Thorparts.com H3 Rear Bumper review and install with pics

[006h3]

Next up was removing the plastic bumper cover that runs across the top of the factory bumper. From under the bumper you can see clips that push into elongated holes in the top of the bumper. I used some needle nose pliers to squeeze the easiest one I could reach, then I found that the clips were not that strong and you could easily pull the cover up and off without too much effort. You can see what one of the clips looks like in the picture below. I do not think any of the clips broke off in the removal process. If I had it to do over again, I would just grab the cover with my fingers and start yanking up on it and forget about even looking at the clips.







There are two 15mm bolts on the bottom corners of the bumper, and four 15mm bolts on the top of the bumper that will need to be removed before you can pull the bumper off.





The bumper will not fall off once the bolts are out but it is pretty easy to pull off and light enough that one person can handle it. Take a quick look to make sure your wiring harnesses are out of the way and are not going to get hung up when you pull the bumper. Here?s what it looks like with the bumper off. I took a wet rag and wiped some of the mud off since the bumper was out of the way. If you ever wanted to add a factory tow bar receiver to your H3, now would be a convenient time to do it. Just make sure you ordered the Thor bumper with the cut outs for the tow package ahead of time!



The instructions say to cut the bracket frame for the trailer hitch socket off and paint the bare surface. The Thorparts bumper with the tow option has accommodation for the socket integrated in (a nice touch) and the old bracket frame will get in the way. I was feeling a little lazy so I decided to see if I could just bend the bracket frame back and out of the way. I used an adjustable crescent wrench to bend mine back at about a 45 degree angle. I then test fitted the bumper. There seemed to be plenty of room between the bumper and the muffler as to not cause any clearance problems. A sawzall or cutting wheel would have made quick work of the bracket frame too, your choice.



I got my new bumper on by myself without too much effort but it would not hurt to have a friend there to help lift it on the back of the vehicle. The bumper is pretty heavy. Make sure the wiring harnesses for the trailer socket and license plate light are hanging down where you can get to them and they are not in a place where they are going to get pinched by the bumper when you put it on.
Here is a picture of the trailer socket frame bent out of the way. You really have to get down on the ground to be able to see it once it?s bent back up in there.




Once the trailer wiring socket was sufficiently out of the way, I checked the six bolt holes to make sure they were aligned. I wedged some pliers between the receiver and the bumper and used it as a lever to get the bolt holes lined up laterally. The holes lined up very easily and were positioned perfectly.



I ordered the optional stainless allen head bolts with my bumper. They look nice but repainting the heads of the old bolts black to match the new bumper would look good as well and save you a few bones. If you purchased the optional stainless bolt kit, use a 6mm allen wrench to put the 6 new bolts in that hold the bumper on, otherwise use a 15mm wrench to re-use the six bolts that held the bumper on from the factory.