About to buy a TJM front bumper

rmuller

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Hey all, I'm looking to replace my bumper with a heavy duty one, and from the research I've done, the most appealing one to me is the TJM T15 [full brush guard].. I have a 2001 Disco II.. I found it on www.4x4connection.com for $665.30 pre-shipping... basically my questions are:
  1. Is the TJM a good bumper?
  2. Is installation straight-forward?
  3. Is this price good for it?
  4. Will the stock springs/shock be able to work with it for a little while until I can save to buy OME's (maybe 1-2 months)

Thanks!

-Ryan
 
Last edited:
koby

koby

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
902
0
Orange, CA
koby.sigmadata.net
rmuller said:
  1. Is the TJM a good bumper?
  2. Is installation straight-forward?
  3. Is this price good for it?
  4. Will the stock springs/shock be able to work with it for a little while until I can save to buy OME's (maybe 1-2 months)
Click to expand...

LOL, I got so wrapped up in my contempt for that hideous RTE bumper I forgot to answer your questions.


  1. Yes, the TJM is a good bumper. I've hit it on rocks and boulders without any issues
  2. Installation is very straightforward. Remove the stock bumpers and crush cans, and replace both with TJM crushcans and bumper.
  3. That price is decent
  4. Yes, you will be able to get by with stock springs, but I recommend upgrading springs before you add the winch tray.
 
MTNHDWR

MTNHDWR

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
226
0
Charlotte NC
I love my TJM. I agree about the slimline. It is a great utility bumper but I wanted to keep my airbag compliance and the vanity came out a little as far as appearance. I have the T-15 and have abused it to say the least. It has never once showed signs of failure.
As far as installation, Koby's might have been straigh forward but all rovers I have found are different. Mine required some "back yard" engineering to get a proper fit, hopefully you won't run into the same problem.
I have pics of the final product if you are interested.
 
rmuller

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Yeah, I saw the RTE Slimline, and while I think its a very effective bumper, it's not what I'm looking for.. my DII is my everyday vehicle so between the air bag compatibility and the looks of it, the TJM seems to be the best for the price.

Thanks for your input on the TJM koby & mtnhdwr.. mtn, thatd be great if i could see some of your pictures.. I've seen the ones that TJM puts out, but its always better to see the actual product installed.

Where did you guys buy your bumpers from? Some place comparable in price?

Thanks

-Ryan
 
rmuller

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Ahh great guys.. koby, dont worry about finding EE's price.. I checked their website and suprisingly they were higher than any other place I found (885 vs. 665) ..

One last question... do you think the bumper will fit into the trunk of the DII w/ the seats down? I am going to get it delivered to my work so I can save 65 on shipping [commercial vs. residental] ..

Thanks
 
M

mikem

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
172
0
Superior, CO
I have a TJM T15 as well and I'm happy with it. The install was very straight forward.

I've been running stock springs with the bumper since last December, but I'm planning on upgrading my suspension very soon.

The only problem I've had is that the rubber baby buggy bumper came off when I bumped a tree.

I put some pictures of the install process at http://www.mcune.com/gallery/new_bumper

I got mine at http://rubicon4x4.com (same company as tellico4x4)

Mike
 
rmuller

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Can the winch tray be added later? is it a weld-on or bolt on thing?

Oh yeah, and one more "kinda" related question :) How do you get the bolt off from the stock bumper that is right next to the windshield washer fluid reserve? Nothing I have will fit up there.. I'm assuming you have to find the right open-ended wrench?
 
Last edited:
N

nickb857

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
1,388
3
38
Las Vegas
If you fold the back seats down and then put the front passenger seat all of the way up it will fit. Thats how i got my Rovertym bumper around. Its tight but it fits.
 
S

Snwbord24

Guest
As I found out last week, the rear seats are easy to remove so that's a viable option.
 
rmuller

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Bumper just came in! It's in the back of my disco.... question though for any of you who've done it.. is it possible to do it alone? bumper seems to be too heavy to hold with one hand while putting bolts in with the other.. does it brace itself or anything before you secure it down?
 
M

mikem

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
172
0
Superior, CO
rmuller said:
Bumper just came in! It's in the back of my disco.... question though for any of you who've done it.. is it possible to do it alone? bumper seems to be too heavy to hold with one hand while putting bolts in with the other.. does it brace itself or anything before you secure it down?
Click to expand...

You might be able to do it alone, but it will be a bitch to line up the bolts. Get someone to help if you can.

Mike
 
J

Jeremy Parkhouse

Active member
May 8, 2004
36
0
63
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Only time I really needed someone to help was to lift the bumper onto the two mounts (part of replacement crush cans). Alignment on mine was fairly easy and bolts just needed a tap to get them in.

Something I did to make the whole install look even neater was to use two 6" 'Door Buffers' (available in local Auto Centres) on each end of the bumper blade where it meets the bodywork. The buffer has a 'U' section that fits the bumper blade and an 'O' section that will compress against the front wing, just behind the headlights, as you raise the bumper into position. Looks neat and fills the gap with rubber so no chance of metal on metal.

Cheers

Jeremy Parkhouse
'02 DII, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
TJM 15 + Warn winch.
 
rmuller

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Also, I was under the assumption [and people told me], that the winch tray is only if you want a winch.. which i do, but not any time soon.. so I didn't order it.. but I keep on seeing [winch tray required] on the invoice and on some websites... am I correct in assuming that it will mount fine without it? and when i can afford a winch, I can buy the tray at that time?

Thanks
-Ryan
 
M

markbalbrecht

Member
Apr 20, 2004
8
0
When I installed a front bumper on my DII, I was able to do it alone using two (tall) jackstands with rags over the stand buckets to prevent scrapes. The jackstands held the bumper steady and I was able to lift each side (one at at time) the last 1/4 inch to line up the bolt holes.

Also, in Craig K's photos his winch solenoid plugs in on the flat top of the bumper. This is a great location for convenience (and SoCal) but I had a similar solenoid plug in on another truck in WA and found that rain/puddling caused frequent corrosion on the plug and that you could get a shock with the bumper almost submerged in water. Perhaps a higher location or one that's not on a flat plane would be better in wetter climates.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom