safari bar installed - Page 2 - Toyota

Nerve · 12-12-2003, 07:33 PM

Very nice!

I've seen a few of the mini-utes with it, but I didn't think it would have looked good on a bigger truck like the runner. But heck, it looks pretty darn good.

Thanks for the pics.

loyd · 12-12-2003, 09:21 PM

no problem...sorry for the poor quality but for some reason i cant post anything bigger than 20 kb

Sac State · 12-16-2003, 11:54 AM

loyd: Thanks for the Westin info. How far down do the mounting brackets stick below the bumper? Do you lose any clearance? In your picture it looks like the mounting brackets are mounted on the rear of the vehicle.

Did you have a local shop paint the bar Toyota Titanium? Or, did you paint it yourself?

Thanks

Iman74 · 12-16-2003, 01:42 PM

Loyd,
RU going to stop there or are you planning to put lights on it?

loyd · 12-16-2003, 02:52 PM

you lose a little bit of clearance but only from the tires to the front of the car....it sits at about the same height as those 2 plastic pieces (corners) at each front tire (dunno what those are for)...if i had to guess id say it drops about 2-4 inches from the front bumper - if you need exact measurements for a specific application let me know ill measure it for you....if not, dont be concerned its only a couple inches.

toyota wanted like 300 bucks to color match it, so i just took it to another body shop and had them match it for 150....it is an exact match, as apparently there is only one color code from toyota for the titanium.

as for the lights, im not sure if i shud put them on...i kinda like the way it is, and i have the option since the brackets are there. momo was nice enough to airbrush in some lights, im not sure if you saw the pic but ill repost it....what do you think?

if you want better pics let me know i think i got this digital camera figured out now...i also have better pics posted in this thread...
03 in snow pics

loyd · 12-16-2003, 04:53 PM

for those of you considering buying the westin bar, i strongly recommend that you go to a hardware store, and buy 2 x 1 and 1/2 plumbing stoppers .(the bar is 2 inch diameter so this size fits snug). place these on the end of the safari bar, and cut a a hole in each one to allow the screw to go through. then attach it to the mounting brackets - otherwise, it will be metal on metal, and the paint may chip making the bar succeptible to rust. i also dumped a quart of oil in the bar, and shook it around in there for a bit to coat the inside - my last brush guard rusted out in 3 years.

Iman74 · 12-16-2003, 06:11 PM

Oh man definetly put those PIAA's on. I would have gone with that if I was willing to spend the money. Instead I went with a cheaper foglight, and going to keep the safari bar black. But yet, wire those babies up and light up the street.

loyd · 12-16-2003, 06:28 PM

ya i may just spend the money and get them...but i would probly paint the light covers to match the paint....you have any pics of your rig?

Iman74 · 12-17-2003, 01:50 PM

Many have asked that question. Well it basically looks exactly like yours without the bar and lights. I yet to get the bar, I have the lights but it makes sense to wait for the bar before installing the lights. Once it's all done I will post away.

Iman74 · 12-28-2003, 05:32 PM

Lloyd, who installed that for you or did you do it yourself? If you did you must have a Impact Wrench powered by an air compressor.

Dude I took to it a wrench, socket wrench, and a crescent wrench and the only effect I had is stripping the bolt (a little). I learned where to stop from previous experience. I had to call my buddy who is a transmission guy to make arrangements with him to get it on a lift and removing the bolts for me. The damn things won't budge.

I am set to meet him this Tuesday: but I see it's an easy install if you can get the bolts removed. Keep in mind these bolts are part of a set of bolts holding up the bumper: I am not surprised they are a pain to remove.

loyd · 12-28-2003, 07:58 PM

iman....ya those bolts were a pain in the a$$....i didnt think id be able to get them off, untill i got a longer ratchet so i could get some leverage on them....first makesure your turning them the right way....i was trying for a bit b4 realising i was going the wrong way....like i said if you have a longer ratchet, youll be able to move them...it took a while too as the more they come off, the less room you have to work with....but it can be done i did it within an hour....if you need more info let me know...good luck!

