Installing and Removing the
Factory Brush Bar
(Range Rover II/P38/4.0/4.6 1995-2002)
Introduction
Bumper Removal
Main Mounting Brackets
End Mounting Brackets
More Information
Introduction
It is unfortunate that many official Range Rover accessories come
without good installation instructions. Even more difficult is
installing or removing accessories bought on eBay or
elsewhere which hardly ever come with instructions. One such problem
that I kep getting requests about is the installation and removal
of the factory brush bar. This page attempts to clarify that
operation for other owners.
Adam Moore reports:
"There
is nothing technical about this job, it is just a bit dirty. But, if
you
are at all timid about these things the $240 the dealer charges for the
job may be worth it!"Adam and Craig Meuchel
kindly supplied much of the commentary below, and Craig supplied
the photos illustrating critical points
of the process which can otherwise be confusing.
Removing the Bumper
The factory brush bar is attached to the factory bumper, which is then
attached to the vehicle's frame. In order to
either instal or remove the brushbar it is first necessary to remove
the bumper from the vehicle.
Disconnect
all wires and vent hoses to the two front fog lights. Craig
suggests that instead of pulling them from the fog light body, you
should pull the lines apart about 12 inches from the body of the fog
light.
Adam details the remainder of the bumper removal procedure as
follows: Slowly back off
the
two bolts that secure the bumper below the bumper on the "bumperettes"
on either side of the license plate. I say slowly because the two of
these
hold the bumper up and then it slides towards the back of the car on a
rail, the clips that hold it up on the rail are adjustable and you may
have to loosen them before you can slide it. Make sure that no part of
your body is under the bumper as you remove the bolts, it is heavy!
At this point you need to find an assistant and slide the whole
black
bumper assembly to the front of the car and it will come off, it is
heavy
- (100 lbs or so). You can now access the mounts for the brush bar
(see sections below). Once the bumper is
off you can also remove
the exterior temp sensor by unplugging the multi plug and turning the
sensor 180 degrees. To reinstall, reverse the procedure...........
Main Mounting Brackets
An item of potential confusion its the basic concept of how the
brushbar attaches to the vehicle. At first, Craig could not figure
out how the mounting brackets attached - he thought they somehow
attached to the frame. Not the case as shown in the picture below
-- they simply attach to the bumper, which has to be removed from the
vehicle in order to instal the brush bar.
As the photo shows, the brackets merely join the brush bar to the
factory bumper -- which is mounted to the frame separately. The photo
is taken from behind the (removed) bumper.
To re-mount the combined bumper/brush bar assembly to the frame, you
will need the longer bolts (at least 3" long) supplied in the kit.
The two bolts that hold the bumper also hold the whole
assembly, bumper and brush bar. Craig did not have these
(and they could bnot be purchased separately from Land Rover) so he got
some long bolts from Home Depot. (Note
if you go this route you probably will not get the correct
grade of bolt, which could affect crashworthiness and air bag activation). He
did not torque them to the
recommended torque because he found they seemed be crushing the
unit.
Brush Bar End Brackets
There are a couple of brackets that attach to the outer ends of
the brush bar and keep it from coming in direct contact with the bumper
or the fender paintwork (see photo below). On mine, these
brackets were missing when I got the vehicle -- presumably left off by
the dealer when installing the brush bar. Without them the brush bar
ends were poorly supported and rubed against the body.
The photo above, again taken from behind the bumper/brushbar assembly,
shows how Craig installed the brackets over the molding on the
bumper. "I re-used the molding that I had, but cut it in a few
places to make room for the brackets that hold the brush bar to the
bumper".
As I discovered, and confirmed by Craig who called LR,
the cost of the kit to mount the brush bar is about $180,
and they do not sell the bolts or the end brackets separately. I had to
buy the complete kit just to get the end brackets; Craig only needed
the bolts to hold the bumper on, and was able to get these from a
hardware store. (If you do so, make
sure you get the correct grade of bolt so that crashworthiness and air
bag activation will not be affected). Home
Depot.
More Information
If you have experience or more information on the brush bar instal
procedure, please email me so we cah share it with other readers.
