Sometimes we want to go ’wheeling so bad with our newly found 4x4s that we forget they might not be ready for the punishment of going off-road. Tackling a difficult trail can be rewarding and a lot of fun, but if your rig just has a lift and bigger tires and is not adequately protected and set up with a good winch, you may end up with permanent damage to the front or rear, rocker panel, or undercarriage.
We want to avoid this scenario with our 2004 Tacoma Double Cab TRD, so we contacted a well-known Toyota 4x4 specialist, All-Pro Off-Road in Hemet, California, to get all the parts we would need to protect it. We also acquired a Smittybilt X20 winch to help recover it when needed.
A stock bumper works fine...
A stock bumper works fine on a stock truck. Once your truck sees trail duty, a burly bumper becomes a smart investment.
All-Pro Off-Road has been building hardcore parts for Toyotas for over 15 years, and knows how to set up trucks, 4Runners, and ’Cruisers for the trail. And since this Tacoma will gradually transform from our daily driver to more of a hardcore rock-crawler, we wanted to protect it from all angles. The rear received an All-Pro wrap-around tube bumper that also allowed for an All-Pro two-inch receiver hitch set up to tow a mid size trailer or motorcycle trailer. Up front is a high clearance All-Pro tube winch bumper with front skidplate, side hoops for corner protection, and a front hoop to hang a few off-road lights. We also opted for the All-Pro fill plates in front and on top of the bumper that not only help with aesthetics, but also keep road debris from chipping the chassis paint. For the rocker panels we went with the All-Pro bolt-on/weld on rock sliders with a kick out at the rear that helps to push your truck away from the rocks in that time of need. We also chose to weld them on in order to be able to use a high lift and just plain abuse them a bit more if the situation arose. On the bottom of the truck we installed the two 3/16-inch-thick steel All-Pro skidplates, which connect to each other to form one long skid. The front skidplate is made to mount to the bottom of the All-Pro front bumper to tie it all together. In addition to protecting the oil pan and transmission, All-Pro also offers a factory TRD rear locker actuator skidplate, and a transfer case skidplate that will work much better than the wimpy stock item, so we opted for both.
After disconnecting the license...
After disconnecting the license plate lamp assemblies and removing the rear bumper, save and reinstall the lamps in the provided openings in the new bumper to stay legal.
After painting or powder coating...
After painting or powder coating the new All-Pro rear bumper and hitch assembly along with the supplied brackets and hardware, mounting it to the factory holes was straightforward and provided a nice fit. All-Pro now offers an updated version of this bumper featuring top plates and dimple die cut-outs on the rear plates.
To make sure we could get...
To make sure we could get the rock sliders tucked up as far as possible for more clearance and a cleaner look, we notched out the bottom seam of the rockers with semi circles to avoid body contact with the sliders when in extreme use. We sent them out to be powder coated, but primer and paint will also do the job.
Once you’ve held up and figured...
Once you’ve held up and figured out exactly where the sliders are to be mounted, you can prep the frame surface and the slider bracket and then tack weld them. Double check your location and then finish welding as shown.
To finish off the install...
To finish off the install we primed and painted all the raw surfaces and sealed up the top and all un-used bolt holes with black RTV, leaving the bottom open for weeping purposes in case any water finds its way in.
The Smittybilt X20 8 Comp-Series...
The Smittybilt X20 8 Comp-Series Winch comes with all the parts and accessories show here, including the aluminum fairlead, synthetic rope, and mounting hardware.
Because the All-Pro bumper...
Because the All-Pro bumper is tucked so close to the radiator support, we realized that the grille would need to be trimmed to clear the control lever, so we opened it up a little more for the solenoid box to sit directly on top of the rope to help keep the sun off and also make the control cable plug easily accessible.
In order to install the All-Pro...
In order to install the All-Pro front bumper, there are two tabs coming off the stock bumper mounts that you will need to cut vertically about a 1/4-inch from the front threaded hole as shown here.
Once the Solenoid box is mounted...
Once the Solenoid box is mounted in position, install and tighten the color coded cables to the appropriate studs, pull the boot covers over to help protect the connections, and then install the ground wire.