5th gen 1500 REAR BUMPER CONVERSION

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Tacobender24

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Yes that's right. 5th gen rear 1500 bumper can be fit onto our 4th gens. Here's my write up on how to do it. I will be happy to answer any questions.

Notes before getting started:
- trailer harness WILL need to be extended since the plug is on the passenger side of the license plate instead of the driver's side
- if equipped with parking sensors, yes they will need to be extended
- the 5th gen license plate lights have different pigtails on the wire harness so they will need to be changed out. I have yet to find them for sale anywhere

Now to the write up.
So I'm not going to go over how to take off the factory rear bumper since there are many videos on how to do that. Once the factory bumper is off you will need to do some very minor mods to the frame.

The first of the 2 mods is removing the clips on the center mounts and cutting a little section out so the bolts can slide up and down for adjustment
Screenshot_20211111-231718~3.png

Once that's done, move onto the frame horns. There's a rivet on each side in between the the original mounting holes that helps center the factory bumper. Ive marked up a pic; number 2 is the rivet. On the back side if the frame horn the rivet is flat and tacked into place. Grind off the back side of the rivet and the rest can be hammered out. Once the hole is open, you'll need to enlarge the hole where the rivet was to about half inch large if I remember correctly. Large enough so a factory bumper bolt can pass through.
Screenshot_20211111-225723~2.png
Once that's done your frame is ready to accept the 5th gen bumper and not other modifications are required. Now to move onto the bumper.

The 5th gen rear bumper has a center section that rounds out and could make contact with the trailer hitch. In all honesty though you might not have to cut anything. However I did to be safe and have enough clearance for my rigid reverse pods. The section I cut out was about 12.5" and it's a very close fit so that was it doesn't look jacked. I've provided a picture for a better understanding
IMG_20211111_223622_038~2.jpg
Now it's time to mount up the bumper. So the 5th gen rear bumper has mounting brackets that are different from our 4th gens. Instead of bolts going into welded on nuts, the bolts are riveted into place on the brackets so you will need new nuts to go on instead.
The rivet that was removed is the hole where the TOP bolt on the 5th gen bumper is going to go. Now before you wonder if the second bolt will attach to the frame, it will NOT. Because the 5th gen bumpers sit lower on the new body style, the mounts are lower. That's why you drill out the rivet. So not only will the top bolts mount onto the 4th gen frame without major modifications, but also so it lines up nicely with the body and there's no weird angles. Here's a pic:
IMG_20211111_223818_908~2.jpg
So as you can see here the lower bolt doesn't attach to the frame which I was slightly worried about any wobbling. So I went to home Depot and got some 3/16 inch steel plate and made some reinforcement brackets to mount to both bumper bolts and also have it connect to the frame. Yes in the picture my bracket is bent so I recommend cutting some metal to use as a gap filler. Still works just fine as is though. With the sides bolted up I put the two center bolts through the bumper that are covered by the license plate and bolted them up as well.
IMG_20211111_223649_969~2.jpgIMG_20211111_223725_571~2.jpg
As you can see in the pic above, this is why we notched out the center of the mount on the frame. The factory holes were lower than the bumper holes so notching them out allowed for better fitment and adjustment without giving up strength. However you will need some washers and new nuts that fit onto the factory bolts.

Now if you have factory rear parking sensors, some more slight mods will be needed. You need to be VERY careful and patient with this part since you don't wanna be buying retainer clips over and over again. The factory clips on the 5th gen bumper are slightly different in where it clips onto the sensor itself. You will need to take a Dremel with a slim grinder attachment and deepen the mounting loops. Here's a pic so you can see. Both too and bottom need to be done.IMG_20211111_224250_368~2.jpg
 
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Tacobender24

Tacobender24

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Once the retainer clips have been modified, you can attach your factory sensors to the bumper. NOTE: there's a little clear o-ring on the factory sensors that you will need to remove otherwise the sensors one fit. Once you have that done, all that's left it some wiring such as extending the parking senor harness, the trailer plug and switch the license plate light harness pigtails. Double check everything and if it looks like the pics below, you're good to tighten everything down:
IMG_20211111_224007_882.jpg
Tailgate open with good clearance
IMG_20211111_223935_967.jpg
Nice and leveled with the bottom edge of the tailgate
IMG_20211111_223908_283.jpg
Nice lower bedside fitment

Just like that, you have a 5th gen 1500 rear bumper on a 4th gen. I know many have asked to see this and if it could be done so I'm happy to help and show that it's possible with very little modifications. No we don't have to resort to 5th gen 2500 bumpers which would actually look very bulky on out trucks with the lower hanging plastic. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer

(The bumper assembly can be ordered online at a site called partify and can be custom painted to match your truck)

PXL_20211031_204612516.PORTRAIT~2.jpg
 

Quick_Shifter

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Once the retainer clips have been modified, you can attach your factory sensors to the bumper. NOTE: there's a little clear o-ring on the factory sensors that you will need to remove otherwise the sensors one fit. Once you have that done, all that's left it some wiring such as extending the parking senor harness, the trailer plug and switch the license plate light harness pigtails. Double check everything and if it looks like the pics below, you're good to tighten everything down:
View attachment 476947
Tailgate open with good clearance
View attachment 476948
Nice and leveled with the bottom edge of the tailgate
View attachment 476949
Nice lower bedside fitment

Just like that, you have a 5th gen 1500 rear bumper on a 4th gen. I know many have asked to see this and if it could be done so I'm happy to help and show that it's possible with very little modifications. No we don't have to resort to 5th gen 2500 bumpers which would actually look very bulky on out trucks with the lower hanging plastic. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer

(The bumper assembly can be ordered online at a site called partify and can be custom painted to match your truck)

View attachment 476950
I like how subtle it is.
 

