R50 Bumper Replacement
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:25 pm
Well one (of many) mods I have planned for my 01 R50 is new front and rear bumpers. I believe in having real metal bumpers like they use to put on vehicles 20+ years ago. The crappy plastic bumpers they put on today will simply not do, as most of the time one small bump and it cracks right away.
Now as most people know, R50's have a really crappy aftermarket. For some reason very few places make parts for them, so getting a new set of bumpers is not as easy as one might think.
So far I have only found 2 places that make a front bumper and only 1 that makes a rear bumper for the 2nd gen R50.
ARB makes a front bumper. It is called the Sahara Bull Bar.
This one is nice, as you can have a winch inside, bar to protect the gill and has integrated fog lights. ARB is also known as making high quality products and front what I have heard, most people with one really like it.
There are a few down sides. One is that there is no guard for the headlights. Though I guess you could make some yourself if you have access to the materials/tools/equipment. Second is that you cannot get it customized with what you want. And lastly the bumper is very pricey. I called around and was told it was about $1800-$2000 plus taxes, plus transport. Ouch.
KMA (Kennesaw Mountain Accessories) also makes a front bumper. They call it the "Wincher".
Like the ARB, this one has the option of putting a winch inside. Yet that is where the similarities pretty much end.
Except for the general shape, pretty much everything is customizable (though I guess they could change the basic shape if you really wanted to). You can have just the standard metal bumper with no guards, no lights, no nothing. Or you can have one with grill and light guards, winch mount, 2inch receiver (yes on the front), integrated fog lights, integrated turn signals, off-road lights, D-links or shackle mounts, rubber dock bumpers, etc. I am sure they could also add anything else you want (as long as you are willing to pay for it). They also offer to paint it in any color you want or will even cover with with the bed-liner paint for bit extra.
The price is also very reasonable. It starts out at $520 for just a basic bumper, and the price goes up depending on options. But a well equipped bumper is around $750-800. Not bad for a custom bumper.
KMA also makes the only rear bumper for the 2nd gen R50 that I have seen.
They call it the "Multicarrier".
Now they do not have a picture of one installed on an R50, but here is a picture of one on an earlier model pathy.
Just like the front bumper, it is highly customizable. You can get just a standard bumper, or one with a tire carrier, integrated lights, 2inch reciever, D-links/shackle mounts, jerry-can mounts, etc. Prices start at $250 and go up front there depending on options.
Now there is another option available to pretty much everyone, which is to build one yourself, or to get a local shop to build one for you. I went by and talked to 2 metal fab shops in the area to ask them if they could do it, and if so, how much.
One shop said they didn't want to bother. I was told that they don't build bumpers for smaller vehicles and would only build bumpers for large trucks (like dump trucks). They said that it was too much work trying to put one on a smaller vehicle, as getting it to fit right can be a pain in the ass, where as big trucks are much easier to build a bumper for, and they rarely have "fitting" problems.
The second shop said they would make a bumper for me. But they told me that the bumper would be a minimum of $1K with no special options, like a place to mount an internal winch, integrated lights, etc. They said that $1K was a minimum price due to labor costs. A rear bumper would cost around $800 as long as I got the front bumper made as well.
Now I could build one myself, as I do have the tools, including a large welder, access to a metal break/bender. I could also build it "exactly" as I want it. But after calculating the materials and time, it is just not worth it. Just the metal is a couple hundred dollars. Then I would likely spend a hell of a long time putting one together, as I have never built one something like a pathy before. I would likely have problems getting it to fit properly and in the end probably end up killing myself putting it on, then taking it off the truck a couple million times to cut/bend/grind it until the thing fits properly and looks good. Why go through all that bother when I can pay a little bit more and just get one pre-made.
Sooooo......I sent the guys at KMA an email to ask about costs on a front and rear bumper for the pathy.
For a front bumper, I asked about one with the internal winch mount, the heavy duty grill and light guards (these guards are stronger than standard ones you find), place to mount two off-road lights and shackle mounts. He said it was $765.
For the rear bumper, I just wanted a basic setup with the 2inch receiver and shackle mounts. I do not need the tire carrier, as I will carry my spare on the roof. Another $465 for the rear bumper.
Naturally I cannot pickup the bumpers in person at their place, as they are down in GA, near Atlanta, and that is a little far to drive. He said they shipped to Canada all the time, so shipping up to me wasn't a problem. Shipping for BOTH bumpers, including freight and ALL customs fees/charges was $365.
So if you add that all up, it comes up to $1600 shipped to a depot/terminal here in Ottawa. Even once you add the conversion to Canadian dollars and possible taxes once it passes customs, it should come in just under $2K for a front AND rear "custom" bumper shipped to me. I think that is pretty reasonable.
He did say that they have a 9 week back-order, but that isn't so bad, as it would give me time to save up my pennies to pay for it. We are going into winter anyways, so it isn't like I need it right now.
