Date: Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:03:55 -0700
Reply-To: Phil Stanhope <surfmobile007@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Phil Stanhope <surfmobile007@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Has anyone ever taken brush guards and made a custom mount
for the van?
In-Reply-To: <F19CC151-672A-4B50-89F8-C22F337C8061@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
", a steel bumper is not going to do that much. I feel that you
need the height of the brush guard to really prevent heavy damage."
Brush guards protect your headlights from brush hence the name....not designed to protect you from SUV's. What are you trying to protect? your van....or your legs?The vanagon already has a crossbeam just below the headlights that is designed to protect you from higher bumpers like SUV's. see the VW vintage crash tests on youtube
SA bumpers/custom brush guards wont help much if you are trying to ad safety in a 40mph-ish crash...only good for minor fender benders/parallel parking mis-haps.
Best best is to buy a $250 100amp wire feed MIG and teach yourself how to weld...Then take your tubing to a machine shop with a mandrel bender and pay for the bends. Welding is fun and not that hard really. Im a certified welder/nutjob so i know how easy it is:)
Phil 84' Westy...Tiicoe'd in 2001
--- On Fri, 7/31/09, Robert Stewart <robertmstewart@MAC.COM> wrote:
From: Robert Stewart <robertmstewart@MAC.COM>
Subject: Has anyone ever taken brush guards and made a custom mount for the van?
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Friday, July 31, 2009, 11:08 PM
Has anyone ever taken any brush guards and made a custom mount for the
van?
I was thinking that I really don't have the funds right now to spend
over a grand on steel bumpers but I could spend a couple hundred with
a craigslist or junkyard / pick and pull brush guard from an SUV or
truck, then take it to my local welder to have him fabricate a bolt on
mount to the front frame structure. Steel Bumpers from GoWesty, Van
Cafe, RWesty are all great but my concern is non only the lower front
end but the upper area since most SUV bumpers are higher than our
vans, a steel bumper is not going to do that much. I feel that you
need the height of the brush guard to really prevent heavy damage.
Does anyone have any experience with this?
Is there a danger with matching the front structural design plate with
a matching steel plate that could bolt directly to it?
I would think this would be the only safe way to go as it will match
the structural framework, giving it more support as well. I do realize
it will add extra weight to the front of the car but I do feel it
would be far safer than the flimpsy fiberglass bumper I have on my 88
wolfy.
Any advice, urls, or documentation on European/Australian/SF African
Vanagon Made bull/brush guards will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Robert
--
Rob
Bloomingburg NY
88 Wolfsburg, Silver
240,500 miles - automatic rebuilt
AIM: rmstewart@mac.com
