Can I Mount Lights on Top of My Fat Lip Bumper?

[Pekoe1111]

I'm getting a pair of KC Hi Lites and want to mount them on top of my fat lip bumper. I saw another member did this, drilling into the plastic on top through to metal. He said they shake a bit on first roads but are fine on pavement.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
BB

 

[MtnT4R]

yeah you can do it, but the mount will be far from ideal. stock bumpers flex and vibrate like crazy because they're mostly plastic and thin, cheap steel. expect your lights to move around and mounts to loosen quickly, but if you check the tightness regularly you'll be fine.

 

[KidVermicious]

You can, but if you don't want them flopping around like wet fish you should find another way. These are stupid-cheap and get the job done: https://www.amazon.com/LITE-WAY-Lic...-spons&keywords=license+plate+bar+mount&psc=1

 

[Pekoe1111]

For Jeep?

You can, but if you don't want them flopping around like wet fish you should find another way. These are stupid-cheap and get the job done: https://www.amazon.com/LITE-WAY-Lic...-spons&keywords=license+plate+bar+mount&psc=1

Good solution, but may make the fat lip stick out more. Maybe fab something that is reversed so the bar sits above the bumper...

 

[KidVermicious]

Exactly what I'm looking for but it is for a Jeep.

Yeah, it says it's for a Jeep. Looks to me like it's for anything with a front license plate.

 

[Pekoe1111]

Mount Lights on Plastic or Metal?

Mounting lights on front bumper on Thursday.

Question: does anyone know if the bumper metal under the plastic cover is flush with the plastic, or is the plastic raised up a bit? If I mount to plastic cover (closer to the grill), I want to be sure the plastic won't just squish down when I tighten the bolts.

If that won't work, I'll just mount them on the metal where it meets the cover - a bit further away from the grill than I want but ok.

Thanks

BB

 

[TheDurk]

Mounting lights on front bumper on Thursday.

Question: does anyone know if the bumper metal under the plastic cover is flush with the plastic, or is the plastic raised up a bit? If I mount to plastic cover (closer to the grill), I want to be sure the plastic won't just squish down when I tighten the bolts.

If that won't work, I'll just mount them on the metal where it meets the cover - a bit further away from the grill than I want but ok.

Thanks

BB

It's flush, but the steel doesn't go as far back as the plastic does, and you want to mount to the steel if you do this. There are actually two holes drilled in the steel part, but not the plastic, that are just about perfect for mounting aux. lights. You just have to drill through the plastic in the right place. I mounted Hella 530 fogs on them, which are relatively light, and they are quite solid in those holes. I don't know about big heavy round ones like the KCs, though.

 

[Pekoe1111]

It's flush. There are actually two holes drilled in the steel part, but not the plastic, that are just about perfect for mounting aux. lights. I mounted Hella 530 fogs on them, which are relatively light, and they are quite solid in those holes. I wouldn't want to do the big heavy round ones, though.

I see you have a 1999. Aren't the bumpers different than 2001? When you say there are two holes, I'm assuming you drilled them, and they aren't there already.

Thanks!

BB

 

[TheDurk]

I see you have a 1999. Aren't the bumpers different than 2001? When you say there are two holes, I'm assuming you drilled them, and they aren't there already.

Thanks!

BB

1999 was the first fat-lip. I don't know if they changed any after that. Just going from chrome to painted, maybe. The after market parts are all '99-'02. And no, the holes in the steel are there from the factory.

 

[Pekoe1111]

1999 was the first fat-lip. I don't know if they changed any after that. And no, the holes in the steel are there from the factory.

Ah, thanks! Then I should be able to see them underneath, right?

 

[Stick Figure]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGcUayyPfc5/ Not the best shot, but I had my PIAA's mounted to my 2000 for a while. They weren't as stable as my ARB, but it wasn't terrible. Sorry I don't have a better shot of the location online. I can say I mounted them as far back as I could with out rubbing the grill. I just shot two half inch holes straight through the plastic and into the metal backing (barely).

