Moabite
CJ-8 Member
- City
- Moab
- State
- UT
So it seems, from what I've read on this forum, that the nearly pristine end caps on my rear bumper are nearly priceless. I need to re-finish that bumper since the paint is chipping in a few spots, there is rust on the inside (the only real rust on the entire Jeep), and the guy who stored it for me for the past 20 years re-painted the bumper himself and didn't do a very good job.
I removed the bumper yesterday, but when I started to remove the end caps, the entire stud bolt that appears to be embedded in the plastic started spinning (3 of them anyway) when I turned the nut. Only one nut came loose. And that was after soaking for awhile in something like Knock'er Loose. The studs started to unscrew and the caps became loose, but I don't want to completely remove those studs and not be able to get them back in...so I screwed them back in after loosening them just a couple of turns.
Has anyone dealt with that same issue? Will those studs unscrew to release the end caps and screw back into the plastic?
I was hoping to have the bumper powder coated white, but that requires heating which would most likely melt the end caps. My other option is mask those valuable end caps off and have the bumper re-painted.
The 20-year-babysitter also attached a trailer hitch to the bumper...and not the frame. At some point, enough torque was put on that hitch to slant the bumper down. When I removed it yesterday, I discovered that there appears to be enough adjustment in the brackets to level the bumper again. If necessary, I may need to shim out the bottom bracket bolt (probably less than 1/8") where it attaches to the cross member.
I removed the bumper yesterday, but when I started to remove the end caps, the entire stud bolt that appears to be embedded in the plastic started spinning (3 of them anyway) when I turned the nut. Only one nut came loose. And that was after soaking for awhile in something like Knock'er Loose. The studs started to unscrew and the caps became loose, but I don't want to completely remove those studs and not be able to get them back in...so I screwed them back in after loosening them just a couple of turns.
Has anyone dealt with that same issue? Will those studs unscrew to release the end caps and screw back into the plastic?
I was hoping to have the bumper powder coated white, but that requires heating which would most likely melt the end caps. My other option is mask those valuable end caps off and have the bumper re-painted.
The 20-year-babysitter also attached a trailer hitch to the bumper...and not the frame. At some point, enough torque was put on that hitch to slant the bumper down. When I removed it yesterday, I discovered that there appears to be enough adjustment in the brackets to level the bumper again. If necessary, I may need to shim out the bottom bracket bolt (probably less than 1/8") where it attaches to the cross member.