Replacement Bumper

[MTL_4runner]

Up here in the great white north, the salty sandy roads attack vehicles with a vengance. One of the weak spots on a 3rd gen as almost anyone in Canada could tell you is the rear bumper. The rust from the inside out until the cancerous rust finally bubbles through the chrome coating. My 4runner is not looking too great from that angle and I'd like to get them replaced (I might also add a roll on bedliner coating to the inside surfaces before install to hopefully prevent this for a little longer next time).

So I was wondering if anyone had a good place to get them at a reasonable price?

[MillerPKA]

Certifit has locations in Boston, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago. Don't know their policy on shipping but they have the best quality for the price bar none. They may not offer chrome though, just primed

[CJM]

Parts train had one for 100 or so, dont know about shipping.

[p nut]

Why not go aftermarket? I'm sure a local metal fab guy can whip up a tube style bumper for a reasonable cost.

[BruceTS]

I've got at least a half dozen rear bumpers in my shed out back, too bad you live so far away. Shipping would be too costly.

[jrallan26]

I have the same problem living in Iowa. I did a simple fix. I primed the inside of my bumper with weld proof primer. I know its only been a year but its seems to be working fine.

[MTL_4runner]

I've got at least a half dozen rear bumpers in my shed out back, too bad you live so far away. Shipping would be too costly.


How about shipping within the US (Boston 02110)?

I'm going down for Easter so if shipping wasn't too bad I'd certainly go that route.
Let me know because I'd love to get that fixed.

[BruceTS]

I have no clue what shipping would be unless I packaged it up and brought it to UPS, still don't think it would be worth it....

[CJM]

From my experience shipping stuff that large, probably run you 100 bucks to ship and and will be super awkward to ship it. Basically gotta wrap it in cardboard and foam.

[paddlenbike]

Even my California rear bumper had surface rust--I can't imagine what the ones back east or up north must look like. I recommend everyone take a look at theirs since rust appears to be a problem on this particular part.

Before:
http://home.off-road.com/~kemanuel/4Runner/mods/rearbumper1.jpg

http://home.off-road.com/~kemanuel/4Runner/mods/rearbumper2.jpg

After cleaning it up:
http://home.off-road.com/~kemanuel/4Runner/mods/rearbumper4.jpg

[Bob98SR5]

oh damn, ken. looks like a problem area. as if i dont have anything to do on the 4runner. ken: consider putting por15 on it

[MTL_4runner]

From my experience shipping stuff that large, probably run you 100 bucks to ship and and will be super awkward to ship it. Basically gotta wrap it in cardboard and foam.


Considering all the bumpers in the rust belt from a junkyard will be in various states of cancerous rusting, $100 to ship isn't too bad. This is especially true given that new bumpers from the dealer list for around $650 USD (highway robbery if you ask me!).




Even my California rear bumper had surface rust--I can't imagine what the ones back east or up north must look like. I recommend everyone take a look at theirs since rust appears to be a problem on this particular part.

Almost every 4runner up here at around 6-7 years old will start to see the telltale rust holes peeking through the chrome. The bumper litterally gets eaten away from the inside out. Mine is in pretty sad shape at this point and makes the truck look ugly with big rust marks all over the nice chrome bumper. Hopefully some POR15 will help keep the rust away a little longer once I replace it. Fun part is that you can't remove any of the bolts on an old bumper up here, they all need to be cut or torched off.

[MTL_4runner]

I have no clue what shipping would be unless I packaged it up and brought it to UPS, still don't think it would be worth it....


Any chance you could PM me some photos?

Anyone else that's got a chrome bumper in good shape they want to get rid of let me know.

[paddlenbike]

oh damn, ken. looks like a problem area. as if i dont have anything to do on the 4runner. ken: consider putting por15 on it



I've heard of POR15 but how will it stand up to gravel wash? The desert takes the paint off everything--the rusty parts of my bumper were areas where gravel debris hit the inside of the bumper and removed some of the coating. I didn't paint it because I knew the paint wouldn't even last one day in Death Valley. I simply removed nine years of rust and put the bumper back on. It's easy enough to remove that if it rusts again I'll hit it with bedliner material or POR15 if you think it will stand up to the abuse.

[Seanz0rz]

what about spraying it with pb blaster? i know that makes dust stick to it, but it will protect the metal.

[CJM]

Heres what I would do once I got a new one in good shape.

Strip the insides as best you can using a wire cup in a drill, then get somne por15 and go to town. Alternatively paint it with primer, then do 2-3 coats of rustolmeum.

[groober]

Jeez, now I'll have to take off the damned rear bumper!!! Thinking nothing but happy thoughts is not producing the kind of results I was promised.

[Swede]

When I replaced the center section on my rig (due to the rust) 2 years ago, I replaced it with one that was in pretty good shape from a wrecker. Before I put it on I cleaned it up as well as both the side pieces and sprayed the inside of them with a spray on bed liner. The center section still looks good but the side sections are starting to show some small spots of rust. Maybe it's time to get a complete rear bumper fabbed up.