The 2005 to 2015 second generation Toyota Tacoma trucks are one of our favorite build platforms. With healthy aftermarket support, a dependable powertrain, and roomy double-cab configuration, the Tacoma blends the practical needs with off-road wants nicely. Our 2008 Tacoma has been a fun project for which we have steadily transitioned into a more overland-friendly vehicle. If you’ve followed our previous build articles, you may have noticed the truck’s aftermarket front bumper.
It was one of the items already installed on our Double Cab when we purchased the truck and something we’ve wanted to change for quite some time. So, we finally decided to give our Tacoma a much needed facelift. Since we knew we wanted to go with a Fab Fours Premium Series winch front bumper, we decided to do take a little road trip to the company’s headquarters in Lancaster, South Carolina. We were there primarily to check out the American made bumper company’s over-the-top Chevy Colorado build, but we managed to squeeze in time to install our new bumper as well.
Since our Tacoma was previously equipped with an aftermarket front bumper, there were no factory bits to remove. Obviously, this likely won’t be the norm for most, so Fab Fours provides detailed instructions on how and what to remove. For those of you interested in the real-time progress, we put together the video above. For more insight into the bumper, check out the highlights below.
Fab Fours offers a few different styles of front bumpers for the 2005 to 2015 Toyota Tacoma. We chose the Premium Series as we liked the style of the plate front bumper and the fact that it could accommodate our 9,000-pound winch we already owned. The bumper came fit with a two-stage black powdercoat finish and all necessary hardware.
The only feature you’ll need to assemble on the bumper are Fab Fours' signature injection-molded light housings. This fog and parking light combo is a nice feature for those looking for a little extra night vision. The fog lights even come with a harness and quick adjusters, so you can easily dial in the aftermarket light.
Once you install your winch fairlead, you can secure the winch in place via the four mounting holes on the bottom of the bumper. This bumper is designed to accommodate up to a 10,000-pound winch.
To support the front bumper, two mounting brackets attach to the Tacoma’s stock front frame horns. You’ll use the three 14 mm nuts per-side along with the provided grade 8 lower bolts to loosely set the brackets in place.
Once you have the bumper raised to the vehicle (a few sets of hands will make this easier), you can adjust the bumper until it’s properly centered and gaps are even all around. A total of eight bolts will secure the bumper to mounting brackets.
There are a few variations of the Premium Series front bumper, one being the full-guard option. This tubular guard is comprised of 1¾-inch, 0.120-wall DOM tubing, which is welded to the 3/16-inch steel front bumper. This setup should be more than strong if we happen to go nose first into an obstacle off-road.
The final product is something we are extremely happy with. The plate-style front bumper offers a clean fit-and-finish look to the truck, while retaining clearance we need in front of our 285/75R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers. Of course, we like having a spot for our winch, and the 1-inch D-ring mounts are perfect in case we need a quick pull. We found the provided fog lights to be brighter than the factory ones, but not so blinding that you can’t use them daily. It’s definitely a little heavier than our previous bumper, but that’s the only real negative we can point out. Overall, we’re stoked on the new look of the truck and look forward to using the pickup on more adventures soon.
