My VX...a work in progress.

[JoFotoz]

So..after driving it around for about 6 months...I started to play with it.


Lifted 3 inches , 33x11.50 Nitto Mud Grapplers.



Brush Guard.."borrowed" from my wifes MercML320!!
Sectioned 6 inches out of middele , re-welded and fabbed up mount to fit exsisting suports.

Nice 'aggressive" look from the back...

Morgan tech intake...and some paintwork.



There are a couple more shots in my gallery.

The Nitto Mud Grapplers are very trick looking...noyt 'too' noisy at speed either, not a thumping like Swampers..more a whine.
The Brush guard "happened" by accident..after taking it off my wifes ML320 to repaint it...

...it 'accidently' got 6 inches chopped out of it and found its way onto my ride!
I LOVE the look...

Grill insert and side bars to follow


jo

[kpaske]

Looks great... I like the brush guard and the new tires and rims.

[Cyrk]

Sweet! Looks great.

[thebear54]

THAT IS SOOOOOOO HOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome job
John

[Triathlete]

Looks good! I'd do the caps in black though...personal preferance. Nice fabbing on the grill gaurd...looks like it was made for the VX. Now you need to get those tires off road to see if they work as good as they look! Moab in May?

[MZ-N10]

wow that looks really good....i wanted to do nitto mud grappler but was a bit too extreme for me....

[CSTYLES]

Good Job, that grille gaurd looks sick!!!

Can you post some close up picks of the mounts? How much welding was involved?

[WormGod]

When you say the cow-catcher was "borrowed", what modifications (this 6" chop and such you speak of) did you make to mount it ? I am moving up into the hills where there are many more street crossing 4 legged things, and I would love to have some more protection up there to cut them down before they make a moon's surface out my my frontend.

Any info is appreciated (especially since I have a HUGE hookup at EuroMotorcars Mercedes ).

That looks almost as though it was designed for the VX and damn.... I want it, hahaha.

[Maugan_VX]

WG:

Theres not a product out on the market now that is would be up to the task of protecting your front end from errant bovines in the middle of the road. My father's F150 was totalled from hitting a deer doing 35, just imagine what a VX + cow would do.

That lil brush guard there, while looks ok, wont stand up to much more than, well, brush. They are mostly cosmetic additions.

[Mr.Quackers]

the guard has a very nice flow to it. i think it goes well with the styling of the front. very nice!

[JoFotoz]

Its a"WAAG" brand after market unit for the 1999 ML320

I sectioned 6 inches out of the center ( the two tubes and the middle 'bar')...

The 6 inches is a little variable , depending on how close you want the guard to sit at the corners of the headlights , and personal taste regarding width etc.
I put the whole thing up on milk crates and moved it all the way to one side to line it up with the corner of one H/light and then shimmed it to the right height.... with the two "uprights" nicely framing the VX grill.
OK..so this gave me the 6 inches...but anywhere from 4.5 to 6 would work depending on your "taste"
(Any more than 6inches and it sits way to far forward , and the headlight guards sit way to close to the body.)

Then ( after VERY carefull measurement!) I simply cut the 6 inches out , and re-welded it ( as fair and straight as possible!)

The original (ML320) bottom mounts were cut off right at the tube , they are way too big and way too wide.
Two plates , about 7 x 4.5inches were then drilled and bolted to the "tow hook" holes on the frame. The plates were notched to clear the sway bar clamps at the outer ends.

I then went back to the trusty milk crates...set the Brush guard up in position
and clamped it firmly in place.
The lower tubes now curled perfectly under the front of the vehicle and sat across the plates.
I tacked the tubes to the plates (battery disconected!)..removed the whole unit , and completed the welding off the vehicle.

At the top of the guard , I removed the tangs from the h/light area that the ML320 uses to attach the top support straps.
These support straps were then welded to the lower , inner part of the h/light protection , right next to the upright bar.
I cut a small section out of the plastic under the lip of the hood on each side , and these straps fit through and are bolted to the front clip supports.





Hope this helps....

Jo

[raver_boi_88]

hey nro where did you get your vrush guard and how mush did you pay for it???

[AlaskaVX]

Love the brush guard!!!!!!!!!!

[AnalogVX]

hey nro where did you get your vrush guard and how mush did you pay for it???

Did you even read this thread???

[Tone]

Is that English? VERY nice bar though - can you take some pics of how it mounts?