Stringer
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2015
- Posts
- 219
- Reaction score
- 238
- Location
- Stockdale, PA
- Ram Year
- 2014
- Engine
- 5.7 Hemi
Well after searching all over the forum, seeing how it looks, and seeing what other had to do to get theirs mounted - I finally bit the bullet and tackled the job. It really wasn't too hard but like everything I do, it didn't go as smooth as I was hoping. The hardest part was figuring out how the bumper insert comes off.
Materials:
-42" Curved LED Light Bar w/hardware
-Stainless Steel Angle
-1/4" Stainless Steel Washers
-Switch
Tools:
-Flat Screw Driver
-18 Metric Deep Well Socket
-10 Metric Deep Well Socket
-Allen Wrench
-Reciprocating Saw w/Metal Blade
-Drill
-Dremel w/Grinding Wheel
-Tape Measure
-Swear Jar for when you attempt to get the bumper insert off
Note: I purchased two 12" S.S. Angles from Lowes in hopes that I would not need to cut the bracket down - I was wrong. I ended up cutting one bracket in half which worked out nicely. I eventually went back and trimmed about an 1 1/2" off both pieces towards the end to make sure everything fit properly. The reason I went with the angle is purely stability reasons. Originally I had planned on picking up just a normal piece however it just seemed too flimsy for me. I felt much better spending the extra .50 cents for the angle.
Step 1: Removing the bumper insert
With a little trial and error as well as some patience, you will notice see that the insert is held in by multiple clips. I used a flat screw driver to pry the clips off and work my way down the line. The hardest clips to get free are the two bottom ones on each end of the insert.
Step 2: Making the brackets and attaching them
Using a size 18 metric Deep Well Socket, remove the bottom outer nut on the steel plate which I believe is used to bolt tow hooks to. This is what your piece of angle is going to bolt on to. I realized at this point that I wasn't going to need a 12" piece of angle so this is where I took the reciprocating saw to it and cut it in half. I was also required to slightly widen the hole with a drill so that it would slide onto the existing bolt. Once completed, I simply put both pieces of angle onto the bolt and but the nut back on hand tight so that I could still swing the angle where I needed it to go.
Step 3: Attaching the light bar
At this point I attached the supplied feet and hardware to my light bar. Also, I summoned the help of a friend for a brief minute to hold my light bar in the bumper while fished the supplied bolt through the feet and into my bracket. I used a 1/4" S.S. washer on the back where my bracket is just to be safe to ensure that the nut wasn't pulled through when I went to tighten everything down. Once you have both bolts hand tight, measure the gaps on both sides to get the bar centered.
Step 4: Tighten all bolts
First tighten down the size 18 metric nuts to keep the brackets from moving. From there move over to the light bar bolts. My light bar required an Allen head bolt with a size 10 metric nut. I used the supplied Allen Wrench and a deep well socket to get the bar tightened down.
This is as far as I got so far. 1am came around and when you have to be at work at 7am, it makes you quit for the night. So far I am happy with the way it sits. It is almost perfectly flush with how far back it sits in the bumper which I like a lot. I also had to move my license plate since before I had it sitting down lower (you can see the scuff marks where it wore the paint on the bumper). I will be cleaning the scuffs up at the end of this project. Steps to come:
Step 5: Trimming and reattaching the bumper insert
For this task, you will need to utilize a tool that can easily cut through the plastic yet be fairly precise. To do this, I used my Dremel tool with a grinding wheel. Please, while you are doing this, use proper PPE such as safety glasses. I am glad I was due to the amount of hot plastic shaving that were being flung back at me while cutting. First you are going to get a rough measurement of where you need to cut. I went from the bottom of the hole in the bumper and got a rough measurement of 3" to the light bracket. My Original plan was to cut the center out of the entire bumper insert and pop it back into the truck to use as many of the original clips as possible. Unfortunately as I was doing this task, I burnt my Dremel up and was unable to go back and make my cuts cleaner to allow for this:
So to account for this, I decided that I was going to have to cut the insert into two pieces. My only concern was that I may loose a piece in my travels at some point so I still tried to keep it a little long to hit a few extra clips to increase security. So this is what I ended up with:
Next is the installation of the bumper inserts. Due to the added bracket for the light bar, I was unable to put it in from the inside of the bumper. Instead the only option is to push it in through the front. Note, I ended up taking the light bar off of the brackets so that I could get the pieces in. With a little bit of force and will power, I got the light bar back in between the brackets. Let me tell you, it is snug. That thing is not going anywhere:
Step 6: Inserting switch
This step is just what I did for my specific switch and mounting location. How you do this is completely up to you. I had thought about the best location for my switch and I decided I wanted it near my headlight switch but I wanted to drill into a fairly small piece of of the dash in case I needed to replace it sometime down the road. This is when I noticed the square panel between the headlight switch and E-Brake release:
Using a screw driver, pop the panel off - it is held on by four clips. Once removed, I found a red nylon strap behind it. (If anyone knows what this is for, please let me know - I'm curious.)
I decided that I wanted to mount the switch offset to the right instead of the middle in case there I need to mount a second switch for something else in the future. Using a 1/8" drill bit, I started a pilot hole where I wanted the center of the switch to be. I then switched to a 15/16" bit to drill out the diameter for the switch and then simply popped the switch into place:
Maybe one day this coming weekend I can tackle the wiring on this project and put a wrap to it. Once I do so, I'll update this thread with Steps 7 & 8.
