Bumper alterations

[greatwhite]

I recently opened up the bumper "nostrils" to allow more air into the radiator area.

The purpose of the modification is partially for preparations for an intercooler from a 93 Dodge mounted in between the AC condenser and the rad.

Since you need a front plate on trucks here, I had to lower it to not block the enlarged holes. I cut the plate mount in half in order to move it down and still use the original lower bolt holes. Basically, I ran it through the table saw (!) twice and removed a couple inches from the middle. Then I used some jb kwik and reinforcements to put it back together.



Then I Measured out the new holes and taped them for a reference point while cutting. I proceeded to cut the inner nostril edge out with the cut off wheel and set the piece aside. Then I cut out the enlarged hole.

Now I had my opening, but it was a nasty raw hole. I grab the inner radius I set aside earlier and spark up the welder. Nice factory style edge was the result. Then it was a couple filler pieces made from the cut out portions to make a new edge that mimicked the factory stamping.



Once it was all done, a shot of primer protects it for now. The whole bumper will go out for chroming once I get it where I want it.



Ahhh, I like it. That's the diesel bumper GMC should have stamped out in the first place IMHO.

The lights in the bumper are photoshoped, but I'm thinking of mounting them in there also.

Oh, one last thing; those aren't ricer halogen projectors. Well, they started out that way. I bought them for the housings, gutted them and installed Acura TSX HID projector housings in them. 4300K capsules, natch.

I wouldn't buy a set of them if you weren't doing something similar. On a larf I tried them out as delivered and the light was worse (or as bad) as the OEM yellowed housings. Absolute crap.

To say the light output is "better" with the TSX projector retrofit is a bit of an understatement.

I can see those Moose in the road a long way off now.......