SSO Slimline Hybrid Stage 2 High Clearance kit

Mine arrived yesterday. Hoping for a couple more success stories before attempting.

 

I thought that initially but there is no dent or any sign of impact.

 

So yours looked similar to mine when mocked up yet it turned out good once installed? I can’t imagine how mine will be corrected once installed.

 

H

honestly, I though of cutting the mounting plate off and just having it welded flush in the front. But with the wonky bend on the bottom passenger side it still wouldn’t line up without beating it with a hammer.

 

Picture #4 looks like the bumper is bent upwards. I received my bumper (2+ years ago) with the same bend which I suspect was damaged during shipping. I hope you get it sorted out...

 

I’ve been messing with it for a couple hours this morning and used more shims than I did yesterday but it looks better on the driver side. About 10 minutes with a 30 lb dumbbell on the passenger side helped straighten out the bend at the bottom. I’m going to move forward and drill holes. I know those drilled holes will require some shims as well. I think I can make it work.

 

Holy shit, what could possibly have happened during shipping to bend a bumper? This a truck bumper we’re talking about, not a model car accessory.

 

I commend your skill but you shouldn’t have to spend that much time and effort to repair something that you paid for in good faith. Just my opinion...

 

The lower outside tip of the bumper is not very stout. I bent it (mostly) back into position with a double-jack.

 

And just to add, once metal is bent in a certain direction then bent back to another position it will always remain a weak spot. Not something I would want particularly on a bumper.

 

I received the stage 2 kit this week. Got some time today to mock up my bumper and stage kit. Using the 2- 1/4" bolts and vise grips, I marked upper holes to drill. The passenger side looked pretty good, squared up and nice reveal at the seam. The drivers side looked a little rough, 1/2" gap at top and 0 at the bottom. I squared the bottom edge to match the passenger side.
Disassembled and drilled for 3/8" bolts, reassembled passenger side using 2-1/4" bolts and the 2-3/8" upper bolts, no shims and it's looking really nice. I reassembled the drivers side, using the 4 bolts and I added 2 stacks of 3 shims (washers) along the bottom and tighten bolts and it's looking better than original mock up, but it's going to need some love. Still have a 1/4" gap at the top with nice reveal at the bottom . Both sides line up nice on the bottom edges.
I'm happy with the stage 2 kit option, quality is A+, packaging was A+
I had originally figured that it was going to need some tweaking with a grinder to it get it dialed in. It would be very different to make an additional part like the stage 2 kit to add to a product that has been in production for 3 years and not originally designed as a system. To me that was a given that I'd have to fit things. I would suggest buying everything raw bare metal, mock it up, fit and tweak things than have it all powder painted, than install. I bought the bumper on TW already coated and the stage 2 came coated, slightly different finish than the bumper.

So my next step is meeting with a welder buddy Doing some grinding and adjusting and getting everything squared up, welding the front seam and welding the flange to the bumper, so it's not just bolted together. Than probably sand, primer and paint with spray on bed liner to match my sliders, I installed a couple of months ago. I may have it all re powder painted a textured flat black or line ex to match my diamond back.
I'm sure you guys who will be purchasing a new bumper and the stage 2 kit from SSO that everything will be dialed in from The factory when you receive it. For us guys with older bumpers there will be some issues we'll have to work through. It's a given right. Life's not perfect, so deal with it And move on.
Thank you SSO for an awesome product, once I get it dialed in and installed I'll be ready to enjoy it for 10-20 years.

These are my humble opinions
God Bless.
Here's a few photos, I'll post more with the finished product, but it will be awhile.

 

I was going to install my high clearance kit with the slimline bumper on the truck. Looks like I better remove it and make sure everything lines up before I commit

 

The box wasn’t damaged and it comes fully encapsulated in foam in a big box. I don’t think it was damaged in shipping. There is a gusset that comes down on that corner. The whole corner is bent in. It takes a hell of a whack to move it all the way it did. And no marks on the steel that I noticed before it went to paint.

My opinion for guys that are getting them bare steel: mock it all up before paint. That way if you do need to massage it in a spot, you won’t damage the finish.

 

I’d recommend mocking it up off the truck too. That way you can know how many shims will be needed to fit prior to having it on the truck.

 

Yours looks good. I’m jealous you have a welder friend. If I mocked mine up before paint, I’d consider having it all welded. I’m just curious now how the cut measurements from the video instructions will change with all the shimming we had to do.

 

I think my 2 year old bumper was welded wrong as well. My cut line is identical left to right but on the passengers side, it sticks passed it. It's annoyingly frustrating

 

We are terribly sorry for the damage that occurred to your bumper during shipping. Despite our best efforts, the delivery people find new and creative ways to damage our products. We do recommend that everyone open the package in front of the driver, if possible. Otherwise, hidden damage needs to be reported to us within 48 hours of receipt of delivery, so that we may make a claim with the carrier on your behalf. This is why we require a signature, so we can guarantee someone at least looked at the product prior to accepting it.

You are right, though, it does take quite a bit of force to bend that corner, especially after we added the gusset down to the tip. However, quite a bit of force can be generated by dropping a 90lb box out of the back of a truck as well. We are glad to hear that you've been able to mostly correct that issue though. We have sent everyone's images and installations to our engineering department to further improve fitment across all bumpers sold over the last 3 years as well.

Rest assured that all of our products are created in the same jig with thousands of bumpers already made and sold. More than likely it sustained some sort of damage during shipping. 2 years ago we did not have the gussets down the corners or side to side adjustability that our current bumper design allows. Over the years, though, we have improved the design to allow for the best possible fit. If you'll send some pictures of your issue to info@southernstyleoffroad.com, our technical team may be able to give some suggestions to improve the fit.

 

Would I use that same email for an issue with receiving the wrong bumper? I emailed on Friday but have not heard back.

 

Yes, if you sent an email over the holiday weekend, they are being attended to in order they were received. We were closed last Thursday and Friday, but I understand your replacement bumper is already being made. You should receive some correspondence sometime today about it.

 

I'd be interested in this bumper if it were a one piece! One of the nicer 3rd gen bumpers I've seen to date!