Iman74 · 01-02-2004, 10:06 PM

It's done, but after all the time I spent planning back in November to now, a lot did not go as planned. Before I post the pics here are the following facts of my plan with the safari bar.

As any of us know, the 4 Runner comes with fog lights, but me I just can't leave it at that, I need to add more. So I spent about a month thinking about lights and how to mount. I finally decided on the safari bar. What I learned about it, as easy as the installation should be, depending on what tools you have and the leverage, and can be a real pain. But once installed it's perfect.

Then came the lights, which my first instinct was to get PIAA (I should have stuck with that decision). I discussed with many people, and got a lot of great help from "Good Times". But not sure if it was Good Times or someone else, but I decided on a name brand fog light I never heard of but liked what I saw and that is "Lightforce". People, what you may not know about these lights, is due to the design and how the Safari bar is positioned, it's a bad mix: really bad mix. Once I bolted one light on, I realized I could not position it up for the angles that the plastic is molded to, and how it's positioned on the Safari bar I just could not do anything with it. Thank god I got the okay to return it and will be doing that this coming Monday. So here I am today with my buddy to help install fog lights that suck for my purposes: so we head to Pepboys to see what they had. On the way I went to the town's local auto parts store and bought a pair of no name brand fog lights for $30 bucks (paid over *$170 for the Lightforce). Well the directions stunk, and the installation was anything but easy: so including the time discussing if I should get new lights, the trip checking them out, purchasing them, coming home for the installation: well we started at 10am and finished at 4pm (give or take a few minutes).

But now I have my safari bar and really cute lights. The only thing is that they are not as bright as I wanted them to be, but since I have all the wiring done, if I ever want to upgrade the installation I know will be a lot easier.

What I learned out of all of this is that the big lights are no always the way to go. A lot of people say it makes the car look like a fly: I know that is true for some vehicles because that is exactly what my CR-V looked like. Anyway, I am happy with the install except, the installation of the button was not a simple pop it in. The damn thing would not fit, so I ended up using my Dremel to shave the sides down, and then using some elbow grease I got the button in. Besides the car being dirty (hey, it gives it character) the final product put's a smile on my face.

So here are the picks I have been asked for many times.

YIPPI!!!

Iman74 · 01-02-2004, 10:11 PM

I think the car looks better at night.

Iman74 · 01-02-2004, 10:13 PM

The license plate looks pretty much centered?

Iman74 · 01-02-2004, 10:15 PM

You would never know by looking at it, that I sanded that hole that the switch is in with a dremel unless you remove the switch.

12-12-2003, 07:33 PM	#16 (permalink)
Nerve Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NYC Posts: 55	Very nice! I've seen a few of the mini-utes with it, but I didn't think it would have looked good on a bigger truck like the runner. But heck, it looks pretty darn good. Thanks for the pics. __________________ 2004 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 Titanium Metallic Nifty Catch-All Premium Floor Mats

12-12-2003, 09:21 PM	#17 (permalink)
loyd Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: C A N A D A Posts: 262	. no problem...sorry for the poor quality but for some reason i cant post anything bigger than 20 kb __________________ 03 4Runner Limited V8 AWD Sport Hood Scoop Hood Protector Yakima Rack System Westin Safari Light Bar - Color Keyed Husky Liners and Cargo Mat DVD Player Iforce Emblem Valor Exhaust Tip OBX Racing Pedals Chrome Grill Inserts Tint Wishlist - BFG A/T KO's 2000 4Runner LIMITED - White Husky Liners Husky Cargo mat Sunroof/Hood Deflector 1997 Harley Davidson FLSTS

12-16-2003, 11:54 AM	#18 (permalink)
Sac State ? Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bushwood C.C. 19th hole Posts: 892	loyd: Thanks for the Westin info. How far down do the mounting brackets stick below the bumper? Do you lose any clearance? In your picture it looks like the mounting brackets are mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Did you have a local shop paint the bar Toyota Titanium? Or, did you paint it yourself? Thanks __________________ '08 FJ Trails Team 6MT Go Hornets!

