BEST BUMPER & WINCH COMBO FOR 1/2-ton CHEVY/GMC Z-71 4x4 ?

[Stuart Kent]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the rear lights are a second pair of the same 4" PIAA ATP lights as I have in the front. I should also tell you that I rubber dipped the aluminum diamond plate pieces on the rear bumper. I also discarded the included rivets and over-bored the diamond plates and corresponding bumper holes to accommodate 1/4-20 carriage bolts with lock nuts. I just don't like pop rivets, no matter what the application, they rattle and fail.

 

[General Automag]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the rear lights are a second pair of the same 4" PIAA ATP lights as I have in the front. I should also tell you that I rubber dipped the aluminum diamond plate pieces on the rear bumper. I also discarded the included rivets and over-bored the diamond plates and corresponding bumper holes to accommodate 1/4-20 carriage bolts with lock nuts. I just don't like pop rivets, no matter what the application, they rattle and fail.

What size and type of lift and tires do you have on your truck? We're thinking of a 2.5" lift like this one: http://www.readylift.com/c-35-chevy-silverado-1500-1999-2007-classic-4wd-6-lug-25.aspx. It's 2.5" for the front and a replacement block for the rear leaf springs which is roughly a 3" lift. I like to keep the factory "rake" so the nose of the truck won't point up when you have a heavy load or two. I thought I would try this route as it's cheaper before I look at larger lift kits. Yours looks nice and about right.

 

[Spargman]

Please post pics if you have them. So you're saying that bumpers for a 100 Series Land Cruiser will fit on a full-size Chevrolet/GMC truck? I didn't see the mounts you mention at www.liquidironindustries.com.

Here are more details, I made this thread a few days ago. Call up Liquid Iron and ask for Tim (owner), I'm sure he can help you as I know he saved the dimensions.

http://www.gmc4x4.com/topic/162-arb-landcruiser-to-chevy-bumper-mod/

I run a TAG (Tactical Armor Group) rear bumper and it's JUNK. The mounts are not made correctly, it's rusting internally b/c they didn't paint it correctly and the welds are awful.

 

[Spargman]

No, we haven't decided on one yet. Would you mind posting pictures of your setup if you have any? We're thinking about a rear bumper too, just to protect the rear end from the all-too-common unaware texting driver. The ARB bumper for the Chevrolet looks all right in the few pictures I've seen, but there are a lot of posts showing folks using the Land Cruiser 100 Series ARB bumpers on Chevy/GMC full size trucks. I also looked at the Tough Country bumpers.

I'm don't see the need to replace the steel cable with synthetic line on our other winches, simply because the steel cables haven't broke yet, but I do see how the weight savings would make a difference on a 1/2-ton. (There's 150' of 3/8" cable on our Warn 8274 which has to weigh a few pounds).

Here is a writeup I completed on the Synthetic vs Steel debate

http://www.gmc4x4.com/topic/245-synthetic-vs-steel-review/

 

[Spargman]

sure thing, not sure what happened there, let's try this again.

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here are the toolboxes and the under-seat storage solutions - very cool.
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Great looking truck Stuart - really nice mods!! They did a great job with that front bumper keeping it close to the grill.

I also run a Talon Superwinch 12.5...great piece of equipment.

 

[Treybiz]

Love my ARB Bumper... Has a Smitybuilt 8k in it because thats what I had laying around.. Works decent with a snatch block. Bumper is stout and heavy.

 

[General Automag]

Treybiz: Do you have a picture of the ARB bumper on your truck? Is it the ARB model for the Chevrolet/GMC or is it a modified Land Cruiser Series 100 bumper? Thanks

 

[Treybiz]

Treybiz: Do you have a picture of the ARB bumper on your truck? Is it the ARB model for the Chevrolet/GMC or is it a modified Land Cruiser Series 100 bumper? Thanks

Its the model made for our trucks..... Let me see if I have a picture.

 

[Treybiz]

 

[hikingff77]

Bad ***. I wish you could do that for a 2008.

 

[Spargman]

Trey, any chance do you have a side photo of the bumper?

 

[hikingff77]

Bad ***. I wish you could do that for a 2008.

 

[Treybiz]

Trey, any chance do you have a side photo of the bumper?

Negative... I will snap one but it will be a week until I drive it again. I left it at the Ranch and drove the Wrangler Home. The little white jeep needed some TLC.

 

[Stuart Kent]

ARB

Spargman

that is a nice looking bumper. did you have to modify anything to mount it? do you know ~weight? my Buckstop Truckware bumper with the bull bar and 12,500 lb winch adds about 300 lbs.

 

[Stuart Kent]

I guess you got this already, but I have a full 4" suspension lift. It is a complete Rancho system with add-a-leafs and cast iron riser blocks. I have RS9000XL adjustable shocks. I know a few guys that have run systems like the one you are considering, they have all complained about premature wear of the steering components and tie rods. I think those systems also tend to cause toe-in problems for some reason. If I couldn't afford a complete system, I would compromise on tire size, upgrade to the best shocks I could afford (which can be used with a full system down the road), tighten up my torsion bars, and ALWAYS use add-a-leafs in the rear to prevent the Cali-sag - not my thing, I like mine level under a heavy load. The main difference with my prescription is that you would not drop the torsion bars with the new keys, thereby preserving factory geometry. I have seen 33" tires stuffed in with this configuration, although there is reduced suspension travel and they are heavy on the stock steering brackets.

My tires are 33x12.50 BF Goodrich All Terrains on 16" aluminum Pacer bullet hole wheels. I could go bigger but don't want to add any more weight to the steering system.

cheers,
Stuart.