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Bodyguard Front and Rear Bumpers install on 2011.

PromptCritical

Full Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Messages
317
Location
Beaver Creek, OR
It's finally going to happen here. I've taken the plunge into bumpers.

My requirements were as follows:
1. Low-profile no-winch front. Options are ADD, Bodyguard, and Move.
2. Rear bumper with corner steps. Options are Move and Hammerhead.
3. I didn't want to mix and match manufacturers.

You would think I would go with Move, but no. Their rear bumper has almost no step surface because they slanted the top surface and the steps are kinda small-looking. Also, I don't wanna weld and finish bumpers.

Hammerhead refuses to make a Tahoe/Suburban/Avalanche front bumper because you have to cut up the factory bumper to retain the grille.

So, I started looking more at Bodyguard. They have a Suburban/Tahoe front bumper and after much research on parts cross referencing, I determined that a 2007-2013 Silverado bumper should fit with only modifications to the mounting brackets. I'm mostly confident.

As far as I know, I'm the first one to try this since I can't find a single photo of either the front installed on a Tahoe/Suburban/Avalanche, nor a 2007-2013 Silverado rear bumper on an Avalanche.

Front: https://www.bodyguardbumpers.com/A2L-base-front-replacement-bumper
Rear: https://www.bodyguardbumpers.com/A2-rear-replacement-bumper

Bumpers have been delivered. I have a set of Rigid SAE fogs, and a set of 2007 Silverado bumper brackets for templates.

The basic plan is that the front bumper should go on without issue. I'll stick the fogs on and get them going. We can then discuss light bar and options for the other cubes.

The rear bumper is going to be interesting. I'm figuring I'll be using the Silverado mounts as a template/jig and cutting up the Avalanche mounts and welding them to the Bodyguard mounts to achieve proper fitment. Might even have to fab up new ones from steel plate if it looks janky. There's also the fact that I've replaced the factory hitch receiver with a DrawTite, which I had to trim the factory bumper to fit.

I plan on doing the install over the next few weeks pending availability of my friend with a welder and actual skill. I'll get some pictures soon.
 
Bumper install went reasonably well. The instructions were actually pretty lousy when I actually got started.

Link to instructions: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lmmu1u9nyfgz6qa/A2L Front Chevrolet 07-14 Tahoe.pdf?dl=0

The hardware list doesn't match what they sent me. There were these stupid "strap bolts" that didn't fit anything, and it was short on grade 8 mounting bolts. Instead of screwing around with the factory, I just bought some. It says to use factory bolts to bolt the bumper on, but doesn't say where. 1/2-13 x 3-1/2 bolts mentioned in the instructions aren't listed or included. I'd say their technical writing team doesn't actually proofread anything.

Anyway, installation proceeded without incident.

The bumper does leave a bit of a gap in front of the now-cut grille, exposing the foam support. You could probably do something about this if it really bothered you. Also, (not shown) the bumper exposes the cut edge of the grille on each side. The only remedy seems to be to carefully radius the cut edge and paint.
mPnWX8n.jpg


I removed the modular components to make installation easier and lighten the thing. It sounds kinda dumb, but I used a folding chair to support the bumper and added the wood blocks under it to "jack" it into place. Here it is mounted with the hardware loose:
gqSFzQB.jpg



And finally adjusted and everything put together:
qJJKGcr.jpg


I still have to clean up the wiring, trim the inner fenders, and do some other cleanup, but here it is with lights (All LED up front now):
gWkQphX.jpg


She's in the shop today getting UCA's and tie rods installed, tires as soon as alignment is done.

I'll get more prettier photos when that's all done.
 
Looks great, nice work (y)
 
WOW that looks AWESOME ! My wife cannot thank you enough for encouraging me to spend more of HER money !!!!!!
 
Looks FANTASTIC, sad to hear about missing bolts, poor instructions et al.. I know how frustrating that is. Reflects poorly on the company, that has an otherwise good product.
 
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