New owner plastic bumper upgrade options

[Spawn2031]

Hey guys, first post here and first time Bronco owner. For my first mod, I really want to swap out this plastic bumper. Mine does not have the parking sensors in it (that I'm aware of). I've read a bunch of the threads talking about what it takes to upgrade to the mod bumper. My question is, are there steel bumper upgrade options out there that do not require sawing off the tow hooks / swapping brackets? I want to have a bull bar, lighting mount options, shakle mounts and front skid plate but I'm also new to doing this kind of stuff. Thanks!

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[MNBigfoot]

It's literally a 2 minute job with a sawzall.

 

[Spawn2031]

Yeah, I realize that but I'm not keen on the idea of doing something that can't be reversed. If there are no mod options that don't require doing that, I'd swap the brackets before I cut the rings off.

 

[KillerPenz]

I'm confused and not sure if something changed on the 2024's or not. The rings you speak of should be bolted to the frame and would be easily removable. Hell with the track record of the Ford manufacturing plant, they probably aren't even torqued down.

Next it comes down to your use of the bumper. There are all kinds of bumpers ranging from $300 on up over $2,000. I haven't seen anyone saying they had to cut the rings off.

 

[Spawn2031]

I started looking into it thinking that I would just upgrade to the modular bumper. According to the video I've watched of that swap and several threads on this forum, to do that, they had to cut the tow hooks off or swap the brackets that hold the intercooler out for brackets that don't have those tow hooks. Maybe that was just on older models and maybe they've finally made it so the hooks are just bolted onto the brackets. IMO, that'd be a much smarter design move anyway. I'll have to crawl underneath and take a look.

 

[djn3400]

I can't speak for the aftermarket steel bumpers, but as you can see below, the Ford capable steel bumper can be installed without cutting off the tow rings. I would imagine the same to be true for the capable bumper but I can't say for sure. However, you will have to trim the front edge of the plastic bash plate to get it to fit with the capable bumper (and probably the modular one as well). It's pretty easy and allows it to tuck up behind the bumper so the trimmed edge is not visible. The tow rings will still poke out through the slots in the plastic bash plates. See my pics below.

However, if you decide to go with a steel bash plate, as I did after my original install in the pics below, you will have to cut off the tow rings (or buy the replacement intercooler mounts that do not have the tow loops welded to them. This is because the steel bash plate won't have the slots for the tow rings to go through.

Also, I didn't have sensors in my plastic bumper, but the capable bumper I found did. Don't let that stop you, you can just buy plugs on Amazon for a few bucks. You can see this in the pics below as well, they match the color and texture perfectly.

 

[djn3400]

I'm confused and not sure if something changed on the 2024's or not. The rings you speak of should be bolted to the frame and would be easily removable. Hell with the track record of the Ford manufacturing plant, they probably aren't even torqued down.

Next it comes down to your use of the bumper. There are all kinds of bumpers ranging from $300 on up over $2,000. I haven't seen anyone saying they had to cut the rings off.

Tow rings are not bolted to anything, they are welded to the intercooler brackets. You can buy the intercooler brackets from Ford that do not have them welded and then swap the brackets (these were the OE brackets used on vehicles that came with either the capable or modular steel bumpers).

 

[Brian_B]

You don't have to cut the hooks off. Those hooks are part of the intercooler mount, and you can buy new mounts that don't have them for not-too-expensive.

Yeah, it costs more than a cutoff disc or sawzall blade, but it's easily reversible if you ever want to go back too.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/part-number-for-modular-bumper-bracket.39763/#post-1294445

 

[Cencal Bronco]

If you are just looking for a way to mount lights you can do something like this. Rough Country bar and 6” KCs. Nothing gets cut off.

 

[KillerPenz]

Tow rings are not bolted to anything, they are welded to the intercooler brackets. You can buy the intercooler brackets from Ford that do not have them welded and then swap the brackets (these were the OE brackets used on vehicles that came with either the capable or modular steel bumpers).

Thanks for the info.


I was actually talking to OP in DM and realized I didn't have to remove the brackets at all with the bumper I installed. So guess it worked out for me anyways.

 

[Spawn2031]

If you are just looking for a way to mount lights you can do something like this. Rough Country bar and 6” KCs. Nothing gets cut off.

Yeah, that's something I was considering as well. Looks good! I assume to install that, you have to take off the plastic skid plate or does install around it somehow?

 

[Spawn2031]

You don't have to cut the hooks off. Those hooks are part of the intercooler mount, and you can buy new mounts that don't have them for not-too-expensive.

Yeah, it costs more than a cutoff disc or sawzall blade, but it's easily reversible if you ever want to go back too.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/part-number-for-modular-bumper-bracket.39763/#post-1294445

Yup, saw that too in the other threads am and not against getting the hook less brackets. Quick question about that... one thing the vids said to watchout for is that those brackets support the intercooler and taking them off will let it drop down unless it's supported somehow. Couldn't you just replace one bracket at a time so the intercooler still has support while their being swapped out?

 

[Oldhippie]

The lower recovery loops have nothing to do with bumper mounting…they are in the way of any front skid plate that isn’t the stock plastic one have…ya could cut holes for them in most skids if ya don’t want to cut them off…lots of good aftermarket bumpers to choose from…there is good thread with most listed on here somewhere…

 

[djn3400]

Yup, saw that too in the other threads am and not against getting the hook less brackets. Quick question about that... one thing the vids said to watchout for is that those brackets support the intercooler and taking them off will let it drop down unless it's supported somehow. Couldn't you just replace one bracket at a time so the intercooler still has support while their being swapped out?

The other option is to just cut them off now, and if you want to go back later (which you probably won't) you could buy the ones with the tow loops and swap them out. It delays, and quite possibly eliminates, the spending on new mounts.

Yes, I think you'd have to swap one mount at a time and support the intercooler to make the bracket/mount swap.

 

[MNBigfoot]

You don't have to cut the hooks off. Those hooks are part of the intercooler mount, and you can buy new mounts that don't have them for not-too-expensive.

Yeah, it costs more than a cutoff disc or sawzall blade, but it's easily reversible if you ever want to go back too.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/part-number-for-modular-bumper-bracket.39763/#post-1294445

I know lots of people do this, just never understood why, unless they are afraid of tools. Cutting them off takes 2 minutes and if you ever wanted to go back, which will probably never happen, it's still reversible by buying back your original brackets. Your method requires an upfront purchase, and storage of unused parts.

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