 

[TheDurk]

Ah, thanks! Then I should be able to see them underneath, right?

Yeah, but won't be easy. Have a flashlight. You might be able to feel them with your finger from the top. Just inside the headlights by about 3 inches and one inch into the steel.

 

[Technoplasm]

I'm getting a pair of KC Hi Lites and want to mount them on top of my fat lip bumper. I saw another member did this, drilling into the plastic on top through to metal. He said they shake a bit on first roads but are fine on pavement.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
BB

I drilled holes 8'' away from the center of the grill and mounted these Hellas. I've had no problems. They don't even shake or vibrate when I'm driving with them on. I'm pretty happy with it. Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Pekoe1111]

I drilled holes 8'' away from the center of the grill and mounted these Hellas. I've had no problems. They don't even shake or vibrate when I'm driving with them on. I'm pretty happy with it. Let me know if you have questions.

Did you use the holes already drilled in the metal and just drill through the plastic bumper cover, or did you drill through both in a different spot?

Someone else said there is space between the plastic and the metal, cause the plastic to be crushed down when you tighten the light bracket. Did you put anything like washers in between to prevent that?

Thanks!

BB

 

[Pekoe1111]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGcUayyPfc5/ Not the best shot, but I had my PIAA's mounted to my 2000 for a while. They weren't as stable as my ARB, but it wasn't terrible. Sorry I don't have a better shot of the location online. I can say I mounted them as far back as I could with out rubbing the grill. I just shot two half inch holes straight through the plastic and into the metal backing (barely).

Any sinking down of the plastic cover when you tightened the bracket? I hear there is a gap between the plastic cover and metal bumper.

Thanks, all!

 

[Technoplasm]

Did you use the holes already drilled in the metal and just drill through the plastic bumper cover, or did you drill through both in a different spot?

Someone else said there is space between the plastic and the metal, cause the plastic to be crushed down when you tighten the light bracket. Did you put anything like washers in between to prevent that?

Thanks!

BB

I did notice the holes in the metal, but they weren't in the ideal spot for me so I didn't use them. I drilled through both the plastic and the metal, and I had to remove the vin tag because the weld holding on the vin tag was preventing the nut from tightening fully onto the light mount. I did use the washers that came with the hella lights, but not in between the metal and plastic.

There is a small space between the plastic and the metal, and I was concerned about it, but I decided to just go for it anyway and I tightened the lights down pretty good. There is no noticeable bend in the plastic if you were to kneel down and look at the plastic panel, so I don't think its a big deal.

The lights have stayed in place through all kinds of driving conditions, bumpy roads, etc, and they do not move when I drive, even if I hit bumps.

The whole thing was 100% successful for me. Maybe the hella mounting brackets are just good. 8'' away from the center line of the grill is ideal placement for a pencil beam in my experience, because the beams don't interfere with the headlight beams at all. The Hellas with stock bulbs are about as bright as the stock hi-beams on my 02 runner.

 

[Pekoe1111]

It's flush, but the steel doesn't go as far back as the plastic does, and you want to mount to the steel if you do this. There are actually two holes drilled in the steel part, but not the plastic, that are just about perfect for mounting aux. lights. You just have to drill through the plastic in the right place. I mounted Hella 530 fogs on them, which are relatively light, and they are quite solid in those holes. I don't know about big heavy round ones like the KCs, though.

The Durk - how did you know exactly where to drill in the plastic to align with the factory holes in the metal?

 

[TheDurk]

The Durk - how did you know exactly where to drill in the plastic to align with the factory holes in the metal?

I had the bumper off anyway--only six bolts, and drilled up from the bottom before I put it back on.

 

[AssBurns]

I mounted my daylighters on my fat lip bumper when I still had it. The daylighters came with a 2" or so washer and base. I just cut out the plastic perfectly around the base, so that the washer and base was mounted directly to the metal. It looked decent and worked great. No pictures though...


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[Tim Brzozowski]

I cut my plastic just a little bit to the metal raised lip under the plastic and then drilled through the metal. Solid mounted to the bumper makes it much stronger than I thought.


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