How to Install a Brush Guard on a Chevy Silverado

Brush guards have come along way since being invented over 50 years ago. With the enormous popularity of pickup trucks, coupled with the constant threat of dings and dents, the brush guard has left the realm of off-road desert racers and has entered the mainstream world of daily drivers. And, if you drive a bowtie, you’ve probably wondered about how to install a brush guard on a Chevy Silverado.

Helpful Tips

No doubt about it, brush guards are large, heavy, unwieldy pieces of steel, and installing one by yourself can really test your mettle. Instead of going it alone, recruit a friend for help. The secret is to not beat around the brush guard. So just come right out with it, then sweeten the deal with do promises of ice-cold beverages and piping-hot pizza pie. Do this and you’re certain to have a helping hand or two.

Choosing the Right Brush Guard

Depending on the type of protection you need, bull bar installation can range from an easy afternoon project to a driveway death-match between you, the bull bar, and every tool you have in the garage. Some of it depends on the vehicle and your fabrication expertise—most of it depends on the bull bar itself. Namely, who made it?

When it comes to Silverado grill guards, sometimes spelled grille guards, the biggest names in the bull bar business are Smittybilt (the company that started building brush guards for Chevy trucks), Aries, and RBP (recognizable to you trail rats as Rollin Big Power). They’re all similar in their use of top-notch materials like stainless steel and aluminum. And, whether it’s a Smittybilt brush guard, an Aries bumper guard, or an RBP bull bar, these popular Silverado accessories all install pretty much the same way.

Installing the Brush Guard on Your Silverado

When you start your Chevy Silverado brush guard installation, make sure you’ve got a nice flat, shady spot and all your tools on hand. Next, open the box and make sure everything you need is there. From this point, installation varies by manufacturer, but they all follow a similar path to completion:

1. Remove the radiator cover and radiator shield
2. Remove small clips holding grille assembly, set grille aside
3. Remove top frame to bumper mount bolts
4. Install bottom brush guard mounts, reinstall mount bolts and hand tighten
5. Reinstall grille assembly, radiator cover, and radiator shield
6. Use a sharp knife to cut notches for mount brackets if needed
7. Remove tow hooks
8. Install top brush guard mounts, reinstall tow hooks
9. Install brush guard to bottom mounts
10. Position brush guard so that it’s straight and level
11. Install bolts into top mounts
12. Tighten all bolts
13. Go scare the bejeezuz outta some brush!

Finishing Touches

If you start with a high-quality brush guard and follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions to a tee, you’re setting your truck up for a lifetime of service beating back trail brush, errant grocery carts, and the occasional wild animal.