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Grill Guard and Lights
I wanted to put on an aftermarket bumper and driving lights, but the one that I wanted (the AEV Premium Bumper) was a little rich for my taste at ~$1300.
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After looking for several weeks, I stumbled across the Maximus-3 grill guard on a couple of threads on WF. The Maximus-3 hoop has the same look as the AEV grill guard, but bolts on to the stock bumper and is a lot less expensive. I’m not in a rush to get a winch, so this seemed like a good option.
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GrillGuard
Maximus-3 Grille Guard (Hoop Only)
From: Maximus-3
Price: $259.99
URL: http://maximus-3.com/-jeep-wrangler.html
The original Maximus-3 thread can be found here: http://www.wranglerforum.com/f146/factory-front-bumper-bar-hoop-light-bracket-grill-guard-235075.html
Most people on this forum who have ordered the Maximus-3 grill guard elected to get the Maximus-3 auxiliary light mount that attaches to the grill guard. I didn’t love the look of M3 light mount, so I opted to go with Quadratec’s house-brand bumper light mounts instead.
For the lights, I went with the 100W KC Apollo driving lights. They were significantly cheaper than the IPFs, PIAAs, and others that I looked at. The Apollos (and the KCs in general) had stellar reviews, so I decided to give them a shot. I looked at the Daylighters as well, but the Apollos were significantly cheaper and had the stone guards built in. I figured I could live without the additional 30W.
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Light Mounts
Quadratec Bumper Light Mounts
From: Quadratec
Price: $69.99/pair
URL: https://www.quadratec.com/products/12110_201.htm
Lights
KC Apollo Pro 6” Driving Lights (100W)
From: Amazon.com
Price: $113/pair
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006V7TBBA/
The Maximus-3 grill guard came very tightly wrapped will all hardware required and instructions. The hoop is ~1/8” steel and seems solidly built. The mounting hardware is 1/4” steel and very robust.
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There had been some negative reviews of the light mount brackets, claiming that they were scratched or chipped right out of the box. I had no such problems. The brackets are 3/16” steel with a powder coat finish and seem pretty indestructible. They’re solid and much heavier than I expected for something as simple as a light mount.
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KC Apollos in a box. Not much else to say...
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I set up shop under a popup canopy to stay out of the Florida sun and set out to take the front end off. This is all the hoop and light mount hardware.
![]()
The grill and front bumper were surprisingly easy to remove. To remove the grill you just have to pop a few plastic clips on the top, pull the plugs to the headlights, and pull forward on the grill to pop the bottom clips. The front bumper is only slightly more challenging to remove. Again you have to unplug the lights (fogs), remove the air dam, and unbolt the bumper from the rear side. There are some wire guide clips inside the bumper holding the wires to the fogs in place. You have to pull those out of the bumper to fully remove it. I wasn’t able to remove the clips gracefully, so I just cut them. Here’s the jeep with the front end off.
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The Maximus-3 installation brackets connect directly to the backs of the recovery hooks on the bumper and to the bumper mounting blocks on the front end of the jeep. I forgot to take a picture of the mounting hardware attached to the bumper, but here’s a shot of the mount points on the backs of the hooks.
![]()
There are actually two bumpers in that pic. The original with a squished crush-can from a love tap I got on the way to the store, and the replacement I bought off a guy for $40. What other vehicle can you buy just about any stock part off of craigslist for under $100
Some of the Maximus-3 directions were a little hazy and I ended up putting some of the mounting hardware on backward. It wasn’t until I had the bumper balanced on my knee, trying to thread the bolts back onto the mounts that I realized something was amiss. Had to pull it all apart and try again. The second time through worked like a charm.
Here’s the bumper with the lights mounted.
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The Quadratec light mounts bolt on to a cross member that runs in front of the radiator. They ‘pinch’ the rail instead of mounting through a hole, so you are free to move them wherever you want laterally. I actually swapped the left/right mounts from how they are intended to be used. In Quadratec’s installation instructions, they show the mounts both attaching near the center of this rail and extending outward, giving the lights kind of a walleyed look. By flipping the sides, they attach closer to the edges of the cross member (which should give better rigidity) and the lights are grouped closer to the center.
