05+ Tacoma ARB Bull Bar Alignment

[abeaudin1971]

Hey folks,

I have an 09 Tacoma that I've mostly finished installing an ARB bar on it - the vibration of the bumper on the road was a cause for concern but I read another thread here that indicated this is correct behaviour - phew.

My question was does anyone have any helpful hints or tips on how the heck to line it up so it's relatively level on both sides (right and left wheel wells) as well squared off - or is it just a exercise in patience?

-a

 

[Applejack]

I used a forklift to hold it in place but it still needed some "fine tuning". i kept it on the forks and loosened the bolts to the brackets (6 I think) and with a couple of people holding it in a level position, I tightened the bolts down. You don't need a forklift, just something to take the weight and keep and hold it in position.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Snug the bolts tight enough to hold but loose enough to allow movement. Have one guy eye it from the front, and eye it from the sides, comparing as another guy 'rocks' the bumper forward and back until you have a consistent gap along the fenders and grill while maintaining at least a 1/2" gap at the same time. I would urge you to place a chunk of cardboard or rag over the bumper wings while the 'bumping' is taking place just in case you go to far and the bumper hits the body.

 

[HMR]

I installed the ARB on my 2005 recently. If you use the 15-20mm gap recommended in the instructions you won't have any trouble with vibration or body contact. I did the install by myself in the garage and getting the bumper lined up (both left/right and front/rear) without an extra set of hands was a major PITA. The additional weight of the winch only complicated things. I used the same technique that cruiseroutfit recommended above: snug the bolts tight enough to hold but loose enough to allow movement. I then used a floor jack (with a block of wood to protect the bumper) to fine tune the measurements. As you probably figured out, everytime you move one side of the bumper it affects the other side (argh!) I spent a couple hours obsessing about it and making micro adjustments. It was worth the hassle as the alignment is perfect and resulted in zero vibration.

FWIW- If you take 2 of the included nuts (can't remember which ones but easy to figure out) and stack them on top of each other it equals exactly 15mm. I slid this stack between the body and the bumper after every adjustment to make sure I had the proper clearance. Much easier to use than a ruler.

 

[87FoRunner]

I used a engine hoist (cherry picker) to set mine up and put it on the truck. Worked great and allowed full range of adjustments when placing on the truck.

I did a 20 mm gap just to be on the safe side with how much flex our frames have, didn't want to tear up the fenders or headlights on a hard stomp. To get it to line up, it is best to get a buddy or two and some rulers and tape measures, and have you at the side bolts tightening them down when things get lined up.

 

[abeaudin1971]

Thanks all - glad to know it wasn't just me who a) found that it flexes a bit (the frame) and b) that it's not the simplest thing to line up.

That'll be sunday's chore.

New tires and a flippac later in the fall will round it out for now.

Thanks again
-a