1 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
2 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
1 - We started with the rear bumper simply because it was going to be the easier of the two bumpers as only six bolts are used to put the end caps on. Pre-assemble and align the end caps before working on the vehicle.
3 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
2 – There are no electrical connections or hidden bolts to deal with when removing the rear bumper. Undo the retaining bolts and rear tow hook (if equipped) and pull it straight out.
4 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
3 - With the new Aries Trail Chaser in place, hand tighten the mounting bolts and align the bumper before cinching down the bolts.
5 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
4 - Turning our attention to the front end of the rig we started assembly of the new bumpers by once again installing the end caps. With the bolts hand tight, we used a rubber hammer to get everything in perfect alignment before torqueing the included hardware down.
6 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
5 - The lights mounted up as advertised and we carefully routed the wiring away from any sharp edges.
7 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
6 - Adding a light bar mount without a lightbar to the front bumper is not just an exercise in aesthetics, the mount also acts as protection for your radiator against errant trees on the trail and Prius on the street.
8 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
7 - We like the molded plug ends for lights and other devices to keep debris out of the connections.
9 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
8 - The included Aries end cap lights were installed with the rubber gaskets and stainless steel hardware.
10 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
9 - Our Rigid fog lights were the next items to be installed into the bumper using their JK fog light adapter brackets.
11 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
10 - The bumper is finally assembled and ready to go on. We removed the OEM bumper.
12 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
11 – Before installing the new Aries bumper, the front grill surround comes off by removing a few screws and a half dozen clips. Then we installed the new headlights.
13 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
12 - The headlights we chose are a set of Rigid Industries DOT compliant units with built in lens heaters. With the lamps, a Jeep JK adapter harness was also installed to keep the government mandated daytime running lights working.
14 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
13 - Turning the night into day was as easy as plugging the new lights into the factory plugs. We used the supplied die-electric grease on the connection to keep any corrosion to a minimum.
15 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
14 - Following the instructions, we relocated the vacuum pump to the frame and cut off an offending bracket with a cutting disc on a grinder. Make sure to paint the bare metal.
16 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
15 - With the front grill surround back on and headlights in, the bumper easily slides into place.
17 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
16 - Eight mounting bolts hold the bumper in place and we will warn you now, they can be a real pain to get to. An assortment of stubby wrenches and the proper sequence of four letter words eventually got the unit aligned and tightened down. After wiring in the Rigid fog lights to the factory harness we were set!
18 of 18
Bryan Irons
The Addicted-to-Dirt Daily Driver - Part 2
17 - Bumper clearance between the tire and bumper can be very tight on the JK platform, but our 35” Nitto’s had plenty of room through their range of travel.
Story & photos by Bryan Irons @bryanirons
OK, we get it, but we certainly don’t have to like it. Lawmakers and pollution control boards are doing their best to curb fossil fuel consumption, which is to be applauded when you look at the plausible futures of the human race. These legislators are also whispering in the ears of safety administrations, engineers and designers who are trying to get a bite of your wallet when it comes to selecting a new vehicle. This shark tank stew has shaped the landscape of what we have to choose from on dealer lots, and we’re less then impressed at times with weight savings and new age components that we end up having to leave at the end of our driveway once a week because they don’t live up to “our” standards.
During the last installment on our buddy Zoran’s 2015 Jeep JKU we were swapping out a vast array of factory suspension components made from sandwich wrap held together with booger welds in an effort to maintain some structural integrity when we went and wheeled the Jeep. With a slightly higher elevation and 35” tires, we were so close to hitting the dirt we could taste it… but in a “less dirt” sort of way. It was time to ditch the factory plastic bumpers as well as the horrifically inadequate lighting that has, unfortunately, adorned every Halogen equipped JK that has rolled off the assembly line.
The Mopar lightweight bumpers complete with cheesy looking “oil jugs” attached to the ends can barely fend off a stray shopping cart let alone protect the body. The Aries Trail Chaser bumper provides a more durable façade without adding too much extra girth. The bumpers are even available in aluminum, but we are kind of partial to steel and like the powder coated finish. Both front and rear bumpers are modular, so you can build one starting with a basic center section. With different width ends for the front, as well as varying protection options, it’s easy to create what you need.
