| Author | Message | ||
     Edward Kouwenhoven (Edward99dii) New Member Username: Edward99dii Post Number: 1 Registered: 03-2004 |
Bought a Genuine Land Rover Bush Guard on Ebay for my 99 Discovery II. Does anyone know about the installation of this? Any special hardware needed? Pictures would be great if they are available. | ||
| Christian Kiely (Redrover47) Member Username: Redrover47 Post Number: 100 Registered: 09-2003 |
For what you accomplish by putting one on, it is a PITA. I have never put on a winch bumper, but I imagine it can't be that much more difficult. This is becuase you have to remove the entire front bumper just to attach the two mounting brackets to the crush cans. Then, you put the bumper back on and you can install the brush guard - this is easier said than done b/c it is very difficult to get a tool in where you need to fasten the brush guard to the brackets - this is much easier if the air dam is trimmed, but unfortuantley I did that after I had already installed the brush guard. It's really a two person job, and took me and my friend about 12 hours to do the install and wire my hellas, which included 2 twenty min breaks and a 20 min trip to the hardware store. It aslo helps if you can attach the brush bar to a ceiling overhead (with rope)so you don't have to deal with the weight when you are finally putting it in position. IT also helped alot to drive the front of my truck up onto ramps so the underside was much more easily accessible. Besides from normal hand tools, you we needed an impact wrench to remove the front bumper b/c the bolts were on there pretty tight. Also, an air ratchet helped alot because of the very limited space for turning a regular ratchet. You will also need a round metal file to enlarge the bracket holes on the existing crush cans. Also, it is very difficult to get the bumper to line up properly when you are reattaching it - It took us four tries and it still isn't perfectly straight. Make sure when you are reattaching the crush cans and the new mounting brackets that they are perfectly level, otherwise the bumper will not fit right. One more thing - be careful of the headlamps washer hoses when you are remounting the bumper - do not pinch them with the mounting brackets. Hope this helps although it probably just discourages you CK | ||
| John W (Disco_gold) New Member Username: Disco_gold Post Number: 34 Registered: 09-2003 |
Edward, I found this link to be very helpful for removing and refitting the bumper when I installed my A-bar. There was one screw behind the front license plate bracket that was not mentioned in the article though. It took me about 20 minutes to figure that out. http://www.disco2.com/howto/offroader/removebumper/ If your bar did not come with mounting hardware you can get the mounting kit from your LR dealer. If I recall correctly it was only about $40 (give or take) for the kit. It was two brackets, four nuts, bolts and washers. I found the bolts to be too short so I took them to a hardware store and they provided me with bolts that fit. The A-bar wasn't too hard to install. I installed it myself using all hand tools and it took about 4 hours. I would take CK's advice and get a buddy to help, the full brush bar will probably be a little heavier and clumsier to handle. Good luck. | ||
| Richard Kurk (Rkurk) New Member Username: Rkurk Post Number: 2 Registered: 02-2004 |
Edward, some additional comments on John W. and Christian K's messages. I put the brush guard on my 2002 Disco II in about four hours. Yes, you need to get two friends to help hold it in place while you attach it to the frame-crash cans. You will need to cut a new rectangular hole in the bumper-air dam on the passenger side similar to the existing hole on the drivers side. There is a template that comes with the bar to mark the spot to be cut. If you don't have this or if it is not part of the kit mentioned by John W. let me know at rkurk@cruzio.com. I still may have it and I can send you a copy (its made of heavy paper). My bar has been on for a year, works fine holding the Hella fog lamps. Keep in mind that the bars 'down bars' that sweep down towards the lower part of the air dam will reduce the approach angle and are prone to be banged and scaped. Some people have trimmed these off to reduce this problem. Good luck. RK. | ||
| Christian Kiely (Redrover47) Member Username: Redrover47 Post Number: 101 Registered: 09-2003 |
4 hours? You guys made really good time. We had nothing but problems when we were installing mine, especially because getting at all the nuts and bolts was pretty tedious (to get a socket on the front and an open end on the back) and properly torque all the bolts. Even though we checked the crushcans and brackets for level, the bumper was not sitting correctly at all when we tried to remount it, and we could not replace the 3 screws that attach the bottom plastic piece of the airdam to the tubular crossmember, b/c there was way too much space between the two when we reinstalled. Filing the crush cans also took a while. It would be so much easier if the stock vehicles came with those two brackets. Then the job would take about 1/2 hour. Considering the number of discos, mostly soccer moms, that have the brush guard, it would make alot of sense. Also, considering I don't have a drill press, drilling out the rivet on the tubular crossmember ate up about 20 minutes and two drill bits. Just my $.02 CK | ||
