Bumper: mod ARB or fab own?

[Kyle_T]

Hey,
I dont post over here all that much, but there are alot more guys fabbing front bumpers over here. I have come across an ARB Prado that is rusty and needs to be sand blasted and refinished. the price is decent. I like the looks, but am not sure about the clearence. I recently got back from a trip where a FZJ80 with an ARB non winch bull bar was scraping the bottom lip quite often. the little bend that is perpendicular to the ground.
I have a 96 4Runner Limited.

what I am thinking is to trim this portion off of the bar to gain some clearence.

other concern is the access to the winch. I like the fact that some bars like the all pro have the winch out where it is easy to get to and up high. it seems on the prado bar, the winch is pretty low and closed in. I dont have any way to look at the bar in person to see if it is feasable to modd the bar to have the winch up higher.

I am debating this or building a bar similiar to the "tribute to mikes front bumper" http://www.just4fun.org/off_roading/mods/Front%20Bumper/ but adding some grill protection. I have access to alot of metal working tools, but time is the issue. I am open to any opinions that you guys have. (let the flaming begin....)

I really like the Warn XD9000i winch with the synthetic line so whatever i do i really am leaning to fit this in there. It also has to kinda look good too. my mall cruiser isnt too shabby yet.....
cut off at yellow, plate red for winch plate and blue is winch.
edit: pic added http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/442848/original/dscw00182.jpg

Thanks,
Kyle

[Myanarchy]

I LOVED my ARB bar on my Tacoma. Think was very well made, and anything in the way could generally be rammed over.



I HATED using the winch in the ARB bumper because you couldn't see the damn cable when winding it in:shaking:


But for the right price I would definitley have another:D

[Kyle_T]

how was the winch mounted in it? what I am thinking is cutting the top a little and making a new mount for the winch to sit up higher on the bumper and protrude from the top maybe? i dont know, i dont want to drop the money and be dissapoited

[Myanarchy]

Winch bolted through the front, basically sat feet first inside the bumper. Just run synthetic line on the winch and you won't have to worry:D

[Kyle_T]

Yeah i know..... but i like to see what is happening ion there also....

[Myanarchy]

Yeah i know..... but i like to see what is happening ion there also....



Moving it up and cutting the top would look goofy. Still have the hole for the winch cable, not to mention the added stress put on the accordian style mounts. I would be reluctant to try it as I would be worried about the extra leverage collapsing the mounts in a hard pull.

[Kyle_T]

true.
any other suggestions?
I am not a big fan of the TJM bumpers. or the round tube style really.

[Myanarchy]

I tried to help by searching out the big bumper thread, but I can't get the damn search to work for me and I'm a paying fucking member:mad3:



This place is a joke some times:laughing:

Anyway, the big bumper thread on this forum is great, if you can find it:laughing:

[Myanarchy]

I tried to help by searching out the big bumper thread, but I can't get the damn search to work for me and I'm a paying fucking member:mad3:



This place is a joke some times:laughing:

Anyway, the big bumper thread on this forum is great, if you can find it:laughing:

[Kyle_T]

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47824

i know its from ttora, but im thinking about doing this but in a more gracefull mannor, a spot for the winch to sit on, like a shelf where it drops down in the middle, but have th elines a little more graceful. no offence to the builder of this bar though.

and yeah i have seen the big bumper thread.... its a little to hardcore for my mall cruising likes.... but if you find it, its been like 6 mos since i saw it, so there may be some interesting ideas that could come from it...

[Kyle_T]

pic added in first post.

[odyseuss]

I had to modify a Prado bumper to fit on a 2005 4runner before they came out with the 4runner bumper. That in itself took some time. I remember having to trim the top edges around the fender and cutting the end corners off,shortening them and then welding them back on. The corners poked into the wheel wells. I think the ARB bumpers are definetly sturdy quality setups, but I am not a fan of the large roo-bar in front of the grill. It gets in the way when working on the engines. The prado bumper has a lot of hardware for installation like the FJ and tacoma styles. The 80 series are a lot simpler. I think it would be nice to have the winch on top and I am sure you could do it but it would probably take a significant amount of time to make it look nice. I would first see how well it might fit around the condenser and braces because that might be why it sits so low. the 80 series sit a lot higher.

[archer1965]

Kyle, make sure you beef up your frame at the mount points. Tacos and Runners have weak mounting points where the ARB bolts up. If you winch heavy, you might shred the frame. :(
The link to the thread is below the photo.

http://www.wattora.com/mods/endcap/ec1.jpg

http://www.wattora.com/index.php?page_id=13

[Kyle_T]

yeah i read about that happening. i am planning a little more substantial bracing than teh ange iron.
i dont know what the backside of the prado bar looks like, as I have never seen one in person and dont want to buy the thing and be dissapointed. my current bumper is pretty high clearence. the rad and condensor i think are set back a litte from the frame ends.
10 bucks in scrap and 3 hrs later i had this:
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/442152/fullsize/pa060211.jpg
true pirate form ehh?

any luck on the big bumper thread?

[85mike]

just got one from all pro, pretty damn good as far as clearance goes but kinda expensive. figured it was worth it to keep the wife from bitchen about spending the little time i have after work in the garage all week.

[Kyle_T]

Yeah the all pro is nice no doubt, but im not a huge fan of the round tube style.

[archer1965]

call the ARB Seattle number and ask them if they have any 'scratch and dent' bumpers. a few of us up here got them for a big discount (half-price).

[FrankenToy]

Kyle, make sure you beef up your frame at the mount points. Tacos and Runners have weak mounting points where the ARB bolts up. If you winch heavy, you might shred the frame. :(
The link to the thread is below the photo.

http://www.wattora.com/mods/endcap/ec1.jpg

http://www.wattora.com/index.php?page_id=13


X2, I cut the ends off of the frame and welded in some 1/4" plate that I had drilled and tapped. I pulled the stock frame ends out just by trying to winch a fence post out. Pulled the entire ARB bumper downwards.:laughing:

[Kyle_T]

call the ARB Seattle number and ask them if they have any 'scratch and dent' bumpers. a few of us up here got them for a big discount (half-price).
I found a used prado winch bar that is a good deal if i can work it out.

[4xguy]

check out bentup.com had this one made for my 97 runner

[Kyle_T]

check out bentup.com had this one made for my 97 runner


definately cool. but the $$$ is the issue here. I am not spending much more on the ARB than the materials and cost of fabbing one myself and having the stuff done that I dont have the tools to do.
oplus any mnoey not spent on the bumper goes back into the play money fund.