12-16-2003, 01:42 PM	#19 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	Loyd, RU going to stop there or are you planning to put lights on it? __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

12-16-2003, 02:52 PM	#20 (permalink)
loyd Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: C A N A D A Posts: 262	you lose a little bit of clearance but only from the tires to the front of the car....it sits at about the same height as those 2 plastic pieces (corners) at each front tire (dunno what those are for)...if i had to guess id say it drops about 2-4 inches from the front bumper - if you need exact measurements for a specific application let me know ill measure it for you....if not, dont be concerned its only a couple inches. toyota wanted like 300 bucks to color match it, so i just took it to another body shop and had them match it for 150....it is an exact match, as apparently there is only one color code from toyota for the titanium. as for the lights, im not sure if i shud put them on...i kinda like the way it is, and i have the option since the brackets are there. momo was nice enough to airbrush in some lights, im not sure if you saw the pic but ill repost it....what do you think? if you want better pics let me know i think i got this digital camera figured out now...i also have better pics posted in this thread... 03 in snow pics Attached Images __________________ 03 4Runner Limited V8 AWD Sport Hood Scoop Hood Protector Yakima Rack System Westin Safari Light Bar - Color Keyed Husky Liners and Cargo Mat DVD Player Iforce Emblem Valor Exhaust Tip OBX Racing Pedals Chrome Grill Inserts Tint Wishlist - BFG A/T KO's 2000 4Runner LIMITED - White Husky Liners Husky Cargo mat Sunroof/Hood Deflector 1997 Harley Davidson FLSTS


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12-16-2003, 04:53 PM	#21 (permalink)
loyd Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: C A N A D A Posts: 262	tips for those of you considering buying the westin bar, i strongly recommend that you go to a hardware store, and buy 2 x 1 and 1/2 plumbing stoppers .(the bar is 2 inch diameter so this size fits snug). place these on the end of the safari bar, and cut a a hole in each one to allow the screw to go through. then attach it to the mounting brackets - otherwise, it will be metal on metal, and the paint may chip making the bar succeptible to rust. i also dumped a quart of oil in the bar, and shook it around in there for a bit to coat the inside - my last brush guard rusted out in 3 years. __________________ 03 4Runner Limited V8 AWD Sport Hood Scoop Hood Protector Yakima Rack System Westin Safari Light Bar - Color Keyed Husky Liners and Cargo Mat DVD Player Iforce Emblem Valor Exhaust Tip OBX Racing Pedals Chrome Grill Inserts Tint Wishlist - BFG A/T KO's 2000 4Runner LIMITED - White Husky Liners Husky Cargo mat Sunroof/Hood Deflector 1997 Harley Davidson FLSTS

12-16-2003, 06:11 PM	#22 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	Oh man definetly put those PIAA's on. I would have gone with that if I was willing to spend the money. Instead I went with a cheaper foglight, and going to keep the safari bar black. But yet, wire those babies up and light up the street. __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

12-16-2003, 06:28 PM	#23 (permalink)
loyd Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: C A N A D A Posts: 262	. ya i may just spend the money and get them...but i would probly paint the light covers to match the paint....you have any pics of your rig? __________________ 03 4Runner Limited V8 AWD Sport Hood Scoop Hood Protector Yakima Rack System Westin Safari Light Bar - Color Keyed Husky Liners and Cargo Mat DVD Player Iforce Emblem Valor Exhaust Tip OBX Racing Pedals Chrome Grill Inserts Tint Wishlist - BFG A/T KO's 2000 4Runner LIMITED - White Husky Liners Husky Cargo mat Sunroof/Hood Deflector 1997 Harley Davidson FLSTS

12-17-2003, 01:50 PM	#24 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	Many have asked that question. Well it basically looks exactly like yours without the bar and lights. I yet to get the bar, I have the lights but it makes sense to wait for the bar before installing the lights. Once it's all done I will post away. __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

