Wood Grain Warrior INC . (1 Viewer)

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

So iv been thinkin about do this lately ... Branding WGW or wood grain warrior into an after market company that's centered around the GX 470 ...
iv got a short list of products I would be producing from start to finish in house ... and possibly becoming a dealer for SSS bumpers... since they are good friends of mine and there is no reason to compete with them ... also tshirts, stickers , decals

Sonce WGW kind of organically defined our kind in the 120 forums... what are some things that yal would like to see produced for the gx that you would like to see being made better or isn't bein sold at all?

Let me know what you guys think

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

For those who don't know who or what a Wood Grain Warrior is

 

[wingysataday]

1. some sort of light bar mount that comes out under the grill, or in front of the bumper. You could also make a bulbar/lightbar combo coming out of the front bumper grills.
2. Rear factory bumper protection with some shackle mounts?

 

[rz470]

it is very clear that you have the talent and know how to make these parts specially tire bracket and rear bumper is the money maker for sure as long as you can some how make those bumpers (F &R) loss some weight but strong I believe you will have so many people wanting them you be working 24/7

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

I really dont wanna get into the full bumpers ...
1: SSS already makes them ... they are friends and customers of mine and im not lookin to be in competition with them ....
now if there is a large enough demand for a redesign and they wanna tackle the job we can work together on that
2: full bumpers are a ton of work... not only to design but to assemble aswell ... its not a matter of if i can do it ... its more can I do efficiently and make money worth my time

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

This is my short list I will want to work on first ...

-hidden winch mount
-roof rack
-sliders (standard and kdss)
-alum drawer systems (wood top)
-3or4 drawer tool box to fit behind a 3rd row seat
-4 bolt light duty receiver hitch (already designed and ready)

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

1. some sort of light bar mount that comes out under the grill, or in front of the bumper. You could also make a bulbar/lightbar combo coming out of the front bumper grills.
2. Rear factory bumper protection with some shackle mounts?

I'll look into these ... iv got an idea for shackle mounts for the factory bumper but not without cutting into the front bumper

 

[scparrish]

Your short list looks pretty good. The KDSS sliders are high up on my list.

 

[BimmerFreak]

This is my short list I will want to work on first ...


-sliders (standard and kdss)
-alum drawer systems (wood top)
-3or4 drawer tool box to fit behind a 3rd row seat

I would be interested in these.

 

[Scat Adams]

Everything on that list would be sweet, I'd love to see a flat roof rack option

 

[Sleepy]

How about a thong for my old lady with Wood Grain Warrior on the front?

 

[little_joe]

The GX is an aging platform (decreasing value) and becoming more viable as an off-roader; I still wonder how large of a market there is today, and will it grow much? I guess this, along with what you hope to get out of it, will determine how much you invest & support. Remember, Customers are often a**holes too......

I understand your position regarding bumpers and I respect what SSS has done. However, the SSS bumpers are an acquired taste and imho there's a very limited market for them. I'm also in the boat of looking/waiting for something more subtle/less post-apocalypse - like the ARB Sahara for the front, or 4x4Labs for the rear (I had a 4x4Labs on my 80, it was perfect). Some of the guys who've posted about going to Pelfrey, Demello, and others have caught my interest, and I feel confident once someone does produce a more subtle yet effective bumper w/ or w/o winch provisions, it will sell well over time. Too bad Slee won't do one.

Skids might be worth considering.

A recovery point for the right rear frame would be nice. I installed a 4R hitch and have the stock tie-down on the driver's side, but having one on the pass side would be quite nice (for a bridle, or angled pulls).

Air/water tank mounts for the frame?

Your list looks good too.

 

[Scat Adams]

Also a battery tray for a dual setup would be awesome!

 

[The Great Him]

i think skid plates would be awesome, personally im looking for aluminum, mainly for snow, and or sand. that way if(and when) i sink the gx, it wont be as hard to free. -front/motor, mid/trans/tcase, and rear/fuel tank. i say aluminum because id like to keep the weight down. i have a set of 3/16" steel plates on my runner and while yes i have used them, i try to pick the cleanest lines possible when out wheeling and honestly have not used the steel to its full potential, and i think i could get by with aluminum for my needs -overlanding and no hard wheeling.

id also like to see an adjustable(forward and back) light bar mount for the roof like i have(mine is not adjustable, and it kinda has a glare on the windshield), along with a lower visor shield/lip that runs the length and curve of the bar to help sheild glare -i can send you my mounts if you want to use them as templets. i have offered this to LCNW, but they have given me no interest in doing this.

id also like to see some antenna mounts for UHF/VHF antennas

id be interested in also sending you my bracket i made for my compressor for you to start producing if people would like them

a dual battery tray would be cool as well, maybe a remote location, like where the stock air compressor is?

ill keep thinking more about this and if i come up with more ideas ill let you know

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

The GX is an aging platform (decreasing value) and becoming more viable as an off-roader; I still wonder how large of a market there is today, and will it grow much? I guess this, along with what you hope to get out of it, will determine how much you invest & support. Remember, Customers are often a**holes too......

