FluX on: Rear Bumper Transplantation.
#1
03-12-2009 | 06:08 PM
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FluX on: Rear Bumper Transplantation.
Recently it came to my attention that my rear license plate was unreadable by the local law enforcement agency because the rear tire on my 1999 Blazer ZR2 is a 31 x 10.5" and I have a 2" drop plate on it. It was readable and unobscured, just not by a SUV 20' off the bumper...
The options on making it readable for the law dog were not appealing. He suggested mounting it next to the spare on the tire carrier, but then I would have to run power for a light up there and it would look cheesy.
I had been wanting to get the 1995-1997 non-step style rear bumper for my Blazer for some time, but no one on Blazer Forum or ZR2USA could tell me if it would fit. It don't. Not without the correct bumper extensions, which I couldn't find in the ZR2 style. But here is the procedure to make it work.
Start by procuring a 1995-1997 non-step style bumper. Mine was $60 shipped off of eBay, Also make sure you get the mounting brackets and hardware that connect the bumper assembly to the frame, as well as the plastic light/license plate mount and plastic step pad.
Unless it is your Blazer's natural color (Black for ZR2) you will need to strip it and repaint. Mine also required de-denting with a 2 lb. sledge in areas. I used Rustolem black primer and black satin high durability paint. About 4 coats of each.
If you bolt the brackets to the frame the side bumper extensions on a ZR2 are about 2" too long and the bumper will not bolt in place. I'm not sure if this is the case on all 1998-2003 Generation 2B Blazers.
Modify the brackets to look like this:
Modified passenger side bumper mounting bracket, Outboard.
Modified passenger side bumper mounting bracket, Inboard.
A local precision machine shop did this for me because no other welders in the area wanted the liability of working on a bumper mount for some reason. Because of this it cost me $110.
What they did was weld a piece of metal stock, that was about 1/8" thick and about 6" square to the existing brackets and drilled the mounting holes offset 2" forward. Part of the bracket was also cut off to allow the saddle bolts to sit closer to flush.
Comparison: Modified passenger side bumper mounting bracket, and unmodified step style bumper mounting bracket.
Remove the old step bumper. Using a big straight screwdriver or a pry bar slowly pry up between the bumper and the plastic step pad until it pops out of there. Unbolt the 4 bolts on top of the bumper and the 4 nuts on the saddle bolts from the underside of the bumper using an 18mm 1/2 drive socket and extension, you may need a 1/2 universal joint to get around the exhaust pipe on the passenger side. Undo the license plate light harness by putting a small straight screw driver in the locking tabs hole on the connector and pull.
Remove the old bumper brackets by using the 18mm socket and a 18mm box wrench. You may also need a 3/4" socket and wrench if your Blazer was equipped with an aftermarket trailer hitch receiver. You may need to add some washers to compensate these bolts for the shorter bracket.
Attach the modified brackets to the frame, use a saddle bolt and 2 nuts each side with a dab of Threadlocker Blue:
Driver side modified mounting bracket, Inboard.
Driver side modified mounting bracket, Outboard.
Place bumper on brackets and mount, Saddle bolts with nuts on top and T50 torx bolt and nut on bottom. Use Threadlocker Blue. Substitute one of the old hex bolts if your bumper didn't come with the Torx bolt.
Bumper mounted on truck.
Modify plastic step pad by cutting off approx 1/4" off of the top with a razor knife so it will clear tail gate when folded down. Place plastic step pad on bumper and press down until step pad pops in place.
Wire license plate light into harness. I spliced into the existing trailer harness wires as I didn't have a spare square plug and I didn't want to cut the one from the old bumper. I used a 12" White LED strip light instead of what came with the bumper, with a piece of black electrical tape on the side facing outward to keep glare down.
Bumper mounted on truck, Night shot.
I also ran the trailer harness through the old spare tire lowering hole in the bumper.
The options on making it readable for the law dog were not appealing. He suggested mounting it next to the spare on the tire carrier, but then I would have to run power for a light up there and it would look cheesy.
I had been wanting to get the 1995-1997 non-step style rear bumper for my Blazer for some time, but no one on Blazer Forum or ZR2USA could tell me if it would fit. It don't. Not without the correct bumper extensions, which I couldn't find in the ZR2 style. But here is the procedure to make it work.
Start by procuring a 1995-1997 non-step style bumper. Mine was $60 shipped off of eBay, Also make sure you get the mounting brackets and hardware that connect the bumper assembly to the frame, as well as the plastic light/license plate mount and plastic step pad.
Unless it is your Blazer's natural color (Black for ZR2) you will need to strip it and repaint. Mine also required de-denting with a 2 lb. sledge in areas. I used Rustolem black primer and black satin high durability paint. About 4 coats of each.
If you bolt the brackets to the frame the side bumper extensions on a ZR2 are about 2" too long and the bumper will not bolt in place. I'm not sure if this is the case on all 1998-2003 Generation 2B Blazers.
Modify the brackets to look like this:
Modified passenger side bumper mounting bracket, Outboard.
Modified passenger side bumper mounting bracket, Inboard.
A local precision machine shop did this for me because no other welders in the area wanted the liability of working on a bumper mount for some reason. Because of this it cost me $110.
What they did was weld a piece of metal stock, that was about 1/8" thick and about 6" square to the existing brackets and drilled the mounting holes offset 2" forward. Part of the bracket was also cut off to allow the saddle bolts to sit closer to flush.
Comparison: Modified passenger side bumper mounting bracket, and unmodified step style bumper mounting bracket.
Remove the old step bumper. Using a big straight screwdriver or a pry bar slowly pry up between the bumper and the plastic step pad until it pops out of there. Unbolt the 4 bolts on top of the bumper and the 4 nuts on the saddle bolts from the underside of the bumper using an 18mm 1/2 drive socket and extension, you may need a 1/2 universal joint to get around the exhaust pipe on the passenger side. Undo the license plate light harness by putting a small straight screw driver in the locking tabs hole on the connector and pull.
Remove the old bumper brackets by using the 18mm socket and a 18mm box wrench. You may also need a 3/4" socket and wrench if your Blazer was equipped with an aftermarket trailer hitch receiver. You may need to add some washers to compensate these bolts for the shorter bracket.
Attach the modified brackets to the frame, use a saddle bolt and 2 nuts each side with a dab of Threadlocker Blue:
Driver side modified mounting bracket, Inboard.
Driver side modified mounting bracket, Outboard.
Place bumper on brackets and mount, Saddle bolts with nuts on top and T50 torx bolt and nut on bottom. Use Threadlocker Blue. Substitute one of the old hex bolts if your bumper didn't come with the Torx bolt.
Bumper mounted on truck.
Modify plastic step pad by cutting off approx 1/4" off of the top with a razor knife so it will clear tail gate when folded down. Place plastic step pad on bumper and press down until step pad pops in place.
Wire license plate light into harness. I spliced into the existing trailer harness wires as I didn't have a spare square plug and I didn't want to cut the one from the old bumper. I used a 12" White LED strip light instead of what came with the bumper, with a piece of black electrical tape on the side facing outward to keep glare down.
Bumper mounted on truck, Night shot.
I also ran the trailer harness through the old spare tire lowering hole in the bumper.
#2
03-12-2009 | 09:28 PM
Very nice! Looks factory and definitely should cure your problems with the law!!
Copied to the Tech Articles (DIY) section.
Copied to the Tech Articles (DIY) section.
#3
03-16-2009 | 01:43 AM
New Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 95
From: Washington State
I always thought the 95-97 rear bumpers looked better anyway. Nice job.
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