Finally got mine installed. I’ll say this; all the complaints about difficulty and frustration with the installation are 100% true. I’m not a mechanic or body guy, but I’m a skilled hobbyist with all the right tools. It didn’t matter.
EVERYTHING about the installation got you into the ballpark, but nothing was exact. The template was applied perfectly (I have OCD, especially when it comes to hacking up my truck), but it didn’t matter. I had to drill out all the holes beyond 16mm to fit and some had to be drilled out into an oblong shape to get the bolts to fit. I also had to widen the main hole to get the main body to fit right. I second guessed myself but when I put the template back on, everything was where it should have been.
I also had an issue with the rivets so I had to tap out larger rivets (3/16” x 1/4”) so my rivet pop gun would apply them correctly. This meant I had to widen the bracket holes as well. Not a huge issue with the right drill and step bit but still a pain. I was going to just apply the 3M tape like others, but the amount of force the snorkel needed to pull close enough to the body to get the upper most bolt by the A-Post seated had me super skeptical about the 3M tape holding properly with extreme hot and cold temps. Plus, after all the frustration with the installation, I wanted it done right. The holes for the snorkel to attach to the A-Post bracket were also off so much swearing went into that too.
All in all, this was my first snorkel installation so I can’t compare it to say, the Safari, but they all get reviews of being difficult and taking well in excess of 3 hours. It can be done with an extreme amount of patience by anyone. I’m just disappointed that nothing lined up properly. For that, I give fit and quality a 6 out of 10. Now that it’s on, I’m happy with the look of it and I’m confident I won’t have issues moving forward. So that’s good. Time will tell.
If you’re questioning the need for a snorkel, I’d confidently recommend one if you actually off road. I don’t go in super deep water or mud by any measure (I’m alone a bit too when I’m out so I’m not going to get myself into bad situations) and I had evidence of water and a lot of dirt in my airbox. So this mod was a no brainer.
Sorry for the long wall of words but it will hopefully help those considering this.
Lots of dirt and water in my wheel well and airbox
Finished product- haven’t seen many on silver or light colored Runners where it really sticks out.
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