Metal-tech Pegasus Stage-5 and Goblin Stage-3 bumper Install

[PhatFJ]

This is information based on this installation and is in no way a factory or manufacturer guide to installing bumpers of any kind. If you use any of the ideas presented here, you are doing so at your own risk!


So, the MetalTech bumper order arrived this last Thursday afternoon. I spent most of the morning taking apart the GX470 in preparation for the bumper install. Key things to consider as I was prepping the 470 were the lighting included with bumpers and the existing backup camera from the 470. The existing front bumper removal is very routine and since I was removing one with a hidden winch, I am not going to go into any detail other than a couple pic's.

notice that the horizontal cross member is removed and there is a support extending from the center of the vertical support that has to be cut off as it interferes with the winch.


Speaking of winch's I have a Warn 9.5Ti and it is too tall if mounted to the winch mounting plate as it comes from the factory. Later on that.


The removal of the rear bumper is also very straight forward but be aware of one very important thing. If you have a 2" receiver bolted to the back of your 470, be very careful when removing the bolts. Soak them with lots of BP parts blaster or some other type of bolt lubricant because if you break these bolts off, you are going to either drill and extract, retap or weld.

Here is a picture of the passenger side interior trim pulled away for access to the plastic and rubber grommets you will need access to for the wiring.

After you remove the rear bumper and 2" receiver you will need to remove all of the plastic bumper skin supports and the plastic cover of the interior air vents.

Here is a picture of the bumpers as they arrived on pallets. Very well wrapped and labeled for protection.

To be continued:

 

[PhatFJ]

You can now set the rear bumper in place and get an idea of how they are going to fit. I went ahead and bolted the 2" receiver bracket on to hold the bumper while I looked things over.

This is what it looks like inside the gate. You will need to cut away part of the bumper skin in order to cover this gap.

This is the bumper skin after I removed the necessary plastic and
re installed back into the tailgate.

Here is a pic of the interior after I reinstalled the plastic pieces.

 

[PhatFJ]

These are the support brackets from the bumper to the frame where you will shim to get the best fit you can. Once satisfied, crank these guys down as well as the receiver bracket. You can now bolt the 2" receiver back into place securing with the factory bolts if they are reusable.

 

[PhatFJ]

Time to mount the swing out. This is basically a serviceable spindle which you will now install the bearings (after you grease them up) do not forget to install the bottom seal in the correct direction. It will then allow you to set the swing out in place and install the top bearing, castle nut, cotter pin and cap. The pin, pin bracket, and shock will go on next. Once this is done you can start installing the tire mount, fuel can holder, Hi Lift and latch.

 

[PhatFJ]

Don't forget the license plate mount on the back of the fuel can bracket. Speaking of the fuel can bracket, these guys are sweet, laser cut aluminum..

Here is a shot of the camera mounted on the receiver mount.

shot of the camera pic.

 

[PhatFJ]

I just cut off the lower old mud flap tabs with some tin snips to clean things up.

I did end up welding the tire bracket in place after positioning it as I did not care for the bolt only solution.

 

[PhatFJ]

Now onto the Goblin (front bumper).

First thing you will do is mount the winch / bumper bracket on the stock bumper mounts and the extensions which drop down from this bracket to the frame (very important to the strength of the assembly.)

Here is where I ran into a bit of a problem, the factory winch mount plate is too hi for my Warn 9.5Ti winch which is 10" tall, which resulted in the bumper not fitting nor the hood being able to close. Being able to cut and weld, I was not too worried about this as I was sure I was not going to go out and buy a new winch.

 

[PhatFJ]

Here is the mounting plate after I cut and re-welded it back into place

 

[PhatFJ]

Another relatively small problem was that the top of the bumper was hitting the headlights and not allowing me to push the bumper back as far as it needed to go. See the pic's below and you can see where I had to clearance the bumper for fit. I did speak with Mark at MetalTech about this and he said that there were a couple of bumpers that got missed and apologized for this.

 

[PhatFJ]

, once I got the pieces welded and clearanced the way I needed them, I could just set the bumper in place and adjust it until I got the reveal I was looking for.

Do this before you mount your wench as you need to drill a 1/2" hole in the mounting plate. This needs to be drilled from the inside of the bumper shell. My cordless drill had just enough room for this. This is necessary to secure the bumper in its final position.

Another tip, mount your lights and accessories while the bumper is off.

 

[PhatFJ]

These shots are full res. so you can zoom up and take a closer look.
This is after I had a chance to wash and touch things up a bit.

Sorry, this one was before bath.

All in all, I am VERY impressed with the quality, weight and finish of this product. Yes, it was a bit more work than I had anticipated but in the end, everything worked out great for me. A few things you will want to check, will your winch fit, do you have the ability to make minor adjustments (grinder) if needed. The true test to weather you like something is whether or not you would do it all over again if given the same conditions and my answer is YES I Would. I think this is the sexiest set of bumpers out there. But Hey, this is only my opinion. I have much more detail and pictures if anyone needs, just let me know..

All the best, Phat

 

[Tapage]

how much they weight .. they looks pretty robust ..

 

[PhatFJ]

how much they weight .. they looks pretty robust ..

That's a great question, MT has worked really hard to keep these light. I did not weigh them but were easy to lift and install by myself. Of course I am not lifting the complete assembly. Give MT a call, they should know..

 

[Dharma Dude]

Those bumpers look really sweet. And thanks for the amazing installation photos and tips. Also great idea to mount the backup camera on the hitch.

I emailed MT awhile back about the weight. They said the front is 100 and the rear is 200 (with swing out). They're also working on a backup camera relocation bracket that puts the camera in the center of the tire mount.

For weight comparison, Chris at Hefty Fabworks said their aluminum burmpers are 52 (front) and 75 (with both swing outs for tire and fuel cans).

 

[thatcabledude]

It looks like secondary taillights are needed.

 

[PhatFJ]

It looks like secondary taillights are needed.

You know, I did not even notice that until you mentioned it. I will see what I need to do. Thanks...

 

[Dharma Dude]

Off-topic but just curious. What tires and wheel offset are you running? And what suspension changes?

 

[PhatFJ]

It looks like secondary taillights are needed.

So, here is a shot from 20' brakes.

And here is 10' running.

If you are closet than that, oh well you know..

I think they will be just fine..

 

[PhatFJ]

Off-topic but just curious. What tires and wheel offset are you running? And what suspension changes?

I can't remember the details on the wheels but I will try and find them and let you know. As far as the lift, it's a ToyTec Boss 2.5- 3" lift with the HD long travel rear springs Total Chaos UCA and HD rear lower control arms.

 

[MoLex]

Here is a picture of the passenger side interior trim pulled away for access to the plastic and rubber grommets you will need access to for the wiring.

View attachment 1439806

Can you tell me which factory wires you tapped in to for the rear lighting and backup camera? Are any instructions included with the bumper relating to the wiring?