Baker Motorsports "Dovetail" Rear End and Bumper

[Aaron]

Hell I've contemplated just ditching my hitch in the back if I go to an aftermarket bumper, I never tow anything anyway.

 

[Chrisandalex1]

Hell I've contemplated just ditching my hitch in the back if I go to an aftermarket bumper, I never tow anything anyway.

Thats what I did. Never used it.

But murphy's law will probably kick me in the ass now.

 

[BigJ]

That's a fair question Tux, and I'll try to answer as best I can. Keep in mind though I am not a body shop or fab guy.

-it took a TON of work to chop the fenders down like you see. There's a lot more to it than just cutting some sheet metal, and that takes time. If I had to guess I'd say he was working on just that part for maybe 5-6 hours. How much is that time worth?

-the hitch is a big deal. It doesn't just unbolt and drop away. You have to cut it out. You then have to cut it up and rewelded it to the frame again to get what I've got (8" higher). Again, time is money...

-yeah the bumper is little more than a tube and some mounts. Nothing much there in terms of materials. Maybe it took him an hour to build it and $100 or so in parts? Total guess on my part.

-yep he could have done a much better job finishing the edges of the sheet metal. I've seen one guy roll his, for example. But keeping in mind the compressed time frame I forced on John? He did just fine in my book. It took little effort on my part (with Raptizzle's help) to source the edging strip and drop a bead of silicone in there. Job done and it still holding perfectly strong today.

So yeah $1200 is a lot of money. Did I overpay? Maybe. But I don't think so.

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------

Thats what I did. Never used it.

But murphy's law will probably kick me in the ass now.

That was my thinking. I wasn't willing to chance it nor was I willing to lose the tow point it affords.

 

[Aaron]

That's the only thing is that I know as soon as I get rid of it, I'll need to haul a trailer. That's how it works! BigJ $1200 seems reasonable for all the work you got done IMO.

 

[bstoner59]

$1200?!?!?! I woulda done it fo nine nindy nine!!! My welds are hot too!!

 

[BigJ]

Brother, you'd have to pay ME to let you anywhere near my truck with a welder. And then you'd have to pay to fix all the damage

 

[bstoner59]

Ha!! I don't even think I could turn it on!!

 

[Allied Offroad]

you don't have to cut the hitch out, it just unbolts. However, I did cut the rear "frame horns" to get more clearance. I actually integrated my tow hitch into the bumper I built. It's super strong (I tow 2-3 times a week). Cutting the rear fenders isnt too bad either, I used blue painters tape, and traced the line I wanted over it. Took me 15 minutes.

 

[Aaron]

WSI, if I ever take a road trip out to visit my sister in KS, I'm going to have to stop by and discuss this whole rear bumper thing with you further. It sounds like you've got it figured out.

 

[whtrapta]