I'd still rather have a chassis mounted recovery point on an SRS style bumper. Maybe a Jate ring or something like this that is one this Land Cruiser:
Or whatever this is on:

 

Thanks for all of the responses. I'll have to see how low the bumper hangs... I would rather have chassis mounted too.

Just got a call and it will be here Monday. Any tips on trimming the grill?

 

Mine was an 03, so I didn't have to trim anything. There was another post recently where someone showed putting the newer bumpers on the older D2, he even showed the connectors you you get to make the fog lights work. Maybe it has some details. I'll see if I can dig it up.

 

I saw a nice write up somewhere recently. It was a blog, I think. . But I haven't found one here yet.

I am most concerned about cutting the grill. Since it is going to be behind a brush guard and there was a crack on one of my cross members (I know that's the wrong word... The plastic on the front of the grill that makes the openings) I did the Saudi grill hack this week. It looks amazing (I can't believe it. I thought I would be buying a new grill the entire time I fiddled with it) and cost me 2.49 cents plus some paint and adhesive glue I already had. While I was doing it I kept eyeballing the bottom of the grill. The plastic is probably brittle. I used a vibrating hand saw for the Saudi grill look that wouldn't be suitable for a long, straight cut. In any case, the blog suggested using a table saw for the bottom of the grill. I am 100 percent sure that my table saw would shatter the grill and probably send shards into my neck and eyes so I am a little worried about that.

As a special bonus, when I had the grill off I put a strap on my bent bumper and pulled the bend back out. It looks a little better pending the Monday arrival of the new bumper.

My fog lights are rectangular, so I will have to do something else for the 03 round openings on the ARB bumper. I know the 03 fog lights will fit but those are dear so I've been googling for a substitute (no success finding out what would work). Maybe it will be more obvious when I have the grill to look at.

I ordered d rings and mounts with backer plates from eBay.

Best,

Charlie V

 

I lied. The post I was talking about what just the fogs:

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...s-66143/page2/

 

Read that. Very helpful regarding the connectors. Coincidentally I read some yesterday on Hawkeye and Lynx programmers and saw your name throughout. I seriously doubt anyone near me has one with the discovery program, but one can wish. The fogs with LED bulbs would make great daytime running lights.

I should be able to use the wires from my existing fogs for new lamps and just turn on with the dash switch, unless the BCU insists on a certain resistance. Hopefully that won't be an issue but if it is, I wi) learn something about resistors I guess.

I'll still have to find lights to fit the ARB holes though; I am hoping that something non Land Rover will work.

 

The Bumper came today and I have already unpacked it. I am going to dust off my photobucket account and put some pictures of the install in case someone want to put the newer bumper on a 99-02.

I cannot find any guidance on cutting the bottom of the grill, but the top surface of the ARB bumper is definitely flat (as on 03-04 bumpers). Due to my stock bumper being mushed, I know the grill will still fit without the hidden part sliding behind the bumper, but cracking it when you close your bumper is a real issue. I think I have a good idea how much I need to take off of the front (basically level with the headlight finishers) and leave the hidden part in place to go behind the ARB bumper.

I'm not explaining very clearly. I will snap some pictures.

I plan to just tape where I want to cut, use a vibrating saw, and sand the result.

Best,

Charlie V

 

The installation was harder than I expected, but it is done except for cutting the grill (only because it is too late to make noise outside). The hardest part was drilling the frame for the pins simply because I didn't have, and couldn't find, any drill bits that were long enough. Other than that, it fits very tight and since it is so large, just nudging it into place was difficult.

This bumper fits my 00 Discovery just fine with the exception of the grill.

I was pleasantly surprised that though it is large, it doesn't seem too big for my use. I'm looking forward to populating all of the spots for lights.

I have a very heavy brush bar on my Excursion, and this one seems more stable and a little lighter. It is bulky, though, and I could not have installed it without my son and a floor jack. I am 5'11" and sit high in my truck, and I can't see the bumper over the hood while driving. That's good and bad because it doesn't obstruct my view, but in parking garage and my cramped driveway the new nose on the disco will take some extra care when parking.

I only vaguely followed the instructions, but everything was pretty obvious. Also, I didn't use most of the small parts that are related to lights that my truck doesn't have.

The "crush cans" that come with it are very thick and sturdy. It would take a real heavy impact to bend them. When I adjusted it, at the end, I jacked up the front of the truck with a floor jack and a couple of boards, and there was absolutely no give. Rock solid. I wouldn't hesitate to use a hilift jack on it if I had to do so.

My stick reviews point is reused. Unless I was pulling or being pulled by someone at a higher elevation, a strap wouldn't touch the bumper. Having jacked from the bumper already I wouldn't be concerned about that anyway.

Thanks again for the answers and encouragement!

 

I should add that I decided against the winch (even though the one I wanted was in stock across town) because I have very little room for my tires (33x11.5 with 2 inch spacers) already and I don't want to swap springs before finishing another project. I have ordered some d rings and I will add them. Adding the winch will only require removing a few bolts anyway.

 

wtf!
where are the pics?