LOD Armor Lite Signature Series Shorty Door-Linked Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier!

[Snarf77]

There are about a million different bumper systems out there for the JK. Trying to figure out which one is appropriate for you is ridiculously difficult and most often results in over analysis, frustration, then failure to make a decisions. I highly recommend going with a brand you trust, or the opinion of the local off-roaders in your area. Also look to the forums for opinions on what you feel are your highest priorities for a setup. Lastly, know what you want out of a bumper and try to prioritize. Find a bumper that meets as many of your priorities for a given budget. That's exactly what I did when went with LOD's newest rear bumper system.

My first experience with LOD was the Jeeplab install of the LOD Armor Lite shorty front bumper. You can find my article on that here on Jeeplab. Here is a link for the lazy among us. The install on the Armor Lite front went extremely well. It was lightweight but sturdy, well build but had great lines while integrating two extremely heavy recovery points. Oh, did I mention I got to keep my OEM fog lights (think cost saving), oh, and the integrated front skid plate, oh, and that I didn't have to relocate my vacuum pump? Yeah, LOD does bumpers right. Its held up extremely well over two years so I really wanted to go for a rear setup from them as well. Here was the front job upon completion.



Since this picture, Jesse's girl has undergone some drastic changes. The only thing besides the interior that hasn't changed much is the LOD Armor lite front bumper. I got to thinking that if I liked it that much, then maybe LOD made something that met some of my needs. I made a list that looked like this for my rear bumper priorities.

1. Shorty - yup, number one priority - I just like the look and it was very important do do along with the Metalcloak Overline fenders that are close to the body. Even a mid width bumper looks a bit silly with them.
2. Tire carrier - despite the pain in the ass that is carrying around a full sized spare, its critical when we have vehicles we have to drive to the trail. Its not like AAA will bring us a new 37 KM2 when we blow one out on the trail.
3. Swing away with the factory door. Call me lazy, but I just think it would be a nightmare to continually have to unlatch the carrier, swing it away, then swing away the door. Then close the door, then close the carrier and latch it down. No thanks.
4. Integrated hitch - my jeep is my truck, so I tow a little with it. Nothing crazy. maybe some mulch or an ATV, or just my bike rack. 2 doors don't exactly have a ton of interior space.
5. Recovery points integrated. This one isn't critical, but its a nice-to-have.

So fast forward about a year from install of my Armor lite front, and LOD starting to release some details about a matching rear bumper. LOD spent a good amount of time developing the rear lineup and I think it was worth the wait (though I'm honestly impatient).

I talked with LOD and they made a rear bumper for me that had basically every feature I wanted and a couple more too boot. They took their signature series shorty rear bumper (my priority 1) and integrated a tire carrier (priority 2) that swings away with the door (priority 3!) using a pretty cool design:



At the time, they didn't really call it the "Armor Lite Rear", but really, thats what it is. All of LOD's new bumper series use their Armor lite materiel making them 20% lighter than previous models. Its a higher strength steel that reduces bumper weight without sacrificing durability. I was waiting for this feature to be integrated as every pound added to the jeep means more weight to haul around every day.

The bumper hits my priorities 4 and 5 as well, integrating a trailer hitch and recovery points (shackle mounts) cleanly. I splurged a bit buying som lighting for a no-cost LOD-advertised feature that I probably could have done without, but was so badass that I chose to just include. LOD offers an integrated mounting setup for Rigid dually flush-mount LEDs. Seeing out the back of a jeep is hard as hell in a stock vehicle, especially with a hard top. These suckers are sure to light up the night when required so I figured that, in the long run, I'd do well to have them. Here they are on their full width bumper:



I got my bumper ordered and install details are to follow!

[Snarf77]

The box arrived quickly and in great condition. If you watch the LOD Armor Lite front install video, I'm sure I address how well LOD packages everything. They are still up to their old ways and packaging the heck out of their bumpers.



Basically LOD Offroad wraps the bumper in heavy gauge clear plastic and seals it up. They then use expanding spray foam to completely surround the bumper, effectively suspending it in the shipping box. This method virtually guarantees that your bumper arrives in one piece. Sure, its a pain in the ass to get through all that foam to your new bumper (mainly because I'm impatient), but its completey worth it when you pull it out and its scratch and dent free. Way to go LOD.



