Need OME lift ARB Bumper Install tips and Suggestions

[Desert Cowboy]

Hey all-

My ome lift and ARB Bumper will be coming in next week and I plan to install next weekend. I ordered it from Rocky Road. Any tips of Suggestions would be great.

I have an 04 sport with the x-reas , and a warn 9.5xp sitting in the box, ready to go.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[loner]

In my experience, installing suspension alone is a far easier task than installing the ARB bumper. Maybe it's because I have a lot of past experience with the suspension, but more likely that it's because the ARB involves drilling, painting, splicing wiring, disassembly of the stock bumper, modifying transmission cooler lines, and so on. Plus you'll be installing and wiring a winch.

Best advice I have is to give yourself at least half a day to do the bumper, unless you have a good helper to work on one side while you do the other.

Use a piece of cardboard or blanket on the ground to prevent your ARB from getting scratched up while you're manipulating it on the ground. Same goes for your OEM bumper - I sold mine for $100, after removing the fog lights and selling those seperately for good money too.

Are you going to install fog lights in the bumper?

As for the OMEs, there are several good write-ups on installing those available here and on the toyota120 site. Be careful of brake lines, ABS wires, ball joint boots. Hopefully you bought your OMEs pre-assembled. Otherwise you probably want to get the coils and shocks assembled by a shop rather than using a handheld compressor. Read the write-ups many times and make sure you have all the tools before you try to tackle this project. I highly recommend two pairs of jack stands, with one of which being tall enough to support your truck by the frame several inches above stock height. You also want a ball joint puller that uses the bolt you turn to pop apart the joint - don't use a "pickle fork".

Make sure you know ahead of time where to disconect the X-REAS shocks from the hydraulic system. I did not preserve my X-REAS when I removed it, since one shock was leaking and the rigid hydraulic lines were a bear to remove without bending them. You have the option of leaving the hydraulic system attached to the truck and just removing the shocks, but c'mon, are you really ever going to go back to X-REAS??? Nope.

Now is a good time to install the longer stainless brake lines from Slee OffRoad, since you'll be under there anyway. "Speed Bleeders" are well worth the money any time you have to bleed brakes.

Good luck, have fun, be safe, and let us know if you have any specific questions.

 

[Desert Cowboy]

Work is trying to throw a wrench into my weekend, so I am thinking of having a shop install the lift. Can I remove the X-reas after the lift is installed or should I have them remove it?

Sounds like the bumper is going to be fun!

Thanks

 

[loner]

Work is trying to throw a wrench into my weekend, so I am thinking of having a shop install the lift. Can I remove the X-reas after the lift is installed or should I have them remove it?

Sounds like the bumper is going to be fun!

Thanks

If the shop installs the lift, they'll have to remove the XREAS shocks by disconnecting them from the hydraulic system. You can remove the leftover hydraulic lines later if you want. If you have any interest in keeping an of your XREAS part to sell or whatever, make sure the shop knows where to disconnect them (not at the shock body) and make sure they put some tape over the connectors that will be left on the truck. That'll keep the connectors clean and free of road debris.

The 4th gen ARB is different in install procedure than a 3rd gen, I would guess. I installed an ARB on a 97 Landcruiser and it was extremely easy. Not so easy on the 4th gen 4Runner. You can look over at the fjcruiserforums and there are write-ups on installing the ARB on a FJ Cruiser. This is as close as you're going to get, short of an actual write-up for a 4th gen.

 

[Desert Cowboy]

To be Honest, I haven't really even looked at the X-reas. So if you are not supposed to disconnect them at the shock body then where do you disconnect them at?

Also you said there is painting involved on the bumper install, what kind of painting?

Thanks

 

[loner]

To be Honest, I haven't really even looked at the X-reas. So if you are not supposed to disconnect them at the shock body then where do you disconnect them at?

Also you said there is painting involved on the bumper install, what kind of painting?

Thanks

Follow the hydraulic lines away from the shocks - right about where the line is secured to the frame rail there is a fitting. There is a valve in that fitting that prevents the fluid from leaking out when the fitting is opened. This applies to all 4 shocks.

The ARB instructions direct you to spray paint the recessed area below the front fender and above the bumper. It's optional, in my opinion. Also, you'll probably want to paint the shiny bolts and other hardware black to make them less obvious.

If you do not have the instructions and would like for me to e-mail you a copy, let me know.

 

[Desert Cowboy]

Yeah, if you could email the instructions that would be great. I will send you a pm with my address.

My instructions didn't come out very clear. It looks like someone ran it through a bad copy machine.

Thanks

 

[teampwr2]

I Personally would Plan On A Full Day to do your bumper/ winch and have a Good Helper Cuz Its a heavy Mutha !!!!

Maybe Im Slow But it took Me ALL Day !!

 

[Desert Cowboy]

What winch did you go with? How do you like it?

Bad part is I have to get the lift on first, I'm a little more nervous about the lift than anything. You would think that with arb/ome
and all of their advertising r&d that they would throw a set of
instructions in with the lift.

 

[Desert Cowboy]

New question-

Did you guys cut the oe bumper for that trim piece?

I was hoping to sell the oe bumper, but now maybe I can't

 

[teampwr2]

Yes I cut the Stock Bumper for the trim piece / Ill take a pic and post it.

 

[Desert Cowboy]

I had the shop install the lift. Looks great, rides a little rough yet but haven't got the bumper installed yet.

But I noticed when the front suspension travels all the way out it makes a clunk, and I found that there is about an inch space from the bottom of the bolt and the top of the strut. Is that normal?

Also, the suspension squeaks quite a bit now, will that go away?

 

[loner]

But I noticed when the front suspension travels all the way out it makes a clunk, and I found that there is about an inch space from the bottom of the bolt and the top of the strut. Is that normal?

Also, the suspension squeaks quite a bit now, will that go away?

Not sure what you mean about the bolt. Any chance of posting a photo?

Can't help you with the squeak - never had OME's or a squeak.

I didn't cut my old bumper. I used a piece of plastic from the hardware store (it's like solid gutter trim) instead, painted flat black. You'd never notice.

 

[hoggy]

The squeak may be coming from the sway bar rubbing on the spring platform of the new OME strut. The installer told me mine wasn't touching until I had the wheel alignment done. Check passenger side. Mine rubbed and made a squeaking sound where the sway bar was rubbing as the suspension went up and down. Had the shock turned 180 and that just barely gave enough clearance where it did not rub any more. It's still so close I am thinking of putting in a sway bar relocation kit. Wonder how much pressure is on the sway bar to undo it to put in the relocation kit? You may want to do the same thing.

 

[Desert Cowboy]

I think I figured it out. It looks like the shop didn't take the old bushing off of the front and put on the new set-up. I am going to have them put them on and then see if anything changed.

 

[BADOOGA3000]

what exactly do yall mean by the trim piece? and how much did that bumper run you?

 

[loner]

what exactly do yall mean by the trim piece? and how much did that bumper run you?

The bumper has a large open area right in front of the grille on the 03-05 models. I may be mistaken, but I believe this is to accomodate the 06+ models where the front grille sticks out further. (Even though ARB has 2 different part numbers for the different model years now, I'd be willing to bet the bumper is the same.)

Anyway, the instructions tell you to cut out a piece from your old plastic bumper (thereby ruining it) and install that in the open area.

HTH