Skemcin

Hi all, We've been pretty busy getting more and more vehicles fit for our Offroad Bar - the latest is the XV Crosstrek. All fitments available on each of of quarterly builds - our year-end one is almost ready to begin but there is time for you to jump in if you like: http://www.gorillaoffroadcompany.com/_ads/build-2014Q4.htm Here are a couple pics of the XV: Let me know if you have any questions.

I know its been a while since I've posted in this forum. I try to stay true to customer base and not try to pretend like I have something to offer everyone. At this time, the oldest vehicle we've confirmed a fit on is a 1999 Legacy/Outback. Some of our products might fit older Subarus but regardless we are constantly looking for opportunities to work on any Subaru. We hope to resume work on an 81 Brat later this year. In the meantime, I leave the links below should people find themselve interested in learning more about what I'm doing and/or shuold you have stumbled across this post looking for something similar to what we're working on and offering. Thank you. Product Information: http://www.gorillaoffroadcompany.com/product-list.cfm Photos: https://www.facebook.com/GorillaOffroad/photos_albums Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.gorillaoffroadcompany.com/faqs.cfm

Thanks to the guys at Oak Leaf Auto Salvage for awesome service, got me a new radiator in two days! Put it in last night and works wonderfully.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, there is no question the OEM long-bar is beefier but it would also cost more money and that wasn't in our customer's budget - I would have preferred going that route too and adding a skid plate that covers everything down there. But, the good news is we have a local vehicle that is fairly accessible should anyone wish for that bar to be made. To elaborate on that point, this project was meant to at least show that we have access to an older Subaru that will allow us to do some work for this community. Completing this bar (finished product photos still to come) hopefully shows that I'm not just hoping in here and there to "advertise" me company but that I am series and able to provide high quality products for these older vehicles. So, should anyone wish for one of these bars to be made or if you'd like a long bar replicated with a few slight variations please feel free to contact me so we can discuss how to make that happen. Thanks again for all the feedback. I'll post some pictures with the mounted finished product as soon as I can.

Sorry about the large pictures, I forgot this site doesn't resize images and I thought it was my browser that wasn't registering the javascript that does that. Thank you. Availability is explained below. There was some thought about doing that but it was going to affect the ground clearance and approach angle quite a bit that the customer didn't want it - so we stuck to a light bar and within his budget. But, we would really like to do a more complete bar like we did for the Impreza and Baja. We actually have one of the Long Bars in the shop that this customer brought - a pretty heavy and bulky piece, much more so than I expected. Personally, I really would like to run a batch of either this bar or a replica of the factory Long Bar but from a business perspective I needed to test the waters with this bar. Hopefully with this project and post I can gauge interest/demand and if its there move forward with a production run. I have a Brat scheduled for the shop in March so if this withers I have a "second wind" opportunity. What I will do this week is put together a cost for this bar and post it here with pictures taken after it is powder coated. And we'll take it from there. My problem is, I don't know what other years and makes this will fit as I am not as well versed on the older Subarus - any insight on that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the responses and the interest. Let me know if there are other questions or concerns.

Chromoly tubing, powder coated and 1/8 6061 aluminum for the skid plate.

Powder coating is next. Thoughts/Impressions ...

Gorilla Bar = $399 Skid Plate = $175 (optional) Winch Mount = $125 (optional) Shipping ranges $135 to $180

Hello Everyone, Our company recently applied for a grant and I am asking you for your help / vote. FedEx is giving away $25,000 to companies who qualify and we recently were accepted and entered into the drawing. Although the decision to award the money is not entirely based on votes, the rules do state it does help them select the finalists. So, again, I am asking for your help and your vote. I am hoping you have liked what we have done in less than a year of opening our doors and I am asking that you vote for us EVERY DAY through November 24th. And please help us forwarding the web address to your friends, family, co-workers, and customers if you feel us worthy of the award, asking them to do the same. Link: http://grantcontest.fedex.com/fedex-small-business-grant-voting/microsite/gallery/5086b60cef39ecc838453407 I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read this message and consider my request. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know. Thank you in advance for all you help. Sincerely, Gorilla Offroad Company

Hello all. Due to our somewhat last minute decision to become a sponsor of the upcoming Ojibwe Forest Rally on August 25 we have decided to push our production schedule back a couple weeks. This will allow for our promotion efforts to take affect, so to speak. As I reviewed our calendar I realized that any sales coming from the rally would require another production run to be scheduled. So, in the interest of being more productive and more efficient, I felt it would be in our best interest to post-pone the schedule. The revised schedule also collapses all products into the same run - rather than staggering them as before. Here is where we are at this point. Light Bar (all versions), Intake (all versions), Trailing Arm (all version) Deposits for all accepted now. Thu. Sep. 06 = All Deposits Due Thu. Sep. 13 = Production Begins Wed. Sep. 19 = All Final Payments Due Fri. Sep. 21 = Packing & Shipping (throughout the weekend) Other News We have a few builds we are working on scheduling too. The cars include 87 GL Wagon, a 97 Legacy, a 11 Forester, and a 11 WRX

Monday BUMP!

