with some nail polish looking paint?
I'm not a fan of the no rear bumper. To each his own.
As I state in the description, "this budget mod may not be everyone"
License plate sticking out too far
So make sure you don't do this on your JL.
By law, don’t you need a bumper?
Guess it depends on what state you live in. Never been a problem for me but then, I live in Nevada.
They might be required to sell them with bumpers, but there might not be any sort of vehicle regulation that says you must keep it on the vehicle. Now, whether removing the rear bumper is a good idea from a rear impact standpoint, that's another issue entirely. I suspect that it would help dissipate a rear impact across the frame rails and possibly reduce somewhat the intrusion of the other vehicle into your vehicle's passenger compartment.
Personally, I would probably put some sort of mini bumper across the frame rail section at the very least. If nothing else, some plugs to close up the open ends in the frame rails.
The rear bumper on the JL looks awful.
LOL!! It really isn't the nicest looking thing.
Whats the purpose of this?....🥴
LOL - same purpose as anything you might do to a Jeep.
That was an awesome and very useful workaround. Thanks! 🫵😎
Glad you liked it!