Taresk's really slow build

[gumby90]

Stick it on mate. I personally dont think there that hard to fit as we fitted my buds custom bar by ourselves. Probably took longer getting the factory toyota bar off

[taresk]

Yeah it doesn't look too complicated, apart from having to cut the bumper without a template (because it didn't come with infills for under the lights)

I have been thinking about lopping off the top half and painting the bumper channel like I did on my old Prado, but it's a lot of effort to save a few kilos and look a little different from the norm, not sure I can be bothered, lol.

So if it gets fitted in black powdercoat with uprights intact, you'll all know I just got lazy

[10 luxxxx]

Cut the hoops off mate that way I can see how it looks before I cut mine off

[taresk]

Finally had time today (first time since fitting the 33's) to go out and play with it to see if it needed any more clearance work for the tyres.



I'll have to try this again once the suspension has been redone, but it looks like I got off lightly, the only place I can get it to touch (and it only does it when fully crossed up and pointing downhill so all weight is over the front) is the bottom of the flare.

It misses the inner plastic guard and the end of the step by a bees dick, but it doesn't actually touch, very happy with this, and my wheel alignment is all within spec too

[taresk]

The latest additions to the pile of things I haven't got time to put on the car, lol.

[taresk]

With time and weather on my side for once I made a start on my bullbar.

I'm now enjoying the tedious task of grinding the welds...

[taresk]

Far from perfect, but I'm all outa grinding discs, and I was prepared with ways of hiding such imperfections (given that I had no idea what would be under the tube ends)

[taresk]

Done, finally...

It won't take the win in any show and shine, but it should do the job, and from a distance it looks fantastic, lol.

Now I need time to put it on the other end of the car

[10 luxxxx]

nice work mate cant wait to see it on

[HLUXRY]

Nice bud. What eid the bar set ya back?

[taresk]

Nice bud. What eid the bar set ya back?

I paid $500 for the bar, it's just a generic commercial bar off ebay + $20 in grinder discs and about $40 in paint.

[cuzo4x4]

Good job - busisy long week end for you then fitting it up.

[taresk]

Good job - busisy long week end for you then fitting it up.

I'd like to, but weekends and public holidays have no effect on my work roster, so I have to wait for days off when there's nothing else that needs doing.

[HLUXRY]

Nice mate! Looking really good!
You have a eBay link of the bar? Wouldnt mind having a look.

[taresk]

The guy I bought it off doesn't have any I can link you to atm, but if you just do a search for 'hilux bullbar' it brings up plenty of sellers in the $500-$1000 range in various styles.

It occurred to me that if I just walk to work, I can have a crack at fitting the bar this weekend, so it might be on sooner than expected.

[taresk]

Turns out it's a good thing I don't have a link, the one part I couldn't check at the warehouse when I picked it up (the chassis mounts) were the wrong ones, so I had to put the car back together and contact the seller to sort it out *sigh*

So I can't recommend that particular ebay store, and for the record - this is how far I got...



Well a little further, I also had that bumper support and the two plastic skid plate wings off as well.

[HLUXRY]

Wow so what now? You have to wait for them to send out chassis mounts?
What a disaster! How could they not provide them!?

[taresk]

They provided them, but when I went to fit them I found out they definitely weren't hilux mounts. So they've given me a mounting kit for a different vehicle, not something I could check when I picked it up, because it'd been years since I'd seen one of these hiluxs without its bumper, so couldn't remember what the rail ends looked like.

I'm just glad I didn't make any permanent changes, so it wasn't much of an issue to put the bumper back on, apart from a few broken clips.

[taresk]

Well that was a good lesson in getting what you pay for...

the ebay seller I got the bullbar from ceased selling them due to low volume sales, and cut ties with the supplier, so can't source a mounting kit for me, they did offer a partial refund, which is as much as I'd expect considering I've made extensive modifications to it.

So, my options now are to contact the handfull of other ebay sellers that stock the same bar, to try and purchase a standalone mounting kit...

OR

Buy the same bar all over again, just for the mounts, bringing the total cost to a little over $1k, minus my refund...

OR

get custom mounts made...

OR

Buy and modify a similar design cheap bar from a known brand, ie: Ironman, Roo Systems, etc.

OR

Cut my losses and save my pennies for a quality bar, it is the only big ticket item left in my 'need' list, all the other expensive stuff is in the 'want' list

So I've got some thinking to do.

[HLUXRY]

I bought a bar with no mounting brackets once.
After making a few calls and no one supplying them individually, i took the bar back and got my money back.
Its near impossible to get mounting brackets. ARB wanting i think $800 and something bux for a set. What a joke.