Starting with our rear bumper setup, we got the standard width rear unit with simple bolt on rear corners. There are recesses built into the ends that allow for a standard light to be installed at a down and outward facing angle. Aries’ attention to detail left us with a bumper set that didn’t need any manipulation to brackets or re-drilling of holes, which is often the case in our experience. We had to reroute the exhaust from our Dynomax Quiet Crawler exhaust system to the passenger side to match up with the cutout, which only took a little time and tubing. If you are still packing around the 55-gallon drum of a stock muffler, the cut-outs will match perfectly. Access to the rear hitch pin is slightly more troublesome, but it’s also better protected than stock.
With the installed flat Hurricane fenders from Rugged Ridge, there was a large gap between the top of the factory front bumper ends and the bottom of the flare opening. This not only looked odd, but on the trail, the tires would barf mud and trail debris on top of the bumper. The solution was a “stubby” style bumper. The center section we selected is winch ready and bolts to the frame in multiple locations making for a secure recovery location. We were a little surprised that D ring shackles are not included with the center section so make sure you get a set before paying the bill, they are well worth it.
Aries’ own flush mount LED lights are included with the Stubby ends. They come with a nice wiring harness and once installed, produce great light for slow crawling at night and seeing into the ditches. Make sure to install the lights and wiring before bolting the bumper together as the bolts and other hardware may be a little tricky to get assembled once the main bumper is on the Jeep. The powder coated finish matched up well, and just like the rear bumper, everything lined up during assembly. With many bumper kits, you never know what you’re going to get when it comes to hardware. Luckily Aries had sharpened their pencils and included all the 8.8 grade metric hardware needed for both bolting the bumpers on, and together. After all, this isn’t the 80’s; there’s no need to have metric and SAE hardware on your rig if you don’t have to!
With the bumpers sorted we turned our attention to another shortcoming excreted from the bean counters at Jeep, the substandard headlights. The ancient origins of the original 7” round beam headlights can be traced back to a time when editor Mack had a full head of hair. You may have seen us raving over Rigid Lighting’s 7” LED headlight design before, and for good reason. The beam pattern, colour spectrum, horizontal cut-off, and life expectancy, is roughly eleven billion times better than the halogen time capsules that come stock from Jeep. For Canadian climates, we have to recommend the built-in lens heating element design for keeping slush and ice from forming on the lens during winter. The units we selected also come with Rigid’s plug and play harness that works with the factory daytime running lights and are DOT compliant as well.
While replacing the inadequate headlamps we also decided to upgrade the fog lamps as well. Rigid makes a complete kit that adapts their SAE approved lamp (read: road legal) into the factory JK fog lamp location. Our Aries bumper reuses the JK foglamps mounting pattern so this is a simple bolt in affair. The Dully design lamps we chose have a very wide pattern but a narrow vertical beam width. This allows us to see the road in adverse weather conditions without blinding ourselves in the process. The lamps include a harness, but we elected to wire them up to the factory fog lamp controls. Using the AEV Procal unit we installed last time, we can also set the fog lamps as our daytime running lamps if the need arises.
We now have a Jeep that’s ready for the road and trail. Zoran has been taking the family out exploring but still hasn’t decided to spring for a winch. Until that decision is made, we packed the back of his rig with Gemstone Off-road Soft Shackles and Kinetic Recovery Ropes to keep him and his crew on the trail. The Aries bumpers have stood up well and are proving easy to live with. Follow along here are we show the basics of getting our bumper and light combination installed in an afternoon.
- Aries Automotive – www.ariesautomotive.com
- Rigid Lighting – www.rigidindustries.com
- AEV – www.aev-conversions.com
- Gemstone Off-road – www.gemstoneoffroad.com
- Dynomax Exhaust – www.dynomax.com
Editor's Note: If you missed Part 1 of Bryan's "The Addicted to Dirt Daily Driver" you can read it by clicking here.
Connect with 4WDrive Magazine on social media: twitter; facebook; instagram. Watch, like and subscribe to our youtube channel.