ARB Bumper install

[dlargo]

Evening all....just a quick question. Recently I had a fender bender and need to replace my grill, hood, and bottom bumper cover. I need some information from those that have the ARB Bumper for a 2nd gen Tacoma. I would like to upgrade my current set up with the ARB and need to know how much of the original bumper cover and bracketry is used during the ARB install...if any at all. They will be replacing the cover and bracketry with insurance funds or I can use the funds to help pay for the ARB or go back to the OEM Setup. Any info would be great. I have looked at the ARB install directions and it leaves some to be desired on the actual brackets and such....I hope none of it would need to be replaced.

Thanks
Danny

 

[toyrunner95]

i recently installed mine on my 2013. It takes the better portion of a day. The instructions aren't the greatest so plan on having a buddy to help decipher what goes where. If you are doing a winch or lights i HIGHLY recommend installing it on the bumper BEFORE it goes on the truck. The fairlead needs to be re drilled and lined up properly, its much easier to do on a bench.

As for the stock bumper, the top 3 or so inches need to be saved, i cut on the bigger side just to make sure it covered the best possible way. The grill needs to be removed for access and the small bezel pieces under the lights pop out.

Best piece of advice, Gather all the stuff you want to do. Take your time. And have help. The extra hands and eyes help out a lot. Mine took 11 hours over 3 days because i was assembling it at night after work. But the actual install onto the truck was abut 3 or 4 hours. Also, go for the full deluxe bar with the fog lights. It makes sense to spend the money once rather than trying to go back and fix it later. You don't have to get the fog light kit but the pockets are a good option.

OH and wire up the parking lights to the orange marker lights not the white marker lights. The level of Badassery is much higher when your running lights are on

 

[WOODY2]

You will most likely have to clock your winch which is best done off the bumper before you install. On my Warn 8000 it was about 72 degrees off, very easy to do however.

 

[dlargo]

Thanks to you both...to recap I could just replace the bumper fillers below the lights and then the remainder of the bumper below the grill and lights can be removed?

 

[Yulli]

i recently installed mine on my 2013. It takes the better portion of a day. The instructions aren't the greatest so plan on having a buddy to help decipher what goes where. If you are doing a winch or lights i HIGHLY recommend installing it on the bumper BEFORE it goes on the truck. The fairlead needs to be re drilled and lined up properly, its much easier to do on a bench.

As for the stock bumper, the top 3 or so inches need to be saved, i cut on the bigger side just to make sure it covered the best possible way. The grill needs to be removed for access and the small bezel pieces under the lights pop out.

Best piece of advice, Gather all the stuff you want to do. Take your time. And have help. The extra hands and eyes help out a lot. Mine took 11 hours over 3 days because i was assembling it at night after work. But the actual install onto the truck was abut 3 or 4 hours. Also, go for the full deluxe bar with the fog lights. It makes sense to spend the money once rather than trying to go back and fix it later. You don't have to get the fog light kit but the pockets are a good option.

OH and wire up the parking lights to the orange marker lights not the white marker lights. The level of Badassery is much higher when your running lights are on

Being new to the Tacoma's, can you explain that a little more(the bold part)?

 

[Jeff H]

Evening all....just a quick question. Recently I had a fender bender and need to replace my grill, hood, and bottom bumper cover. I need some information from those that have the ARB Bumper for a 2nd gen Tacoma. I would like to upgrade my current set up with the ARB and need to know how much of the original bumper cover and bracketry is used during the ARB install...if any at all. They will be replacing the cover and bracketry with insurance funds or I can use the funds to help pay for the ARB or go back to the OEM Setup. Any info would be great. I have looked at the ARB install directions and it leaves some to be desired on the actual brackets and such....I hope none of it would need to be replaced.

Thanks
Danny

What year is your truck?

 

[dlargo]

2006. DCSB. Super white


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jeff H]

I just installed the ARB on my 2008. For the 05-11 Tacomas you wont need any of the stock bumper cover or the aluminum bumper underneath. ARB supplied everything I needed to do the install except the drill and bit to drill the final holes after adjustment. I did have a few issues with bolt holes not lining up and had to open them up a little to get the brackets on. The ARB instructions are definitely lacking especially when it comes to what bolts/washers to use where. It took me about 4 hrs to install mine by myself minus adjusting it, drilling the final holes, and wiring the lights.

 

[Adventurous]

I'll echo what everyone else has said. Install time will take between 4-8 hours depending upon how quickly things work out for you. While the installation instructions are most certainly lacking I found it to be pretty intuitive. If you can go through the hardware bag ahead of time to identify what is what, what is used where, and which bolts get which washers I think you'd save yourself gobs of time.

 

[Jeff H]

Thanks to you both...to recap I could just replace the bumper fillers below the lights and then the remainder of the bumper below the grill and lights can be removed?

To answer this question, yeah you'll need to replace the fillers under the headlights if they are damaged.

And I agree sorting the hardware ahead of time would save a significant amount of time. I didn't initially and wished I would have sooner than I did.

 

[ADVW/Liam]

It's not too bad to do, the biggest pain in the rear is final fit. I had mine too low, then too high and it rubbed against the fenders when going over bumps. Now I have it just about right, with about a 1/2 inch gap. I welded the bumper (about a 1 inch bead on each side) to the mount, so it's not going anywhere. I trimmed the sound holes on the ARB "skid" plate to allow more access to the factory tow point on the driver side. I pulled the yellow insert on the running light, and had to use LEDs for the blinkers to function properly. PM me for some pics if you want.

Rick

 

[chmura]

It's not too bad to do, the biggest pain in the rear is final fit. I had mine too low, then too high and it rubbed against the fenders when going over bumps. Now I have it just about right, with about a 1/2 inch gap. I welded the bumper (about a 1 inch bead on each side) to the mount, so it's not going anywhere. I trimmed the sound holes on the ARB "skid" plate to allow more access to the factory tow point on the driver side. I pulled the yellow insert on the running light, and had to use LEDs for the blinkers to function properly. PM me for some pics if you want.

Rick

I agree final fit is a total PITA!

I just intalled mine and I almost have an 1/2 inch gap. ARB suggests 20-25mm gap. So I will lower it a tad more before I drill 4 of the locking screws. I think when you drill 4 of the locking screws (2 per side) it will not go anywhere. That totals 5 bolts per side.

 

[dlargo]

Thanks to everyone...decisions decisions. I could use the insurance funds to reduce the cost of the ARB but spend the same amount having them install it for me as the insurance wont let it leave the shop until it is complete.

Danny

 

[toyrunner95]

Being new to the Tacoma's, can you explain that a little more(the bold part)?

in the ARB bumpers there is a set of marker lights and blinkers. the marker lights are more of a white light and the blinker lights are a bit of a darker amber. when i wired mine i ignored the whiter lights and just hooked the blinker into the darker one. if you look at my build page you can see the lights im referring to however i do not have pics of the wiring.

 

[toyrunner95]

Thanks to you both...to recap I could just replace the bumper fillers below the lights and then the remainder of the bumper below the grill and lights can be removed?

yeah pretty much. those little fillers aren't critical, they are just for looks. the top portion of the stock bumper that should be cut really doesn't need to be however it does give it a very clean appearance when its finished.

I forgot about those 2 holes you have to drill. a sharp bit and a good drill will go far with those, i think i actually broke my bit and had to sharpen the nub to finish it lol.