If you've ever "needed" your stock front bumper to protect your Jeep, you know that the C-channel design is not very strong. I tapped the end of my stock bumper into a rock going a few miles an hour and it bent it pretty badly. One remedy is to purchase an aftermarket bumper from a company such as Bulletproof Manufacturing, Tomken or many others. However, most of these bumpers start at $200 and the price goes up if you add options such as D-rings, air-tank, etc.

I wanted to keep things simple but bulletproof. Tim simply welded some steel plates to the back of his stock bumper which beefed things up considerably and is one inexpensive option. Since my stock bumper is already bent and I failed at straightening it, I wanted to start from scratch. So, I took some cues from some of the most popular bumpers out there and spent only $33 doing it. If you've got a welder or have access to one, this project is relatively simple.

I liked the stock length bumper, so I bought a 54" section of 2"x4" square tubing. For ultimate strength, I went with the 1/4" thick steel variety. I then bought three, 12"x2"x3/16" flat steel plate to use as the end caps and for the mounting brackets.

The beauty of making your own bumper is that you can taper the ends as much or as little as you like. I simply made a single cut on either end of the square tubing with a reciprocating saw. This cut constituted the taper. I then cut pieces of the flat stock to make the end caps. Simply weld the pieces on and grind smooth. I did the welding with the Rough Rider's Lincoln Weld Pak 100. It's a 90 Amp or so wire-fed welder that could be converted to MIG at a later date. I find the flux-core wire to be easy to use but does require more prep before painting as it splatters and leaves a residue.

After the bumper itself was finished, I had to decide on how to mount the bumper to the frame. I wanted to use all four of the stock bumper mounting holes and I wanted to use the two additional holes for the tow hooks as well. I didn't have a way to bend any steel and I couldn't find any c-channel steel that had a 4" opening to match the height of the frame rails. So, I simply used 4 pieces of the 2" wide steel plate and welded them to the top and bottom of the bumper. The top ones are longer so that they can reach the second set of holes under the tow hooks.

The bottom ones need to be quite short such that they don't interfere with the spring hangers.

Since I'm a beginner welder, I was afraid that my welds might not have the penetration that an experienced welder would get. Therefore, I did not grind down the welds used on the mounting brackets. I'd rather see the welds than run over the bumper on the highway after they fail.

Finally, as the new bumper does not fit over the frame rails as did the stock unit, the bumper does stick out more. On my YJ, there is a bit of a gap between the plastic cover and the inside edge of the bumper, but I think it looks fine.

I don't think there is a way around it either as I could not find any square tubing that was 2"x4.5"x1/4". If so, you could simply cut a hole into the back of the box tubing and fit the bumper snuggly over the frame rail.

I finished off the "Hasler-Made" bumper with a coat of black Hammerite paint so that it matches my rocker panels and my "Sully-Made" rear bumper/tire carrier. Overall, it was a fun project and my welding beads look a lot better now. And for 33 bucks, it can't be beat!!

If you want to add D-rings to your front bumper, here's a way to do it. D-Ring Article.