200 Front Bumper Chop (1 Viewer)

[FlightMedic178]

After numerous requests..
I’ve decided to chop off the lower half of my front bumper.
The rear bumper chop went so well I decided... what the heck.

I’m extremely happy with how it turned out.

The entire project took around 6 hours.

The tools required were:
-angle grinder with a metal cut off blade. -10, 12, 17mm sockets
-small and extra small flat head screwdriver
-serrated edge pocket knife
-black edge trim
-black spray paint

First I removed the front bumper, grill and front most fender walls.
The Australian Images YouTube video was a big help in getting all this off. The only thing I had to do different from his was disconnect the headlight washer fluid hose, the radar sensor /camera in the grill and the fog lights/ parking sensor connector.

 

[FlightMedic178]

Next with the bumper off I had to decide where to cut. I chose to make the cut the exact height of my rear chop (24 inches from the ground). My thought process was it will be symmetrical front to rear and the frame sits at this height. Anything higher would require a LOT more modifications.
Cutting at this height did require the loss of the parking sensors. I personally never use them but will eventually cut a hole in the remaining bumper and reinstall.

Next was measuring and remeasuring 24 inches from the ground, then the cut!
Again, if you didn’t read the rear chop thread, the angle grinder with the metal cut off wheel works great with this plastic and it’s super easy to cut in a straight line.

 

[FlightMedic178]

After re-fitting the bumper what’s left is the bare aluminum crash bar which also protects the lower 1/2 of the radiator.
In my opinion, the bare aluminum didn’t look good at all so I spray painted it flat black. Then I added the trim around the plastic edges of the bumper.

 

[ElHefe]

The trim edge is a nice touch. Looks professionally done.

 

[FlightMedic178]

In-between the crash bar and the bumper front was a giant styrofoam buffer. This also didn’t look too good after the chop if left as is. But without it, the front bumper has nothing to rest against and would flex a lot on the highway. So, I trimmed it with my serrated edge pocket knife then zip tied it back on and it’s sturdy as ever.

 

[FlightMedic178]

More pictures:

 

[FlightMedic178]

Left to do:
-I will be trimming and reattaching the front most fender walls to give the bumper wings more stability as well as protect the fog lights from mud.
-relocate the parking sensors
-Have a slider style bumper bar welded to the frame. This will match my rear slider bumper. I’m really excited to see how it turns out. Stay tuned!

At the bottom left of this picture is a dead bird I found stuck in my radiator. Every little bit of weight counts right?!

 

[bemerritt]

When i read the tools list, i was curious what the pocket knife was for haha.

 

[slowride]

Flight Medic 178,

Awesome as usual !!!

I'll ask my traditional questions:

Have you driven the cruiser 70-80 mph yet?

Any new wind noises or howling at speed?

Are you are sure this is not a lease? LOL...

I admire your steady hands and nerves performing these delicate plastic surgery operations...

Jeff

 

[bloc]

Do you track your mileage? If so I'd be curious how this one change impacts things.

 

[Rigger]

Looks killer!

 

[tincan45]

Anxious to see how this one turn out. Especially if it's anything like the rear chop!

 

[RiDE]

Looks ok. I would give the bumper a bit more definition by making the cut angle up and around the fog lights. Sort of like wings. I think it looks a bit too straight. Check out the SSO front for 5th gens and how they make the cut for the wings.

 

[FlightMedic178]

Looks ok. I would give the bumper a bit more definition by making the cut angle up and around the fog lights. Sort of like wings. I think it looks a bit too straight. Check out the SSO front for 5th gens and how they make the cut for the wings.

Thanks for the feedback!
I’ve seen the bumper cut you’re referring to and considered doing the same but when looking at the inside of the 200 plastic bumper, the fog lights are way too big to make that look good. (You would see the back side of the fog lights through cut)
The next option I considered was chopping the fog lights off completely. I decided that was too extreme. Originally when figuring out how high to cut I thought I would want it much higher than its at now but realizing the frame is at this height, higher cuts won’t make that much of a difference.
Especially when a steel bumper bar is getting tucked up there, anything I came across can scrape along

 

[RiDE]

Do you have plans to mount a winch on the steel tube bumper?

 

[Overland Tailor]

Looks great....

 

[FlightMedic178]

Do you have plans to mount a winch on the steel tube bumper?

No I don't.

 

[Tex68w]

Left to do:
-I will be trimming and reattaching the front most fender walls to give the bumper wings more stability as well as protect the fog lights from mud.
-relocate the parking sensors
-Have a slider style bumper bar welded to the frame. This will match my rear slider bumper. I’m really excited to see how it turns out. Stay tuned!
View attachment 2063862

At the bottom left of this picture is a dead bird I found stuck in my radiator. Every little bit of weight counts right?!

While I don't really care for the aesthetics of the cut (too straight for my taste), I think it's a nice utilitarian modification and from the looks of the underside of your stock bumper it looks like you needed the extra clearance lol. Best of all it didn't cost you much.

 

[speyrod]

Generally like what you have done on both the front and the rear. There are always little changes that can be envisioned or personalized. But you are the one who made the cuts and is adding the bumper sliders to suit your needs.

I was looking and wondering if a section could be removed and plastic welded to retain some aero and just improve approach angle.

 

[FlightMedic178]

Testing day!
Feeling pretty fortunate in that I can just “swing by” to the Broken Arrow Trail in Sedona after shift this morning and it’s not very far out of the way of my normal commute.
I tried every single obstacle on the trail and the front chop worked out great as I didn’t scrape once. The ground clearance gained was 5 inches compared to stock which was needed!