Hello folks! This is not a detailed install thread, sorry. This review will over my overall impression of Custom 4x4's products, in this case I ordered the following:
-Trailblazer package for 97+ With D ring tabs
-Prerunner bar for front bumper
-XJ Rear Bumper for '84-'96 modified to fit a 97+ with d-ring tabs added
-XJ Spare Tire Carrier
-Everything powder coated black
Mike was great to deal with. He responded to emails quickly and with detail, and never neglected to answer any questions I had. His pricing was very reasonable for what was offered. From order to received, wait and shipping time was pretty much six weeks, which was what he quoted. Packaging was sturdy and well done, though my wife just about shit bricks when she came home with the baby and saw all the heavy boxes piled in front of our door!
Install of the rear bumper was estimated at 4 hours, give or take, based on my experience level (very little with XJ's). The bumper appeared extremely well built, with great looking welds and overall form. 3/16's steel, it's heavy as hell. After dealing with very frozen bolts, I installed the brackets and proceeded to bolt the bumper on, only to find the eight holes which utilize the stock mounting holes were off 1/8th inch and needed to be opened up. After some reaming with the dremel and a tungsten bit, it bolted up nicely.
The rear tire carrier was next. Again, overall construction and appearance was excellent. The tire carrier was one of the major reasons I went with C4X4. I like the two bolt through and through design of the swing hinge, rather than the single pin and bolt design. I prefer it, simply because it gives me peace of mind knowing there are bolts top and bottom retaining the swing, and to me it seems more sturdy (I'm no engineer, so it's all personal preference). The latch design seemed simple yet effective, and once assembled I was very much impressed with how solid everything felt. The swing moved very smoothly and the latch gave a great, positive locking feel. The only issue was one hole on the swing mount bracket was off 1/8th inch, and again required some reaming. Overall, very happy.
The front bumper had to wait to another day. When I finally was able to install it, it went much faster than the rear bumper. Initially I was a bit worried because my Jeep had some minor TC damage to the front end, and the stock bumper was tweaked a lot on the driver's side. Once I started pulling parts off, I got more worried as I saw the bumper mount brackets were badly bent. I prayed the frame portion wasn't, and thankfully once everything was removed it was fine! The front bumper mounted up solid and looked awesome. I went to mount the prerunner bar, however, and found the holes were not drilled for it. An annoyance, but, after some measuring, marking, drilling and some rustoleum paint, the prerunner bar was on.
Overall, the quality and construction of these products is outstanding. The welds are very beefy and nicely done, the angles are great, and they mount up with a large amount of grade eight bolts to multiple points on the frames. The tire swing works awesome, and I'm very pleased with the overall look. I was a bit irritated at the fitment issues with the holes (or lack thereof in the case of the prerunner bar), however, I've learned in the past installing aftermarket ARB bumpers on my '98 Tacoma nothing is truly "bolt on". I can deal with a minor annoyance such as this. When I emailed Mike about the issues I had, he apologized profusely and was very grateful for the honest input regarding his products.
Overall, I'd rate these products an 8/10. I'd gladly do business with Mike I the future, and I have confidence he would rectify any issues which arose. He's a stand up guy, and I love supporting made in the US small business.
Photos:
Getting ready for the rear install:
Getting ready for the front install:
Mike was kind enough to take time out of his day to snap a few photos of my bumpers being built. Thank you Mike!:
-Trailblazer package for 97+ With D ring tabs
-Prerunner bar for front bumper
-XJ Rear Bumper for '84-'96 modified to fit a 97+ with d-ring tabs added
-XJ Spare Tire Carrier
-Everything powder coated black
Mike was great to deal with. He responded to emails quickly and with detail, and never neglected to answer any questions I had. His pricing was very reasonable for what was offered. From order to received, wait and shipping time was pretty much six weeks, which was what he quoted. Packaging was sturdy and well done, though my wife just about shit bricks when she came home with the baby and saw all the heavy boxes piled in front of our door!
Install of the rear bumper was estimated at 4 hours, give or take, based on my experience level (very little with XJ's). The bumper appeared extremely well built, with great looking welds and overall form. 3/16's steel, it's heavy as hell. After dealing with very frozen bolts, I installed the brackets and proceeded to bolt the bumper on, only to find the eight holes which utilize the stock mounting holes were off 1/8th inch and needed to be opened up. After some reaming with the dremel and a tungsten bit, it bolted up nicely.
The rear tire carrier was next. Again, overall construction and appearance was excellent. The tire carrier was one of the major reasons I went with C4X4. I like the two bolt through and through design of the swing hinge, rather than the single pin and bolt design. I prefer it, simply because it gives me peace of mind knowing there are bolts top and bottom retaining the swing, and to me it seems more sturdy (I'm no engineer, so it's all personal preference). The latch design seemed simple yet effective, and once assembled I was very much impressed with how solid everything felt. The swing moved very smoothly and the latch gave a great, positive locking feel. The only issue was one hole on the swing mount bracket was off 1/8th inch, and again required some reaming. Overall, very happy.
The front bumper had to wait to another day. When I finally was able to install it, it went much faster than the rear bumper. Initially I was a bit worried because my Jeep had some minor TC damage to the front end, and the stock bumper was tweaked a lot on the driver's side. Once I started pulling parts off, I got more worried as I saw the bumper mount brackets were badly bent. I prayed the frame portion wasn't, and thankfully once everything was removed it was fine! The front bumper mounted up solid and looked awesome. I went to mount the prerunner bar, however, and found the holes were not drilled for it. An annoyance, but, after some measuring, marking, drilling and some rustoleum paint, the prerunner bar was on.
Overall, the quality and construction of these products is outstanding. The welds are very beefy and nicely done, the angles are great, and they mount up with a large amount of grade eight bolts to multiple points on the frames. The tire swing works awesome, and I'm very pleased with the overall look. I was a bit irritated at the fitment issues with the holes (or lack thereof in the case of the prerunner bar), however, I've learned in the past installing aftermarket ARB bumpers on my '98 Tacoma nothing is truly "bolt on". I can deal with a minor annoyance such as this. When I emailed Mike about the issues I had, he apologized profusely and was very grateful for the honest input regarding his products.
Overall, I'd rate these products an 8/10. I'd gladly do business with Mike I the future, and I have confidence he would rectify any issues which arose. He's a stand up guy, and I love supporting made in the US small business.
Photos:
Getting ready for the rear install:
Getting ready for the front install:
Mike was kind enough to take time out of his day to snap a few photos of my bumpers being built. Thank you Mike!:
