ARB Summit Bumper is awesome but a pain to install

@Mallcrl

Thanks for the advice here and below on mounting the DD SS3s to the ARB bumper. Is this the Paranoid Fabrication brackets you used (it states for Tacoma ARB bumpers and "similar")?

https://www.paranoidfabrications.com/products/arb-fog-light-mounting-bracket-1

 

I used this mount https://www.paranoidfabrications.co...ight-brackets-set-of-2?variant=39282478186561

 

@Mallcrl Thanks!

 

@Mallcrl

Thank you for your help and advice. Some more questions please:

1. Are you using Diode Dyanmics Tundra Specific Fog Lamp replacement SS3 (https://www.diodedynamics.com/ss3-led-fog-light-kit-for-2014-2021-toyota-tundra.html) or the standard SS3 pod - Round or Angled? (https://www.diodedynamics.com/off-road-auxiliary-led/led-pods/ss3.html)?

And thank you for the Paranoid Fabrication link. I just need to know which version of the SS3 you went with...

2. The ARB bumper instructions have you installing the fog lamps AFTER the bumper is installed on the truck. From the instruction pictures it appears you have a lot of room to work.

So... from your experience would it be OK to add better LED fog lights at a later time using the Paranoid Fabrication aftermarket brackets? Or is the fitment and adjustment of the aftermarket brackets best done with the bumper OFF the truck?



Question -

 

@t-bear

Happy to help! So my SS3s are the generic round bezel, not the angled bezel that comes with their Tundra-specific kit (FWIW, I used them with the Tundra brackets on my OEM bumper, but I had purchased them for use with an aftermarket bumper on my 4Runner, and then sold that truck before they arrived)

The fog lights definitely go in as the (nearly) last piece of the puzzle. Since I've done it 2 or 3 times, I can probably have both fog light assemblies (the entire piece that slides in) out of the truck within 5-7 minutes at this point. The longest time is taking the two lower "wing" panels off the underside of the bumper, but that's still only 2 minutes a side. I initially installed mine with the cobbled together brackets, then literally the next day my Paranoid Fab brackets arrived, so I took the assemblies out again, reassembled, looked at it, removed again to swap out the DRL/turn LEDs, and reassembled. Consider yourself warned, you'll hate the screws that hold the assembly into the bumper by the end of it.

My "trick" for adjusting beam pattern was to mount the lights to the ARB assemblies, and then pop them in the bumper (without putting the screws in, they stay in place pretty well); make whatever aiming adjustments are necessary and then pop them back in and tighten them down. To be extra safe, flick them on one more time before you put the lower wing panels on as a just in case check of aim.

 

@Mallcrl - Awesome thank you sir! You've been a big help not only to me but others here as well.

 

Looking to purchase this bumper soon and just wanted to see if those that own it could answer the following questions. Is it possible to add a winch after the bumper is installed or would the bumper need to be removed first? Saw this was asked earlier in this thread but never saw an answer, can you remove the grill/headlights with the bumper on or would you need to remove the bumper first? Is it possible to just remove the bull bars to do any of the above? Thanks in advance, can’t wait to get this.

 

Having installed my winch backwards initially, I can say for certain that yes, you can remove and install a winch after the bumper is mounted; you pull the lower valence cover piece and have plenty of room.

I cant speak to the other parts of your post,.

 

Great to hear. Thank you.

 

These are the two female connector ends...finally got around to getting pics of them....C19 and my MH clinic have kept me crazy busy...




Ideally, I'd like to have a pigtail adapter that goes betwixt the two without cutting...where can I find this?

Thanks!

 

For those of you with the summit bumper, have you tried fitting diode dynamics lights in place of the standard fogs? Trying to figure out what I need to do after an accident. Ss3 max from the old bumper into it is what I'm trying to do.

 

Scroll up a bit, I used the paranoid fabrication mounts

 

I thought I had read this entire thread three times but missed that. Thanks. Going over it now. I currently have the angled assemblies

 

I think the angled housing would work, but they are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace with the regular round versions

 

I bought a set of the brackets you linked and I'm thinking I'll go with a new pair of the lights with the backlight because the housing got hit pretty hard and I don't really know the extent of the damage. The ss3 in round with the standard generic bracket is what you got to fit, right?

 

Exactly, fits great

 

Thanks! At which piece of the puzzle does the winch go in? Trying to determine if I can do it myself after the bumper goes on or if it has to be part of what happens at the body shop. Planning on cutting the level on my harbor freight apex. From the instructions I see for the tacoma bumper it looks like they have you put it in before mounting the bumper on the vehicle.

 

Winch, at least my Smitybilt XC, can be removed with the bumper installed, and reinstalled. I know this because I installed mine backwards and had to redo it after the bumper was in. Pretty easy to do from the bottom.

 

Sounds difficult. lol

 

You could probably replace the winch without pulling the bumper depending on the size of the motor/housing; but that would be a huge PITA; specifically because of the foot front mounting (there's nothing for it to rest on while bolting it in)

 

Heeeeavyyyy! Just like the 200 plus pounds i have from my ARB on the FJ. Styling wise, gotta be my favorite. I wish they made an aluminum version for vehicles, I’d spring for that in a heartbeat! Looks good!

 

Definitely wasnt fun, and doubly so since it was my own dumbass that got the orientation knackered. Triple so in that I had already clocked the housing, and had to re-clock it after pulling it off.

 

What specific hawse are you guys using? I see the preferred is an "offset" hawse that is extra thick.

I know ARB wants to sell me a hawse mounting kit which spaces a hawse further out from the surface area of the recessed hawse/fairlead "pocket" (so at an angle, the synthetic rope won't get abraided).

https://sleeoffroad.com/products/sof1113/

 

ARB Hawse mounting kit + Standard ComeUp hawse fairlead... I purchased the Factor55 1.5" fairlead and it is entirely too wide for the opening.

That being said, the ARB mounting kit isn't absolutely necessary, but bumping it out further does help in the event of a less-than-straight-line winch pull

 

@Mallcrl Thank you again. I will mark the Factor 55 off my list - much appreciated. I am going to skip the ARB hawse adapter kit and just go with a thicker hawse.

In your opinion, is the 1.5" thick hawse the correct thickness to eliminate the ARB spacer?

 

If I had to guesstimate, the spacer/plate that makes up the ARB kit is probably 1" thick; so if you can fit a 1.5" thick hawse in there, that would work.

I know that with the Ironman bumper (almost a direct knock off of the ARB) on a GX, the same issue of fairlead width comes into play, and I know of at least two people (with those trucks) who took cut down their "thick" fairleads to fit the width constraints

 

@Mallcrl

Were these the Paranoid Fabrication mounts you used to mount the Diode Dynamics SS2s in the stock ARB white/amber turn signal slot? They are the only ones listed under the Tacoma section for ARB stuff...

https://www.paranoidfabrications.co...oducts/arb-turn-signal-light-mounting-bracket

 

Any thoughts from any of you why the installer left out the factory tow / recovery points on my install?

 

Not sure. They shouldn’t have had to be removed or manipulated.
Easy to just bolt back on though?

 

I think so? It looks like the factory skid plate on the pro interfaces there so I'll have to see. In the shop for 35 hours and it still needs winch electrical hooked up, winch reclocked, wiring to bumper turn signals is loose, no fairlead, no recovery points.