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eliminating your bumper wings (20 bucks)

43K views 68 replies 47 participants last post by  SignalCorpsFL 
#1 ·
I went down to my local SD plastic store (Ridout plastics and they also sell online) and picked up 1 vinblkpm.010 for $13.70 which was esentially a very thin sheet of ABS plastic. It has a rough side (which matches the bumper) and a very smooth shiny side.

This was for a 2'x4' piece. Stiff enough to hold its shape. but flexible enough to bend with the bumper. I believe it is 1/32 of an inch thick.

Step 1) remove your front bumper wings and smooth the area (with an x-acto knife)

step 2) cut a piece of plastic to fit the opening, its ok if it doesnt lay flat against the bumper because it will have black silicon behind it. This is up to your discretion on the best fit.

step 3) lay a layer of silicon down (I did this in large long beeds) and press the plastic sheet down till its flush with the bumper. If you have loose area where the silicon doesnt hold it down flush enough then lift it up and squeeze a little behind it.

step 4) If you get silicon on the front its ok, it can easily be removed when dry.

step 5) (optional)... since I painted my front bumper I painted them also. They match nearly 100% and painting is not necessary if you get a good fit. You should have enough material to make plenty of mistakes.

Here are some pics to help. The first two pictures show the two different sides of the plastic.
 

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#3 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

That looks better than any aftermarket stuff I've seen for sale.
 
#4 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Great job.
 
#6 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

I like it! Great solution and nice price too.
 
#9 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

I'm not a big fan of how wingless stock FJ bumpers look, but this is the best solution that I've seen so far on this forum. Good job!
Me either, but for me it's a matter of economics.

If I could afford an after market bumper I'd have one. You have to do something after you break off those dumb plastic POS, at least to hide the slots.

It's good to have alternatives and options. Everyone has different tastes.
 
#12 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Nice solution, your BD is looking hella mean all blacked out!
 
#16 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Thanks for all the feedback. I finally made the stickies! wait till I tell my wife she will be ecstatic...

I have an offer to make to anyone...

If you look at the picture, I have a winch but I didnt wire it yet. Its a bit intimidating for a fabricator like me (painting and cutting are no problems) but if anyone is interested in trading talents. I would be happy to cut and install the anti-bumper wings in exchange for a wired winch.

I'm in SD.

If not, I gave you the order number and you can call the plastic place or check them out online go get your own.

P.S. My original thought was to add lights in those area but would have to fab up a cylindrical mount. Not a problem if I had some lights or at least dimensions.
 
#19 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Nice work! Innovative and economical! Two thumbs up!
 
#21 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Thanks for this - I'm on the fence about removing the wings. Some days I think it would look better, and others I'm not sure. So all you did was use black silicone and no other fasteners, huh?

How hard it is to get the silver wings off? Do you need to pull the entire front bumper to get them off? Also, in smoothing the bumper to accept the inserts, does this make re-installing the wings (if one wanted to return to stock) impossible, or is this MOD reversible?

Thanks!!
 
#22 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Very clean looking bumper, the best i seen so far
 
#23 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Thanks for this - I'm on the fence about removing the wings. Some days I think it would look better, and others I'm not sure. So all you did was use black silicone and no other fasteners, huh?

How hard it is to get the silver wings off? Do you need to pull the entire front bumper to get them off? Also, in smoothing the bumper to accept the inserts, does this make re-installing the wings (if one wanted to return to stock) impossible, or is this MOD reversible?

Thanks!!
You should take off your bumper because it takes 30 minutes the first time and is quite easy. You can find some write ups on how to remove it. 8 screws I think etc. Nothing hard or skillfull just some pulling and screwing :)

I just used silicon. I got it in black and I used silicon because the back is slightly uneven and you have holes from where the wing plugs go. So the silicon can be very forgiving because of that.

To smooth the area of the wings you have to cut small fins off. I have no idea what they do because there are like 3 sets of them. I don't know what they do or how important they are but I would be 99.9% sure they don't make that much of a difference. My guess is that I could pull the wings off, rub off the silicon and put the wings back if I needed to.
 
#24 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

Very nice! :bigthumb: Personally, I love the look without the wings, I have Lucrum's BWE on mine since they were the only ones available at the time. Your's look just as good! (and cheaper)

SoCalhog: I will be getting rid of my bumper wings as soon as I get em back from Kim's house, so I'll let ya know when I do!
 
#25 ·
Re: eliminating your bumper wing (20 bucks)

I found a very easy to use removal tool and readily available in our area, I think other places have slight variations, but they are quite effective.
this fellow seems to have claimed this one as his, not sure if he is charging for usage or not.


seriously though, nice job!!
 
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