So what do you guys think? Options, suggestions, or just stating that I am crazy is all good
Now as most people know, R50's have a really crappy aftermarket. For some reason very few places make parts for them, so getting a new set of bumpers is not as easy as one might think.
So far I have only found 2 places that make a front bumper and only 1 that makes a rear bumper for the 2nd gen R50.
ARB makes a front bumper. It is called the Sahara Bull Bar.
This one is nice, as you can have a winch inside, bar to protect the gill and has integrated fog lights. ARB is also known as making high quality products and front what I have heard, most people with one really like it.
There are a few down sides. One is that there is no guard for the headlights. Though I guess you could make some yourself if you have access to the materials/tools/equipment. Second is that you cannot get it customized with what you want. And lastly the bumper is very pricey. I called around and was told it was about $1800-$2000 plus taxes, plus transport. Ouch.
KMA (Kennesaw Mountain Accessories) also makes a front bumper. They call it the "Wincher".
Like the ARB, this one has the option of putting a winch inside. Yet that is where the similarities pretty much end.
Except for the general shape, pretty much everything is customizable (though I guess they could change the basic shape if you really wanted to). You can have just the standard metal bumper with no guards, no lights, no nothing. Or you can have one with grill and light guards, winch mount, 2inch receiver (yes on the front), integrated fog lights, integrated turn signals, off-road lights, D-links or shackle mounts, rubber dock bumpers, etc. I am sure they could also add anything else you want (as long as you are willing to pay for it). They also offer to paint it in any color you want or will even cover with with the bed-liner paint for bit extra.
The price is also very reasonable. It starts out at $520 for just a basic bumper, and the price goes up depending on options. But a well equipped bumper is around $750-800. Not bad for a custom bumper.
KMA also makes the only rear bumper for the 2nd gen R50 that I have seen.
They call it the "Multicarrier".
Now they do not have a picture of one installed on an R50, but here is a picture of one on an earlier model pathy.
Just like the front bumper, it is highly customizable. You can get just a standard bumper, or one with a tire carrier, integrated lights, 2inch reciever, D-links/shackle mounts, jerry-can mounts, etc. Prices start at $250 and go up front there depending on options.
Now there is another option available to pretty much everyone, which is to build one yourself, or to get a local shop to build one for you. I went by and talked to 2 metal fab shops in the area to ask them if they could do it, and if so, how much.
One shop said they didn't want to bother. I was told that they don't build bumpers for smaller vehicles and would only build bumpers for large trucks (like dump trucks). They said that it was too much work trying to put one on a smaller vehicle, as getting it to fit right can be a pain in the ass, where as big trucks are much easier to build a bumper for, and they rarely have "fitting" problems.
The second shop said they would make a bumper for me. But they told me that the bumper would be a minimum of $1K with no special options, like a place to mount an internal winch, integrated lights, etc. They said that $1K was a minimum price due to labor costs. A rear bumper would cost around $800 as long as I got the front bumper made as well.
Now I could build one myself, as I do have the tools, including a large welder, access to a metal break/bender. I could also build it "exactly" as I want it. But after calculating the materials and time, it is just not worth it. Just the metal is a couple hundred dollars. Then I would likely spend a hell of a long time putting one together, as I have never built one something like a pathy before. I would likely have problems getting it to fit properly and in the end probably end up killing myself putting it on, then taking it off the truck a couple million times to cut/bend/grind it until the thing fits properly and looks good. Why go through all that bother when I can pay a little bit more and just get one pre-made.
Sooooo......I sent the guys at KMA an email to ask about costs on a front and rear bumper for the pathy.
For a front bumper, I asked about one with the internal winch mount, the heavy duty grill and light guards (these guards are stronger than standard ones you find), place to mount two off-road lights and shackle mounts. He said it was $765.
For the rear bumper, I just wanted a basic setup with the 2inch receiver and shackle mounts. I do not need the tire carrier, as I will carry my spare on the roof. Another $465 for the rear bumper.
Naturally I cannot pickup the bumpers in person at their place, as they are down in GA, near Atlanta, and that is a little far to drive. He said they shipped to Canada all the time, so shipping up to me wasn't a problem. Shipping for BOTH bumpers, including freight and ALL customs fees/charges was $365.
So if you add that all up, it comes up to $1600 shipped to a depot/terminal here in Ottawa. Even once you add the conversion to Canadian dollars and possible taxes once it passes customs, it should come in just under $2K for a front AND rear "custom" bumper shipped to me. I think that is pretty reasonable.
He did say that they have a 9 week back-order, but that isn't so bad, as it would give me time to save up my pennies to pay for it. We are going into winter anyways, so it isn't like I need it right now.
So what do you guys think? Options, suggestions, or just stating that I am crazy is all good