Well, I finally decided to remove the piece-o-crap plastic bumper. With no bumper to replace it, I simply painted the metal bumper underneath to match my trim and sliders.



Looks like sh!t, but at least I have a better approach angle now!!

Wow.. you weren't kidding when you told me you were gonna go out and tear it off!

hmm...different, gives you a better approach angle, but leaves the radiator up for potential damage

Doesn't look that bad...in a bumper car kind of way.

Yeah really...Looks pretty Tacky also...But hey, it's your X, not mine...

Wouldn't look to bad if you took off the brace on the front and built a custom skid type of bumper. Something simple that wouldn't have wings coming off of it and would be flush with the bumper part of the front would look pretty good IMO.

brantley

Um.....correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it illegal to drive without a bumper on the truck?!?

So - Sounds like you're about ready to get that Shrockworks Winch Bumper!

Or ARB

Technically, I didn't remove the bumper. I just removed the plasic crap, which I would classify as trimwork.

Besides, I live in the Wild West. They'll let you put plates on one'a these:


Not really any more than before. All I did was remove that plastique.

Just make a "skidette", $10 piece of sheetmetal from the hardware store.

^^^^
Thats what I'm talking about. Maybe a little more protective with something thicker but same basic concept.

brantley

Sure beats taking a rock in the radiator.

I have had mine like that for over a year now. So has another RMXCer with a near identical truck.






And no it is not illegal to remove the plastic dressing.

Out of curiousity, where and what did you guys do with your foglights and wiring when you removed the bumper bottom. I also think its a plastic POS. I figure the sooner I take it off, the sooner I'll buy the NICE replacment.

My fogs are sitting in a box. I don't miss 'em. Good excuse to put some real lights on top. The fogs just unplug behind the bumper.

I added aftermarket fog lights using the stock wiring. I need to plug the signal light caps so they stop shorting when wet & blowing the fuse that feeds them, the tail lights and the dash lights when I go through water.



Cheapy Walmart lights.

Ghetto.

Post pics when you put a shrock/etc on there.

Seems to me you would booger up the air flow to the radiator with that. If you look at the stock the plastic doesn't cover it all up, does it?

There is so much open room there that I think restricting air flow to the Rad is the last thing you would have to worry about.

If you could look at it from head-on there is plenty of flow from underneath and the sides. It was and still is temporary, and I haven't had any problems slow wheeling in the high country over the summer. Hell, even the electric fan hasn't come on with the AC on, and 33's dogging the motor.

I took mine off this week too, but that was to fit on some 33x12.5 mud terrains on a pretty far offset rim. I just wrapped my foglight/side light cable around the metal bumper part

Looks like it'll be that way for 4 weeks till the bumper/sliders come in