I understand your position regarding bumpers and I respect what SSS has done. However, the SSS bumpers are an acquired taste and imho there's a very limited market for them. I'm also in the boat of looking/waiting for something more subtle/less post-apocalypse - like the ARB Sahara for the front, or 4x4Labs for the rear (I had a 4x4Labs on my 80, it was perfect). Some of the guys who've posted about going to Pelfrey, Demello, and others have caught my interest, and I feel confident once someone does produce a more subtle yet effective bumper w/ or w/o winch provisions, it will sell well over time. Too bad Slee won't do one.

Skids might be worth considering.

A recovery point for the right rear frame would be nice. I installed a 4R hitch and have the stock tie-down on the driver's side, but having one on the pass side would be quite nice (for a bridle, or angled pulls).

Air/water tank mounts for the frame?

Your list looks good too.

First off this wont be my day job its a side gig to make a lil extra money and give people what they are asking for... I understand people want a different style bumper and the reason no one is real jazzed about taking it on is bc its so much work to do ... to design a bumper and not waist your time there has to be a demand for it and I need to be able to repeat it over and over in a timely manner and at a price that is reasonable ... or build a one off custom bumper that cost 3-5 grand ...
now for those reasons and the reasons you listed I'm not interested in redesigning a full front bumper ... thats not to say SSS isnt open to it one day in the future and id be glad to help them with it ... but im not gonna speak for them on the matter they are busy enough ...

Also what i have found is that most GX owners want to stay fairly stock and just wanna do mild wheeling and overlanding ... so id like a cater to that good medium ... simple things like recovery points and shackle mounts, battery trays , brackets , etc. that are simple but effective to achieve your needs are great ideas ... iv also considered skid plates as well

But this is going to be a work in progress for me ... one thing at a time ...first order of business will be the hidden winch mount

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

i think skid plates would be awesome, personally im looking for aluminum, mainly for snow, and or sand. that way if(and when) i sink the gx, it wont be as hard to free. -front/motor, mid/trans/tcase, and rear/fuel tank. i say aluminum because id like to keep the weight down. i have a set of 3/16" steel plates on my runner and while yes i have used them, i try to pick the cleanest lines possible when out wheeling and honestly have not used the steel to its full potential, and i think i could get by with aluminum for my needs -overlanding and no hard wheeling.

id also like to see an adjustable(forward and back) light bar mount for the roof like i have(mine is not adjustable, and it kinda has a glare on the windshield), along with a lower visor shield/lip that runs the length and curve of the bar to help sheild glare -i can send you my mounts if you want to use them as templets. i have offered this to LCNW, but they have given me no interest in doing this.

id also like to see some antenna mounts for UHF/VHF antennas

id be interested in also sending you my bracket i made for my compressor for you to start producing if people would like them

a dual battery tray would be cool as well, maybe a remote location, like where the stock air compressor is?

ill keep thinking more about this and if i come up with more ideas ill let you know

All great ideas Him ... The battery tray is one that iv been pondering alot lately ...

being that i have a tire carrier i thought about making a removable panel to box in the old spare tire area and putting a hole in the center to utilize the cable lowering system the spare used to use ... in this panel I would put my spare battery and air compressor maybe even a small water tank idk ...

for those that do not have a tire carrier iv considered some of the things you have mentioned

 

[THeGeNTLeMaN]

also as for the roof mounted light bar ... unfortunately thats just the nature of the beast when i comes to those ... Iv had one on my Duramax and it did the same thing ... terrible glare off the hood ... also everyone i know says the same thing ... I'm in the thinking that people just aim them lower than they need to be but i havnt experimented enough with them ... I considered doing a lower lip visor for that same reason on my duramax to cast a shadow enough to block the glare ... but catching wind would be an issue unless it was really strong ... im open to reverse engineering yours if you want to send them to me one day if you have time

 

[Mountain]

Dual battery tray
Larger steel lockable center consol
Aux fuel tank!

 

[little_joe]

First off this wont be my day job its a side gig to make a lil extra money and give people what they are asking for... I understand people want a different style bumper and the reason no one is real jazzed about taking it on is bc its so much work to do ... to design a bumper and not waist your time there has to be a demand for it and I need to be able to repeat it over and over in a timely manner and at a price that is reasonable ... or build a one off custom bumper that cost 3-5 grand ...
now for those reasons and the reasons you listed I'm not interested in redesigning a full front bumper ... thats not to say SSS isnt open to it one day in the future and id be glad to help them with it ... but im not gonna speak for them on the matter they are busy enough ...

Understood and makes total sense, I didn't know if you were looking for a gig to fund a retirement home in the Caribbean or just to help out the GX community and make a little change.

Well-designed products often create demand - but finding that sweet spot is a rare skill.

+1000 on the second battery tray.

 

[Mountain]

Dual bat tray
Larger locking center consol
Aux fuel tank!