Simple yet Satisfying DCLB

Thanks! I've been watching yours for a little while too. Great job! I really enjoyed your helpful spark plug info.

 

Stumbled on an upgraded ball joint for the LR upper control arms. They're grease able.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/out/?ur...01AB1OBAM/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_HQlVwbS07Z0FD
Putting it here for when mine need replacing and for anyone following this with the same uca.

 

great looking truck, we need to round up the carolina boys for a camping trip!

 

As promised, here is a little write up on my bumper install. first let me show why I went with the older style. Here is a proper '12-'15 bumper installed on a my truck's twin (not my picture)

And here is how mine came out (winch not installed yet)

It's hard to see, but the '05-'11 bumper hangs out 3" less and has much smaller hoops. Here is a picture I borrowed from @Molon Labe 's build (He has some really great write ups by the way) followed by a picture of mine with the tape measure in the same spot.


Anyway, you get the idea. The older one is smaller...
I've always loved the look of the ARB, the fact that powder coating is included in the price, and mostly the fact that they are designed to work with the factory air bag system.

To install, I obviously had to do a few more steps. First, remove the grill, front bumper cover, aluminum bumper bar, and ALL the metal support parts that the top of the bumper attaches to (even the ones under the headlights). Next you will need to cut the tip off of the center support that is attached to the core support. See picture.

You will see another angle of this piece later.

Now you are ready to install the bumper! Just follow the factory ARB instructions till the bumper is completely attached. The instructions have you drill an alignment hole at the end which I recommend putting off until after the next steps.

**You can skip on the cutting if you modify the mounting holes on the support bracket (bringing the bumper out further). @NMW 4x4 did this, and his looks great! I didn't. I wanted the structure to be unmodified, but this meant I had some cutting to do.**

Anyway, when you have the bumper attached, and you like the gaps at the fenders, you are ready to do some cutting. First up is cutting the bumper to clear the grill. Protect your nice powder coating with some tape and mark a line strait down the back of the vertical hoop support. Use this line to set the edge of a hole saw and drill away.


In those pictures you can see a better angle of the center support you cut earlier. Also note that I used an extension on my drill to keep the hole strait and to keep the drill from touching the coating. I used a 1" hole saw. You could cut this any way you like really, but I like the curved inside corner the hole saw gives.

Next, grab the saw of your choice, and cut till it looks like the next pictures. I used a sawzal with a long blade and a slow speed.


I left some of the welds at the bottom just because it was way easier to touch up the paint this way. If I had tried to make it smooth, the coating repair would have shown up a lot more. After I finished these little cuts, I cleaned them up a little with a file then removed the tape. I had little bottle of Toyota MGM touch up paint that I hit the raw metal with. It matches great!

**You can skip the next steps if you are not comfortable with modifying the sheet metal, but you will have to find another way to attach the bottom of the grill and the under headlight fillers.**

Next is the truck. All those factory bumper supports you took off will need to be trimmed and bent. Start with the side pieces under the headlights that attach to the core support. Here is one side already modified held up against the other side before modifying it.

Bolt them up. They should be just above the bumper. If they touch the bumper, you may need to trim more or move the bumper down a hair (this is why you waited on the drilling the alignment holes mentioned earlier).

Next up are the parts that run under the headlights and attach to the fenders. They will need to be trimmed and bent. Also, the plastic headlight clip will need to be trimmed a little.
Passenger side before:

And passenger side after (do the same for the driver side):


Next up is the center piece. I think it would have fit without modification, but it very visible, so I folded the front edge back. You could just leave it off I guess. This picture shows half that piece folded with the other half not done yet.

Before putting the grill and under headlight fillers in, I cut a thin piece off of my bumper cover and installed it. It was just the portion that sits behind the grill and fillers. This allowed the grill and fillers to simply snap in. My bumper cover was just a cheap one off a wrecked truck, since I had sold the original. If you cut yours, you won't be able to sell it, so you may find another way make yours work...

Now double check your gaps, and drill the alignment hole per ARB's instructions.

Next, you need to cut the rubber bumper pads that come with the ARB. Nothing tricky here. Just measure twice and cut once. I used a hack saw.



Your done! I hope this helps someone who reads this.