Here’s the final product
![]()
![]()
I wanted to put on an aftermarket bumper and driving lights, but the one that I wanted (the AEV Premium Bumper) was a little rich for my taste at ~$1300.
After looking for several weeks, I stumbled across the Maximus-3 grill guard on a couple of threads on WF. The Maximus-3 hoop has the same look as the AEV grill guard, but bolts on to the stock bumper and is a lot less expensive. I’m not in a rush to get a winch, so this seemed like a good option.
GrillGuard
Maximus-3 Grille Guard (Hoop Only)
From: Maximus-3
Price: $259.99
URL: http://maximus-3.com/-jeep-wrangler.html
The original Maximus-3 thread can be found here: http://www.wranglerforum.com/f146/factory-front-bumper-bar-hoop-light-bracket-grill-guard-235075.html
Most people on this forum who have ordered the Maximus-3 grill guard elected to get the Maximus-3 auxiliary light mount that attaches to the grill guard. I didn’t love the look of M3 light mount, so I opted to go with Quadratec’s house-brand bumper light mounts instead.
For the lights, I went with the 100W KC Apollo driving lights. They were significantly cheaper than the IPFs, PIAAs, and others that I looked at. The Apollos (and the KCs in general) had stellar reviews, so I decided to give them a shot. I looked at the Daylighters as well, but the Apollos were significantly cheaper and had the stone guards built in. I figured I could live without the additional 30W.
Light Mounts
Quadratec Bumper Light Mounts
From: Quadratec
Price: $69.99/pair
URL: https://www.quadratec.com/products/12110_201.htm
Lights
KC Apollo Pro 6” Driving Lights (100W)
From: Amazon.com
Price: $113/pair
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006V7TBBA/
Delivery day
The Maximus-3 grill guard came very tightly wrapped will all hardware required and instructions. The hoop is ~1/8” steel and seems solidly built. The mounting hardware is 1/4” steel and very robust.
There had been some negative reviews of the light mount brackets, claiming that they were scratched or chipped right out of the box. I had no such problems. The brackets are 3/16” steel with a powder coat finish and seem pretty indestructible. They’re solid and much heavier than I expected for something as simple as a light mount.
KC Apollos in a box. Not much else to say...
Installation
I set up shop under a popup canopy to stay out of the Florida sun and set out to take the front end off. This is all the hoop and light mount hardware.
The grill and front bumper were surprisingly easy to remove. To remove the grill you just have to pop a few plastic clips on the top, pull the plugs to the headlights, and pull forward on the grill to pop the bottom clips. The front bumper is only slightly more challenging to remove. Again you have to unplug the lights (fogs), remove the air dam, and unbolt the bumper from the rear side. There are some wire guide clips inside the bumper holding the wires to the fogs in place. You have to pull those out of the bumper to fully remove it. I wasn’t able to remove the clips gracefully, so I just cut them. Here’s the jeep with the front end off.
The Maximus-3 installation brackets connect directly to the backs of the recovery hooks on the bumper and to the bumper mounting blocks on the front end of the jeep. I forgot to take a picture of the mounting hardware attached to the bumper, but here’s a shot of the mount points on the backs of the hooks.
There are actually two bumpers in that pic. The original with a squished crush-can from a love tap I got on the way to the store, and the replacement I bought off a guy for $40. What other vehicle can you buy just about any stock part off of craigslist for under $100
Some of the Maximus-3 directions were a little hazy and I ended up putting some of the mounting hardware on backward. It wasn’t until I had the bumper balanced on my knee, trying to thread the bolts back onto the mounts that I realized something was amiss. Had to pull it all apart and try again. The second time through worked like a charm.
Here’s the bumper with the lights mounted.
The Quadratec light mounts bolt on to a cross member that runs in front of the radiator. They ‘pinch’ the rail instead of mounting through a hole, so you are free to move them wherever you want laterally. I actually swapped the left/right mounts from how they are intended to be used. In Quadratec’s installation instructions, they show the mounts both attaching near the center of this rail and extending outward, giving the lights kind of a walleyed look. By flipping the sides, they attach closer to the edges of the cross member (which should give better rigidity) and the lights are grouped closer to the center.
Here’s the final product
