need some pointers on which bumpers you guys like and which ones you don't.
building an fj60 for my wife and need some ideas.
thanks, georg
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Get in touch with Mike at Rock Solid (909) 654-5404 and talk with him about his 60 series bumper. Tell him you got his name and mumber from me(Tim Coffey) he has a really sweet new bumper for the 60 series. <IMG SRC="smilies/beer.gif" border="0">

It is sooooo hard to beat an ARB and Kaymar setup. If you are buying, not building...I would look no further. The ARB is without peer in fit and finish and the Kaymar is nearly as nice.

I ran the combo on my 60 and my 80.

ARB's look good, but if you want to you can tear them apart for the welds. As Tim C said, Big Mike @ Rock Solid has a new "Safari Gard" (rover/ford guys) with beautiful tig welds on all tubes. They run about $850 -so price point the ARB is cheaper. Henry C? what say you?

That is the combo that will eventually end up on my 60. Unless I custom fab a rear bumper. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

I've got the ARB on the front of my 60 and after seeing what Big Mike has- does anyone want to buy my ARB? I was very impressed with the new offering. As for the rear I am running a one of rear that I built but I would not recommend the Kaymar if you have any plans of wheelin the 60. Way to much overhang, the 60 has to much as it is and the Kaymar just makes it worse. <IMG SRC="smilies/beer.gif" border="0">

Anyone got any pics of this Rock Solid creation?

I ended up getting an ARB for my FJ60 mostly because I also wanted to get side rails that connected to the bullbar (ARB and 4x4 Connection sell the connecting side rails).

I used to really like Stout's bumpers but their web site is unavailable and I think they may be out of business now?

If it wasn't for wanting side rails I actually like bumpers that don't obscure the front of the FJ60. For example, I like this design from Up & Over (they also have ones with the bars/grille guard in front).

http://www.wagonstop.org/up_n_overfj60.jpg

http://www.upnover.com/

Ask and ye shall receive <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> I took these a few weeks ago when Tim and I were at Rock Solid and I've been waiting to put them up:

http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/staff/toytech/tim/pic00001.jpg

http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/staff/toytech/tim/pic00003.jpg

http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/staff/toytech/tim/pic00005.jpg

I really like how the Safari/Rock Solid bumper has a lot lower profile than the ARB. Too bad that nasty old FJ45LV got in the way of pictures <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">


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[ 09-23-2001: Message edited by: ToyTech ]

thanks Jim I was hoping you would come through with the picures so everyone could see it. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/beer.gif" border="0">

Thanks for the pics Jim, now the question where is Rock Solid? Also how is the 350 swap coming along?

Rock Solid is in San Jacinto CA, about two hours from LA. Tim <IMG SRC="smilies/beer.gif" border="0">

Are they open on Saturdays? I smell a roadtrip anyone want to go? Live Wire I'm buying lunch. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Too bad that nasty old FJ45LV got in the way of pictures

hey now!
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sloan: Are they open on Saturdays? I smell a roadtrip anyone want to go? Live Wire I'm buying lunch
it's pretty much on the way to johnson valley, i'm pretty sure.
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besides, rick d. has tons of parts from what i know.(thanks for the door parts for the 45 rick!)

hey easy there don't go dissin my wagon <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> It looks like a beater and yes thats my soon to be wife says but wait till i get it home and start workin on it. As for a saturday trip as far as I know they are closed on saturdays but call Mike to verify. <IMG SRC="smilies/beer.gif" border="0">

I am very opinionated on bumpers, having had an assortment of them over the years. For the front, I like the ARB so far, it's got shortcomings that I've addressed (like the need for an adapter for the jack) and compromises clearance a little bit (not a problem with the SO), but it's a solid platform for a big winch and has protected my Cruiser. Besides, it's taken a LOT of abuse in five years and still looks fine, and Rustoleum Satin Black just happens to be an almost perfect match for the powdercoating! My only beef with the ARB is that everyone has one, so it's pretty generic.
I don't care for the TJM offerings, and I definitely don't like the Rock Solid modification of the Safari Guard bumper. Besides, at more than $200 than an ARB, you're probably better off with something custom. INTI bumpers are awesome and they offer about 10 different configurations, but they're not available in the US, so it's pointless to discuss it.
On rear bumpers I'm even MORE opinionated, having had three on my Cruiser in the last five years. I don't care for the ARB, no provisions for swingouts and poorly designed and located shackle mounts. I never liked the Stout bumper either, they did a single swingout and it's over-engineered and WAY heavier than it needs to be. Never seen a TJM for a 60 series, don't know if they even have one. The one I have right now is by Dave Gore of Renegade Fabrication in Phoenix, AZ, and it's fantastic. It includes a custom crossmember that kept the profile to a minimum, dual swingouts, spare mount that can hangle BIG tires, provisions for the hi-lift jack, a ladder (access to the roof rack), a jerry can and the license plate. Sold by MAF as the "4+" line, you get a much better deal contacting Dave Gore directly.