 

Amazing work! Really like the ARB bumper look, and very strong too. Thanks.

 

Thank you so much for the write up. I know you had mentioned cutting the bumper with a hole saw in previous posts but I was unsure of what exactly you cut. Now I know what you're talking about. It turned out so clean I couldn't even tell what you cut from your previous photos.
I feel a lot more confident going into this project knowing exactly what needs to be cut and modified. My bumper will need to be re powder coated after its repaired so I'll make sure to get this cut before I send it out for powder coating.
I also think I might try and find a wrecked bumper cover with the top portion still intact to cut up like you have. I could sell my stock one and probably make some coin back that way.

 

Nice truck, I dig the rack.

 

Thanks for sharing your write up
Keep them coming!

 

Thanks guys! Glad I could share. When I researched going this route, there really wasn't any info available.

 

Suspension update:

OME 886 coils are too stiff (even for my heavy pig). *edit: they top out way too often. I'm glad I kept the 887's around just in case.
The truck fund has been happily redirected towards wedding stuff and fixing up our houses (hers to become our rental house and mine to become our less bachelor-ish home). We are basically done now and are finally receiving rental income. Anyway...

When funds get back on track, here is the plan:
Up front I will reinstall the 887's with Bilstein 5100 shocks and Wheelers Super bumps (thanks @Crom for the research and review)

Out back I plan to rebuild the Dakers with those plastic isolators that require drilling the leaf spring(s). Most likely the overloads will be removed to help match the new lower front suspension. I'll definitely put in Super Bumps, U-bolt flip, and extended break lines while I'm at it, and I'll copy Crom again with the shocks. Thanks again Nick for the research and great Crom-like reviews!

 

Sounds like a great plan! Your very welcome! Congrats on your upcoming marriage.

 

Are there any 1st gen guys following along? The girl's truck needs parts. It's a 1996 regular cab 4x4 Tacoma. I knew it needed new shocks, but I found that there are 2 broken leaf springs. I figure I may as well lift it at this point, and she agrees (or at least will let me). I'm thinking OME, but I haven't really studied it yet. Thoughts?

She's had it for 19 years and is ready for something new in the next couple years, so it will eventually replace the Ford as the spare (and possibly a toy). It's in great shape, and I love the short wheel base, 4 cylinder motor, 5 speed transmission, and the manual front hubs. I see trails in its future.

 

I guess I'm blowing up my thread, haha. Got my slider adapter for the high lift in the mail today. I bought it from @adanfon . He started making them recently, and has quite a few happy customers. He's asking $55 shipped and offers large base plates as well. I will always buy from a small 'company' whenever it makes sense. Here's how it showed up.


Great work IMO. It fits the jack nice and snug.

I installed some 3M anti slip tape I had left over from the sliders a year ago.

 

I think my buddy has a 1st gen OME lift that he took off his truck when he changed it to ICON, I'll ask him.

 

Awesome, thanks.

 

Thank you! It's kinda surreal seeing something I made on the other side of the country, and I really appreciate the plug!

 

crazy joker, well since your post to my thread in February, I have been meaning to check on your build and I am very impressed. Love the build and the choices you have made. Keep it up, I expect that this year I will need new tires on my Taco so that will mean rear lift and new wheels as well. I think the lift first then the wheels and tires to maximize the size I can go with. This may even mean I will need extended fender flares... lots to consider. Anyway great build.

 

Sorry late response, as I've been out of town. If you use your truck a lot for commuting as I do, you may want to look carefully at the decision to maximize the tire tire size. Even with a skinny 255/ 80/ 17 (my size), a 33" tire will hurt the drivability and fuel efficiency. A re-gear would fix that to some degree, but that would mean added cost (and probably lockers as well). Just food for thought.

 

I hear you, but i only drive the taco on the weekends so no real issues for me on gas milage. I got a 2012 with only 16k miles on it so far.

 

Nothing helpful this time, just an update. Finally finished installing the winch that I got used from a member here on TW. The bumper is not made for my synthetic line setup, so I will need to trim a little at the opening.
I also, found some used ARB fog lights from a member here. I was going to custom fit my old fogs, but stumbled on these. I simply wired them to the existing fog light wiring.