Quick_Shifter

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It's subtle and it refreshed the look of the truck which I love. Plus it cut weight so another plus
LOL the 4th gen rear bumper is already tin foil the 5th gens are lighter?
I remember I laughed the first time I took a bumper off
 

GTyankee

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2016 rear bumper .... sport style 2016 front bumper on right
bC6H0W.jpg
Front bumper painted

0oisyv.jpg

2009 rear bumper, tailgate in cardboard box

img0926ma.jpg

img0924zm.jpg

img0921zy.jpg

Officer, i want to report a Olive Tree that attacked my truck

img0844y.jpg
Nope, it wouldn't buff right out
 

Irishthreeper

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LOL the 4th gen rear bumper is already tin foil the 5th gens are lighter?
I remember I laughed the first time I took a bumper off
I had to change out the rear bumper on my ‘19 1500 Gen 5 before I sold it due to a dent. I was shocked how light and delicate it was, carried it around with one hand. My ‘12 1500 ST had real steel bumpers!
 

crazykid1994

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Yea. I’ll be making my own bumper. The way the 5th gen brackets line up it would just be better for me to build something that suits my needs instead of trying to modify it to fit.
 
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Tacobender24

Tacobender24

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I had to change out the rear bumper on my ‘19 1500 Gen 5 before I sold it due to a dent. I was shocked how light and delicate it was, carried it around with one hand. My ‘12 1500 ST had real steel bumpers!

Yea. I’ll be making my own bumper. The way the 5th gen brackets line up it would just be better for me to build something that suits my needs instead of trying to modify it to fit.
Fair enough it's not for everyone. I'm just going for different looks since I'm not making my truck something that will see many stumps or rocks
 

Lewybrewing

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Dang nice right up. I have a yellow poll dint and I scored a used one at the junk yard. I kinda wish I saw this before picking it up.
 
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Tacobender24

Tacobender24

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Dang nice right up. I have a yellow poll dint and I scored a used one at the junk yard. I kinda wish I saw this before picking it up.
Im sure you could find a nbs rear bumper for cheaper on ebay or FB marketplace. I'd say if you really wanna do this, stand out from the crowd and confuse the hell out of ram owners in a good way go for the new color matched bumper. It really gives an updated look to our 4th gen rams
 

Lewybrewing

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Im sure you could find a nbs rear bumper for cheaper on ebay or FB marketplace. I'd say if you really wanna do this, stand out from the crowd and confuse the hell out of ram owners in a good way go for the new color matched bumper. It really gives an updated look to our 4th gen rams
The score from the junk yard was free. My buddy owns the place. But your right, I sanded it all down and placed it aside since this post still has me thinking about changing it out to a 19+ bumper.
 
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Tacobender24

Tacobender24

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The score from the junk yard was free. My buddy owns the place. But your right, I sanded it all down and placed it aside since this post still has me thinking about changing it out to a 19+ bumper.
It'll set your ram apart from the crowd. Ive had so many ram owners ask me about mine and honk/thumbs up me driving
 

blabarre

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Once the retainer clips have been modified, you can attach your factory sensors to the bumper. NOTE: there's a little clear o-ring on the factory sensors that you will need to remove otherwise the sensors one fit. Once you have that done, all that's left it some wiring such as extending the parking senor harness, the trailer plug and switch the license plate light harness pigtails. Double check everything and if it looks like the pics below, you're good to tighten everything down:
View attachment 476947
Tailgate open with good clearance
View attachment 476948
Nice and leveled with the bottom edge of the tailgate
View attachment 476949
Nice lower bedside fitment

Just like that, you have a 5th gen 1500 rear bumper on a 4th gen. I know many have asked to see this and if it could be done so I'm happy to help and show that it's possible with very little modifications. No we don't have to resort to 5th gen 2500 bumpers which would actually look very bulky on out trucks with the lower hanging plastic. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer

(The bumper assembly can be ordered online at a site called partify and can be custom painted to match your truck)

View attachment 476950
What about the tag lights, were they plug and play? I know the new ones are led, my old ones weren’t.
 

marcun

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Sorry if this has been posted somewhere before. I have been searching for hours for the wiring diagram for both the 4th gen and 5th gen license plate lights to no avail. I working on doing this mod on my 2014 Ram 1500 big horn and I don't want to reverse the polarity on the LEDs (since they are $60 each). But I can't find the wiring diagrams anywhere and I can't find any markings on the housing. I assume (even though that's very bad practice) that the black wire on the truck harness is the negative and the white/blue stripe wire is the positive, but on the 5th gen led lamp side I'm building my own connectors with parts from mouser ($15 vs $180 from findpigtail.com), but I don't have access to any original plugs to see the wire colors or orientation.

Any help would be appreciated!
 
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