Ok, i'm going to lay out my opinion in a new thread so i can save time. :)
I've seen both custom jobs (mine being one of them) and the Mopar kit, so i
guess i've got a bit of insight that might help here.
The Mopar kit has advantages, and disadvantages.
Good points: It's a strong and well-biult arrangement that you probably
won't get any bending or twisting of the frame, or the kit itself. It's
boxed and reinforced quite well, with a good thick gauge square tubing.
Disadvantage that Mike has already pointed out was that it sticks out below
the airdam, and will act as a bit of a plow in deeper mud. When i did my
hook install, i really didn't like that setup or the price, and that's why i
didn't get the kit.
Oh, and Andy (i think??) mentioned that the kit can also act as protection
for your radiator cradle. It can, but i didn't have the kit, and if you ask
anyone that saw me (or Norah who rode with me) going through the pit
sideways, and diagonally, they will tell you that i hit the banks of that
thar pit VERY HARD and my rad was completely untouched by damage. (One of
the few parts of the dak that escaped getting beaten up last year). :D
If you look closely at the pics that Mike posted up of Neil's setup, that is
pretty much how i did mine. You cut up some 3/8" or even 1/2" steel plate
so that they slide into the frame rails behind the bumper. Then you bolt
the hooks to that plate, and the hooks pop through an opening that can be
cut into the lower plastic part of the bumper. Sounds kinda scary? Nah, it
actually looked pretty good and clean IMO, and you can look at Neil's and
see the end result.
I DIDN'T put a cross-member in between the two plates that the hooks were
bolted to, and i should have. Off-roading i gave many an angled yank, and
the hooks stayed right in place. But, when i was getting pulled onto the
flatbed last year, he attached his winch to both hooks, and they both ended
up bending in slightly towards he middle.
With a small piece of 1x1 tubing, that could have been prevented, and tubing
of that size is pretty cheap, you could upgrade to 2x2 tubing, and you could
be guaranteed to prevent any and all "adjustment" of your hooks.
I would definitely still go with a custom job over the Mopar kit, but i
would just watch the guys doing it, and make sure that they used the proper
hardware and braced everything like i have described.
I tried to get the kit at first, and the dealer wanted like $250.00.
I bought the hooks at a hardware store for 10 bucks, paid a guy 50 bucks for
the 2 hours of work, and the steel stock that he had laying around, and 30
more bucks for the beer i drank while i watched and helped with the install,
and then we shared the rest after it was done.
So, i paid $90.00 for a good set of hooks that last me 3 years through some
abuse, and had fun (and got drunk) during the install. :)
The Adam Blaster
Two words, figure it out.....
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Feb 06 2004 - 11:47:00 EST