{"id":760,"date":"2017-04-23T17:27:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-23T09:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectkeira.com\/home\/?p=760"},"modified":"2019-11-13T18:36:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:36:56","slug":"p-and-p-recovery-mounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/p-and-p-recovery-mounts\/","title":{"rendered":"Recover Me."},"content":{"rendered":"

Installing an aftermarket steel bumper isn\u2019t for me (right now) for a few reasons:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I like the front end of the Frontier, and I\u2019m not too fond of the look of an aftermarket steel front bumper on it; there\u2019s something about how the angular steel bumper lines don\u2019t match with the round fenders that bothers me.<\/li>\n
  2. Since I have the one-piece bumper, an aftermarket steel bumper won\u2019t be a bolt-on affair since I\u2019d have to permanently chop my bumper in half just for the upper trim piece.<\/li>\n
  3. My truck is mainly a daily driver, so carrying around a heavy steel bumper all the time and losing some MPG isn\u2019t practical at the moment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When I read about the P&P Engineering Recovery Points<\/strong> on another thread, and I liked the idea. I used to want the European-sourced matching left side OEM tow hook, but I got a quote from a shop in Great Britain and they wanted $95 shipped – compare that price to the P&P Recovery Points which were $75 for a pair, shipped! I ordered direct from P&P, and I also ordered a pair of inexpensive 3\/4\u201d shackles used for fitment\/testing during installation.<\/p>\n

    The parts arrived at my doorstep in 8 days – not bad. When I opened the box, There were two large chunks of metal and some nice looking hardware. The finished shape is decent; it\u2019s not laser-cut perfect, but for $75 I wasn\u2019t expecting a museum piece either. The included Class 10.9 hardware was a nice touch, the bolts are longer than the OEM tow hook bolts, and obviously they gave 2 pairs of hardware – which is good since there are no OEM bolts on the left side. Since I ordered the raw finish, first thing to do was paint; I went with a layer of metal etching primer followed by a few layers of satin black.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Ordered them raw.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Nice hardware, Class 10.9 included with purchase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    I feel like I\u2019ve painted a lot of things lately.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    While waiting for paint to dry (one of the things I really, really can\u2019t stand) I did some work with the shackles. I didn\u2019t want to drive around making clanking noises over every bump, so I did some tricks I read about online. First, I put one layer of friction tape around the shackle bolts. Second, I trimmed some shackle isolators to get rid of any side-to-side shackle movement.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Doing the “tape trick\u201d to help reduce and noise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    In the process of trimming isolators for a snug fit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Installing the recovery points is pretty straightforward. On the right side, remove two bolts and the OEM tow hook is gone. The next step was simply to bolt the right side recovery point to the chassis using the included hardware.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Installation time, removed the OEM tow hook first.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Right side recovery point installed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The left side wasn\u2019t as simple; unlike the right side, the left side lower valance did not have the cutout for the OEM tow hook. However, the plastic piece had the same cutout shape molded in, so all I needed to do was trim the cutout using my trusty Dremel tool and a cutting wheel.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    There is no hole here, so I have to make one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    My trusty 9 year old Dremel tool has been so useful.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Trim and some sanding to smooth out the opening like it was OEM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Left side recovery point installed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Here\u2019s a couple of photos showing how low the shackles hang compared to the rest of the bumper:<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Right side recovery point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Left side recovery point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Here\u2019s what it looks like looking in from the left side wheel well:<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Easy access to the shackle pin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    And finally, a front view after reinstalling the center valance piece:<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Silver shackles for testing…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Before I did the actual install I was worried that the shackles would hang down too low, but I’m okay with the positioning. However you can see in the photo above that the “gap” in the lower valance for the OEM tow hook is offset and not wide enough in relation to the new shackle positions. I have to trim a little more off the center valance in order to give the shackles more clearance and allow them to rotate all the way forward to at least 90-degree horizontal (in case I actually have to use them for recovery). I\u2019ll probably tackle this after I take delivery of a pair of genuine Crosby shackles<\/strong>.\u00a0Side note: The no-name shackles I used here will stay on the truck during daily driving. I figure if someone shady decides to steal the shackles, they can take the no-name ones, I\u2019ll only install the Crosby shackles when I actually need to use them .<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    …but I prefer red.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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