Mounting an ARB winch bumper...

I found a good deal on an ARB Bull bar, supposedly it is in near new condition with the origional instructions and hardware. It came off of a 96XJ and mine is a 00, I know they are different, will that be a problem and how hard are these things to mount?
TIA,
Matt

its not that hard to mount, just make sure the shims are included with it. there is an aluminum block that needs to be taken out between the steering box and unibody in the front so one of the inserts can go there. the two mounting inserts also need to be ground down a little for it to fit right when installed but i'll assume that was done when it was first mounted. it took me about 30 mins to install it once my bumper was off.. if you are putting a winch in it before you mount it plan on asking a buddy for help.

the 97+ bull bars are simply about three inches longer along the sides (near your flares). its actually better to get the pre-97 bumper for most xj's where any trimming may be involved. i have the 97+, and will have to take the plasma cutter to it to stuff 33x12.5's.

Man, if you don't want it, I have a '96. I am looking for one of those.

I wonder if you need to add some lift to your front springs due to the extra weight of the ARB? There has to be a pretty big weight difference.

Curt

dave said:

its not that hard to mount, just make sure the shims are included with it. there is an aluminum block that needs to be taken out between the steering box and unibody in the front so one of the inserts can go there. the two mounting inserts also need to be ground down a little for it to fit right when installed but i'll assume that was done when it was first mounted. it took me about 30 mins to install it once my bumper was off.. if you are putting a winch in it before you mount it plan on asking a buddy for help.

Click to expand...

No aluminum block on the 97+'s

If you're planning on installing Bushwackers (or not ) get that bumper. It comes out perfect with the Bushwackers. The one that's made for your year of Jeep looks like crap with the extra metal on the sides. And as said before, if your doing any trimming at all you'll want the pre '97 bumper.

As an aside, the 97+ mounting is better (more coverage)...if you already have a 97+ bumper just give it the ol' trimmy trim trim!