4th Gen Armor Thread 2.0

So you basically just tapped it out to next size bolt? I was thinking about doing this but I was worried about breaking the welds on the sqaure weld nuts.

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With the Time-serts, you are actually drilling the hole out larger and the insert brings it back down to whatever size you want. If you want to stick with the M8 size, just get the appropriate Time-sert kit for that.

I've got one hole that is still fubar because I ended up going too big even for the M10 time-sert. The weld nut inside still hasn't broken the weld. You'll be fine.
 
Thanks and I haven't been building much lately. Think that bumper was the last thing I'd did other than some rock sliders.
 
Also one of the few rigs running Taco wheels....


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good call and ironic becuase i had been doing research into 16s myself... i have the brakes theyd fit and id like to run 16s but i dont want to run spacers (i have on a sports car before, H&R) and those taco wheels arent lower than 15mm offset and are 7" wide. otherwise i like idea of AR Outlaw II in 16" will prob end up keeping my FJ wheels for the offset and considering they told me one was a ngithmare or unbalanceable - she tracks smooth as silk...

a cool set of 16s is the TRD beadlocks, i keep an eye out for them, might be wide/decent offset. i dont want to change my upper control arms, run spacers, or rub and i dont with my FJ setup and tall/skinnys...drives too good to get away from that/offroad as well.
 
good call and ironic becuase i had been doing research into 16s myself... i have the brakes theyd fit and id like to run 16s but i dont want to run spacers (i have on a sports car before, H&R) and those taco wheels arent lower than 15mm offset and are 7" wide. otherwise i like idea of AR Outlaw II in 16" will prob end up keeping my FJ wheels for the offset and considering they told me one was a ngithmare or unbalanceable - she tracks smooth as silk...



a cool set of 16s is the TRD beadlocks, i keep an eye out for them, might be wide/decent offset. i dont want to change my upper control arms, run spacers, or rub and i dont with my FJ setup and tall/skinnys...drives too good to get away from that/offroad as well.



There is definitely some challenges running 16’s. I ended up just going 17’s for my second set is wheels because I already knew they fit. Didn’t want to take chances.


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So I have a question for everyone. I've knocked out just about all of the weld nuts in place for the skid plates or destroyed the threads in them. Already pulled the trans cross member and drilled it out and welded bigger nuts in place but now the threads holding the back of the front skid plate on are all ****ed up. So has anyone had to correct this issue and what did you do for the back bolts on the front skid plate that I cant get to?

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Wouldn't some nutserts work here, found in most hardware stores? Simply use a punch to knock in (not out!) The captive nuts then install nutserts. You may not be able to find metric nutserts at the local stores though.

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Wouldn't some nutserts work here, found in most hardware stores? Simply use a punch to knock in (not out!) The captive nuts then install nutserts. You may not be able to find metric nutserts at the local stores though.

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Mine are wearing out more and more every time I take the skid plate off...I need a solution as well.

Also, damn that Lil B's is kinda hot. I was originally thinking Demello but damn.
 
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Just got the pictures from LFD on Friday that my bumper got back from powder coat:

LFD Off Road - Hybrid Bumper 2006-2009 Powder Coated Black

My 4th gen will have the first 06-09 hybrid bumper, can't wait to get this thing!! Looking to pair it with the Smittybilt X2O 12K GEN2 Comp Series 12000lb. Thoughts?

I was shopping for a bumper and looked at these hybrids winch bumper for a while and looked at my actual OEM bumper which is beat up, scratched, and holding by the fear of falling... Then I realized that a full winch bumper will get rid of that plastic junk and add protection to my beloved 4R 2007.

If you plan to go off-road, are you willing to replace the cosmetic part of the OEM bumper if you damage them? The hybrid will save some weight to your rig over a full bumper, no doubts. Also,consider that $800 is getting close to the price of a full bumper... Just saying... Look at the Lil B's Fabrication. Me? I just bought a Demello that I picked up today. It is too heavy for my taste but I will have a better protection than just a partial winch bumper.

Best luck shopping.
 
I was shopping for a bumper and looked at these hybrids winch bumper for a while and looked at my actual OEM bumper which is beat up, scratched, and holding by the fear of falling... Then I realized that a full winch bumper will get rid of that plastic junk and add protection to my beloved 4R 2007.

