CBI Ditch Light Bracket Help - Toyota 4Runner Forum

rob_dixon · 07-08-2019, 10:11 PM

No instructions cone with these, so i watched a video of someone doing it, but it was an old 3rd gen model. I installed one, (1st bolt, then 2nd bolt) but my hood wont line up. It seems there is a plastic part that gets in the way, can someone confirm if this needs to be cut to install them?

Part of the issue is the ones they sent me look very different than the ones they show on the website, so I have no idea if they sent the correct ones.

Jhalko · 07-08-2019, 10:21 PM

Yes you either need to cut or melt that plastic piece to make them fit. I used a heat gun to melt the plastic then shut the hood, I think I had to do it twice.

There are pictures on this site for a 5th gen somewhere. I don’t think I bothered since it had already been documented.

Edit: found this, compare pictures to make sure you got the right one.
Ditch Light Bracket Comparison

kelkins · 07-08-2019, 11:39 PM

Here’s what I did. 1: close the hood firmly, this will leave a witness mark on the cowling. 2: hit the area with a heat gun, be careful not to go overboard. Seeing a ‘shiny’ look means that you have heated the area enough. 3: slam the hood. You should find that the hood now sits flush. You may have to repeat the process though. Yes the cowling will have a deformed area, but it beats cutting the plastic. This method is also not noticeable when the hood is closed.

Not the most elegant method, but it has worked for me on several vehicles.

rob_dixon · 07-09-2019, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jhalko

Yes you either need to cut or melt that plastic piece to make them fit. I used a heat gun to melt the plastic then shut the hood, I think I had to do it twice.

There are pictures on this site for a 5th gen somewhere. I don’t think I bothered since it had already been documented.

Edit: found this, compare pictures to make sure you got the right one.
Ditch Light Bracket Comparison

Excellent info! Ok, do i need an actual heat gun to melt the plastic or can i use a standard blow dryer? 140 degrees versus 1000! I assume it needs to be very high heat given these things are parked in the sun!

kelkins · 07-09-2019, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob_dixon

Excellent info! Ok, do i need an actual heat gun to melt the plastic or can i use a standard blow dryer? 140 degrees versus 1000! I assume it needs to be very high heat given these things are parked in the sun!

Heat gun.

97BlackAckCL · 07-09-2019, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelkins

Here’s what I did. 1: close the hood firmly, this will leave a witness mark on the cowling. 2: hit the area with a heat gun, be careful not to go overboard. Seeing a ‘shiny’ look means that you have heated the area enough. 3: slam the hood. You should find that the hood now sits flush. You may have to repeat the process though. Yes the cowling will have a deformed area, but it beats cutting the plastic. This method is also not noticeable when the hood is closed.

Not the most elegant method, but it has worked for me on several vehicles.

I had to do this on the passenger side when I had the Rago mounts. Sadly I wish I hadn't because I replaced them with the CaliRaised low profile mounts and no longer have the issue. I did the exact same method though, heated the area and then shut the hood a couple times to crease it

kelkins · 07-09-2019, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97BlackAckCL

I had to do this on the passenger side when I had the Rago mounts. Sadly I wish I hadn't because I replaced them with the CaliRaised low profile mounts and no longer have the issue. I did the exact same method though, heated the area and then shut the hood a couple times to crease it

Same here, just needed the fix on the passenger side. I like the original tall mounts though.

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