LOD's finish and construction are top-notch. I didn't find any burrs, chips, crappy welds or any cover-ups. Just the same top-end finishing that I got with my front bumper.

[Snarf77]

One thing I didn't investigate, but wish I would have, was how this hinge pin mounts within the bumper. Its very sturdy and I wish I would have been a bit more inquisitive. Truth was that I was too excited to get the whole process started.



Nice precision cutouts for the Rigid flush mount lighting.



Factory rear bumper removed, getting ready to remove the OEM style trailer hitch.



Bumper set onto frame rails for leveling and hole-drilling prep

[Snarf77]

The drilling on the LOD rear bumper is pretty minimal. I believe I drilled three holes through the frame in total. The LOD instructions were pretty good; but there is definitely room for improvement which is the case for most any instruction set. I found no issues I couldn't figure out through a bit of reasoning. I got my holes drilled and proceeded to install the tire carrier.

Again same ridiculously good packaging.



Carrier bushings protected with a film/sticker.





A little grease on the pin and it went right on. Notice the small hole in the side of the cylinder for a grease fitting.

[Snarf77]

First look at the carrier and bumper on the truck. I'm liking it at this point.



Note the attention to detail in shipping again. The plywood and block is there simply to protect the hinge mount area where the connector link mounts from tailgate to tire carrier.



I lined everything up per the instructions and marked my holes for drilling. I decided to mark the entire hole, remove the bumper, then center punch and drill.



Drilled through both sides, then touched up the holes with some heavy black paint.



This is the hardest hole to drill. You have to drill directly down from the OEM hole in the top through the bottom. I couldn't conceive of how to do this without hitting the tub, so I marked it up and went from the bottom up. Lined up perfectly.

[WhiteRavenRR]

This is one of my top two bumper/ tire carrier combos. I like the door linked carriers. My other is the ACE Engineering with the angled tire bracket.

I have a set of LOD Signature Series Rock Sliders and I can vouch for their quality in packaging and their craftsmanship.

Excellent choice.

[JeepLab]

Great write up. and that bumper is sexy. Now you need a high lift jack on it.

[Snarf77]

Great write up. and that bumper is sexy. Now you need a high lift jack on it.

I really do need a hi-lift and this comes with the tabs to mount it right across the top behind the tire. I also need to finish the install pictures and write up! Hopefully I can get some time to do that asafp.

[Snarf77]

So the install is more straightforward after this point. I initially finished my bumper install without the reverse facing LEDs. Don’t do that – its just a bunch of work. I was just excited to get it in.

At this point you’ll install the LEDs through the bumper in the provided holes with stainless hardware. Easy enough. They come with rubber gaskets and mine buldged out a bit. I figure I’d rather have a bulged out rubber gasket than too loose lights.



Once the lights are installed, you’ll set the bumper on the frame rails and finger tighten the two OEM bolts on the sides, simply to support the weight of the bumper as you make your adjustments. Don’t forget to hang the wires over the frame rail as you set the bumper on. Below is just going to expose them to more damage.



These tabs are used on the inside of the frame where you drilled a hole to provide backing for the nuts. I spray painted them matte black as they come in raw steel.



You’ll have to creatively get behind your lights to get to the bolt head as you tighten from the bottom inside of the LOD bumper. You basically have to use your hand to feel your way through tightening this with a wrench, but it’s not too bad.



Once you get your bumper lined up correctly with the body, you’re set to tighten things down.

[Snarf77]

Your factory rear tire carrier parts should be removed by now. If not, you take them off. LOD has a kit to raise the rear third brake lamp so you can keep a factory look and function. I chose not to do this as I’m going to recess an LED third brake light in my wheel center cap for the rear. Either way, make sure you’re good to go and clean as you’ll be attaching things to the rear door next.



You can reinstall your swing arm and swing it out of the way too. Don’t forget the brass wear bushing below the swing arm. You see that tiny hole in swing arm where it mounts on the pin. You’ll install a zerk fitting there and fill it up with grease until it comes out the bottom bushing. It’s a good amount of grease needed too.



Install the aluminum cap, being careful to lubricate the o-ring so it doesn’t fail when you tighten down the allen bolt in the center.



Install your bits for attaching the door-linking hardware. Pretty self explanatory using OEM bolt locations.