bumper removal

[HTruong]

hi thiss is my first post on this forum... . i was wondering how hard it might be to remove the front bumper on my 2004. 5 diesel? TIA... .

 

[livetodrive]

HTruong,



When I had my front bumper replaced at South West Fabricators (www.southwestfabricators.com), it seemed to unbolt and come off pretty easily. If you have fog lights, be sure to unplug or remove them before removing those last few bolts from the bumper. Probably want two friends to hold the bumper while you take out the last few bolts, too. The bumper brackets go along both sides of the front of the frame, apparently with some spring action, so the bumper may have to be pulled (hard) forward after all bolts are out.



Additional insight from someone who has done more than watch the process?



See my reader's rigs gallery if interested in the replacement bumper.



Drive safe.



Alan.

 

[DCaswell]

With my 03 I did it with a friend, unplugged the aux lights undid the bolts & lifted it off. I can carry the original bumper around without difficulty,(it aint heavy). Love the Buckstop that replaced it.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

I tried to make it hard as possible until I finally gave up, waved the white flag, and loosened the intercooler retaining bolts. There was just no way I could wiggle the two bolts with connecting bracket free without doing so.



Then it was easy.

 

[Silver600]

I finally gave in and unbolted the intercooler too, all you need to do is unbolt the two mounting bolts then it should move around enough with the hoses still connected. It was really easy to get the bumper bolts out after that.

 

[Patriot_RAM]

I had my Road Armor installed a couple weeks ago and watched the install. They had to move the intercooler up almost 2 inches to get the bolts out also. That was a pain in the rear, but the rest was simple.

 

[sams03]

When I bought my truck the dealer had not ordered it with front tow hooks. When I bought the tow hooks the directions said to remove intercooler bolts first. The job is very easy. But, you do need a freind for the actual removal.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

You don't need to remove the intercooler, just loosen the bolts enough and you can wiggle the bumper bolts and bracket out.

 

[JMelcher]

Just be sure that your help has steady hands - my help was pulling the bolts out of the frame while I was holding the bumper, and when they came loose, he smacked one into one of the veins in my radiator promptly draining my coolant onto the driveway.

 

[LSteiner]

To just remove the bumper

All you need to do is take 6 Nuts off where the bumper bolts to the

mounting brackets. If you raise the hood you can see the 3 black

nuts on each side, 1 top, 2 bottom.



The bolts will stay in the bumper. Before I did that I took the 4 screws

out of the bumper ends at the wheelwell. After you take the 6 bumper

mtg. nuts off and before lifting the bumper off, shift it all the way to

one side which helps to slip the plastic wheelwell pieces out of the slots.

Shift it the other way and do the other side.



All this time the bumper will stay in place without anyone holding it as

the bolts are still in the holes, just the nuts removed.

You are now ready to remove the bumper, a one-man job to this point.



Then if you have to remove or add tow hooks you get into all that

intercooler stuff that has already been mentioned. But after the bumper

is removed it will be a lot easier to see what you are doing. Good luck.