while you are at it check the trans cooling lines , they also rust where they go past the frame cross bar
go figure GM could make something that rusts with hot oil running through it steady

if you need mechanical parts my 04 did hit a deer , so yes I second the deer guard
I am letting the 04 go to a good home or the scrap yard which ever one comes first.

That’s exactly the kind of guard I was talking about. I’ve always called them cattle guards, and the weak thin tube ones brush guards.

How does that effect the air flow to the radiator system?

the deer guards are mainly to keep damage to the guard and bumper

when you take out your radiator , AC , headlights , hood , and push the radiator back into the fan it gets expensive and you are stuck 20+ miles from anywhere you wanted to be

it can , spare tires and a chain to hook to a tree and backup pulling the bumper out of the tire can get you going easier than no radiator

the old push bumpers on tow trucks would be about perfect I think it was 4x12 or 4x16 C channel with rubber conveyor belt material adhered to it

I notice years ago every truck I saw with bumper so nice I had to get a picture of it was from Texas at least 97% of the time. Finally I caught one of the guys geting out of a truck with one and he told me the brand.

That’s not a brush guard, it’s a steel bumper. Like the winch bumper on the f350 I just got

It's what I consider and call a brush guard. Anything less is just a wast of time and money. Several years back a tree was across the road on my way home. we were in the mini van so no saw with me. There was a guy in a truck on the other side. He suggested pulling it out of the way with his truck. BUT wanted to tie a strap to his "Brush guard" The wast of time hollow pipes bolted to the truck with 1/8" flat plate. I asked him if he was sure and expressed my concerns, he said yes and rudely offended I said his guard was built cheaply for looks not solid for function . He got the tree over enough to get by it. But his brush guard was sitting at about 10 o'clock instead of 12 '0 clock. I laughed every time I saw him driving down the road after that.

To me (aside from build quality and the material used) is that a brush guard bolts in place with the factory bumper, a steel bumper (ranch hand, winch bumpers, move bumpers, road armor, etc.) replaces the factory bumper with something built from heavier tougher stuff. May or may not include built in guards or push bars (I prefer that they do to protect the radiator and ideally my headlight housings too)

Line jumper, I think you've earned an I told you so 😆

I took a video, but this screenshot captures the basic sentiment

dorman quality control has gone way down , I hope they fit better than the dorman trans cooling lines do , you sure wouldn't think they could screw up a standard line end

the dorman ends for the trans cooling lines , would not fit the dorman lines , went through every one they had at Napa trying them at the counter after the first 2 were no good.

also a good time to get a coil of brake line material and learn a new skill

that is what I did for my son when he needed all new lines on his S-10

I think this is the tool I bought him , I would look but I think I loaned it to my uncle and never got it back.
https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-33260-Flaring-Tool/dp/B082P2483D?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1'

you probably also want a bender and strainer tool

it costs you some in tools but the tools keep working truck after truck so it is an investment in always being able to make your own lines.

price it both ways

I know Dorman quality has went down with China’s help, but they fit ok. Not a fun job but got them all in and it really helped to loosen the box up and set a few blocks on the frame on the driver side. Been awhile but they where around a $100 from Amazon

Full coverage and a deer hit that totaled my truck was the most profitable day I ever had on the trapline.

I pay good money for insurance so I don't have to have an abomination of a bumper like a ranch hand..