1999 Tacoma arb bumper

Is the arb bumper for first gen Tacoma’s worth it or should I just build my own ?

 

That's for you to decide; why ask us?

I found the bumper worth it.

Others won't.

It's like a pair of shoes or something; I personally like my Salomons, Jordans, Vans, etc and you'll have another dude perfectly happy with his New Balance velcro's.

 

New balance 574!

 

@Black DOG Lila

Don't you guys come in squads?

 

I just meant like do they hold up well for the fact that you drop a grand on them

 

It's an ARB, and they've been around for quite some time.

The Aussie's use them.

 

They're well built and a proven design. I got mine on sale from 4 Wheel Parts for under $800/no tax.

 

Depends on how many high speed impacts with items other moving one has every week .

If one did not get the value they would no longer be sold

 

Platoons

 

I will say this: The ARB is the only airbag compliant aftermarket bumper. If you hit a deer, the truck will be fine. If you hit a building, the airbags will deploy. I personally love the look too!

 

A bumper, by ARB.

 

I assume you had to cut those holes for the yellow fogs? I haven't seen an ARB bumpers for 1st gen with options like that. Looks great!

 

I did! Paranoid fab makes the Baja design brackets.

 

ARB stuff is well-built and good value, IMO. I wouldn't dream of trying to fab something with the ARB Gen 1 bullbar available commercially.

I've had one (the same one) on two Gen 1 trucks now for probably a dozen years. It's going strong.

At some point the powder coat might be worth redoing-- it's faded slightly in few places. When I moved it from 2001 to 2003 Tacomas I changed the screws holding the turn signal lenses from plated steel to stainless. That low-down exposure is brutal on zinc plating. After my first ARB bullbar on my XJ Cherokee in the mid 1990s, I've changed all the turn signal connnectors to Weatherpack waterproof -- those open connectors as supplied are another weak point. The Weatherpack conversion (or Deutsch, probably for the next one...) is well worth the effort.

It's a good idea to use a copper antiseize on the fasteners. It'll make it a trival project to get back under there later if you need to change your grille or want to remove the bullbar for some other reason.

There's no winch mounted on my bullbar. A modified plastic license plate mounting plate from the rear of a BMW has been adapted to mount my front license plate where the fairlead would go. I do this on both Generation 1 and 2 trucks and it's a fine solution.

On my Gen 2's ARB (and now on the Gen 1's as well) I've started spraying everything behind with Fluid Film in the fall, and again in the spring. The excellent corrosion protection from Fluid Film will probably mean the bullbars outlast me.