RCI Metalworks Tacoma rear bumper / no-cut version. Bravo to RCI!

I finally had the chance to install my new RCI Metalworks rear bumper on my 2017 Tacoma.



I gotta say, the people at RCI made a beautiful product. Fit and finish is top-notch. Design is clean and beautiful. Bumper is built like a tank. Installation was a breeze. Tim at RCI was a huge help in getting this bumper ordered and shipped up to me in Canuckistan. The bumper arrived well-packaged and communication about shipping dates and tracking was all as it should be. Thanks again Tim.

Things I love about this bumper:

-It follows the body lines perfectly. No other bumper, IMHO matches Toyota’s bedside stamping so exactly or looks more OEM. It’s a fabrication triumph.

-The Toyota license plate lights and trailer hook ups fit without any issues (see notes below regarding trailer plug). The cut-outs were exact. The license lights snap right into the holes.

-The bumper lined up with the factory holes in the frame and used the factory fasteners.

-The welding is clean and the entire main body of the bumper is bent from a single sheet of metal with internal bracing and the license plate area welded on. This bumper is beefy, but not ridiculously heavy. I installed it by myself with a bottle jack.

-The powdercoat arrived flawless. We all know some time must past to judge the finish for peeling or corrosion issues, but outta-the-gate, it looks good.

-The bumper is only 20lbs heavier than stock according to RCI, which seems about right.

Things to know if you get this bumper:

-You will spend more time removing you crap OEM Toyota “decorative bumper simulation” than you will installing this bumper.

-You must discard the small OEM plastic trim pieces that black-out the crack below the tail-lights. This is not obvious at first.

-You may need to slightly trim the stainless steel friction-fit tabs on the trailer hook-up plug as they are not set up for 1/4”plate. To make the plug “snap” into the hole in the new thicker bumper, the little steel teeth need a tiny trim with a dremel.

-My trailer harness wiring was about 1/4” too short to allow the slack I want in a harness connection on the back of the trailer plug. I could have had the wire pulled tight, but that’s not my style (electrician by trade). I am sure all Toyota harnesses are slightly different from the factory. If yours is a tiny bit too short like mine, open the loom and gently pull on each conductor individually then close the loom again. You will get the extra wire you need for a proper connection, without strain.

My only (minor) complaint:

My kit did not come with instructions. The bumper is mostly self-explanatory, but I feel the installation process and a couple tips would be helpful if laid out (mostly regarding steps of the install, what OEM parts to keep and which to discard, and the note about the mod to the trailer plug friction tabs). There was no instructions (that I could find) on the RCI website, and they were closed for the holidays when I called. Oh well.....no biggy.

Some photos:





Look at how perfectly this bumper matches the body lines vvvv:














Now here is a photos of the crap I removed (good riddance!):



https://rcimetalworks.com/product/2016-tacoma-rear-bumper/

One additional note:

The RCI mounting holes allow a small amount of deviation to get the bumper perfectly square with the body, and allow enough of a gap that you won’t crack your taillights if the bumper gets pushed upwards in a hit. I used the outer diameter of a small deep-socket as a spacer (feeler gauge) to adjust the bumper until the gap to the body was even on both sides. It is important, I think, to not mount any bumper too tight to the truck, just in case you hit something hard enough to flex it.

 

Looks like a nice bumper, really does flow perfectly.

 

Does the bumper has a built in 2" reciever hitch? Trying to figure out what the square hole is when the plate is flipped up.

 

Yes. It is a “hidden hitch” under the plate. The trailer chain hook holes are cut out of the bottom of the bumper and the reciever is a standard 2” hole with the pin hole and bracing. You can see it in the photo above where I am lifting up my license plate.

 

I love that bumper. Nice.

 

Holy shit! I checked out their website and it is a built in trailer hitch! Pricey but sweet. Looks really good on your truck. Is it really a 'drop in' installation and as simple as you made it look?

 

Flows quite nicely for sure

 

Nice bumper and writeup!

Ball park duty on this item, if you don't mind me asking?

 

You can sell those bumper caps too, someone always looking to upgrade from chrome.

 

I paid Trudeau about $250 CDN in taxes and duty for the privilege of bringing this into the country.

 

Ha! Mine are both cracked!

 

At least he helped install it, right?

 

Awesome write up, praise, and definitely a GREAT looking bumper. I love the hidden hitch.

You sound very excited to install and share, as would I! Happy new year!

 

It basically is. I added a note above about how RCI gives you some adjustment to level the bumper. As noted, I used a bottle jack to support the bumper (after loose-fitting the bolts), then used the outer diameter of a small socket to set the stand-off exactly on both sides, if that makes sense.

The only other weird thing is there are two full sets of holes in the bumper brackets, but only one lines up. I don’t know what the others are for. Maybe if you remove your tailgate and for ultra high clearance? I don’t know. Use the upper set of holes as pictured for a stock truck:


^^^^EDIT. Forum member @Harry suggested the extra holes are to match a body lift. I would say he is correct.

The main challenge is taking the OEM apart. It a maze of tiny plastic push pins, big bolts, small bolts, clips, straps, and other jazz. If you want to keep your OEM bumper to store or sell, this will take some time. Mine was already trashed, so I wasn’t too careful.

 

Thanks! I am stoked. A good way to start 2019.

 

He did, but first we had to consider whether the old bumper’s feelings would be hurt.

 

This bumper is awesome. The thread is awesome. The OP is an awesome dude for posting this. I nominate the OP for post of the year.

 

I really like your new bumper! It looks nice and clean.

 

I am hopeful this isn’t sarcasm. Lord knows I shitpost enough to deserve some criticism. But, I’ll take you at your word. Thank you.

 

No I'm serious. Well maybe the post of the year crap was sarcasm but I like the bumper. The pictures were great. Might kill two birds with one stone for me. Tougher bumper AND a hitch!