Sport/Express Front Bumper with Tow Hooks?

[BDWebb]

Anyone ever seen the one piece bumper with tow hooks? I want to do a sport front end conversion and retain my tow hooks if possible.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Cableman]

Finally installed tow hooks on my sport, pics.

***EDIT*** See post #13, page 2 for added cut out specs and bracket details. First and foremost, thank you to those that have already done this mod and shared the details/dimensions for the custom brackets, they worked perfectly! I got the hooks for free from a friend, and used the dimensions...

www.ramforum.com

 

[Atcer2018]

Anyone ever seen the one piece bumper with tow hooks? I want to do a sport front end conversion and retain my tow hooks if possible.

Any advice is appreciated!

Yes, there is a YouTube vid on a 4th Gen tow hook install where the guy shows how he installs front tow hooks on a one piece bumper Sport.
Search YouTube for: Installing Factory Tow Hooks-Dodge Ram Sport-4th Gen.

 

[GTyankee]

2016 Big Horn

 

[Daniel Ortiz]

@BDWebb , I've seen some really intricate, painstaking work done to carve out JUST the right sized holes in the plastic fascia for the tow hooks to slide through, like a perfect-fitting glove. Then there's my approach:

I think my trim piece is still in my garage lying around somewhere.

 

[Georgiasport]

Hers my tow hook and light bar install. I had to fabricate tow hook relocation brackets and also brackets to mount light bar to hook brackets.

 

[Daniel Ortiz]

Those hook relocation brackets were pretty cool, and hats off to the guy that first fabricated those and gave out the design. @Georgiasport , I'm not sure if those are the ones you're using, or if you made your own, but they look good!

@BDWebb , if you do choose to use those relocation brackets, just know that by re-aligning the hooks off from the centerline of the frame rails, you're inherently lessening the strength of the hooks to transmit the full force of a dynamic recovery from the hook to the frame. By how much it's hard to say, but if you plan to use the hooks for any serious recovery operations (if you plan to get good and stuck while 4x4ing and then get yanked out), I wouldn't use relocation brackets. I'd bolt the hooks right to the frame where they were intended. However, if you don't really plan to ever be using them for serious recovery, the relocation brackets do exactly that, they center the hook into the larger opening that the sport one-piece bumpers have. And I'm sure they'd still be strong enough for a flat or static tow. Just no yanking at them.

 

[SouthernBornRebel]

all kinds of options... front hitch, portable winch cradle, use hitch with tow hook, use snow plow.... with this type setup...

 

[BDWebb]

Those hook relocation brackets were pretty cool, and hats off to the guy that first fabricated those and gave out the design. @Georgiasport , I'm not sure if those are the ones you're using, or if you made your own, but they look good!

@BDWebb , if you do choose to use those relocation brackets, just know that by re-aligning the hooks off from the centerline of the frame rails, you're inherently lessening the strength of the hooks to transmit the full force of a dynamic recovery from the hook to the frame. By how much it's hard to say, but if you plan to use the hooks for any serious recovery operations (if you plan to get good and stuck while 4x4ing and then get yanked out), I wouldn't use relocation brackets. I'd bolt the hooks right to the frame where they were intended. However, if you don't really plan to ever be using them for serious recovery, the relocation brackets do exactly that, they center the hook into the larger opening that the sport one-piece bumpers have. And I'm sure they'd still be strong enough for a flat or static tow. Just no yanking at them.

Thanks for all the info! After looking at how much it’s going to cost to do a front end swap, I think I’ll just stick with my two piece lol. I didn’t realize I would need $1,000 plus in parts to make this work lol

 

[GTyankee]

 

[danielmid]

I used an oscillating tool to cut the fill piece to fit around the tow hooks, didn't use any relocation brackets, then added a curved 22" light bar between the hooks, fabbed up some quick brackets and it fits perfect. Have used them a few times and I do wish they were spaced up a bit but they work fine.

Light Bar
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MLI6OHC/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_BH6FEY8BCTEAT1ZK6KV6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1