Dean's '11 Crew Cab Budget Build

DeanH1290

DeanH1290

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Jan 20, 2014
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Georgetown KY
Hey guys, I'm fairly new to the forum here, but a long time GM fan. Started off with a '04 sierra, but moved up to my '11 crew cab over the holidays. Now on to the Build. This will be a very slow process for the time being, as I have no truck fund and don't have much extra to put towards mods.
Moving on to the truck:

5.3L Flex fuel
6sp auto trans
Z71 off-road package
All-star edition

Current Mods:
WeatherTech floor liners
Rhino liner
Removed lower valance and mud flaps

Here's some pics of her before all of the bad weather started up (Mud flaps and valance still on)

a4y7eqa2.jpg

9ususyve.jpg


Unfortunately on my way to work over the weekend, I hit a deer and did quite a bit of damage to the front of the truck. Finally got the estimate back today, and there is over $3k worth of damage to the front end. Luckily I have full coverage insurance, so the repairs will be covered. The part that sucks the most is that it's going to take over a week to get her fixed.

Here's a few pics from when I made it to work.

u8ahupeq.jpg

ma9a8uba.jpg

e7aqy2ej.jpg

gajypuqa.jpg


And that's how she sits at the moment. I'll definitely be ready to get her back. The first mod on my list when I get her back is to add a brush guard. I know I'm going to get a bit of hate for it on here, but it is more for function than aesthetics. If you don't like it, then that is your problem. Unfortunately, deer are a common problem in my area, and I need some sort of protection. At the moment, I have it narrowed down to two different guards, the Ranch Hand Legend Series and the Westin HDX. Here they are.

Ranch Hand

GGC08HBL1.jpg


Westin HDX

53170


Other Mods to Come:
Bed Cover (possibly undercover flex)
Leveling Kit (probably rc)
Trail's or Terra's
De-mold
Possibly De-badge tailgate
Replace Rhino lining with Line-X
 
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DeanH1290 said:
Knew someone would say that.
Click to expand...

And there will be others, just don't get offended somehow and you'll be fine. Look wise I'm not a fan, but I can understand your purpose. Between the two, I'd say the ranchhand one. It's got an extra 'brace', if you will, on each side under the headlights.

Other plans sound good for dd. Go with trail grapps :imo: the aggressive tire will kinda help the look with the big bumper rather than a/t's. Also, throw a led bar inside your bumper space for extra light. Maybe even some led cubes on the guard somewhere :shrug:

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I dont plan on being offended. I know many people dont like the look of them. Im not a huge fan of them either to be honest, but if itll keep me oit of the body shop, then ill go for it.

Im planning on trying to go by a truck accessory place sometime to see if i can see them both in person before purchasing.

Been thinking about adding some lights too. They should help with the aggressive look along with being functional.

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In all honesty, if you hit a decent sized deer with the brush guard you are still going to be in the body shop. I have seen those bend right back into the truck. Maybe the ranch hand won't, but I'm sure that Westin will fold up.

If they give you peace of mind, go ahead and do it, but I feel the only thing that will stop a deer from doing much damage is a full bumper replacement with grille guard.


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silvr z said:
In all honesty, if you hit a decent sized deer with the brush guard you are still going to be in the body shop. I have seen those bend right back into the truck. Maybe the ranch hand won't, but I'm sure that Westin will fold up.

If they give you peace of mind, go ahead and do it, but I feel the only thing that will stop a deer from doing much damage is a full bumper replacement with grille guard.


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Click to expand...

X2. The only front ends I've seen that are worth a damn in deer or car accidents are full replacement bumpers. I've seen those guards pushed into grilles and hoods when hitting Deere. I've even seen them tweak the frame where they attach.
Nice truck though. 6 speed is nice.
 
x3 on the brush guard folding. have seen them do just as much or more damage, hence being a "brush" guard. but go with whatever you want, it's your truck. plans sound nice, trail grapplers will look good
 
I have thought about a replacement bumper, and that would be the ideal solution, but unfortunately, they are out of my price range at the moment.

The guards that tend to crumple are ones that aren't one welded piece. Both of the above guards are completely welded and are the heaviest guards I've been able to find.

The good thing is that the are where deer are a problem is a low speed area. The speed limit on the road is 35, and I keep it right around there.

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Meant to add that both of these guards have four mounting points instead of two, making them stronger

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slicksierra said:
bish please at driving the speed limit on a 35 mph road. lulz
Click to expand...

Yes, this one is twisty enough that you basically have to stick to the speed limit so you don't go off the road. Its one of the few roads I actually drive the speed limit on, lol

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Finally got the truck back from the shop today. Going to our local truck accessories place to price some stuff out.

I'm highly considering the above bumper and having it line-xed to match the truck. I played around on paint to see how it would look and its really growing on me. The price has to be right though to pull the trigger.

asamuqum.jpg


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Bassmaster said:
And there will be others, just don't get offended somehow and you'll be fine. Look wise I'm not a fan, but I can understand your purpose. Between the two, I'd say the ranchhand one. It's got an extra 'brace', if you will, on each side under the headlights.

Other plans sound good for dd. Go with trail grapps :imo: the aggressive tire will kinda help the look with the big bumper rather than a/t's. Also, throw a led bar inside your bumper space for extra light. Maybe even some led cubes on the guard somewhere :shrug:

Sent from my Galaxy S-Fawhore
Click to expand...


look at how small the bars are though, the westin looks much beefier imo
 
Well it appears the local accessories shop doesn't carry ranch hand products, but spoke highly of Aries. Here's the guard he recommended. They apparently have much better welds than many of the big names and are better priced. Based on the installation instructions, it appears to mount in 4 places like the other guards I've considered and retains the tow hooks. My only concern is that there isnt much protection for the actual grill. It would be $540 installed.

http://m.autoanything.com/grille-guards/77A4294A3290812.aspx


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Ordered the rc 2" leveling kit today. I'm going to try a different install method since I will be doing this alone and don't want to disassemble all of the steering parts.

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Do any of the parts need to be torqued back on, or just as tight as you can get with a socket wrench?

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