I know there are already a few threads on here showcasing winches utilizing the stock bumper, so this won't be a write up on 'how to'. I'm going to post a few pictures of what the final install looks like and the products and process used to install it. As you can probably tell from the pictures my 80 has seen some better days, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything 
I picked up a basic winch mount plate from Princess Auto up here in Canada, It is 1/4" (6mm) thick which meets the minimum thickness required for the winch. And for $99.99 you really can't go wrong.
I decided to go with the Smittybilt 10,000 lb X20 Comp winch with synthetic rope. We have sold quite a few of these over the years and they have not let anyone down...yet. For the amount of times I am actually going to put myself into a situation where I need to use a winch, and factoring in the price point of the Smittybilt compared to lets say a Warn Zeon, its more of an insurance policy vs something I'm going to use on a weekly basis.
A few additional holes needed to be drilled into the winch plate in order for it to line up with the tow hook mounts in the frame.
Once the plate was mounted, the bumper was tested fitted and then the plate was trimmed as required. Once everything fit the exposed bare metal was coated with NOX-RUST 712 and then some black paint. The factory hooks received a quick refresh as well.
Once the plate was mounted I decided to trim the shape of the hawse out of the bumper rather than mounting it to the bumper itself. Using a 6.5 inch angle grinder with a metal cutting disc, a dremel and some patience I was able to get a pretty tight fit. The hawse itself does not touch the bumper and is secured directly to the winch plate. I used the spacers from a Tacoma diff drop kit to take up the space between the hawse and the winch plate and used 8.8 grade bolts. I am going to finish it off with some acorn nuts rather than the current nuts seen in the picture. The exposed metal on the bumper was covered up with paint and then I used some fender trim to finish off the outside.
To access the clutch all you need to do is remove the plastic trim from the bumper and stick your hand in the hole, there is plenty of room. I'd suggest removing the trim prior to starting the trail for quicker access in case you need to free spool the winch.
All in all it was a good project and I'm happy with the final product. Anyone else out there that is thinking about taking on this project it is well worth it, especially if you're looking to avoid purchasing a new front bumper.
CB
I picked up a basic winch mount plate from Princess Auto up here in Canada, It is 1/4" (6mm) thick which meets the minimum thickness required for the winch. And for $99.99 you really can't go wrong.
I decided to go with the Smittybilt 10,000 lb X20 Comp winch with synthetic rope. We have sold quite a few of these over the years and they have not let anyone down...yet
. For the amount of times I am actually going to put myself into a situation where I need to use a winch, and factoring in the price point of the Smittybilt compared to lets say a Warn Zeon, its more of an insurance policy vs something I'm going to use on a weekly basis.
A few additional holes needed to be drilled into the winch plate in order for it to line up with the tow hook mounts in the frame.
Once the plate was mounted, the bumper was tested fitted and then the plate was trimmed as required. Once everything fit the exposed bare metal was coated with NOX-RUST 712 and then some black paint. The factory hooks received a quick refresh as well.
Once the plate was mounted I decided to trim the shape of the hawse out of the bumper rather than mounting it to the bumper itself. Using a 6.5 inch angle grinder with a metal cutting disc, a dremel and some patience I was able to get a pretty tight fit. The hawse itself does not touch the bumper and is secured directly to the winch plate. I used the spacers from a Tacoma diff drop kit to take up the space between the hawse and the winch plate and used 8.8 grade bolts. I am going to finish it off with some acorn nuts rather than the current nuts seen in the picture. The exposed metal on the bumper was covered up with paint and then I used some fender trim to finish off the outside.
To access the clutch all you need to do is remove the plastic trim from the bumper and stick your hand in the hole, there is plenty of room. I'd suggest removing the trim prior to starting the trail for quicker access in case you need to free spool the winch.
All in all it was a good project and I'm happy with the final product. Anyone else out there that is thinking about taking on this project it is well worth it, especially if you're looking to avoid purchasing a new front bumper.
CB
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