Yes -- the ARB Dek
Agreed. Anything less than the full 15 millimetre gap between bar and body is risky. This gap is visible on my vehicle back at Post #136 in this thread. Both the body and the frame need some room to flex.
A few further pics may be of interest:
View attachment 2769445
Shows the ARB Deluxe bar mounting point on my 2006 LC100 -- it is a design requirement in Australia and some other countries that ALL bullbars sold do not change the deformation characteristics of the vehicle. The Safety Restraint System (SRS) -- meaning airbags etc -- also must deploy in the same way as they would have before the bullbar was fitted. This the purpose of the 'concertina' section of the mounting brackets. Note the length of this mounting bracket from the end of the chassis rail. This is part of the reason for the designed protrusion of the bullbar from the front of the vehicle. The other cause is room for the winch behind the bullbar and in front of the first cross-member of the chassis -- a winch bar exists inside the bar of this vehicle but no winch has been installed. Note also the mounting point with thick rubber bush where the body is attached to the vehicle -- there are 10 of these mounting points around the vehicle. (The yellow recovery point is from RoadSafe, not ARB).
View attachment 2769446
The protrusion of the ARB Deluxe bar is about 9.5 inches in front of the radiator grille.
View attachment 2769447
The naked chassis (picture credit:
@Moridinbg). Note the proximity of the first cross-member to the front end of the chassis rail and also note the 10 mounting points for the body marked with red arrows -- all with rubber bushes added when the body is installed.
The point is that there will be some flex between the body and the chassis and some flex within the chassis. When a bullbar is installed some movement is visible and must be expected. This does not mean that the bar is loose -- although it is wise to re-torque the attaching bolts from time to time.
For these reasons the gap between the bar and the body needs to be maintained to avoid heavy, high stress contact of the bar with the body.