{"id":3724,"date":"2015-01-03T14:40:52","date_gmt":"2015-01-03T20:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gunscarstech.com\/?p=3724"},"modified":"2015-01-03T14:40:52","modified_gmt":"2015-01-03T20:40:52","slug":"smittybilt-cherokee-xj-rear-bumper-with-tire-carrier-initial-thoughts-and-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunscarstech.com\/?p=3724","title":{"rendered":"Smittybilt Cherokee XJ Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier: Initial Thoughts and Installation"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few months ago I posted my writeup on the Front Bumper<\/a>. If you want to know why I picked up this bumper, go read the first section of that post. I’ll follow roughly the same format here.<\/p>\n

Please note that there are literally hundreds of hi-res photos on this post. It will take a while to fully load<\/b>
\n<\/p>\n

Things you should probably know up front<\/h2>\n

Let me start off by saying that I am much, much less impressed by this bumper than I was by the front bumper. From the unclear (or, in some cases, flat out wrong) instructions to the nuts and bolts included, there was a whole lot of frustration here that wasn’t the case with the front bumper. It became obvious as I went along that this bumper and the instructions were really designed with the 1996 and earlier models–even though it’s advertised for all years and most of the promotional pictures are of a 97+ sporting this bumper.<\/p>\n

I had a lot of fitment issues and I’m not the only one<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The bumper comes in two boxes. Well, the bumper<\/i> comes in one box and the tire carrier comes in the other. The tire carrier box is probably twice as long as it needs to be to actually hold all the stuff. The boxes are too large to fit in a Cherokee, so you will need a larger vehicle if they aren’t delivered to your house. Also the bumper is much heavier than the front, and most of the weight is on the passenger side to accommodate the hinge for the tire carrier. The bumper box measures 73″ x 19 1\/2″ x 12″ and the tire carrier box measures 59 1\/2″ x 28 1\/2″ x 9″:<\/p>\n

\"Tactical<\/a>
Tactical Dog not included<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You need<\/em> a torque wrench, and not just to properly torque the bolts. The hardware that ships with the bumper is very, very tight. Like 40+ ft\/lbs to tighten them before they even get close to being all the way in. All<\/b> of the nuts and bolts included are like this. I had a\u00a0DeWalt DC825B 1\/4-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact Driver<\/a>\"\"\u00a0and it couldn’t keep up. I brought out an air powered impact hammer after that and it couldn’t keep up, either.<\/p>\n

If you’ve been thinking about replacing your muffler, this would be a good time to do that. The tailpipe seriously hampers your ability to get to the bolts on the passenger side bracket, so if you can remove your old muffler it will make things a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n

If you have a hitch, you’ll need to remove it. Oh and I hope you never actually used<\/i> your hitch for towing, because lots of people report that the receiver is out of spec. Mine was, too.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have a gas tank skid, say goodbye to it because it’s not compatible with the brackets for this bumper.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the brackets….you’re very likely going to need to take a grinder to them. So go get one if you don’t have one already.<\/p>\n

Rear quarter armor is included. This replaces your bumper end caps. Earlier versions of the bumper may not have included it, but mine did. You will need a rivet gun to install it. On my 98, the frontmost rivet holes were too far forward to actually connect with the rear quarter sheetmetal.<\/p>\n

You will need to relocate the license plate yourself.<\/strong> No bracket is included. I used this one<\/a>\"\" because it was cheap and I needed one with a light to comply with state laws.<\/p>\n

Tools I used:<\/p>\n

Stanley 97-126 11 Piece 1\/2-Inch Drive Metric Deep Impact Socket Set<\/a>\"\"
\nStanley 97-125 11 Piece 1\/2-Inch Drive SAE Deep Impact Socket Set<\/a>\"\"
\n3\/8-Inch Drive Ratchet<\/a>\"\"\"\"
DeWalt DC825B 1\/4-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact Driver<\/a>\"\"
ratcheting box wrenches<\/a>\"\"
DeWalt Pivoting Bit Holder<\/a>\"\"
3\/8 Drive Wobble Extensions<\/a>\"\"
1\/2\u2033 Drive Click Stop Torque Wrench<\/a>\"\"\"\"
DeWalt 18V 1\/2\u2033 Cordless XRP Drill<\/a>\"\"
XJ Field Service Manual
\n<\/a>Stanley Snips<\/a>\"\"
\nDEWALT DW2547Ir 1\/4-Inch Hex Shank To 1\/2-Inch Socket Adaptor<\/a>\"\"
\nHand Riveter<\/a>\"\"
\n4 1\/2″ Angle Grinder<\/a>\"\"
\nCraftsman 1\/2 Impact Wrench<\/a>\"\"
\nRust-Oleum Flat Black Spray Paint<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

There are over 200 pictures and a few videos in this post, so click below to load the rest of this post…<\/p>\n

The Unboxening (Bumper)<\/h2>\n

\"IMG_4744\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4745\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4750\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4751\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4747\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4748\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Rear<\/a>
Rear Quarter Armor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Instructions<\/a>
Instructions and Hardware<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Hardware<\/a>
Hardware laid out<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rivets\"<\/a>
Rivets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Striker<\/a>
Striker Pin Nut and Washer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Striker<\/a>
Striker Pin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nuts<\/a>
Nuts and Bolts and Washers, Oh My!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bumper<\/a>
Bumper Brackets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"IMG_4771\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4772\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4773\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4774\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4775\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4776\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4777\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The bumper in the box….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The bumper out of the box<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you click on that picture above, you can see that during shipping something–probably the bumper brackets–scratched the $%&^ out of the bumper, removing some of the finish. This will be fixed later.<\/p>\n

\"Scratch,<\/a>
Scratch, and the holes for the rubber bumpers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Another<\/a>
Another pic of the scratch. That notch on the far right is for the passenger side bumper bracket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The notch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hole<\/a>
Hole for the Striker Pi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Smittybilt<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Smittybilt<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4800\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4801\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4799\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Smittybilt<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are some shots of the speed holes, or whatever they are. I think they’re actually there to make it easier to tighten the bolts that attach the bumper to the bumper brackets. I’ve added the measurements just in case you’re interested.<\/p>\n

\"Smittybilt<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Smittybilt<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4809\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4810\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4811\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4812\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4813\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4814\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now for some shots of the interior of the bumper. This is the part that you don’t see once it’s attached, but you might want to have a look-see before you go buy one.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4817\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4818\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4819\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Note<\/a>
Note the thick weld right at the notch. This will be a problem later.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"IMG_4822\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4823\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4824\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4826\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4827\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4829\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4830\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4831\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4832\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"IMG_4834\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4837\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4838\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, there are a couple of nutstrips provided. One of mine was bent to hell, but a hammer fixed that<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4766\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4765\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4764\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_4762\"<\/a>
\n