It's the latest product we just introduced at GorillaOffroadCompany.com. They were fit on a 2002 Impreza OBS do my research found these would fit the following models/years. Impreza 93-07 Forester 98-08 Legacy 95-99 (corrections welcomed)

Yeah, I always read posts twice to make sure I don't "read into it" - I don't tend to react to that anyhow but I totally understood where you were coming from and as I mentioned I welcome and appreciate it. I'm definitely not one to portray myself as someone who knows anymore about something than the next guy. So I appreciate all your input. I have spoken to a Superwinch representative who actualy told me how the documented winch rating are much lower than their actual capabilities. This is basically because of the common misconception you point out - so many folks seem to think 4,500 lbs is available when you pull even just a foot of cable out of the winch (which is obviously not the case). There is a lot of good documentation here as well: http://www.superwinch.com/content/Choose+The+Right+Winch.content_detail/4377.0.1.1?content_id=4377-7789bb156f90a52a1db1048c362014d6 Anyway - good discussion and thanks for sharing your thoughts. There is a lot more to winching than many folks tend to think. I've tried to incorporate that knowledge into our designs and our disclosures. Anyway, thanks again for the conversation. Let me know if there is anything else that comes to mind.

I don't think you're being rude at all - valid questions and concerns. On the bar with the winch mount there a total of 10 mount points. They are: - Two on the front corners of the subframe - One on each side of the front main frame - One on each side at the back/end of the bar to the main frame - Two on the center jack mount - Two throw the bumper beam where the license plate bracket used to be The skid plate covers the width of the lower radiator support funneling back to the area just behind where front axles come out of the front diff - that includes protection of the front section of the exhaust too. I've hit a few mild trails out here going a little faster than I should and in areas that my clearance was challenged - and the bar has done its job well. I would love and look forward to testing it more each time out but until I can afford a test/beater vehicle I have to go with what I've done and what my customers have done. I am just beginning a conversation with a local owner of an 81 wagon so I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to build something with a more deep offroad purpose - we'll see. Sent using my iPod

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and particularly for providing a good amount of detail to which I can respond. You make a lot of valid points and I'll be happy to share my perspective on them. Winch Mount When we opened the winch itself we were sort of surprised at the hardware that came with it - in a good and bad way. First off, everything about the Superwinch we like - everything that was needed for mounting and wiring was there - no issues there at all. The only thing we did do is replace/upgrade the mounting bolts. As far as the winch mont design, we do acknowledge a couple things. First, there is a greater number of modern Subaru owners that use their car as a daily driver as well as for mild offroad or rallyx events. Second, we also realize the the more modern Subarus aren't engineered with the same purpose or mind set as some of the older ones. In other words, I think it is safe to say (in the world of comparisons) the older Subarus are much closer to the Jeep class of vehicle than the newer ones. That being said, the light bars to date have been build with that mind set and therefore we realize drivers aren't likely going to put themselves in the sort of predicament that would require them to have a winch and mount that is capable of dragging the non-rotating wheels, dead weight of the vehicle along a flat surface, let alone an muddy incline. These bars are engineered - at least for the current line up they are fit for - for mild to moderate off road self or assisted recovery. We would rather the bolts snap and the bar ripped off the vehicle than leave a car inoperable with bent strut towers, destroyed a-arms, and whatever else might result from an over engineered bar/ and an over-rated winch. Approach/Departure Angles Yes. Having several years of experience in offroading prior to and while owning my Subarus I have a very clear understand of the meaning an importance of approach and departure angles and your point is right on. I completely realize how much this bar reduces these angles as well as over all ground clearance. But, like the winch mount, the demographic for the bar is more geared toward mild/moderate offroad use (dual track trail and/or dune riding), rally and rallycross driving and not so much deep wood tight track offroading. Keeping in mind, the vehicles these are fit for can barely handle a 3 inch lift before all sorts of things start needing modification. That means these cars would be lucky to have a foot of overall ground clearance - and there isn't too much you can reasonably do with that. Having said that, we do intend to make full front and rear bumper replacements with nothing but the more serious offroader in mind - where the number one concern is going to be the approach and departure angles as well as overall strength. Another side note related point here is that I wanted to make something bolt on without any modification to the vehicle - something that anyone could install. That was achieved with this design which also leaves us the opportunity to make front and rear bumper replacements without worrying about our own products competing with themselves by being to closely positioned in the market. Winch Choice A winch should be rated about 1.5 times the gross vehicle weight to which it is being mounted. The winch on my car is rated at 4,500 lbs which is just under that recommendation. For me, I'd rather burn my winch out and have no harm to my vehicle than have my winch rip my car up trying to get unstuck. I have consulted a couple offroad specialty shop owners / enthusiasts and have provided them the details on the bar and the winch set up. All have agreed that for the target audience and the capabilities of the vehicle all is within reason. Now, as I mentioned, I do have intentions to build full front and rear bumper replacements where I will have to research which datum points are the best one's to use for the intended use of those products. A-Bar Design I, honestly, did not know the design already existed. What you might not be able to see is the two additional mounting points in the center, upper loop. This are two bolts that go through the bumper beam and give the top of the bar plenty to hold on to. Now, I fully acknowledge that the videos I am about to reference do not nearly compare to what one might encounter in an offroad situation, but it is demonstrating the bar and winch combination easily pulling the weight of the vehicle (neutral with all tires normally inflated) some 32 feet up a 4.5* slope/driveway. I know its not all that impressive but that is the only opportunity I've had to do anything close to a field test. Part 1 = Part 2 = Part 3 = Part 4 = With the eight mounting points beneath the vehicle and the two on/through the bumper beam, I am confident the bar would last longer than the winch, perhaps even with a snatch block in play. Of course, I don't know for certain and I am more than willing to openly disclose that. I am not advertising the bar as being capable of pulling a car out of a mud pit or anything similar. Testing I couldn't agree more with you point. And once I am able to find a car that I can mount a bar to and do some extensive stress/field test to I will post the outcomes - good or bad - with great excitement. Until then, I fully disclose that the winch / mount / bar have not been tested but they have been analyzed and built under advisement of experienced offroad drivers and fabricators who understand the limits and purpose the vehicle was designed for. As I mentioned earlier, I sincerely appreciate your feedback and cannot discredit any of the points you make - again all very valid. I hope my response shows how we have thought through the design and purpose of the bar and winch to a degree that satisfies our customers. I know one of our Baja customers has posted a few stories of his offroading experiences with the bar where he has winched himself and other vehicles out of some interesting situations. I will make a point to touch base with him to see if he has any video or if he will take some video the next time he is out. Anyhow, I truly respect your comments and really appreciate you taking the time to post them. Of course, I welcome more feedback to these thoughts as I am always looking to learn more. Thanks again.

