Off-Road, Slid into a tree.

[csmicfool]

I hit the front of my '99 XLS into a tree out of a downhill part of a dirt trail. I guess the 2 feet of rain from the last 3 hurricanes did something because I've driven that trail a hundred times before, but this time I slid when braking and couldn't make a corner. I busted the bumper pretty good and I only know how to fix engines. What do I need to fix on the body? Does the bumper come in a kit from ford or from any parts store? Do I need brackets? And do brackets need welding?

Anyone have to buy a new one of these yet know what kind of price I should pay?

 

[unclemeat]

Front bumper has 4-bolts. It takes 10-minutes to get off without air tools. Tou should be able to get a use one on this board or at a junkyard.

 

[csmicfool]

it all comes in one piece?

 

[csmicfool]

what about the brackets?

 

[mydland89]

LOL.....Not the worst problem....I did that to my 99xlt....actually hit the tree almost perfectly in the front center.....wierd because the air bags never went off,although I was only going about 15-20 mph but anyways....I have been driving it still for the last 8 months....almost reported it to the insurance but came to my senses after looking at it and deciding I don't need another increase in premiums and figured I could live with the look.....but after looking at it for 8 months I am beginning to get sick of the look of my ex banged up in the bumper....So let me know how the replacement goes....if anyone out there has the replacement for a 99 XLT bumper assembly let me know via e-mail......thanks

 

[GJarrett]

Like unclemeat said, it's an extremely simple 4 bolt removal. Just go do it. There are no brackets - the "bracket" that the bolts go into are welded onto the end of the framerails.

Originally if you bought a new front bumper from the parts dept at your dealership, it came in one piece. Now it comes in two pieces - the interior frame and the exterior plastic. It is easily snapped or screwed together. For a complete bumper try a junkyard.

 

[csmicfool]

mydland89- I did the same thing... almost square in the fron and no airbag deployment at 20+.

GJarrett- so the brakets are welded. The passenger side of the bumper is sticking out a bit and I am of the impression that the bracket may be bent. Does it need to be cut, replaced and re-welded or can I smash it into shape w/ a sledge?

 

[LOGJOCKY]

i went into the ditch sideways and was held up by a small tree or else i would have went over. anyway in the process somehow my front bumper bent inward on the drivers side and downwards on the passenger side, it looks funny as hell but i havnt fixed it. it still works fine and is only of by and inch or two both ways. I also had someone drive into me while i was parked behind her in her driveway..WTF...she said she does not look when she backs up sometimes. Seeing as i was friends with her son at the time i never charged her for it. Anyway she hit it good and my air bag never went off either.

 

[MONMIX]

Air bags will (should) only go off with a hard force stop.
Inertia is what triggers an air bag deployment. So at a slow speed they will not go off.

As far as the bumer brackets are concerned, the weld on brackets ARE repairable, but you will have to earn it.
These suckers are very stout.

The nuts that hold the bumper on are 18mm FWIW

 

[*96*X]

wheres the bolts needed to take off the bumper, i need to take mine off also. Im new at this so explain S-L-O-W-L-Y.

 

[IAmTodd]

wheres the bolts needed to take off the bumper, i need to take mine off also. Im new at this so explain S-L-O-W-L-Y.

Easiest way I know how to explain is to follow the frame rails to the very front. Where they contact the bumper will be something like a T. On each side of the T is a bolt that holds it on. After you look at it, you'll see what I mean. They're not hard to miss.

 

[csmicfool]

the weld on brackets ARE repairable, but you will have to earn it.
These suckers are very stout.

so would it be easier to borrow a cutter and weld a new one on? Or might I have some luck with a 20lb gentle persuasion tool (sledgehammer)?

 

[glfredrick]

The brackets that are a part of your bumper are what will be bent (and you won't likely have much luck getting them straight - I've tried and I am good at metal work!). To get at them you HAVE to unbolt the bumper. Don't think torch/welding, etc. It really isn't necessary. Just find those 4 bolts that fasten the bumper brackets to the frame and get them loose. The entire bumper with its framework intact will fall right off the truck.

 

[csmicfool]

glfred- ummm I thought those 4 bolts held the bumper to the brackets

 

[glfredrick]

There are bolts that hold the brackets to the back of the bumper and bolts that hold the entire assembly to the frame horns.

Remove the entire assembly. You will never get at the bolts that hold the hardware to the bumper until you do...

I've pulled off 3 of them in the past year... trust me.

 

[csmicfool]

sorry if I'm retarded, but do you mean that there are bolts holding the bumper assembly to the brackets and then other bolts holding the bracket to the front frame rails? Or are there bolts holding the bumper assembly to the brackets that are welded to the frame? MONMIX says the brackets are welded to the frame. Getting the bumper off is easy, I am mostly concerned with wether or not I need to borrow someone's arc welder.

 

[glfredrick]

I think that what he is calling "brackets welded to the frame" are just a set of frame horns that are welded there that recieve the actual bumper bolts. They are likely not bent unless you really did it in.

FYI, the bumpers on the Explorers are two piece. They have a chrome shell that is backed by a set of braces and brakets that bolt to the frame. They are not like the older car bumpers that were basically one piece - heavy chrome that stood on their own.

Typically, what happens is that the bracketry behind the chrome gets bent up (by design) and saves the frame rails, unless it is a particularly heavy impact that actually bends the frame rails (and the plates that the factory welds there to give the bumper a place to bolt to).

Just get under there, unbolt it and you will see what we are talking about - by now you could have it done...

 

[jasonb]

have you bothered to even go look at the bumper and how it connects? seriously man.. a quick glance behind the bumper will clear up a lot.
there is a big bracket welded to the frame. its there to stay unless you take a torch to it. there are 2 holes in this bracket. the bolts are attached to the bumper and they slide into these two holes on the bracket. a nut is attached on the other end and tightened down to hold the bumper on. they will require a 3/4" socket.

see the big horn things on the end of the frame rail below? that's the bracket. its welded on. its stout. pay no attention the the secondary bracket on the passenger side.. yours will NOT have that on it.

 

[turtle313]

jasonb, did you take your bumper off just to show him how? You're a hell of a guy.

 

[csmicfool]

JasonB, Thanks for the visual. That helps alot. I know that the bumper comes off in two pieces, I had to buy them separately, and I am about 60% certain that the bracket welded to the frame may be bent out of shapew because of the way my bumper looks. From the passenger side looking at the front of the wheel well, you can see straight to the frame where the passenger side bracket is. I may just be having to get someone w/ a plasma cutter to help me.