Today on this 2003 Buick Rendezvous were going to install part number 90158 from Hidden Hitch. This is what the hitch looks like when its installed on the vehicle. Next well give you some measurements to help you out in selecting some accessories, such as a bicycle rack or a cargo carrier. From the top of the receiver opening down to the ground is going to be about 13 inches. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the bumper is going to be about five and three-eighths. Now well go ahead and show you how the hitch is installed.
Our first step is to go ahead and lower the exhaust out of our way. Well go ahead and spray down the rubber hanger with some lubricant and then well go ahead and pry it off the hanger. Our next step is to go ahead and install the hardware into the frame. Well install a block and a carriage bolt. Well use a bolt leader to help put the hardware into the frame, then pull it back through the hole.
Thats going to be part number 80101-1. Well take our bolt leader and run it through the hole going toward the front of the vehicle first, then out the hole thats closest to the bumper. Well thread on our block and then our bolt and then pull everything through. In the hole closest to the bumper well assemble everything, well put our bolt and our block together and then thread on the bolt leader, push everything into the frame and then back through the same hole. Were done with the passengers side.
Well repeat the same process over on the drivers side. When we install our blocks inside the frame we want to orient them where theyre not overlapping each other, so you put them at an angle inside the frame, as shown on the outside of the frame here. Now with the hardware installed on the frame we can go ahead and take the hitch and lift it in position. Its a good idea to have an extra set of hands to help hold the hitch up while you install the hardware. Well install a conical tooth washer and a nut.
When you install the washer, you want to make sure that the teeth on the washer are pointing up toward the hitch. Were only getting them finger tight just to hold the hitch up, because next well have to use the hitch as a template to drill out some holes on the bottom edge of the bumper structure. When we drill out our holes well go ahead and use a three-eighths bit to mark the centers and get it started a little bit, and then well use a smaller bit to drill out a pilot hole. Then well go back to our three-eighths drill bit. Well finish out drilling our holes and then well install our hardware. It will be a three-eighths bolt with a flat washer going from the outside in, and the inside will get a lock washer and nut. Were done with our passengers side, well go ahead and repeat the same process over on the drivers side. Now that the drivers side is done we can go ahead and tighten down our bolts and then torque the bolts down as specified in the instructions. Well do the smaller bolts first and then do our larger bolts last. Then well go ahead and reinstall the exhaust. With that, that will finish it for our install of part number90158 from Hidden Hitch on our 2003 Buick Rendezvous.