Front Aluminess bumper

[Neup]

I have ordered a 2010 Ford EB 350 V-10 Gas with Quigley 4x4. I am having SMB do a conversion for me to bird hunt. Not a camper but a place for all my dogs and my stuff.

What I am wondering about is the Aluminess front bumper. I will not have the rear aluminess bump due to some construction issues. Is the front bumper a cosmetic addition or is this a functional improvement? The cost would free up money for other things. What are your thoughts? Thanks!

Ed Neupert

[saline]

A little of both perhaps. The bumper looks tough for sure and improves the overall look IMO. More importantly it provides added frontal protection from impact. Just imagine a deer collision ruining your month long cross country trip due to a lack of front end protection. Power steering cooler, tranny cooler, AC condenser, radiator, turbo intercooler etc. are all right up front and vulnerable.

[billwilson]

Aside from the fact that is is pretty damn cool:

Storage
w/o winch there is a decent amount of space to cram stuff

storage for me, is always an issue
if it is tucked away, it frees up the clutter and gives me floor space

Conveniance:
kind of a table of sorts and place to put stuff because of the flat area

HiLift
good place to mount one
hope i never need to use it, but gonna carry one anyway
(hope i will never use my AED or trauma bandage either

side bar:
get the XL storage
i would get that first as it is a SMB factory item

you can always add the aluminess later

ALSO:
post your build specs buddy for Two reasons:
1) we have no life and want to comment
2) we might actually help you

[beernutmark]

If you are worried about the difficulty of mounting a front bumper later don't worry about it. I just mounted mine yesterday and it is a piece of cake. You simply remove four bolts from the old bumper and remove it and put the new bumper in place and mount it with 6 bolts. The bumper is light enough to lift in place with one person if needed. You do need a helper to hold it while putting the first two bolts in.

Anyway, it is trivial to mount yourself. So if you are on the fence about getting it, hold off and save the cash.

Mark A.

[Aldercrest]

I like my front bumper for all the reasons mentioned above, but for me the underfloor storage would be more useful.

[billwilson]

Originally Posted by Aldercrest

I like my front bumper for all the reasons mentioned above, but for me the underfloor storage would be more useful.

a big AMEN to the XL storage!

also, you might post some rig build plans here to get feedback from practical users
vs. factory

[jage]

How about the con? I'm playing Devil's advocate here... I'd probably put an Aluminess on my bike if I could

1. The front and rear will look imbalanced. Calclimber had this "problem" and we used to rip on him like it was 4th grade... No, but seriously it's taste but I think the van looks better with matching hardware on both ends.

2. Aluminess makes them talk to you. I think beyond any other single item on my van, the Aluminess draws the crazies. It screams "4wd van!" to those who might be a little more than half blitzed and not otherwise so observant. You'll get a lot more of "I usssta had one ah them" in the gas station parking lots.

3. Stealth. Along with #2, the Aluminess makes it hard to be stealthy at all. Somebody (geoffff maybe?) said early on that they had Aluminess before and preferred the now stock bumpers for the lesser attention. Despite my earlier statement I've wished for that occasionally when experiencing the above.

So that said, I am biased as Aluminess supports the forum with certain purchases (see classifieds).

Also, you say that you won't have the rear due to construction issues- if you mean it won't fit because of something you're doing with the back of the van, I'd check with Dave first... they might be able to do something with a bumper that SMB won't.

[charlie56]

Don't overlook the advantage of having a brush-bar on top of the Aluminess bumper. I couldn't begin to tell you how many tree branches mine has deflected away from the lights and body.

[Neup]

I think I am in for the front bumper.

How about the van hood mask and the 46 gal fuel tank ?
Will start a new post

[billwilson]

Originally Posted by Neup

I have ordered a 2010 Ford EB 350 V-10 Gas with Quigley 4x4. I am having SMB do a conversion for me to bird hunt. Not a camper but a place for all my dogs and my stuff.

I will not have the rear aluminess bump due to some construction issues.

Ed Neupert

I would post here and tell us what the "construction issues" are
1) aluminess is totally customizable, there is no reason i can think of NOT to be able to use one
2) the ability for swing away tire and some sort of box./rack are very important
3) the aluminess and swing away tire carrrier are key to having a XL storage, which IMHO is also a nessisary part to install