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Brush Guards/Grill Guards

I was looking through the accessory links and pulled up the WAAG homepage... They now have several brush/grill guards pictured for the Avalanche in their showroomsection. Very nice looking and the come in either black or matching grey. No ideas on price, however..
 
The problem you are having is the same as mine. You have a 2500 AV. They do not make very many aftermarket brush bars for the 2500. Check this one out, it sells the WAAG and they do make it for the 2500


http://www.suvbrushguards.com


I ordered mine last week. They said it should be here around 5/6.
 
I was looking at the GM guard, the GoRhino 3000, and the WAAG. I originally liked the GM since it matched the truck so well, and because I have the GM chrome tube side steps. Once I found out that the bumper needed to be drilled, and the fact that there are no holes for aux lights, I decided not to buy. I liked the step feature of the GoRhino, but after seeing the WAAG, I choose to go with WAAG. I liked the additional angles of the vertical main supports for the bars on the WAAG and the additional bends across the top compared to the GoRhino bar. Many guards come with a "Euro" tube which is an additional tube across the top that connects/inserts into each headlight section but, most manufactuters that have these designs do not include this on the AV models. The WAAG has this appearance with their additional bends on the top bar. After some shopping, the best prices I found were at http://www.bestdarnparts.com They carry the GoRhino 3 piece for $410 and the WAAG 3 piece for $433. All purchases there over $100 come with free shipping. Since they did not have the 3 piece in stock but had the one piece, they offered me a discount on the 1 piece for $449 (regularly $469), with the free shipping. This was a pretty big deal to me since 1 piece grills need to be shipped freight because of their size and weight. I ordered mine yesterday, I should get it in 3 to 4 business days. Both WAAG and GoRhino have pics on their sites of AV. Check them out and good luck...
 
Excellent. Let us know when you have installed yours and post pictures. I will post pictures of my WAAG when it gets here. I ordered the 3 piece, had to wait a little longer, but I think it will be worth it. Good luck with the brush bar.
 
I was looking into this also...and decided to go with Waag as well, but not the full face guard...the frontrunner....for those of you that may not know what the frontrunner is.....look at Gandolphxx website...he has some nice install pics as well...

I really like the front end of my Av...so I decided to add to it..but not necessarilly take away from its overall appearance......as a matter of fact I will check out that web address above..and see how much they want for one....free shipping is always a plus.... :D :D
 
Here is the Truckin AV:

http://4x4wire.com/cgi-bin/gallery/...s/SEMA_2001/Chevy&image=p1010622.jpg&img=&tt=

The WAAG seems to be really popular but I am looking for something that is more like the above push bar that dosen't add too much to front end. ?We have had a WAAG push bar on our Suburban for a couple yeats now, I'ld like to find something that is brand new, maybe more "Baja" style. My front end has some height to it with the lift and I for sure don't want to reduce that front approach angle with a front runner or a bull bar. I'm mainly just looking for something that I can add a couple PIAA's to. I already spent $3000 making my AV proportionate with the right sized wheels/tires and a lift. I don't want to extend the front end out 8 inches with 80 Ibs of chrome just to make the front end look too big again.
 
I'm looking for a 'REAL' Texas Pickup Brushguard for my Avalanche like a "Ranchhand" or something similar....don't want a Manik or WAAG. Anyone know of someone offering this??
 
jarm said:
I'm looking for a 'REAL' Texas Pickup Brushguard for my Avalanche like a "Ranchhand" or something similar....don't want a Manik or WAAG. ?Anyone know of someone offering this??
Click to expand...

You may want to contact them @ Ranch Hand - see if they can fit the Suburban one ;D
 
I received my WAAG 1 piece front bush guard yesterday. I ordered it from www.bestdarnpart.com on 4/30 and recieved it on 5/6 (4 business days as advertised). Quick turn arround sure helps the drool factor while your waiting. :rolleyes: Anyways, it took me 1.5 hours to install including unpacking the bar (packed extremely well), reading the instructions, and being very carefull removing the entire front grill of my AV. One thing they didn't mention but was helpfull to me was to remove my headlight assemblies before removing the grill. This helps when your trying not to break you grill or any of the plastic fasteners. WAAG does supply you with 2 extra plastic fasteners with the kit just in case, very nice. I will be taking pictures this weekend and promise to post a few. So far, loving it!! ;D ;D ;D
 
a few thoughts on these bars and the protection they hopefully afford:

first (full disclosure) I installed the GM guard. yes, it does attach to the thick, beefy "power bar" that lives behind the cladding and this means you have to use a hole saw to drill throught the cladding and a drill bit to drill a rather significant mounting hole in two spots. the real impact of this is that if you removed the guard, you would need to replace the front bumper cladding.

