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Over the last two weekends I installed the expedition one rear bumper with tire carrier. The end result looks great I think.
I started off thinking the install would be easier than the front bumper. And I think it would have been except the directions aren't very clear. It has directions like "use 1/4 inch hardware to attach sensors to the bumper" which is all fine except that there are different bolt lengths that are 1/4" so which one do you use. Also sometimes it doesn't even specify what to use or if you should use a washer or locknut. I was able to figure it out but I probably wasted half my time having to think through things that could have been just simply stated. The one other issue I had was I am pretty sure they sent the wrong hardware pack. This was remedied by going to ace hardware a couple times.
A couple of notes about the install.
All the sensors work.
The rear key detection is very weak now. basically have to put the key right next to the bumper to sense it and unlock the door. The bumper is 3/16" steel. I was thinking of drilling out a couple of small holes in the area to allow the signal through
If you want to install any after market reverse lights you will need to install some kind of relay. I had the powerfulUK wiring loom that had some led lights in that little pocket under the brake lights. That wiring looked pretty small, so I used it to trigger a relay that would power the lights off my second battery system. Works great
The new bumper doesn't have any provisions for the rear fogs that come on the factory bumper. The Diode Dynamic lights I got have red accent lights that are enabled via a separate wire. So I wired the factory connector to that secondary wire. Finding that factory connector was a royal pain. No markings on it. So I spent some time searching on the internet without much luck then I remembered that ford and land rover used to use some of the same programming tools so maybe they shared some of the same connectors. So I looked for photos of two pin wirings connectors that ford uses and found one that looked correct. $50 latter from china I had the two of male connectors I needed. I know that seems like a lot but I really don't like cutting off factory wiring.
Make sure you measure a million time before drilling into the bumper to mount anything. I drilled two 2 inch holes to high up and my 7-pin and anderson connector extended to far back and hit the towing cross bar so they couldn't be mounted. Had to redrill the holes about 3" lower. Stupid mistake. Was not very happy with myself. To cover up the mistake I just happened to have some black plastic that I trimmed to the shape of that area to cover the holes.
The swing arm is very nice though kind of a pain to install because the directions weren't very clear what to use where. Also the mounting plate that replace the factory tire carrier didn't come with the correct bolts for defender.
you will need a second person to lift the bumper onto the bracket. Same person would be helpful to hold bumper up while tightening the bolts. I had someone help lift it into place and then used a jack and piece of lumber to support the weight at the right angle while I tightened the bolts.
The bolts are pretty hard to get to with any kind of ratchet. I got two of the four on each side tightened to 100ft-lb. The other two are more like 75 as I couldn't get my torque wrench in there with enough bite to go any tighter. I did apply some blue thread lock to all bolts. Directions didn't state anything about how tight they should be. The tow bar is something 100 ft-lb plus another 300 degree turn.
There are two ways to mount the diode dynamic mounting bracket. one way doesn't allow the lights far enough forward and will hit the bumper mounting bracket. Nothing like lifting the bumper on to the car only to have to take it off so you can switch the bracket around.
Highly recommend you move the 7 pin to the bumper instead of underneath where it is currently mounted. First time you pull a trail off-road and go through a dip you are going damage it. To remove the 7 pin you have to remove the plastic mounting plate from the factory mount. Then you need remove two small screws that hold the 4 pin connector down. After that you just push (from the inside of the 7 pin) out the connector. You will get this cylindrical translucent rubber piece with wire sticking out. This piece will fit through the factor mount hole and then you can undo all the clips and wiring harness.
Bumper removed from the Defender. The square sensors by both tires are the rear radar for detecting cross traffic The original bumper with all the sensors attached Bumper with holes drilled into the wrong spot. Didn't realize at the time this picture was taken. Also notice the lights aren't quite flush with the bumper. I was bummed because I thought the bracket wouldn't let them go further forward. Well dummy me didn't think it through, all I had to do was flip the bracket around. Close up of some of the wiring you will have to do. I installed a relay to power the reverse lights. Also don't mount the key sensor as you will have to take it off to tighten the bumper bolts. Wiring on the bumper all done and tucked away. Profile view before the tire carrier was removed. Sits nice and flush Shot showing me fixing my measuring mistake for the two holes. I think it looks pretty good. Doesn't even look like that is a 1mm piece of black plastic behind the license plate.
I can just imagine what it sounded like in your garage when you realized your drilling mistake. I hope there were no women or children within a 1 mile radius.
Here is a link. I dont think that is what I was sent though. What I got was the same dimensions but without the little ears. It did fit into the connector with a click locking it in place.
Expedition One Rear Bumper
