How do i replace the rear bumper assembly?

Hey, i'm wondering if there's a guide or set of directions on how to take off and put on a rear bumper for my '09 base tacoma (4x2)? I've got a punch dent in the back of mine and need to replace it, but isn't sure if it's worth paying money for a shop to do.

Is it hard to replace myself? Should i get a shop? Any instructables?

 

You'll have to look around there- but use the 05+ FSM and you'll be all set.

 

Just 4 bolts. Take a look under there and you will see how easy it is to remove.

 

try 6

 

It's 4. I just went out and double-checked.

You would have to remove 6 if you wanted the mounting bracket to still be attached to the bumper rather than the frame.

 

Alright, thanks everyone. I found the guide.

However, i'm trying to save money here, so if i could miraculously fix it myself that'd be the best. I said it had a punch dent on the steel part just below the step covers. If i took the bumper off, do you think i could hammer it out? I'm not looking for a perfect, pretty bumper. I just wanna clean it up a little to make it look like i wasn't in a fresh wreck.

 

Bump

 

Yeah man- You should be able to do a little something with it. Get it pressed/hammered back out.

Maybe throw some bedliner or something on it and see how that looks. Might cover up the imperfections a bit more.

 

Cool, looks like i got my work cut out for me one afternoon. Here's a pick of what i'll be working with:



It's annoying because the bumper isn't sitting flush with the light, that's really my only complaint. So i'm going to do my best to bust it back into shape.

 

My dent was less severe than that and I could not get it out. Good luck to you.

 

Bummer, well is it even worth a DIY try?

*spell check, dang.

 

I wouldn't waste my time, that looks pretty bad. You are better off just replacing it with a new one.

 

after looking at the picture, you are better off replacing it. Good luck.

 

Dang. Would it really be that hard to hammer or press out? I know it's not gonna look sexy again but i just wanna get it flush.

 

bump.

I wanna make sure there's little to no way i could get it out myself or w/ a machine before i close the case on this one.

 

I'm sure you could with a good bit of effort, looks pretty beat in though. As far as getting it flush with the light...best of luck on that one. The previous owner of mine got hit on the passenger side bumper and it's torqued beyond my repair abilities. My rear bumper seems to be a magnet for dents so I kind of stopped caring though.

 

thats not fixable, even if you tried your best to pound it out it would still look like crap. you'll never be able to get it to line up with the tail light like it was before.

What you need to do is only buy the actual steel bumper with nothing attached to it. Its around 270-280 from the dealership. If you go take a look under your bumper there are lots of brackets and steel "bracing" to protect the truck in the event of a crash. all those parts add up to lots of cash. Once you get the new bumper take off the old one and place them side-by-side. then swap all the brackets/steel bracing from the smashed bumper to the new one. you can also swap over the plastic pieces on the top of the bumper and below the license plate, and the license plate lights(make sure you get the orange clips that they screw into). Some of the brackets on the right side may be bent from the impact, if they are its important you replace them with new ones for safety and so the bumper mounts straight.

its not very hard to swap it out, took me less than a hour. If you want to you could use this as an excuse to paint your new bumper the same color as your truck, would look better than the flat black.