Anyone have a brushguard? i need some help

[kbooneKJ]

Im tryin to install my brushguard today and i cant figure out where the mounting brackets go. does anyone here have a manik brushguard and know where it mounts?

this is the bracket it came with, the two holes next to each other are the ones im asking about, they arnt long enough to be on the stock holes and the large opening is where they will sit

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[TAHOE]

I have a mopar one, but bracket is the same, I had to make my own bracket that I slide up in the large hole. I didn't have that Jclip on the hole so I got a bolt in it. Was a pain, must be some type of mount that goes up in there mine didn't come with. I cut some steel just wide enough to slide up in large hole, marked for the holes, drilled, the put my bolts through, then welded them in place. Tight fit, but I can remove them if needed.

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[kb0nly]

Looks similar to my Westin also... Mine came with a plate you put up in the large hole, has two studs on it, then the plate just bolts up to that and then put one bolt up into the third hole and done.

 

[kbooneKJ]

I'll be hittin up lowes after school today and I'll try to find something like what your saying. Btw what are tow hooks worth? Unless I remount them in the middle I will sell them

 

[kb0nly]

You wouldn't be able to remount them in the middle, not enough strength there to use them, you would bend everything to hell if you actually tried to use it.

Last few sets i have seen on ebay were $50-$75

 

[kbooneKJ]

Ok I went to lowes today and found a big piece of steel that is thick and strong enough but it's 2 feet long and I don't have anything to cut steel with. As of now I'm just gonna use one bolt on each side to hold it. They're the inner most bolts so I'm not worried about it bending anything right?

 

[kb0nly]

The inner most bolts are actually the weakest, just sitting in thin sheet metal. I would wait and make something first. Otherwise another thing i have seen done and almost did with mine is to fabricate a long plate that spans from the single inner hole over to the two outer holes where the hooks bolted up. Makes a guard a lot strong being bolted into those two outer holes.

I might redo mine this summer, thinking of making a couple 1/4" steel plates that span the tow hook mounting holes and then the guard mount would share the inner hole with that plate, bolt would go through both, drill two holes for the other two bolts for the guard mount and put bolts through there, and then also bolt through the added plate and the outer two holes. Would make it just as strong as the tow hook since its using basically the same mounting.

Then i can put a bar and shackle on either side of the guard, the outer sides on each side, and that heavy steel plate becomes the mount for both.

 

[kbooneKJ]

so are you talking about what TAHOE has in his pic? My dad knows a really good welder and he would have metal and be able to cut and weld it if he had to but Id need to know exactly what i need. do you or anyone else have a pic of what the brackets look like that were supposed to go with it?

 

[kb0nly]

Umm i don't have a picture but it looks a lot like what Tahoe made...

I'm saying though if your going to make something why not improve on it and use the other two factory tow hook holes through the frame? Make it stronger. Otherwise you at least need to make what he did, a plate that goes up in the hole.

If you get someone to make it use your mounting bracket as a template and drill three holes in the plate and weld nuts to the top side, then remove that threaded clip on that hole and just run three bolts up into your new plate with the nuts welded to it. Makes it lot easier to deal with. Or weld in the bolts like Tahoe did.

Lots of options. Get creative!

 

[TAHOE]

I didn't have nor need tow hooks so that wasn't an issue for me. Not sure how you would do it for both, but I do remember seeing someone on here... maybe Tony???? If you just do the flat plate, you have to make it long enough on the 2 bolt end to slide up on the lip ( not much there) for extra support. It wasn't fun, I first made a cardboard cutout of approx length I needed, then cut. Once I got plate fitting okay and could slide it in/out, then I marked holes using the angle brackets. Then I drilled, fitted again, then slide my bolts in and tried to move/in out of big hole into frame. This was frustrating, had to end up cutting the single bolt length down enough to be able to slide bracket up and then in hole. Wasn't fun, had at least 2-3 hrs of just cutting/fitting to get them like I wanted.
Actually, now that kbOnly mentioned it... stupid me should have welded the nut on top of the plate vs welding the bolts... would've been much easier getting plate in and out and less aggravation. Kick.gif never even crossed my mind!
Good luck.

 

[kb0nly]

I didn't have nor need tow hooks so that wasn't an issue for me. Not sure how you would do it for both, but I do remember seeing someone on here... maybe Tony???? If you just do the flat plate, you have to make it long enough on the 2 bolt end to slide up on the lip ( not much there) for extra support. It wasn't fun, I first made a cardboard cutout of approx length I needed, then cut. Once I got plate fitting okay and could slide it in/out, then I marked holes using the angle brackets. Then I drilled, fitted again, then slide my bolts in and tried to move/in out of big hole into frame. This was frustrating, had to end up cutting the single bolt length down enough to be able to slide bracket up and then in hole. Wasn't fun, had at least 2-3 hrs of just cutting/fitting to get them like I wanted.
Actually, now that kbOnly mentioned it... stupid me should have welded the nut on top of the plate vs welding the bolts... would've been much easier getting plate in and out and less aggravation. Kick.gif never even crossed my mind!
Good luck.

I thought about the nut after installing mine and it came with a plate like what you made.. Serious PITA to get up in there and into place.

That's why if i redo mine i plan on making a plate that just goes across the bottom and not up into that opening. Use the two bolt holes for the tow hook on the outside ends and the single bolt hole for the tow hook on the inside ends, then drill holes and weld two nuts to the top side of that plate where the large opening is and then put a bolt down through the single hole through the plate and the guard mounting bracket and then install a lockwasher and nut there, etc..

That would make it more solid using those two outer tow hook holes. I have seen pics of the installs with both, one that basically did it like i'm planning. The plate becomes the mount for the tow hook and the guard bracket to bolt onto.

Just need the time and money!!

 

[kbooneKJ]

Would you happen to know where that pic is? I understand what your saying but a pic would help. When I had my 02 kj, my friends dad rigged up some huge washers in that hole to hold it and it did hold it very well but after I got in a crash it ruined that whole front bar. So this time I'm gunna do it the right way haha. Btw those towhooks are a PITA to take off cuz there's almost no room up there for a wrench