Bump stops

[SouthJ1]

Went to see how far I was from the bumpstops today and well somehow they are not there

[VX KAT]

If they were there (on the rear), there would only be about 1/2" clearance, if that! Many owners find they're actually touching the axel. I'm guessing the PO removed them.

Had the Rancho 9 way adjustable shocks for over a year, made ride better, but still really slamming down in the rear. Caused my rear door to need re-aligned 3 times so far in 2 yrs. Hatch popper gets whacked out of line too.

Finally decided to cut the rear stops in half. They're a figure 8 shape rubber and easy to lop off right in the middle of the "8".
Gained about 1.5" for a total of about 2".
No more slamming/jarring bumps.....it's way better!!! Best and cheapest mod I've done.

Told vt_maverick about it, sent him my spare pair of full stops, so he could still go back to OEM if wanted. He cut his in half about 2 weeks ago...he was equally impressed and happy with result.

Also, for the level of wheeling I do, it won't be any problem.

p.s...here's what they're supposed to look like:
REAR: Looks like mine were touching.



FRONT: I think there's 2 sets up front, this is only one of them.

[vt_maverick]

Also, for the level of wheeling I do, it won't be any problem.

Hopefully others with trail experience will weigh in here, but I have to believe our OEM bump stops actually inhibit the articulation needing to do serious rock crawling. I would think that more clearance between the axle and bump stops allows for more suspension travel, and therefore better wheeling capability.

On the other hand, cutting the bump stops down probably allows for more body roll through corners (body isn't able to "sit" on the stops anymore when leaning) as well as wears your shocks out faster.

Regardless, I have no plans of ever going back to factory bump stop settings. The improvement in ride quality is simply amazing.

[ZEUS]

Went to see how far I was from the bumpstops today and well somehow they are not there

I assume you are talking about the rear bumps? Did the rubber separate from their brackets or have the brackets been removed as well?

[Lizardmen3477]

So how easy is it to cut these in half would anyone have pics of what they look like atfer cutting

[vt_maverick]

So how easy is it to cut these in half would anyone have pics of what they look like atfer cutting

I used a hacksaw to cut mine, probably took about 10 minutes per stop due to my dull blades and obsessive-compulsive desire to make them perfectly flat on the bottom.

I don't have a pic handy, but it's easy enough to visualize. Just imagine that the lower part of the "figure 8" below (just to the right of the red coil spring) has been removed, leaving only a round/oval rubber piece bolted to the undercarriage.

[vt_maverick]

And just to be clear, we are talking about the REAR BUMP STOPS ONLY.

[Lizardmen3477]

How did you get them out to cut them? And this doesnt have any visual side effects? just smoother ride?

[VX KAT]

I used a hacksaw to cut mine, probably took about 10 minutes per stop due to my dull blades and obsessive-compulsive desire to make them perfectly flat on the bottom.

How did you get them out to cut them? And this doesnt have any visual side effects? just smoother ride?

My mechanic used a Sawzall while up on the lift. Allowed the wheel/axle to drop down, gave him more space to work in.

The rear bump stop is the black thing. At the bottom of the figure 8 you can see a tan colored area (that's AZ desert dirt!). Can also see it's basically touching my axle! The bottom half of the figure 8 is what we cut off, so that tan part is no longer there.

Can also see the hardware attaching it to the truck, right above it, you can see the bolt head, also tan colored. There's 2 bolts holding it on, one on each side of the 8.

Absolutely nothing visually is changed by doing this. Just a nicer ride!

[Lizardmen3477]

SO i can basically jack the rear end up and unscrew then hack away then screw back and im good to go!! O.O Sounds way to easy...

[VX KAT]

Yup, that's it. I know, it does sound too easy....so little effort for such big gain....

Mav told me he found some rust on his brackets where it's catches and holds water. Might want to assess your brackets while you're there. I didn't have any rust, but my mechanic recommended to leave the bracket on, don't disrupt anything. Just cut them while still on. Course he had it on a lift, so it was way easier to do it that way. I just recall him telling me that.

[WILLY]

SO i can basically jack the rear end up and unscrew then hack away then screw back and im good to go!! O.O Sounds way to easy...

you dont have to take them off to cut them,Just jack ur truck up a bit and pull ur wheel off and they are right in front of u,very easy access for the sawzall.

[vt_maverick]

you dont have to take them off to cut them,Just jack ur truck up a bit and pull ur wheel off and they are right in front of u,very easy access for the sawzall.

I think you have to pull/push the inner wheel well cover out of the way for it to be right in front of you. If you've got something powered this is definitely the easiest way. If you have to do it by hand, you're going to want to unbolt them, cut them, then bolt them back on. The rust KAT mentioned on mine didn't represent a structural issue; the mounting plate has a depression between the bolts that faces up, which makes a perfect place for water to pool. In that depression I had rust "scales" but they didn't impact the integrity of the mounting plate. It didn't really matter anyway, I cut up a spare set of bump stops that KAT sent me and mounted those in place of mine. (I generally buy extra of anything that I intend to mod so I don't screw up my original part.)

[Lizardmen3477]

Awesome I may try to tackle this sometime this week.

[VX KAT]

Mav- I think we've started a bump stop revolution!