TheSamba.com :: View topic - Any Pics of a RMW grill guard for a GoWesty front bumper?

Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:59 am

I searched around quite a bit and can't seem to find a picture of a Rocky Mountain Westy grill guard on a gowesty front bumper. The reason is, I really need to see how it mounts and if there is tow points built into mounts on the front like the ones made for the RMW bumpers. It's a toss-up for me whether I build one myself or buy theirs. At the price they are selling them for I wouldn't be able to pay myself to do it. I just don't want to buy one then have to modify it to the point of diminishing returns.

Tue Dec 10, 2013 11:02 am

Common, somebody's got to have a picture some where......... Rocky mountain westy brush guard on a go westy bumper

Tue Dec 10, 2013 1:59 pm

This is my brush guard with overriders on my RMW bumper..

Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:18 pm

Thanks Dubbified, I'm Hoping that the brush guard for the GW bumper has the same tow point as yours does. That looks great.

Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:25 pm

I love me some GW products.. but this bumper just does not compare to the tube bumpers.

and you can buy the replacement center piece for a functional towing point.. anchors right into the front steels and is beefcake. Anyone hits my van, they are going to stop.

In looking at the GW Site to confirm if this pic was close to what you sought, I was seeing they offer a hi-lift mount! so the hilift is then functional anti collision steel.. too.

It is a fact your feet are some 6 inches behind the front unibody steel.

Putting these auxillary steels in place, upgrades the impact resistance..

and I am all about resistance.. to accidents...

atleast.. that's how I hope it goes.

Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:34 am

Ok, so I originally posted this on a Sunday and was very impatient to figure things out. I finally called RMW yesterday and spoke to Joe who informed me of why he doesn't put tow points on GW bumpers, it all sounded pretty reasonable and savvy. The last post on this thread mentioned that our feet are only six inches behind the exterior body steel. So now,.... I guess I have some more considerations as far as bumper mods go before I dive in, I like the hi-lift mount location idea. does anybody have some pictures of custom front bumpers/ grill guards??????

Wed Dec 11, 2013 8:44 am

Im interested as to why you wouldn't want to fit tow points to gowesty bumpers ???
I was just about to order this rmw grill guard and D ring tow points to bolt onto my gowesty bumpers for a bit of a more " off road" look !

Now im wondering if theres an "issue " ????

Wed Dec 11, 2013 10:14 am

Mick Ord wrote: Im interested as to why you wouldn't want to fit tow points to gowesty bumpers ???
I was just about to order this rmw grill guard and D ring tow points to bolt onto my gowesty bumpers for a bit of a more " off road" look !

Now im wondering if theres an "issue " ????

I'm uncrating my newly arrived GW bumper and front tow hitch mount today, so I'll hopefully post pics later, but I did some research and know that the GW bumper is just a bumper cover and only has 2 small bolts holding it to the frame. GW's front hitch does have 2 stronger bolts that drill through the structural steel of the front bumper and the bumper cover, so in a typical situation one could use the Hi-Lift Mount hitch adapter as a recovery point. Although it's not as strong as some other bumpers or a Gary Lee winch mount, it should work for where I plan on going. I still wouldn't put D-rings closer to the corners of the front bumper without drilling more reinforcements in to the body steel. I think Alaric did that for his van w/ GW front bumper. I might do that later, but not right away.

Wed Dec 11, 2013 3:42 pm

The right corner of my GoWe$ty front "bumper cover" was hit by a new Japanese sub-compact going 25mph. The additional steel Z-bracket underneath that mounts the corner of the bumper to the frame did its job. The right end panel of the bumper was banged in less than 1/2", but the bumper still had its original minimal 1/8" clearance from the Vanagon sheet metal. My blinker was shattered and the opening for it was slightly bent. the passenger door got a small dent at the bottom. Dog leg was OK. Thank you Lucas.

Wed Dec 11, 2013 4:09 pm

flyindutchman wrote: does anybody have some pictures of custom front bumpers/ grill guards??????

I too am concerned about that 6 inches. My bumper and subframe will be finished up this weekend. In the meantime, here is what I have so far. The corners will be attached to the lower channel arms that you can see under the end of the factory bumper mount. There is much more steel that will be welded on including braces that go against the factory bumper mount. I don't want this to simply curl up and back in an impact.
In the background you can see the bumper I built for my Tacoma earlier this summer.

A shot from below:

At this point you can see it is only tacked together. There are braces and a front skirt already cut that will be welded on this weekend. I wanted to make it so the bumper would still unbolt from the subframe and that detail has added quite a bit of complexity to a simple bumper. The top will be aluminum diamond plate. I'll post pictures of the finished product in my build thread in a week or so.

Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:04 pm

From what I've gathered, the GW front bumper is mostly 1/8" (ish) sheet metal in the area where the mounts for the brush guard bolt, so it's not really a good idea to mount a tow point there with out more reinforcements to strengthen the bumper to the "framework" of the body. I've seen how the RMW bumper attaches and they keep real close (and strong) tolerances on the attachment points near the mentioned tow points on their bumpers. Still, at the price they sell the brush guard for, you couldn't pay yourself $10 an hr. + materials and build it yourself and beat it. I figure, mount the brush guard and fab tow points in another spot would be more better.
Madeouttaglass , that is a badass build bumper/sub frame project there, Inspiring, I'll have to check out your thread!

Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:43 am

Madeouttaglass wrote: flyindutchman wrote: does anybody have some pictures of custom front bumpers/ grill guards??????

I too am concerned about that 6 inches. My bumper and subframe will be finished up this weekend. In the meantime, here is what I have so far. The corners will be attached to the lower channel arms that you can see under the end of the factory bumper mount. There is much more steel that will be welded on including braces that go against the factory bumper mount. I don't want this to simply curl up and back in an impact.
In the background you can see the bumper I built for my Tacoma earlier this summer.

A shot from below:

At this point you can see it is only tacked together. There are braces and a front skirt already cut that will be welded on this weekend. I wanted to make it so the bumper would still unbolt from the subframe and that detail has added quite a bit of complexity to a simple bumper. The top will be aluminum diamond plate. I'll post pictures of the finished product in my build thread in a week or so.

Good job. I cannot wait to see it done.