I am not sure how the WAAG bar attaches - I suspect it simply attaches down by the tow hooks, as the GM guard also does. Now here ismy two cents if this the actual case and for any other bar that only bolts on at some point located far underneath the bumper: if you are installing this bar for real "protection" for your Av in the event of a big time hit (deer hit, T-bone another car, what have you) then you may find that such "bolted underneath only" basr will fold in against the hood and grill area. But I do not have the WAAG bar installed, this is just my experince with other such bars.

I also have experience in T-Boning left turning cars (fools) whilst having a fully bolted (under the bumper, and in and through the bumper) guard on my truck (not the Av, yet) and I can tell you that the more significant mounting points the better, yes a pain to install but ya get what you get. Ideally, after such an incident you want to be able to scrape some of thier paint off of your bar (or deer fur, as the case may be) and be on your way while the tow truck comes for their demolished car.

One final note: ask WAAG for their bar's perfomance in connection with air bag actuation. TJM, for example, will certify to their bars' proper intergration with air bag sensors. I would assume WAAG or anyone else should also be prepared to do so.

you may return to your regular programming . . . . ;)
 
The WAAG guard does mount to the tow hooks with a brackets that stick out of the tow hook holes by about 2 inches. It has two mounting points for each. One on the bottom tow hook bolt, and one on the inside of the horizontal bolt (nut side) of the tow hook. The guard is then attached to these brackets with 2 ofset bolts on each side. It is also mounted with another set of brackets that are installed on each side on a top facing bolt of the actual bumper behind the grill. This is why you must remove the grill for installation. This is due to the fact that these bolts on the bumper are actually lower than the cladding wrap of the bumper and the access points need to be raised about 2-3 inches for the mounting point to stick out the bottom of the painted grill. Attached to these brackets are 2 more pieces that actually stick out on top of the grey cladding but below the painted grill. The guard is then bolted to these brackets on the inside of the 2 verticle members of the guard. As far as air bag deployment, this is from WAAG's web site.

Do you have any information on how grille guards affect deployment of air bags?

There is no conclusive or comprehensive data at this time regarding air bags deployment and opinions vary to say the least. Some vehicle manufacturers, most notably Ford, Nissan and GM offer a factory grille guard for some of their trucks, so you may be able to draw your own conclusions from that. We consider our guard a medium-strength guard, suitable for pushing a vehicle, but one that will crush in an accident.

My guard was purchased mostly for looks. I hope I never have to deal with a major frontal collision. I know it can happen to anyone but I can appreciate the point being raised here. I hope this answers most questions as to how the WAAG is mounted. If anyone wants more detail, let me know. (y)
 
well then, the fact that the WAAG bar attaches to the "power bar" (i.e. bumper) as well as the tow hook location would place it in the higher class of protection that I prefer. good follow up post.
 
Give the waag a try i put it on myself in about 1.5 hrs if you want to see what it looks like on my avy go to Delaware Cruise post from last Saterday
 
I'm also looking for the prerunner 'baja' style bars in front. So far all I've been able to find out is that they are all custom made. The one attached to the yellow AV on the link you posted is exactly what I want. I'll try to find out who made that and how we can get one.

Adios,
Chuck.
 
Kronk said:
... from WAAG's web site.

Do you have any information on how grille guards affect deployment of air bags?

There is no conclusive or comprehensive data at this time regarding air bags deployment and opinions vary to say the least. Some vehicle manufacturers, most notably Ford, Nissan and GM offer a factory grille guard for some of their trucks, so you may be able to draw your own conclusions from that. We consider our guard a medium-strength guard, suitable for pushing a vehicle, but one that will crush in an accident....
Click to expand...

