604Bronco’s Build Journal

[CarbonSteel]

Thanks for the tag, man! Glad you're still enjoying your setup!



No need to reach out to Baja Designs directly, happy to help.

Two options:
1. We can custom order a kit for you with XL-R bezels instead of the standard XL bezels for the round look - but note, this will incur a lead time.
2. We can offer the XL-R bezels as a separate line item for purchase and you can replace the stock bezels that come with the lights.

Happy to help if you'd like more info!

Sent you a PM.

Thanks @604Bronco for the help and allowing me to step into your build thread!

Sponsored

 

[Baja Designs]

I had BD on my Wrangler and even though they were the Sport models (XL on the cowl and standard on the light bar), these things would light up the night and made driving the backroads so much safer.

I cannot imagine how bright 6 of the XL models must be. Thanks for the information. I am reaching out to BD directly to ask them.

Hey @CarbonSteel,

Thanks for reaching out! While we are communicating already, I did want to express that it's possible to do this directly through us. We are an authorized vendor and can help or assist in anything you may need. Hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

 

[604Bronco]

Rockworkx Hardtop Quick Removal Thumb Bolts (From Rockworkx):

Well, I just installed the @Rockworkx thumb bolts on my @Turn Offroad hard top, and I have to say, this is a great pairing!

These thumb bolts are amazing quality. They look awesome, and they feel great and very well made! They install in seconds, and I love the fact they have a wider base vs. the OEM (including MIC top) hard top bolts. It gives me a sense of better pressure distribution in holding the hard top down vs. having it all on a single small point (even with a washer) - Albeit, this might just be in my head. Plus you have the added benefit of having some extra tie down anchors. Plus since I'm OCD and have them lined up all facing one direction, I can tell at quick glance if any are coming loose and require re-tightening (although I don't suspect this will be an issue).

One thing to note: If you have the Turn Off Road hard top, you only need 6 bolts vs. the standard 8 bolts the MIC top uses. The solution is to buy Rockworkx Jeep pack of thumb bolts, as they come in a 6 pack and are the exact same size. Saves you a few bucks and you won't end up with 2 extra thumb bolts.

Here's some pictures of them, as well as compared to the regular bolts:

 

[CarbonSteel]

Rockworkx Hardtop Quick Removal Thumb Bolts (From Rockworkx):

Well, I just installed the @Rockworkx thumb bolts on my @Turn Offroad hard top, and I have to say, this is a great pairing!

These thumb bolts are amazing quality. They look awesome, and they feel great and very well made! They install in seconds, and I love the fact they have a wider base vs. the OEM (including MIC top) hard top bolts. It gives me a sense of better pressure distribution in holding the hard top down vs. having it all on a single small point (even with a washer) - Albeit, this might just be in my head. Plus you have the added benefit of having some extra tie down anchors. Plus since I'm OCD and have them lined up all facing one direction, I can tell at quick glance if any are coming loose and require re-tightening (although I don't suspect this will be an issue).

One thing to note: If you have the Turn Off Road hard top, you only need 6 bolts vs. the standard 8 bolts the MIC top uses. The solution is to buy Rockworkx Jeep pack of thumb bolts, as they come in a 6 pack and are the exact same size. Saves you a few bucks and you won't end up with 2 extra thumb bolts.

Here's some pictures of them, as well as compared to the regular bolts:

Just installed mine. They are beefy and make great tie-down points.

 

[604Bronco]

Heavy Duty Tire Carrier Tailgate Reinforcement Bracket (From Turn Off Road) & Tailgate Rotopax Mount (From Turn Off Road):

Today my tailgate reinforcement bracket and Rotopax mount arrived from @Turn Offroad, so I thought I'd share some pictures and early feedback.

I had a local shop install the reinforcement bracket for me, and they commented on what a high quality product this is. They install tons of similar brackets on Jeeps, and they were quite impressed with the build quality. They are also new to carrying TOR products, and commented how well the items arrived, the high quality, and the great customer service by the guys at TOR. The guys were also in awe of my TOR hard top, and again they commented on the high quality. Nothing we didn't already know!