| Richard Kurk (Rkurk) New Member Username: Rkurk Post Number: 3 Registered: 02-2004 |
Edward, The problems Christian encountered are real. I got lucky and avoided most of them, but I can easily see how things can get difficult. A key alignment point is the crash cans to frame. A suggestion, mark the crash cans-to-frame 'setting' before removing them, very carefully and very visibly. I used both a permanent ink marker and a metal 'scribe' (effectively etching the metal) just to be sure that I can reassemble it aligned properly. Even with this it took two tries to get the bumper lined up correctly (here is where you need to have your friends hang around for awhile). Getting the bumper-air dam attached to the tubular cross member can be difficult, there is little room for error. Suggestion, assemble everything as loose as possible (not everything can however), get everything lined up correctly (the bumper-air dam to crossmember hole alignment is a good indicator if things are close) then tighten it all up at the end. Get some LONG handled box and open end wrenches (12 point is best), Christian is right about the tight fit for securing the nuts and bolts on the crash cans. Christian, you are right, having the mounting brackets in place from the factory would be the right thing to do. Edward, by the way, I found the original installation instructions and template should you need them. Don't be afraid, just take your time, mark things well, and make sure you have some help for re-fitting the bumper and the new bar. RK | ||
| Edward (Echo63) New Member Username: Echo63 Post Number: 12 Registered: 02-2004 |
This thread is very interesting. I bought my discoII used with a wrap-around style brush bar already attached. However, I don't believe the previous owner did a good job installing because the brush bar is not square up against the bumper. Rather, it sags at an angle, enough so that the brush bar sags away from the top portion of the headlamps (resembles an old man looking up while wearing a pair of reading glasses). Richard, could you be kind enough to email me a PDF copy of the installation instruction? I'm going to round up a couple of friends to try to reinstall the bars properly, but haven't a clue on how to go about it. The instructions would be great if you can spare the time to scan and email. You could even consider adding it to the tech section so that others that have similar problems could download it. Thanks. Edward | ||
| Richard Kurk (Rkurk) New Member Username: Rkurk Post Number: 4 Registered: 02-2004 |
Edward, I will scan and 'pdf' the instructions later today (Tuesday 3/30) and email them to you this evening or tomorrow AM. The sagging could be as simple as the bar brackets and or the bar itself having loosened and dropped a bit, or the crash cans may be the source (which would require more work to correct). Regardless, if the bar is already on the Rover you are a lot farther towards success. RK. | ||
| Edward Kouwenhoven (Edward99dii) New Member Username: Edward99dii Post Number: 2 Registered: 03-2004 |
Thanks for all your help guys, This is a project that I was preprared to spend a good number of hours on, but I now have a few tips and the official installation guide. I did not get the mounting kit, does any one have a part number? Ed | ||
| Christian Kiely (Redrover47) Member Username: Redrover47 Post Number: 102 Registered: 09-2003 |
Edward, If you have the wrap-around brush guard (I have the A-frame), then the sagging problem is mot likely the result of the mounting bolts neending to be loosened, readjusted, and then tightened, and also the stabilizer brackets. You may or may not have these brackets, but if you don't, you should get them. They attach on the outermost portion of the bar on each side and have a metal piece that wedges between the bumper and the sheetmetal behind the headlight and attaches to a pre-existing bolt holding the bumper in place. If these are attached properly, it shouldn't sag, although I have yet to see a disco where the brush bar looks prefectly square in relation to the headlights, which is why I went with the a-bar. As Richard said, it also may be the crushcans and mounting brackets are misaligned, which would also cause the whole bumper to sag and be misaligned. THis would require removal of the bar and the bumper to fix, and would be much more time intensive. | ||
| John W (Disco_gold) New Member Username: Disco_gold Post Number: 36 Registered: 09-2003 |
Christian, I don't remember which piece was which but the part numbers from my receipt are: 1 STC50190 14.00 1 STC50192 43.00 Hope it helps. |
