Hitch install w/PICS

I picked up a hitch from one of the Hawaii X owners earlier last year. Finally took some time to put it on. Very easy installation, didnt need to remove the bumper to install the frame stiffeners as you can see in the pics.

Had a little help as well, thank goodness for finding a use for those old books from decades ago.





My spare hands...

wow, tried forever to post this in the parts and accessories section but it wouldnt let me do it. Oh well, there ya go

WTF,eh? More pics of the wheels, not the hitch.. :p
IT\'S NOT YOU

For a second there, I was cursing the snailness of my computer.

Some background history, I bought my wheels off Dan about two years ago when I was noobie. Sent my money to a stranger and hoped for the best..im glad i did though!

I thought you had to remove the bumper to install the stiffeners. How'd you do it?

BTW, you have a big black glob of something on your license plate.

In the second pic I posted, you can see that the frame is actually open to all the bolts, which allows you to place the frame stiffener right in there with out the the removal of the bumper. I realized this when i was working on the bumper bolts and saw that the inside of the frame is exposed.

You know I still don't totally understand blocking out your license plate number. People can see it on the road. Regardless I decided to "do as the Romans" and blocked out part of the plate, got too lazy to do the rest.

Blocking your plate is a good idea. I'm an emergency dispatcher and anyone with access to a similar system can run any plate from any locality in North America and get a lot of personal information. We undergo very thorough background checks (they called my former employers, neighbors, and even asked my mom how I got along with my siblings growing up) but there are still those who might misuse information for whatever reason.

Thanks for the info on the stiffeners.

Do you have a pic of the stiffners that you used? they should look something like this
[img]http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/cruiserconnection_1981_3244069[/img]

and bolt through the sides and the bottom of the frame. and thoes you do need to take off the rear bumper to install.

Interesting...The plate on mine only had the bottom portion of the one you pictured, with three bolts on the bottom. Perhaps mine really isn't a frame stiffener

I think that you have just the "washers" for the bolts for the hitch. Were the holes for the bolts square? if so it is a long flat washer to hold the bolt head to keep it from spinning. The stiffeners have bolts on both sides and in the fender well.

Wow another rusting stainless Nismo Exhaust... you must love that as much as I do

I dont think it's rust. Isn't it discoloration from when steel overheats? Doesn't feel like rusting to me. What do other member's stainless systems look like after use?