Anyways, the bracket itself took about 3-4 hours to install. Now I have integrated Baja Designs lights behind my spare tire, so this added a little bit of added complexity. Although the installation video is pretty good, there are some steps missing (i.e. - How to remove the OEM spare tire mount) and some aspects of the install went by very quickly, where a bit more detail would have been helpful.

My tailgate needed quite a bit of alignment afterwards, however it wasn't greatly aligned from the factory. It is much better now, and was worth the extra time and effort. The instructions on the alignment part is quite good in the installation video, and gives lots of different items to look into/adjust.

The tailgate feel much more stiffer now, and feels better that the spare tire is off the door itself. I installed the Rotopax mount myself, and it was very easy - Just two bolts and it's done. One thing to note: It comes with an adhesive backed neoprene-type foam, which almost looks like it's part of the packaging. Do not throw this out! You need to apply this to where the mount attaches to the reinforcement bracket, so it doesn't rattle or scratch either one. There is no install video for this, however it's self explanatory without any instructions needed.

Driving around today, with the music off, I can tell some of the weird noises coming from the tailgate have stopped or significantly improved with this bracket installed. Early days of having it installed, but super happy with the look, functionality, and quality.

Here's some pictures of the final product - Just need to get a Rotopax mount and gas can!

@Turn Offroad - Can you comment on the first picture below? I have highlighted the "bump stops" for the 3rd brake light. Are they now supposed to be this high up, when they used to rest on the tailgate door before? The spare tire seems to be in the right position, so I'm thinking it's fine, but wanted to double check.

Any questions, please let me know.

 

[j_marinelli]

Heavy Duty Tire Carrier Tailgate Reinforcement Bracket (From Turn Off Road) & Tailgate Rotopax Mount (From Turn Off Road):

Today my tailgate reinforcement bracket and Rotopax mount arrived from @Turn Offroad, so I thought I'd share some pictures and early feedback.

I had a local shop install the reinforcement bracket for me, and they commented on what a high quality product this is. They install tons of similar brackets on Jeeps, and they were quite impressed with the build quality. They are also new to carrying TOR products, and commented how well the items arrived, the high quality, and the great customer service by the guys at TOR. The guys were also in awe of my TOR hard top, and again they commented on the high quality. Nothing we didn't already know!

Anyways, the bracket itself took about 3-4 hours to install. Now I have integrated Baja Designs lights behind my spare tire, so this added a little bit of added complexity. Although the installation video is pretty good, there are some steps missing (i.e. - How to remove the OEM spare tire mount) and some aspects of the install went by very quickly, where a bit more detail would have been helpful.

My tailgate needed quite a bit of alignment afterwards, however it wasn't greatly aligned from the factory. It is much better now, and was worth the extra time and effort. The instructions on the alignment part is quite good in the installation video, and gives lots of different items to look into/adjust.

The tailgate feel much more stiffer now, and feels better that the spare tire is off the door itself. I installed the Rotopax mount myself, and it was very easy - Just two bolts and it's done. One thing to note: It comes with an adhesive backed neoprene-type foam, which almost looks like it's part of the packaging. Do not throw this out! You need to apply this to where the mount attaches to the reinforcement bracket, so it doesn't rattle or scratch either one. There is no install video for this, however it's self explanatory without any instructions needed.

Driving around today, with the music off, I can tell some of the weird noises coming from the tailgate have stopped or significantly improved with this bracket installed. Early days of having it installed, but super happy with the look, functionality, and quality.

Here's some pictures of the final product - Just need to get a Rotopax mount and gas can!

@Turn Offroad - Can you comment on the first picture below? I have highlighted the "bump stops" for the 3rd brake light. Are they now supposed to be this high up, when they used to rest on the tailgate door before? The spare tire seems to be in the right position, so I'm thinking it's fine, but wanted to double check.

Any questions, please let me know.

Looks beefy!

 

[talbot]

Love it, be installing the same setup in a couple of months

 

[604Bronco]

Love it, be installing the same setup in a couple of months

You'll have "no regrats!"

 

[talbot]

so from this picture is it safe to say if you had the rotopax on the mount you would be hitting your tail light when fully opened?

 

[604Bronco]

so from this picture is it safe to say if you had the rotopax on the mount you would be hitting your tail light when fully opened?