Thanks. I've heard several stories of people breaking the trailing arm bracket bolts and how much of a PITA it is to fix that (back seat out, welding, etc.). I've seen other adjustable trailing arms (mainly the OBX) but wasn't sold on how many use a Heim joint in that same bracket - for off-road use I think the bushing is a better application. Anyway, I'm very pleased with the results.

Thank you and I got you're e-mail and responding accordingly.

Installed adjustable trialing arms to correct the geometry of my lift.

Thank you very much. We've had a lot of positive feedback with all our bars and, in fact, do have a production run planned for the end of August that we are currently taking deposits on. So far we have fit all years for the Imprezas with most bumper variations confirmed and also all year Bajas. Its my understanding the Baja bar should fit a couple years of the Legacy and Legacy Outback models but we have not yet confirmed that. Let me know if there is any other questions I can answer. Thanks

Gorilla Light Bar (all versions) and Adjustable Trailing Arm Monday, July 9 = Begin accepting deposits Wednesday, August 15 = All deposits due Thursday, August 23 = Production Begins Wednesday, August 30 = All final payments (or arrangements) due Monday, September 3 = Ship orders Gorilla Top Mounted Air Intake (MAP & MAF) Saturday, August 18 - MAF Intake Fabrication Monday, August 22 = Begin accepting deposits Friday September 14 = Deposits Due Friday, September 21 = Production Begins Wednesday, September 26 = Final Payments Due Monday, October 1 = Ship orders NOTE: All dates subject to change based on demand, availability of materials, work load changes, natural disasters, any number of things that life throws at you.

The following items are officially open for deposits. More details will be posted and reference in the coming days. Items are currently scheduled to be packed August 31 and September 1 to be shipped Monday, September 3. ALL DEPOSITS DUE - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012 Light Bar - Impreza 93-01, 02-07, and 08-11 $ 399 = Powder Coated $ 175 = Skid Plate $ 115 = Winch Mount $ 049 = Tow Hook [make your $200 deposit here] Light Bar - Baja 03-06 $ 399 = Powder Coated $ 175 = Skid Plate $ 125 = Winch Mount $ 049 = Tow Hook [make your $200 deposit here] Adjustable Trailing Arm $ 275 = Powder Coated [make your $100 deposit here] Please post questions and comments.

Here are some pics of the build today. Obviously this is not a 100% complete bar as far as finished welds and it not being coated of course, but this shows you the finished product with respect to mounting points and the design perspective. If you followed our Baja Build, you will see a lot of similarities. As it turns out, the chassis of the 93-01 shares similar mounting points with the Baja. So this bar doesn't have the base loop like the other Impreza bars but offers the same light and winch configurations as all our other bars. I will be organizing the buy thread Monday - it will be for any bar we make as well as our adjustable trailing arm. Here are the pics: I'm just realizing that I never snapped a shot of the bar (other than with my iPod that I posted on twitter) with the top hoop. These are the only shots I have (at the time of the post) that show the top hoop: Sorry for the lower quality images of these last two - they will get updated. ## Orders for 93-01, 02-07, 08-11 Impreza and all Baja models will be open on Monday (information to be posted then)

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