 The Warn M12000 will fit on...  The Warn M12000 will fit on the ARB bumper with some minor alterations. |  Knock on wood, I have not...  Knock on wood, I have not needed to use the winch yet. |  Soon, I'll be installing a...  Soon, I'll be installing a double battery setup to aid in additional power to support the winch system. |
A wise man once said to me, "You can save your face or your butt, but you can't save 'em both at the same time." Since Project 80 now had a front bumper, it was time to protect the other end. When I first began to search for a rear bumper, I came up with very few choices. I came to the conclusion that I was going to have something custom-made. This really went against one of my objectives for Project 80. I wanted all the parts to be off-the-shelf items and not one-off custom creations. I know this flies in the face of the super-ultra-trick custom-fab rigs that occupy the pages of most off-road magazines; however, I have personally found this trend to be overkill and unattainable for the average Joe. I come from the perspective of the average reader/off-road enthusiast. I do not know how to weld and even if I did, the time and space needed to fabricate these parts is unrealistic for me. Many of us have families, jobs, and a list of honey-dos that grows by the minute. I felt the average reader wanted to see a vehicle buildup consisting of items they could buy off the shelf and bolt on.
 Stock and unmolested, this...  Stock and unmolested, this is the preferable "before shot." |  We removed all the unnecessary...  We removed all the unnecessary hardware: mudflaps, bumper wings, the factory hitch receiver, and the spare-tire carrier. |  Here is what was left after...  Here is what was left after the parts were removed. |
 |  We cut off the exhaust pipe...  We cut off the exhaust pipe close to the framerail. |  Then we measured per the instructions...  Then we measured per the instructions and cut off the rear crossmember. |
 A reciprocating saw went right...  A reciprocating saw went right through the framerail like butter...not really - this took quite awhile. |  The last little bit of the...  The last little bit of the passenger side. |  A little cleanup with the...  A little cleanup with the power sander and we were done. |
 Congratulations! We now have...  Congratulations! We now have two new industrial-strength pagerweights. |  Project 80 was ready for the...  Project 80 was ready for the bumper at this point. The directions recommend removing any accessories before installation. |  We tightened up the 10 bolts...  We tightened up the 10 bolts we removed from the spare-tire holder and the factory tow hitch and we were done. |
Luke's design is really a masterpiece of metal. The departure angle of Project 80 has been greatly improved over stock. The new bumper's wings completely wrap around the rear quarter-panels, protecting them. The new bumper replaces the stock crossmember that was cut out, and the entire unit is tied into the frame by no less then 10 bolts. There are two D-clevis mounts for extraction points. Both swing-outs are gas-assisted, making it easy to swing the weight of a 37-inch tire or a well-stocked ice cooler.
One of the most ingenious features of Luke's design is that the unit can be modified to carry all different types of attachments. You can have two spare tires, a bike rack and a spare tire, or two gas cans and a spare tire. The different combinations are endless and all mount with just two bolts. You can basically have anything fabricated to fit this pattern. There is even a flush-mounted receiver hitch built into the bumper. As you can tell from the photos, this is a really clean-looking design that follows the contours of the 80-series body very well.