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Just wanted to share my take on the front bumper mod on the cheap. For the most part, it's a combination of the following threads with my own twists:
http://www.wranglerforum.com/f33/my-take-on-the-diy-stubby-front-bumper-jk-226155.html
Winch mount W/factory bumper
STOCK BUMPER WINCH MOUNT - JKowners.com : Jeep Wrangler JK Forum
Feel free to point out any flaws or issues. I am certainly no expert and might have messed something up, but I did do my research and have tested everything out, so far so good!
All the tools involved are common hand tools such as a saws-all, dremel, hand drill etc, and all hardware can be purchased at walmart and hardware stores.
The only major parts are this winch:
Tuff Stuff 9,500LB 12V Recovery Winch | TruckandWinch.com
And this mounting plate:
Universal Channel Winch Mount
I ratchet strapped the universal winch mount on the front frame and cut out the needed areas:
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I then drilled the needed holes in the frame, and cut away a triangle from the front in order to fit in a wrench and hardware:
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Use some tape to get the hardware on a tool through the frame
Use the fair-lead as a template and cut away the needed portion of the stock bumper:
![]()
I have a 2012 JK, which has the vacuum pump located in the bumper next to the frame, so I had to relocate it, you can do what I did which was to make one out of the stock mount and some scrap metal or you can buy one of the many kits online. They usually run about $40-50. I made mine to emulate what this EVO offroad one does:
EVO: Gussets/Brackets, Vacuum Pump Relocation Kit for 2012 JK
(Note: not pictured is another shim I made out of scrap metal to shim the passenger side sway bar mount):
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I've hit the trails once so far and it has worked great! Still holding the pump just right in order to not make contact with either the sway bar or radiator lines (keep in mind that I have a dropped pitman arm from my lift kit which probably helps the drag link bolt clear the pump in this set up:
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Here's a shot of what it looked like midway, I used spacers and washers to bolt the fair-lead right to the winch mount through the stock bumper:
![]()
I used some hinged lock things from walmart to hold on the license plate through the fair-lead roller bolts:
![]()
I made some measurements and then cut and drilled some mounting plates for the fog lights out of some scrap metal:
![]()
Trim the stock fog light mounts a bit in order to fit on the scrap metal mounting plates:
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I did have to cut away a bit of the bottom portion of the stock bumper in order to fit the winch upside-down:
![]()
Here's what it looks like!:
![]()
I mounted the control box on top and spliced in some 3-guage wire to the winch. The rest of the wires are tucked away.
After testing and running around a bit I am quite pleased, but keep in mind that this is extremely time consuming and was quite a bit frustrating at times but it sure works and will definitely save some money! I chose to mount the winch in the bumper mainly to keep the winch protected and the airflow to the radiator and transmission cooler free (notice the PS hood louvers as well, I live in TX and it gets friggin hot here!) I'm sure it would be a lot easier just to mount it normally on top lol.
http://www.wranglerforum.com/f33/my-take-on-the-diy-stubby-front-bumper-jk-226155.html
Winch mount W/factory bumper
STOCK BUMPER WINCH MOUNT - JKowners.com : Jeep Wrangler JK Forum
Feel free to point out any flaws or issues. I am certainly no expert and might have messed something up, but I did do my research and have tested everything out, so far so good!
All the tools involved are common hand tools such as a saws-all, dremel, hand drill etc, and all hardware can be purchased at walmart and hardware stores.
The only major parts are this winch:
Tuff Stuff 9,500LB 12V Recovery Winch | TruckandWinch.com
And this mounting plate:
Universal Channel Winch Mount
I ratchet strapped the universal winch mount on the front frame and cut out the needed areas:
I then drilled the needed holes in the frame, and cut away a triangle from the front in order to fit in a wrench and hardware:
Use some tape to get the hardware on a tool through the frame
Use the fair-lead as a template and cut away the needed portion of the stock bumper:
I have a 2012 JK, which has the vacuum pump located in the bumper next to the frame, so I had to relocate it, you can do what I did which was to make one out of the stock mount and some scrap metal or you can buy one of the many kits online. They usually run about $40-50. I made mine to emulate what this EVO offroad one does:
EVO: Gussets/Brackets, Vacuum Pump Relocation Kit for 2012 JK
(Note: not pictured is another shim I made out of scrap metal to shim the passenger side sway bar mount):
I've hit the trails once so far and it has worked great! Still holding the pump just right in order to not make contact with either the sway bar or radiator lines (keep in mind that I have a dropped pitman arm from my lift kit which probably helps the drag link bolt clear the pump in this set up:
Here's a shot of what it looked like midway, I used spacers and washers to bolt the fair-lead right to the winch mount through the stock bumper:
I used some hinged lock things from walmart to hold on the license plate through the fair-lead roller bolts:
I made some measurements and then cut and drilled some mounting plates for the fog lights out of some scrap metal:
Trim the stock fog light mounts a bit in order to fit on the scrap metal mounting plates:
I did have to cut away a bit of the bottom portion of the stock bumper in order to fit the winch upside-down:
Here's what it looks like!:
I mounted the control box on top and spliced in some 3-guage wire to the winch. The rest of the wires are tucked away.
After testing and running around a bit I am quite pleased, but keep in mind that this is extremely time consuming and was quite a bit frustrating at times but it sure works and will definitely save some money! I chose to mount the winch in the bumper mainly to keep the winch protected and the airflow to the radiator and transmission cooler free (notice the PS hood louvers as well, I live in TX and it gets friggin hot here!) I'm sure it would be a lot easier just to mount it normally on top lol.
