The Plan
The Victory 4x4 pallet showed up, and our garage instantly looked like a disaster. Everything came really nicely packed and wrapped in foam (I ended up with a mountain of foam bags to get rid of). This episode was all about the front end: the Victory bumper, a WARN winch, and some upgraded fog lights.
The Tacoma had amber fogs and we really liked them, so we swapped the bumper's fog lights for amber Rigid fogs. We also upgraded the winch from the 10,000 lb unit we ran on the Tacoma to a 12,000 lb WARN.
Rachael's was getting thrown in the deep end that day. My plan was mostly to hand her tools and let her figure it out, which turned out to be a great test of everything she'd learned so far.
Removing the Stock Bumper
One nice thing about the Victory bumper was that we didn't have to do any cutting. Only the front section of the stock bumper came off.
We took off the factory grille with a few 10mm bolts and various clips.
We pulled back the front of the fender liners. That gave us access to the fog light wiring harnesses, which needed to be disconnected.
We removed the bumper bolts. Rachael broke each one loose by hand first, then used the impact gun to run them the rest of the way out. It was her first time using an impact, and it went great.
Prepping the Mounts
The bumper's attachment points needed to sit flush with the frame, so Victory included brackets that moved them back about an inch and a half to two inches. We also had to bend the two tubes and make sure nothing was rubbing.
That part took forever. We also installed a small bracket that pushed the transmission cooler back so everything sat flush.
Prepping the Bumper
With the mounts ready, we loaded up the bumper on the garage floor: the Rigid amber fogs went in, and so did the winch (more on that below).
Hanging the Bumper
This was a two-person job. We lifted it together, lined it up on the mounts, and then Rachael held a nut and threaded it onto whichever stud she could reach while I held the bumper.
We tried to hang it twice and both times the skid plate got in the way. So we took the skid plate off (less work for later anyway), and the third time it went right on. The bumper was on!
Removing the Side Steps
After a break, Rachael pulled the side steps off on her own to make room for the Victory sliders. For us short folks, the side steps were really helpful for getting into a tall truck, so it was a bittersweet goodbye. She got every bolt out herself, which she was really proud of.
The WARN Winch
Why the Platinum
What I loved about the WARN Zeon 12-S Platinum was that it was completely wireless. When I got out of the truck and decided I needed to winch, I could use the remote to disengage the clutch, walk the line out, and as soon as I started winching in or out with the remote, it re-engaged the clutch on its own. No crawling around in the mud to flip a clutch lever.
Relocating the Control Box
The catch was that the winch wouldn't fit in the Victory bumper with its control box mounted on top, so the control box had to be relocated. WARN makes a relocation kit for this, and their YouTube channel has really good videos walking through the conversion. The kit was pretty comprehensive, and it was honestly super easy. I took care of this the night before we actually installed the winch into the bumper. Rachael attached the cables from the relocation kit to the winch and put on the cover plate, which was the last step.
Figuring out where to put the control box was the harder part. We had to get a little creative. I took the control box apart, rerouted the wires, and then bent some brackets I had lying around into a custom mount. I set a rivnut in the crossmember and bolted it all up. The best part of this location was that I could still reach the switch on the box, which mattered for the clutch and the auxiliary switches.
From there, we routed the power and ground cables up so they came out right at the battery, at the perfect length. Then the moment of truth: we turned it on, held both of the safety buttons on the remote, and... it spun. It was so fun when all the pieces came together.
An Accessory Light on the Winch
There were two connectors on the back of the control box that let you run accessories (lights, etc.) from the winch remote. We planned to hook up a small KC HiLiTES puck light and mount it right underneath, so from the winch remote I could turn on a light to see the spool. That's super important when you're doing recoveries at night.
Installing the Winch Line
We fed the line through the fairlead using the wire WARN supplied in the kit, then down through the hole in the drum.
We set the key. We pulled the loop through the drum and seated the key inside the loop. When the winch gets tension on it, it cinches into a wedge, and that's what holds the line to the drum.
We put a flat link on the end of the line. We didn't use the hook, because a hook isn't a closed system and that makes it dangerous. And like all of our other recovery gear, it was bright orange. Note that you need special c-clamp pliers to remove the c-clamp to install the flat link.
We cleaned up the wiring. Lots and lots of zip ties, making sure nothing was rubbing and everything was tucked out of the way.
We reinstalled the fender liners and the grille.
Spooling the Winch
We wanted to spool the line under tension so it would wrap tight and not bury itself in a recovery. I hand-wrapped the first five or so wraps and we connected the flat link to one of our other cars to add tension. Then Rachael got in the truck, put it in neutral, and held the brake (you don't want the parking brake and the gears carrying the load). I spooled it in with the remote, stopping to check that the line wasn't wrapping over itself.
Rachael's Takeaways
Rachael was proud that she got the side steps off by herself. She also said that walking through our recovery gear while we installed the winch, and then watching us spool the line, was really helpful because she'd never seen it in action. Next up for her was a class with Ted from Overland Experts.
This was a real team effort. We did a good job dividing and conquering.
Tips, Tricks, and Resources
Break bolts loose by hand first, then use the impact to run them out.
Hanging a bumper is a two-person job. Have one person hold, one person thread nuts.
If the bumper won't go on, check the skid plate before you fight it.
Watch WARN's YouTube videos on the control box relocation before you start.
Plan your control box location before the bumper goes on, and keep the switch reachable.
Use a flat link or soft shackle instead of the hook. A hook isn't a closed system.
Spool your winch line under tension: truck in neutral, someone holding the brake, and check the wraps as you go.
Zip tie everything. Nothing should be rubbing.
Parts List:
Front End
Victory 4x4 Strike front bumper (2nd gen Tundra)
Rigid amber fog lights
WARN Zeon 12-S Platinum winch (12,000 lb)
WARN control box relocation kit
Warn Synthetic winch line
Factor 55 Flat link
KC HiLiTES puck light (winch spool light)
Rivnut and brackets (control box mount)
Zip ties
Tools
Socket set and ratchet
Impact gun
Rivnut tool
Trim/clip removal tool
C-clamp pliers
Up Next
We still had a bunch of Victory parts to install: sliders, skid plates, the air compressor mount, and MOLLE panels for the inside of the doors where we planned to put some pouches.
You can watch this whole episode, and the rest of the 10-part series, on the Mountain State Overland YouTube channel. The series is free to watch thanks to OK4WD, with additional support from Bilstein, Toyo Tires, Blue Ridge Overland Gear, GP Factor, and Midland. And if you want to see a build like this out on the trail, come join us on a Mountain State Overland guided trip!