se a small ratchet and Torx T20 bit.
3. Remove 4 Torx T25 screws underneath the rear bumper. I found it easier to use a
small flathead screwdriver for all T25 screws in this project.



4. Using a small flathead screwdriver, pop out the 2 screw covers on the inside edge
of each taillight housing.

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5. Remove the 2 T25 screws under the screw covers on each taillight.



6. Wiggle the taillights out as much as possible using the inside edge mounting
bracket. Get the tips of your fingers in the seams above and below the taillight
housing and pull straight backwards, popping the outside edge of the taillights out
of their ball mounts.



7. Use a small flathead screwdriver to pry the wiring harness off each taillight. Set
the taillights aside. ©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
8. Remove 2 T25 screws in each vacant taillight area.



9. Carefully remove the rear bumper by pulling rearward from each wheel well area
and supporting the bottom of the bumper as you pull.



10. Set the bumper aside. ©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
11. Remove small Styrofoam supports to the left and right of the exposed steel cross
member by pulling them straight rearward.



12. Using a 3/4 socket, remove the 8 bolts holding the cross member to the frame.

©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
13. Remove the cross member and set it aside.



14. Using a long flat screwdriver, pry the large Styrofoam insert off the top of the
cross member. The adhesive was sticky in my case, and the piece removed easily.
Others have reported the adhesive being harder.
15. Install the new hitch using the same bolts that held the original cross member. I
did not use any of the washers that came with the hitch as my bolts had washers
on them already. Use threadlock on the threads of the bolts.
16. Torque the bolts to 135 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench. (This is my best guess based
on previous experiences. No formal spec is given.)
17. Insert the large Styrofoam piece above the new hitch. You may have to bend the
thin metal piece above it up a bit. The sticky adhesive helped keep the Styrofoam
in place, but you may need to use some silicone adhesive if yours was harder.
The piece has a definite position and will not move when in the correct spot.



The hitch is now installed. If you arent installing the trailer light wiring, you
can skip the next section. ©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
18. Push the passenger side taillight wiring harness through the body and into the
cubby hole in the cargo area. This involves pushing the rubber grommet through
then the wiring harness. Also pull the wiring away from the vehicle body by
pulling the clip that holds the wiring off the body. This should make the entire
passenger side wiring harness free from where it leaves the rest of the wiring
loom inside the cubby hole.



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19. Cut away the fabric part of the wire loom between the rubber grommet and the
clip that you just pulled off the vehicle body. This will expose the wiring for us to
tap into.



20. Open the Hoppy wiring kit and read the instructions to familiarize yourself with
its operation. Set the 4 pin 4 pin extension aside. We will be wiring in the
converter box.
21. I ran the wires for the converter box through the middle hole in the white plastic
harness near the bottom of the cubby hole. I thought this would keep it all a bit
more secure, and it does, but the wires from the converter to the taps are a little
taut. Using the top hole would be just about right.



22. Ground the white wire to the grounding point in the bottom of the cubby hole.
There are already several wires grounded there. The white wire was too long, so I
cut it and crimped on a new ring end. ©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
23. Use the provided blue taps to attach the converter wires to the exposed taillight
wires as shown below. Use the provided Hoppy instructions for how the taps are
installed.

a. Red (Brake) Grey w/ Brown Stripe
b. Green (Right Turn) Black w/ Green Stripe (trim length)
c. Yellow (Left Turn) See Below
d. Brown (Taillights) Grey

Use the provided circuit tester, grounded to the grounding point in step 22, to test
the wires before you make the connections.

24. For the left turn signal, you will need to extend the Yellow wire to reach across
the cargo area. I used the cut sections of the white ground wire and green wire to
extend the wire and had just the right amount. Use crimp or solder connections.
25. Run the new wire under the bottom of the cubby hole and into the spare tire area,
then through the same hole in the driver side and into the cubby hole on the driver
side. The wire will be behind the plastic liner. Tuck the wire in the spare tire area
down and into a safe location.



26. Connecting the left turn signal is a bit tricky. The liner in the cubby hole prevents
easy access to the wiring. I removed the upper rear trim piece and the D pillar
trim piece. These attach with plastic pressure fittings and can be easily removed
by pulling them firmly away from the vehicle body. If any of the fittings remain
in the body, simply use the claw end of a hammer to remove them and reinsert
them in the trim pieces before reinstalling the trim by lining up the fittings with
their holes and firmly pressing them into place.
27. Once the trim pieces are removed, remove the Philips screw from the location
where the cargo cover latches into place. Gently pull the driver side cargo wall
away from the body at the threshold to the tailgate.
28. You should be able to see the wire by looking down behind the cargo wall to the
bottom of the driver side cubby hole. I used a long spring loaded grabber tool to ©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
retrieve the wire and pull it up and then I fed it through the hole in the body where
the taillight wiring passes into vacant taillight location (after pulling the grommet
in that hole to the outside of the vehicle).
29. Cut the fabric loom on the vehicle side of the rubber grommet and use the last tap
to connect the wire to the Black with Grey Stripe wire from the taillight wiring.



30. All your wiring should be done now. Before replacing everything, check the
operation of your lights by grounding the circuit tester and testing all lighting
functions at the converter box. If something isnt working, check your tap and the
vehicle wire to make sure you tapped correctly.
31. Replace the rubber grommets in their holes in the taillight cavities. Button up the
driver side by reseating the cargo wall, D pillar trim and upper rear trim. Close
the spare tire cover.
32. Remove the rubber grommet below the passenger side taillight. Cut it halfway
with a knife and run the 4 4 extension through it. Replace the grommet in the
body.

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33. Connect the 4 4 extension to the converter box.
34. Test the lighting functions again at the end of the 4 4 extension.
35. Replace the cubby hole panels.
36. Replace the small Styrofoam pieces to the left and right of the tow hitch.
37. Run the 4 4 extension behind and under the passenger side Styrofoam piece and
under the hitch.



38. Zip tie the extension end to the main hitch bar right next to the receiver section of
the hitch. This will allow you to access it from the hole in the bumper.




The wiring is now complete. The rest of the instructions detail replacement of the
bumper. ©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com
I found that in test fitting the bumper, the hitch kept the 2 middle underside holes on the
bumper from lining up with the holes on the body. I use a Dremel tool to cut away about
¼ of the material in front of the receiver plate and it then fit great. This did not effect
the cosmetics or function of the bumper in any way.


Before


After

39. Place the bumper back on the vehicle, sliding the two fittings on each side (just
behind the rear wheels) into their brackets.
40. Screw in the 2 screws in each taillight cavity, 5 screws in each wheel well, and 4
screws under the bumper.
41. Replace the taillights by connecting the electrical harness, pushing the ball fitting
into place, screwing the 2 screws into each taillight, and popping the screw covers
back into place.
42. Tuck the trailer wire harness up into the bumper after installing the
weatherproofing cover.
©2004 TregCentral.com. www.tregcentral.com