If you plan to go off-road, are you willing to replace the cosmetic part of the OEM bumper if you damage them? The hybrid will save some weight to your rig over a full bumper, no doubts. Also,consider that $800 is getting close to the price of a full bumper... Just saying... Look at the Lil B's Fabrication. Me? I just bought a Demello that I picked up today. It is too heavy for my taste but I will have a better protection than just a partial winch bumper.

Best luck shopping.



My LFD hybrid came in last night, and it looks flawless. Since I am the first to have the 06-09 from LFD and the guys are great to me, I got it for a steal. Plus, it's practical for me. I have the front bumper cut, which gives me plenty of clearance and my tires do not rub. The hybrid bumper weighs 70lbs, and has easy winch access. So now I don't have 150lbs of additional weight on an already under powered car, that gets 13mpg on the highway. Every single ounce of weight adds up on a 4Runner.

Plus, LFD is a great company making awesome products in NC. They take care of their customers, and I'd rather support them than a larger company who doesn't care about who is on the other end of the invoice just so long the money goes through. The first thing I ever bought from LFD was the front skid, and I was trying to install it at 11pm and he was responding to all my Instagram messages immediately, walking me through step-step.

I looked at the Lil B's, and ALMOST got it. But at the end of the day, powder coated, shipped, light pods, etc. the bumper ends up being closer to $2k. For me and what I do, the deal with LFD was a no brainer.
 
Demello bumper installed today

Well,I did it. I installed my Demello Stealth Series bumper on my rig. Lucky for me, the shop is about 1 hour drive so I picked it up (while maintaining social distancing)

I installed it by myself and it was time consuming but not too complicated. A lot of fit test and messing around but it is done. It is steel and I can feel the extra weight on the nose, but the real test will be on the trails.

I was looking at partial bumper AKA hybrid, but I wanted to get rid of all that plastic OEM stuff. Now, I need to add some lights to it.
 

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My LFD hybrid came in last night, and it looks flawless. Since I am the first to have the 06-09 from LFD and the guys are great to me, I got it for a steal. Plus, it's practical for me. I have the front bumper cut, which gives me plenty of clearance and my tires do not rub. The hybrid bumper weighs 70lbs, and has easy winch access. So now I don't have 150lbs of additional weight on an already under powered car, that gets 13mpg on the highway. Every single ounce of weight adds up on a 4Runner.

Plus, LFD is a great company making awesome products in NC. They take care of their customers, and I'd rather support them than a larger company who doesn't care about who is on the other end of the invoice just so long the money goes through. The first thing I ever bought from LFD was the front skid, and I was trying to install it at 11pm and he was responding to all my Instagram messages immediately, walking me through step-step.

I looked at the Lil B's, and ALMOST got it. But at the end of the day, powder coated, shipped, light pods, etc. the bumper ends up being closer to $2k. For me and what I do, the deal with LFD was a no brainer.

No problems! This is why there are so many options available, to keep everybody happy. I pickup my bumper last week and installed my Demello today but still wonder if the Lil B's would have been a better choice... BTW, the Demello full bumper was about 110 lbs, I installed it by myself.
Show us your rig when you are done!
 
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No problems! This is why there are so many options available, to keep everybody happy. I pickup my bumper last week and installed my Demello today but still wonder if the Lil B's would have been a better choice... BTW, the Demello full bumper was about 110 lbs, I installed it by myself.
Show us your rig when you are done!


Just saw your picture, it looks mean! Did you upgrade your front springs to handle the additional weight?

Here's the hybrid I installed-
uLHceMI.jpg

Once I put a winch in, it will look much more rugged and tough.
 
Looking good! I really dig your hybrid winch bumper, this is the best stealth looking rugged bumper on the market! Good job! I have the Toytec Bilstein 3" lift on the front and, so far, it did not seem to affect the height too much despite the extra weight. Real test will be on the trails.
 
Looking good! I really dig your hybrid winch bumper, this is the best stealth looking rugged bumper on the market! Good job! I have the Toytec Bilstein 3" lift on the front and, so far, it did not seem to affect the height too much despite the extra weight. Real test will be on the trails.

Thanks for the feedback and let us know how the weight is distributed while riding on trails!
 
Anyone know if Rago Fab stopped making their Sliders? Can't find them on their site anymore.

EDIT: Emailed Rago and they said they were still available to order but via email at this time. Hope this helps.
 
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