Ok, some notes on the above:

The upper valence will obviously be drastically stronger than the OEM 96-98’ bumper replacement. Due to the modular design, we have the option to build it in aluminum or steel. We will be keeping the winch mount steel for strength purposes and aluminum will not be an option. (It’s pretty light already) But for the top I am thinking Aluminum may fit the bill. Open to thoughts here as it would obviously carry a price premium over the steel variant AND it makes WIY (weld-it-yourself) a little tougher as most people who aren’t pro welders, don’t have TIG setups at home. Still can get a local pro to do it but…. Open to thoughts on material options here?

Design Notes:
Trying to keep the lines from the factory grille and provide a more modern update to the stock 96-98’ bumper. For the keen eye, you can see that the center section also protrudes slightly from the wings in a subtle effort to mimick the 99-02’ “Fat lip” bumper. I played around with a few different profiles for this but this simple approach makes the most sense as it will not be too difficult to bend. In current form, the “upper bumper” is made of 7 pre-bent components. Top and bottom edges will be bent to produce the nice “round” edge and all the vertical (or close to vertical) seams are where the end user will weld the bumper together. I’m hoping this makes a more consistently “pro” looking finished product as we’re really trying to reduce the amount of welding required while still making it flat-pack-able for cheaper shipping.

Fog light holes on the wings are meant to mimick the factory turn signal placement, but again will be mounting points for 2x pairs of LED pods. I’d like to work on some kind of 3D printed bezel to encircle the fog lights that can corporate a LED turn signal strip of some kind. Still working on the details of that.

Would probably offer an option for the center airflow/light around cutout or not.

Still working on the weird corner piece (if you notice it doesn’t have a lower rounded edge yet)

Let’s hear some feedback! Thanks guys/gals