steel bumper
 

i know plenty of people have welded there own front bumper. well i plan on buying some welding tools and steel. if some people can give me few tips on how to start off. like bracket and measurements. a 98 jimmy front bumper measurement will be nice. i cant measure mine yet cause i blew my engine and its at the shop :icon_cry:

Easiest way is get some cardboard and tape. Build a cardboard version on the truck first. Get it where you like it then make it out of steel. If you plan on adding lights or a winch remember to leave room for it and check the fitting while its still in cardboard.

Unless you have built a few before its hard to build it off the truck. I personally bolt my brackets on and start welding up from there.

thanks for the info, this helps me a lot

Yup, cardboard, build it, look at it from 1800 different angles & sleep on it (not physically, but don't rush in)
Then keep looking around on the net for images with winches, recessed lihgts etc. See what you like from the pics & use that new knowledge to rework it. Thwen rework it again because you probably don't want to do this again although you probably will after it's made lol.
And paint the cardboard when you're close to satisfied to get a better idea of how it'll look. Take pics & see how it looks, show them around, ask friends, post em in here.
All said n done the prefab is next to free, tape, cardboard & a can of paint, so take your time.
- removable grille guards are nice & functional
- a foot hold so you can stand on it & not slip off to get under the hood
- recessed lights are cool & protected
- winch mount or a 2" receiver mount
- tabs for mounting lights on the guard or bumper

Yep, my cardboard version has changed about 6 times over the last year