yeah right! like i'd ever go and diss another wagon! you should have seen mine when i got it! keep me updated on the buildup. i'd love to see some pics.
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I'm going to fabricate my own front bumper. I have to work around a PTO winch though so it will be sticking out a ways but I'll have it come back toward the front fenders (like \_/) and then use steel diamond plate on top. I may run 1 single hoop over the winch and throw on a couple 'D' ring mounts.

The rear I bought from Eric V. (lcsixty) and is sweet because it incorperates an upside down class III receiver that comes right through the middle of the bumper. Also the rear bumper is an air tank with quick disconnects.

i'm partial to the work being done by alan and luke at crawltec.com. luke did some work on tom boyd's Das Beast, Brian Sullivan's 60, his own 55, my 40 Jer Joseph's early 4runner and the work thus far seems to be much stronger than the typical ARB/Kaymar and more aesthetically pleasing too. pricing isn't much more than the stamped out ARB/Kaymar line and you get the benefit of getting exactly what you want.

i've known luke for a couple of years now, and sully, tom boyd,..
his work rocks!!! just look at tom's wagon.
good idea, thanks!
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thnx for the plug rubytoy !
luke and i are working on a custom one off bumper for an fj60 right now and should be done in the next few days , as soon as i get the film developed i will post some pix .
it looks bad ass ..... <IMG SRC="smilies/fj.gif" border="0">

How much do you want for that ARB? <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

Henry C, just curious why you don't like the Safri Gard bumpers. After seeing what happened to Tom Boyds bumper at Rubicon and how far mine sticks out even with the S/O I would love to have a bumper that tucks nice and tight. not trying to pick a fight just wanting to see what your take on it was. Thanks Tim C <IMG SRC="smilies/beer.gif" border="0">

<IMG width=640 height=480 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/60rear.jpg">

<IMG width=640 height=480 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/60close.jpg">

Tim-

I think Henry does not like the cutting for the winch w/ the SG bumper. Mike had to trim the bottom two courses from the grill and cut the valence for the m12000. But, Greg (owner of SG) could have stretched the mounts 2" forward to clear everything but opted out for off road performance. To all, the 'Rock Solid'-Safari Gard bumper can be build w/o need for cutting or with. This is really a prototype as they build LR and Ford 250/350 bumpers for bread and butter. To me, $850 is a big number. For other SG products check their site www.safarigard.com (http://www.safarigard.com) or any land rover publication......

I don't know what happened to Tom Boyd's truck, I haven't seen Tom since Moab '00! <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

Actually, I just don't like the way the Safari Gard bumper *looks*. I don't dispute that the ARB is lacking in clearance, but mounting the bumper so close to the body is also counterproductive; mount it too close, and a serious hit is going to knock it into the body. Because it sits so high, you're not only looking at a smashed grill, you could end up tweaking the hood, etc.. Besides, I just don't think that $850 for a bar that also forces you to trim the grille is a good deal, I'd much rather use that money to take the Cruiser to a dedicated fabricator like CrawlTec and have them make me a completely custom unit, incorporating the features I want and ommitting the features I'm not interested in. I've already done some modifications to my ARB bar and I'm planning other ones; at this point, it's cheaper for me to do this than to sell it really cheaply and starting over.
Like I said, I'm pretty opinionated when it comes to bumpers.

tom boyd has been busy at the home front; his wife Mire just had a baby last week or so.
hey tom! congrats again. the pics of the new arrival looks great! hope all is well.

BTW: thanks everybody for your input!
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I built my own front and rear. I had to because I'm using a mild body lift on my 60. My front one is a little different. It is very low profile. The center sticks out quite a bit so I can mount a winch, but the sides are tucked in more. I haven't decided if I'm going to add another bar below the headlights. http://www.angelfire.com/id/v8j60/patrioticfront.jpg