Step 7: Wiring
Step 8: Final touches
Materials:
-42" Curved LED Light Bar w/hardware
-Stainless Steel Angle
-1/4" Stainless Steel Washers
-Switch
Tools:
-Flat Screw Driver
-18 Metric Deep Well Socket
-10 Metric Deep Well Socket
-Allen Wrench
-Reciprocating Saw w/Metal Blade
-Drill
-Dremel w/Grinding Wheel
-Tape Measure
-Swear Jar for when you attempt to get the bumper insert off
Note: I purchased two 12" S.S. Angles from Lowes in hopes that I would not need to cut the bracket down - I was wrong. I ended up cutting one bracket in half which worked out nicely. I eventually went back and trimmed about an 1 1/2" off both pieces towards the end to make sure everything fit properly. The reason I went with the angle is purely stability reasons. Originally I had planned on picking up just a normal piece however it just seemed too flimsy for me. I felt much better spending the extra .50 cents for the angle.
Step 1: Removing the bumper insert
With a little trial and error as well as some patience, you will notice see that the insert is held in by multiple clips. I used a flat screw driver to pry the clips off and work my way down the line. The hardest clips to get free are the two bottom ones on each end of the insert.
Step 2: Making the brackets and attaching them
Using a size 18 metric Deep Well Socket, remove the bottom outer nut on the steel plate which I believe is used to bolt tow hooks to. This is what your piece of angle is going to bolt on to. I realized at this point that I wasn't going to need a 12" piece of angle so this is where I took the reciprocating saw to it and cut it in half. I was also required to slightly widen the hole with a drill so that it would slide onto the existing bolt. Once completed, I simply put both pieces of angle onto the bolt and but the nut back on hand tight so that I could still swing the angle where I needed it to go.
Step 3: Attaching the light bar
At this point I attached the supplied feet and hardware to my light bar. Also, I summoned the help of a friend for a brief minute to hold my light bar in the bumper while fished the supplied bolt through the feet and into my bracket. I used a 1/4" S.S. washer on the back where my bracket is just to be safe to ensure that the nut wasn't pulled through when I went to tighten everything down. Once you have both bolts hand tight, measure the gaps on both sides to get the bar centered.
Step 4: Tighten all bolts
First tighten down the size 18 metric nuts to keep the brackets from moving. From there move over to the light bar bolts. My light bar required an Allen head bolt with a size 10 metric nut. I used the supplied Allen Wrench and a deep well socket to get the bar tightened down.
This is as far as I got so far. 1am came around and when you have to be at work at 7am, it makes you quit for the night. So far I am happy with the way it sits. It is almost perfectly flush with how far back it sits in the bumper which I like a lot. I also had to move my license plate since before I had it sitting down lower (you can see the scuff marks where it wore the paint on the bumper). I will be cleaning the scuffs up at the end of this project. Steps to come:
Step 5: Trimming and reattaching the bumper insert
For this task, you will need to utilize a tool that can easily cut through the plastic yet be fairly precise. To do this, I used my Dremel tool with a grinding wheel. Please, while you are doing this, use proper PPE such as safety glasses. I am glad I was due to the amount of hot plastic shaving that were being flung back at me while cutting. First you are going to get a rough measurement of where you need to cut. I went from the bottom of the hole in the bumper and got a rough measurement of 3" to the light bracket. My Original plan was to cut the center out of the entire bumper insert and pop it back into the truck to use as many of the original clips as possible. Unfortunately as I was doing this task, I burnt my Dremel up and was unable to go back and make my cuts cleaner to allow for this:
So to account for this, I decided that I was going to have to cut the insert into two pieces. My only concern was that I may loose a piece in my travels at some point so I still tried to keep it a little long to hit a few extra clips to increase security. So this is what I ended up with:
Next is the installation of the bumper inserts. Due to the added bracket for the light bar, I was unable to put it in from the inside of the bumper. Instead the only option is to push it in through the front. Note, I ended up taking the light bar off of the brackets so that I could get the pieces in. With a little bit of force and will power, I got the light bar back in between the brackets. Let me tell you, it is snug. That thing is not going anywhere:
Step 6: Inserting switch
This step is just what I did for my specific switch and mounting location. How you do this is completely up to you. I had thought about the best location for my switch and I decided I wanted it near my headlight switch but I wanted to drill into a fairly small piece of of the dash in case I needed to replace it sometime down the road. This is when I noticed the square panel between the headlight switch and E-Brake release:
Using a screw driver, pop the panel off - it is held on by four clips. Once removed, I found a red nylon strap behind it. (If anyone knows what this is for, please let me know - I'm curious.)
I decided that I wanted to mount the switch offset to the right instead of the middle in case there I need to mount a second switch for something else in the future. Using a 1/8" drill bit, I started a pilot hole where I wanted the center of the switch to be. I then switched to a 15/16" bit to drill out the diameter for the switch and then simply popped the switch into place:
Maybe one day this coming weekend I can tackle the wiring on this project and put a wrap to it. Once I do so, I'll update this thread with Steps 7 & 8.
Step 7: Wiring
Step 8: Final touches
Last edited:
