New bumper/carrier from Ground Pounder Fab (BESRK)

Well, it's my extreme pleasure to say that BESRK (on JeepForum.com, aka Eddie) has finished working on my bumper and has shipped it. Hopefully it'll reach me soon. I want to get it painted and mounted.

With this one, there were some specific things I wanted that weren't part of the normal deal, and I have to say Eddie's been fantastic to work with, very patient even with a picky layman like myself. I did some horrible Paint.NET mock-ups of what I wanted, and the finished product is very nearly that. First of all, I wanted reverse lights flush-mounted into the bumper. Later, I figured I wanted additional STT lights, too. I know I wanted a 4-pole trailer hook-up permanently mounted but out of the way, and all of this turned out to be a giant pain in the ass

I spent many hours on the phone (yes, really) and the net trying to find some lights that could fit in the 2"x4" square tube that Eddie uses for his bumpers. A larger size would've opened up additional options, but that's not what he had, and I didn't want to have to buy him a whole new stick of tube just for that, especially with no guarantee that anyone else might want one along those lines, so I had to figure out something that would work. Eventually I settled on some particular 2"x6" oval LED lighting and crossed my fingers that it would actually fit, since it would be tight no matter what.

Well, Eddie sent me these quick-n-dirty cell phone pics, and I nearly squealed with delight! I'll be taking and posting some higher-quality shots when it arrives, after painting, and after installation. Until then, check out his fine work! Note that the lights are not actually pushed in for the flush fit, as they're going to be a giant pain in the rear to pop back out when that day comes. You can see the trailer plug was a really tight fit, too.

What do y'all think? At least it'll be both functional and fairly unique (for now). Can't wait to show you what it'll look like mounted!

Damn that looks bad ass!

Looks great, can't wait to see the finished product.

wow! that is going to look awesome!

Too bad it's unlikely to be here before Friday. Otherwise I'd slap some paint on it and get it mounted before the beach trip. I'm really looking forward to getting it set up.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that set you back?

Well, remember that's just the bumper piece that's pictured, and I'm getting a tire carrier I can sit and swing on (i.e. tank-like and overbuilt). With all that, his frame tie-in kit, the custom work, a hi-lift mount, and two CB antenna mounts (I'll cut off whichever I don't use), it came out to a little under $600, and I count it well spent. You can follow along with the evolution of this project of his (he does this stuff part time) on his thread on JF. The shipping for all three pieces (steel bumper, steel carrier, and box of lights and mounts and ties and such) was killer, though, at just over $100, but that's not really his fault.

The lights themselves I got in two 2-packs with pigtails and grommets from trucking supply company Global Parts Inc for $55. The 4-pole adapter and wiring harness I got from eTrailer.com for about $30.

So in grand total I've got a little under $800 in the whole thing. Still need to prime and paint it, though, and I've got to decide on whether I want a flat or satin black or a textured black with some sort of clear coat, if I do it myself, or otherwise have a local body and paint shop I know do a more professional job of it.