MillerPKA

Just got my ARB bull bar today and have been working on this for the last couple hours. First of all, the casing for the blinkers (indicators) will not match up with the steel holes in the bull bar. Secondly, The new mounts that are in between the chassis extension and the bull bar itself is unable to fit over the frame extension. the front has a lip around it which I'm guessing has to be grinded down, so none of the parts provided are really fitting where they need to....PLEASE somebody save me! I have a 97 4runner installing the Tacoma ARB Bull Bar

d0ubledown

pics might help. taco bars fit on runners too..they just mount differently than prado bars. the taco bar does require some grinding of that flange on the frame end (if thats the lip i think youre referring to)

as for the blinkers..try turning the blinker housing upside down? although theyre symmetrical so they should fit either way.

ltbulldog23

Not sure about the blinkers but you do, in fact, have to grind down the flanges that hang over the on the end of the frame to get the brackets to fit. I have the same bumper on a 1997 4Runner and I had to grind them completely flat before the brackets would slide onto the frame ends. The good news is once you get the brackets on you are 95% of the way there.

Good luck!

MillerPKA

this is good news about the flanges and, yes, that's what i was talking about. but yeah, i've tried every combination of ups downs reverses, drop in from front mount from behind whatever and the things just don't seem to slide in. sunday we will have a grinder so we can continue

MillerPKA

alright all of the auto shops are closed today. needless to say I HAVE to be driving tomorrow and without this damned grinder things aren't looking great. I'm referring to the flanges on the front of the frame like doubledown said. Meineke was going to take the crush cans off on friday before we realized they were bolt ons hahaha but like i said everythings closed today. Does lowes rent a drill bit or equivalent so i can do my 5 minutes of grinding? any other help?! please! i'm desperate now! haha

d0ubledown

home depot sells grinders

MillerPKA

alright flanges are grinded flush with the rest of the frame, next problem up is the stock shackle brackets. has anybody else had a hell of a time even loosening these? we have 3 completely fit guys working on this and these things won't budge. just caked all 4 screws with wd-40. letting it sit for a minute and see if that helps, any other suggestions?

MillerPKA

got the brackets off and everything, wooo!

question to those with this bull bar: did you use all of the tools that came in the arb heavy duty plastic bag? i am especially wondering about what look like new crush cans. any info on these?

Oscar

Holy Crap, I've been struggling with some of the same issues. My indicators lights wouldn't even fit into the hole. I had to shave some plastic of the indicator housing and pull the wire and grommet out to make it finally fit. Then the distance between the two screw holes was too narrow, so I had to redrill some new ones and added some paint to prevent rust.

I spent some time on it today grinding the flanges down and bashing my knuckles while removing the tow hook bolts. What a PIA.

I don't think we need to use the crush cans (at least 96-98 4Runners). I believe they are only meant for newer models. I slipped the mounts over the frame end and the two holes on the bottom of the mount were aligned to the tow hooks.

I hope to finish this project tomorrow. So far I've spent about 7Hrs. I guess its bcuz I do more thinking than doing and I'm also mounting a M8000.

d0ubledown

what are these tools & crush cans you guys are referring to? oscar..im guessing youre also putting in a taco bar?

MillerPKA

got the bumper semi-secured last night. i need a torque wrench to to the last bolts so after its all the way on i'm washing her and taking a million glamour shots. here's one to hold you over.



oh, and by the way, the bumper dropped my stance .2 inches, if that! Pretty good considering I'm running stock shocks replacing my tin can 20 pounder with the 150 lb arb

MTL_4runner

Give it a few months of punishment, I bet it drops a bit more than that before settling.

Oscar

Sonny, I am mounting a Tacoma Bullbar too. I think the crush cans are actually frame extenders for the newer Tacomas.

RooRRunner, were you able to place a bolt into the frame end? The instructions show this but the existing holes don't line up.

I'm contemplating getting the frame end mod done as per WATRD's writeup but don't think I'll ever be doing any real HD winching.

Here's a thread that discusses this:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...=arb+frame+end

MillerPKA

Yeah what you'll have to do is get a drill bit slightly larger than the bolt hole on the frame. then drill the mounting bracket right below the oval shaped hole they've provided. mine didn't, but if the new hole intercepts the old one that's fine, just make sure to get a larger hd washer. took me 10 minutes with drilling/filing and works like a charm. Let me know if this works

neliconcept

lookin sweet

MillerPKA

thanks neli, the quality of the phone cam is good, but only if the conditions are perfect. here are a couple more i snagged, tomorrow i'll have some hi qualities up

i drilled a new hole in the passenger side corner to mount the firestik. the existing mount is on the very top and didn't look as good. i really like the corner position

Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

Looking good.

You might want to think about purchasing a set of IPF Clear Covers for those 968s as me and a few others have done. A $20 investment can go along way to protect a $100 set of lights from rocks and debris:

http://www.4by4connection.com/ipf968higper.html

MillerPKA

i actually have the ipf white covers, i've just been cruising for the first 24 showing off the shiny lights they will most definitely go on today.

important question: i have 265/75r16s on stock 16x7s. will these tires fit on aftermarket 16x8s? I can get a great deal on a set if i act really fast

oh, and maybe oscar you can answer this. in the box with the two huge mounting brackets came two different pieces of steel which resemble a layover skid plate. i was so anxious to drive my beauty after the bumper was installed i gave up after 5 minutes of looking. does anyone know how these mount, or where? pics, if needed, can be up in a little bit.

Skrillah

Wow, your truck looks almost identical to mine! Its cool to see what a bumper like that would look like on mine. I'm determined to get rid of the damn brush guard this summer and put a real bumper on.

Kudos to you, very rugged look...I may have to copy. I can't decide between a TJM 15 or TJM 17. I think ARB are a bit too pricey...although...whatd you say you paid?

[IMG][/IMG]

drguitarum2005

looks good, looks good. i was trying to decide between the custom bumper i have now and an ARB and well, in the end the cost of my custom bumper won over the ARB, but i still love the ARBs. i'd def. recommend WATRD's endcap mod in you plan to put any strain in the bumper. i did it before mounting my bumper and it gives me peace of mind. its not that hard to do anyway.