Scarier Than Anything You'll See This Halloween - DV8 Front Bumper (07-13) Review

The other day, @shannon asked what bumper I use and what my thoughts were on it. I wrote a few sentences which adequately explained my feelings. But being that it was deep in a thread that no one will ever see, I wanted to write something here so that anyone searching will see my thoughts.



I’ve been using the DV8 bumper for over 2 years now. I purchased it for $605 w/ free shipping two years ago on eBay, now it goes for $930. The bumper arrived within a few days through UPS with no damage and was packaged well. It comes in 4 pieces, the left side, right side, center, and winch plate. You assemble them yourself. It came with no instructions, and I was a bit lost until I laid everything out in the driveway and visualized it.

The left and right pieces are bolted to the center, as is the winch plate, and the bumper bolts directly to the frame rails. Installation requires a bit of modification, as there is a metal bar in front of the center of the radiator that has to be bent to the side to allow for the bumper to clear. When installing the bumper, it either requires two people or a jack and some skill. It’s a heavy piece of steel, after all.



Once you have loosely attached the bumper to the frame rails, and step back, the evidence is right before your eyes! The bumper is warped, no matter how delicately you put it together. It’s cheap steel, and it shows. It took me, my brother, and my father, all weighing 170-230lbs, to manipulate the bumper to being even close to level. If the left side was flush, the right side was not, and vice versa. It felt like hours of my brother and father bending the left side, me torquing it down, then they’d bend the right, and I’d follow suite. Repeat until the bumper complies.



So, that doesn’t sound that bad. A bumper that takes a day to install for $930? There’s far worse options! No, don’t be fooled. Your misery has only just begun.

I live in Charleston, South Carolina. Salty and humid. That being said, my truck has practically zero rust on it. In 11 years that it’s been in my family, I’ve only gone under it to remove rust twice.

Every single month, for the past 2 years, I have taken a wire wheel, drill, and screwdriver, and slowly removed the bubbling powder coating all over the bumper. Underneath, metal flaking off when rubbed with my fingernail. A chip that turns into the size of a laptop, a scrap that looks like an infected wound. This is a monthly occurrence.

When I remove the rust, I spray it with either industrial Rustoleum or bedliner. The areas I have fixed have had zero rust, and the rattle can paint has held up better than the powder coating. Everything original slowly falls apart.

In hard to reach places such as where the bumper attaches to the frame, or where the side pieces attach to the center, there is no saving the bumper. Short of removing the bumper, which I do not want to risk, it’s too tight to get a wire brush or wheel in those spaces. I lob paint and hope for the best.

I’ve come to the sad realization that if I take this bumper apart to respray it, it may never go back on. One day, I will be cruising through some national forest, and the bolts will decide to unionize and strike. I will be out of luck. When that day comes, I hope my RCI skid plate is up to the task.



The fitment follows the 10ft rule. The powder coating shares more characteristics with window tint than rattle can bedliner. Are there any redeeming factors?

A year ago, I would’ve argued that the price is alright. Buy the bumper, buy your own stainless hardware, and paint it with real bedliner. Boom, all in for $900. But now, this bumper alone is over $900. Even if inflation drives the average hourly wage to $900/hr, this bumper is not worth an hour of your hard work. Look elsewhere.


bryceCtravels.com

By the way, I had a custom mount made by a local metal shop for the Baja Designs in place of a winch.

 

I don't care what anyone says, those bumpers are stamped out and made in China. Bad Chinese steel, poor prep, poor powder coat all adds up to disaster and frustration.
If I buy anything that only come powder coated, I have it stripped (sandblasted), prepped and powder coated by a local guy. My rear bumper and running boards are example of that procedure.
My front bumper by Victory 4x4 I was able to order in plain steel. That way I installed and fit it and made any alterations necessary before having it prepped and powder coated. Maybe a little more time and $$ up front but fewer frustrations later on.
My powder coater has a product called Poly Armor that applys thicker than powder coat and if it gets nicked you can heal it with a heat gun or hair dryer and flow the coating back together. Only negatives are few color choices and it only comes in gloss. I have it on my front bumper going on two years now and running boards going on 3 years with no issues. Rear bumper will get done when the powder coating shows damage and wear.

 

I had an aunt that lived out there at Mt Pleasant for over 50 years, crazy hurricanes sometimes..

more likely that those non-union bolts will just collapse from their inability to understand the jobs that they were supposed to be doing, lol

sorry to hear about your grief with this fabrication. I have learned that for myself, it’s been better to pay more upfront for higher quality and don’t look back.

at least you got a truck that is the fastest color!

 

Agree. It's 100% Chinese, bare minimum w/ regards to every other facet of quality. Won't make that mistake again.

Good ol' Mount Plastic! It's sure changed in the 20 years I've been alive, the 30 my parents lived here. I can't imagine 50! Must've been amazing. Thankfully no big storms this year (sadly that also means not much surf)