Do they mean the grill guard will collapse on itself in an accident, or crush the other vehicles?

I vote for the latter. That's why I bought the truck in the first place -- I'd rather be the crusher than the crushee.
 
I wanna a Gm brush guard now that I saw one driving on the Interstate the other day...

Jack how long did it take to install? and what did you use to cut the cladding?
 
I am of course a fan of the GM guard, btw the last three guys who stopped me in a parking lot (happens every day I drive this rig, to be honest - you guys know what I mean) specifically asked me about the guard too, did it come like that, they would buy an Av if it did, etc.

anyway, on the install, it can go rather quick if everything lines up for you. Do NOT do what I did (and I know better too!) which is to blindly rely on the measurement that the instructions give you for locating the holes you have to drill - do yourself a favor and actually measure the distance between the centers of the "through bolts" that will need to penetrate these holes you will be drilling - make sure they are not bent out of measurement, if so use friendly rubber mallet on the iron piece that they are located on to get them near the proper distance apart - and use THAT measurement, divided by two, to locate the centers for the holes you drill foo of the center of the front bumper, into the bumper cladding and into the thick metal "crash bar" that lives behind the cladding. I relied on their number in the instructions - was waayyy off and had to engage in a combination of rubber mallett work and slight hole relocation.

You will need a hole saw, which if you never used one is not a saw at all but a drill accessory, readily available at Home Depot, etc. I space the exact size, but I do know that it is not the same size as your standard home door handle cut out - it is a slightly larger size so you will need to get the right size even if you think you have it covered already from your on-hand tools supply. And you will also need a rather large drill bit. Both are specified in the directions that come with the unit, which, like all GM shop directions, are not great but adequate.

pm me with specific questions on the install, happy to walk you through it or address any issue that you encounter. I went with chrome, but somewhere else around here I saw that other finishes were available.
 
Jackalanche, great heads-up info. THANKS! It is people like you who are always willing to lend a helping hand or experience that make this such a superb site. I will be installing my GM Brush Guard and other MODs this week while I am home visiting. I work in the Virgin Islands and get the opportunity to go home once every 3 or 4 months so I am anxious to open all the UPS packages and get busy. Installing 10 MODs in 5 days could prove challenging. Of course, I would have assumed the measurements in the installation instructions for the GM Brush Guard were exact. Hope you don't mind, but I may contact you myself. Once again this site and its members opinions and experiences have proven invaluable.
 
thanks for the kind words, I can admire a guy who has 10 mods lined up for five days, I guess you would benefit from my looking up just what size hole saw was needed and what size drill bit was needed so you can be armed with the exact tools as you might not have time to wander around Home Depot during the five day mod-a-thon (I think I am getting kinda excited at the thought of the modathon, really ;)) - although no mod job is complete without having to run out to the hardware store at least once while the vehicle is in the middle of surgery. :7:

On the Bar install, I did it on my lonesome but the last act, which involves bolting down the bar in the area of the tow hooks - required me to beg my wife to come out to the garage and pull down on the bar to get the hole to line up in that tow hook area - so I hope you have a helper handy should the need arise.
 
Hey guys,

I saw the Av brush guard yesterday when I was at the dealer and I love it. It looks great. I am not sure if I want it yet, kinda pricey.

I know it is more for show then function so I am still pondering if the investment it worth the looks ??? ???

dvc
 
gotta refine your impression of the GM bar - it is fairly beefy and not just a "show" bar - behind the cladding (jesus more cladding GM?) on the bar unit are some serious steel plates, and the chrome tubes (which bolt to these plates rather sturdily in each location) are themselves pretty thick-walled, but I do not have an exact thickness for you (didn't have a micrometer handy). Plus I was happy to see that the bar unit bolts directly to the steel "power bar" (GM's words) that lives behind the cladding of the Av's front bumper in addition to bolting to the tow hook area (unfortunately this requires you to drill straight into said cladding and power bar - the WAAG bar seems to also accomplish this by attaching to the top side of the same "power bar" by going through one of the openings in the front bumper, meaning no holes - big ones - in your cladding should you decide to remove the bar later.)
 
Jack- is there a license plate mounting on the guard or does the original still work? I like my LSU license plate is all.
 
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