b. The “mail slot” opening for the winch cable to feed through on the Mopar bumper is designed for a Hawse Fairlead. However, the Warn 9.5ti comes with a Roller Fairlead which I prefer. If you want to use the Roller Fairlead, the opening must be enlarged. I didn’t notice this until I completed the installation. Bad for me, good for you! Here’s what needs to be done:
i. The bottom of the slot needs to be lower or else the cable will rub along the metal. Additionally, the sides need to be widened too.
ii. I suggest you put the roller fairlead onto your bumper and see if your opening is any different. Then take a pencil or other straightedge to simulate the cable passing through at all angles to see if it will rub on the bumper anywhere.
iii. I cut the bottom of the opening ¾” which was nearly all the way down to the bottom weld. The sides need to be cut to the fairlead frame.
iv. I used a pneumatic cutting wheel to cut the opening. It was slow going (switching to a thin blade helped). But here’s what I suggest you do:
a. Without the winch in place, mark how much you want cut, drive over to a local welding shop or body shop, and ask them to take a plasma cutter and cut along your marks. It will take them just a few minutes and come out nice.
5. Now that the bumper is finally ready to accept the winch, you can begin the actual installation process.
6. First you must install the Roller Fairlead. Because of the extremely tight clearance inside the bumper, you will have to install the bolts from the inside facing out. By now you may have noticed that the bolt holes for the fairlead ARE TOO LARGE! (Maybe this is different with a Hawse Fairlead.) Get two good, stainless steel washers for the bolts. Bolt on the fairlead and, because the holes are too large, you’ll have to align and level the fairlead. I pulled it up as high as it will go within the holes so the cable is as far from the bumper as possible. Use a modest Loctite® here.