FRONT ARMOR UPGRADE

Goodbye, Flimsy Plastic —Hello, Front Winch!

- WORDS & PHOTOS BY DEVAN ENCE

As we all know, upgrading the front bumper on these newer rigs is a must. Getting rid of the flimsy plastic front bumper on the TREAD Edition Tacoma and upgrading it with Body Armor 4X4's HiLine front winch bumper and high clearance wings seemed like the right choice. The install was straightforward. The only part that was a little stressful was cutting the front plastics for the high clearance wings (a week before SEMA). It turned out to not be a big deal after all (I was just overthinking it). With a little help from my buddy Jason Sorenson from Straight Auto Restoration, we had it knocked out in no time. This upgrade really changed the look of the truck and added some great functionality.

1. 2024 Toyota Tacoma factory front.

2. We removed the top rubber cover held by push locks and then removed the bolts across the top.

3. Next, we removed the bolts on the underside of the bumper.

4. We removed the bolts holding the fender liner in place. There are two hidden bolts behind the lower front fender flare that needed to be removed. Be careful not to pry too hard in the beginning or you may crack this piece.

5. After disconnecting the wiring harness, we removed the front bumper. Next, we removed the louvers and any wiring that we didn't want to cut.