12-28-2003, 05:32 PM	#25 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	I got the safari bar but I have a problem Lloyd, who installed that for you or did you do it yourself? If you did you must have a Impact Wrench powered by an air compressor. Dude I took to it a wrench, socket wrench, and a crescent wrench and the only effect I had is stripping the bolt (a little). I learned where to stop from previous experience. I had to call my buddy who is a transmission guy to make arrangements with him to get it on a lift and removing the bolts for me. The damn things won't budge. I am set to meet him this Tuesday: but I see it's an easy install if you can get the bolts removed. Keep in mind these bolts are part of a set of bolts holding up the bumper: I am not surprised they are a pain to remove. __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

12-28-2003, 07:58 PM	#26 (permalink)
loyd Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: C A N A D A Posts: 262	. iman....ya those bolts were a pain in the a$$....i didnt think id be able to get them off, untill i got a longer ratchet so i could get some leverage on them....first makesure your turning them the right way....i was trying for a bit b4 realising i was going the wrong way....like i said if you have a longer ratchet, youll be able to move them...it took a while too as the more they come off, the less room you have to work with....but it can be done i did it within an hour....if you need more info let me know...good luck! __________________ 03 4Runner Limited V8 AWD Sport Hood Scoop Hood Protector Yakima Rack System Westin Safari Light Bar - Color Keyed Husky Liners and Cargo Mat DVD Player Iforce Emblem Valor Exhaust Tip OBX Racing Pedals Chrome Grill Inserts Tint Wishlist - BFG A/T KO's 2000 4Runner LIMITED - White Husky Liners Husky Cargo mat Sunroof/Hood Deflector 1997 Harley Davidson FLSTS

01-02-2004, 10:06 PM	#27 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	It's done, but after all the time I spent planning back in November to now, a lot did not go as planned. Before I post the pics here are the following facts of my plan with the safari bar. As any of us know, the 4 Runner comes with fog lights, but me I just can't leave it at that, I need to add more. So I spent about a month thinking about lights and how to mount. I finally decided on the safari bar. What I learned about it, as easy as the installation should be, depending on what tools you have and the leverage, and can be a real pain. But once installed it's perfect. Then came the lights, which my first instinct was to get PIAA (I should have stuck with that decision). I discussed with many people, and got a lot of great help from "Good Times". But not sure if it was Good Times or someone else, but I decided on a name brand fog light I never heard of but liked what I saw and that is "Lightforce". People, what you may not know about these lights, is due to the design and how the Safari bar is positioned, it's a bad mix: really bad mix. Once I bolted one light on, I realized I could not position it up for the angles that the plastic is molded to, and how it's positioned on the Safari bar I just could not do anything with it. Thank god I got the okay to return it and will be doing that this coming Monday. So here I am today with my buddy to help install fog lights that suck for my purposes: so we head to Pepboys to see what they had. On the way I went to the town's local auto parts store and bought a pair of no name brand fog lights for $30 bucks (paid over *$170 for the Lightforce). Well the directions stunk, and the installation was anything but easy: so including the time discussing if I should get new lights, the trip checking them out, purchasing them, coming home for the installation: well we started at 10am and finished at 4pm (give or take a few minutes). But now I have my safari bar and really cute lights. The only thing is that they are not as bright as I wanted them to be, but since I have all the wiring done, if I ever want to upgrade the installation I know will be a lot easier. What I learned out of all of this is that the big lights are no always the way to go. A lot of people say it makes the car look like a fly: I know that is true for some vehicles because that is exactly what my CR-V looked like. Anyway, I am happy with the install except, the installation of the button was not a simple pop it in. The damn thing would not fit, so I ended up using my Dremel to shave the sides down, and then using some elbow grease I got the button in. Besides the car being dirty (hey, it gives it character) the final product put's a smile on my face. So here are the picks I have been asked for many times. YIPPI!!! __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

01-02-2004, 10:11 PM	#28 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	I think the car looks better at night. Attached Images __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

01-02-2004, 10:13 PM	#29 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	The license plate looks pretty much centered? Attached Images __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/

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01-02-2004, 10:15 PM	#30 (permalink)
Iman74 Beretta 92F Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CT Posts: 820	You would never know by looking at it, that I sanded that hole that the switch is in with a dremel unless you remove the switch. Attached Images __________________ Now available a forum for those that have a passion for body weight training http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/