Yeah, when I have it on there it will hit the tail light when opened at the full amount. That being said, it's rare I open the tailgate past 90 degrees anyways, and it'll be even more rare when I have a Rotopax mounted on it.

 

[Razorback]

@604Bronco TOR can certainly chime in, but my thinking is the bump stops on the rear of the third light are probably unnecessary now that the tailgate isn't bearing any weight from the spare.

 

[604Bronco]

@604Bronco TOR can certainly chime in, but my thinking is the bump stops on the rear of the third light are probably unnecessary now that the tailgate isn't bearing any weight from the spare.

That‘s what I figured, but just wanted to ensure it was mounted correctly is all.

 

[Turn Offroad]

Heavy Duty Tire Carrier Tailgate Reinforcement Bracket (From Turn Off Road) & Tailgate Rotopax Mount (From Turn Off Road):

Today my tailgate reinforcement bracket and Rotopax mount arrived from @Turn Offroad, so I thought I'd share some pictures and early feedback.

I had a local shop install the reinforcement bracket for me, and they commented on what a high quality product this is. They install tons of similar brackets on Jeeps, and they were quite impressed with the build quality. They are also new to carrying TOR products, and commented how well the items arrived, the high quality, and the great customer service by the guys at TOR. The guys were also in awe of my TOR hard top, and again they commented on the high quality. Nothing we didn't already know!

Anyways, the bracket itself took about 3-4 hours to install. Now I have integrated Baja Designs lights behind my spare tire, so this added a little bit of added complexity. Although the installation video is pretty good, there are some steps missing (i.e. - How to remove the OEM spare tire mount) and some aspects of the install went by very quickly, where a bit more detail would have been helpful.

My tailgate needed quite a bit of alignment afterwards, however it wasn't greatly aligned from the factory. It is much better now, and was worth the extra time and effort. The instructions on the alignment part is quite good in the installation video, and gives lots of different items to look into/adjust.

The tailgate feel much more stiffer now, and feels better that the spare tire is off the door itself. I installed the Rotopax mount myself, and it was very easy - Just two bolts and it's done. One thing to note: It comes with an adhesive backed neoprene-type foam, which almost looks like it's part of the packaging. Do not throw this out! You need to apply this to where the mount attaches to the reinforcement bracket, so it doesn't rattle or scratch either one. There is no install video for this, however it's self explanatory without any instructions needed.

Driving around today, with the music off, I can tell some of the weird noises coming from the tailgate have stopped or significantly improved with this bracket installed. Early days of having it installed, but super happy with the look, functionality, and quality.

Here's some pictures of the final product - Just need to get a Rotopax mount and gas can!

@Turn Offroad - Can you comment on the first picture below? I have highlighted the "bump stops" for the 3rd brake light. Are they now supposed to be this high up, when they used to rest on the tailgate door before? The spare tire seems to be in the right position, so I'm thinking it's fine, but wanted to double check.

Any questions, please let me know.

Thanks for the write up! As mentioned above those bumpstops are no longer necessary with our tire carrier. They can be removed if you prefer to do so!

 

[604Bronco]

If anyone is on the fence about buying this (or any) tailgate reinforcement bracket: I noticed today on my old OEM hinges that one of them has a crack in it.

It's definitely not just dirt, but I'm not sure if it's just the paint cracking, or if it's the start of something worse. There's no visible cracks showing on the side, but that doesn't mean anything. Regardless - I'm glad I swapped it out when I did! And I'm "just" running the OEM Sasquatch tires/wheels.

 

[Mad Max]

I'm in the process of installing the Turn Offroad tailgate reinforcement. Beware of the nuts that are inside the tailgate for the hinge bolts. They are not welded on--they're hanging on a bracket that moves around, I guess to give it some play for alignment. The instructions say to install the bolts with the tailgate in place (vertical), but gravity pulled the bracket down on mine and I only had about half of the nut showing. I've read stories of the bracket being dislodged and falling off inside the gate. So I installed the whole thing with the tailgate flat on the floor. Now I have a 90lb beast on my garage floor. Help coming this weekend. More to follow. No way this is the one hour project they describe.

Sponsored