Front Rock Winch bumper:
First impressions of this bumper are great. It arrived in good condition, and was well
packaged.
Not only is this bumper beefy, but it's also heavily reinforced to support a
winch. The brackets are slotted for easy bumper alignment.
It's wide enough that a Hi-Lift can be mounted on it. The two mounting holes for auxiliary
lights are well placed, too. The thick Rubicon wrinkle finish is highly recommended and
good looking. (The only thing it lacked was the holes for bolting the vacuum-canister onto the bumper's
right side. I'll just drill the two holes myself!)
Rear Rock Air-Tank Bumper:
The rear bumper is also very beefy, well welded, and nicely finished.
The brackets are heavy duty and the bumper came with all mounting hardware. The plumbing for air is
mounted high enough on the inside of the bumper that it is unlikely it will ever be
damaged. I have absolutely no complaints.
Installation: Front Bumper
First, the mounting brackets don't seem to take into
consideration the Mopar Tow Hook Brackets. Instead, it seems the bumper's integral
mounting points are there to replace the factory bumper mounts. To
keep the tow hooks mounted to the original brackets, I wedged Olympic's
brackets between the frame-rail and the current brackets. This took some manipulating,
but finally worked. It took about 2 hours to install this bumper. A second set of
hands is a big help. (Remember to support the bumper on a floor jack while it is being installed).
Also, don't forget to drill the two holes on the bottom-right side to accommodate the Vacuum
Canister.
Installation: Rear Bumper
Installation was a snap on this bumper! The old bumper came off easily, and the
new bumper went on in less than twenty minutes! New brackets replace the old brackets and
the original bolts are re-used (make sure to clean them before reinstallation). It went
on so easily that there isn't much to say! My only suggestion would be to have a 1" wide plate welded
across the inside-top of the bumper to help disguise the gap between
the bumper and the body. (The factory bumper has something similar made of plastic).
Overview: Bumpers
Most of the problems experienced during install were from "operator-error". They look
good, and are well matched to the Cherokee's body style. They are also narrower than
the original bumpers and have no plastic end caps to destroy. I'd like to give a
word of "Thanks" to my friend, Will Modglin, who helped install the bumpers, and to
his wife, Janice, who took some of the photos!
Olympic Rock Side Bumpers
Like the front and rear bumpers, the side bumpers arrived in terrific shape. The welds aren't very obvious,
and the bars are straight. On the underside, each bar is marked with welding slag, "P" (passenger side),
and "D" (driver's side). All the necessary hardware was provided, too.
Installation: Olympic Rock Side Bumpers
First thing's first. Wash the areas to be drilled (6 holes in the
pinch-plate, 4 in the frame). Insert the plastic end caps into the bumpers;
use clear silicone to help seal them and keep the caps from popping
off. Use a hammer to seat the ends caps (put a rag over them to for protection).
Use a pair of jack-stands
to balance the bumpers while marking the first set of holes on the pinch plate.
Bolt up the bar and mark the holes for the frame. More drilling, bolt
everything up, and presto! I was done with both sides in about two hours.
Evaluation:
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Not only is this bumper beefy, but it's also heavily reinforced to support a
winch. The brackets are slotted for easy bumper alignment.
It's wide enough that a Hi-Lift can be mounted on it. The two mounting holes for auxiliary
lights are well placed, too. The thick Rubicon wrinkle finish is highly recommended and
good looking. (The only thing it lacked was the holes for bolting the vacuum-canister onto the bumper's
right side. I'll just drill the two holes myself!)
