So my factory/stock front bumper is rusting away and I finally convinced my wife that I should spend money to upkeep the cosmetic look of the vehicle. I'm wondering what all is out there and if any of you would be willing to share pics of your aftermarket bumpers, and approximate cost to have it done, I would really appreciate it.

1.Budget?

2. Desired features?

3. Patience/time frame?

I guess the budget would depend upon how much they cost. I mean if the cheapest ones are out of range, then I'm dreaming. That being said, I have $1300 to put toward it and I'm going to have to hire someone to do it because I don't have the skills.
As far as desired features go, I'm thinking about adding a winch at some point in the future, so one with that capability. Other than that, utilitarian.
Time frame--ASAP.

I'm not the bumper expert by a long shot but I went through it a couple years ago. I added a link below to an Updated Bumper List that may now be outdated due to a couple companies going out of business/shifting focus (Shrockworks recently). I'll share a couple links that still work below. There are bigger player$ like ARB and CBI & you can find and many smaller fabs with the Googler. It looks like some prices have dropped (4XI) compared to the recent Covid/Steel shortage era and some have gone up (TNF). I bought a TNF/SRQ during a Black Friday sale and used Affirm or PP because I'm a po-boy and then waited several long months. Looks like current lead times are way down, though. You can usually save a few hundred dollars on a WIY kit but it sounds like you'd need to hire a welder and installer

4 X Innovations

TNF/SRQ armor

Addicted Off Road

Old bumper list thread

Edit - jeez powder coating cost has increased a LOT. You could save big bucks painting it yourself.

If you have a 99-02 4Runner take a look at 4X Innovation winch bumpers which would leave you around $500 for the install. If you have a 96-98 4Runner you will need to have frame end caps welded on in order to make their bumpers bolt on solid enough to run a winch which would probably blow the budget though.

I wanted an ARB, but the cost to buy plus having to pay for proper install (involves welding and cutting exact size metal parts) led me to get one of these:
TJM T17 Front Bumper I 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner 1996-2002 T17 Front Bumper
Easily installable by one person but you might need a 90º drill and a way to cut about an inch square of metal at install. I used a sawzall for the little cutout around the A/C pressure line in front of the radiator.

Awesome! Thanks for your help.

Thanks!

Looks nice! Did it come with good instructions on how to install? I'm not afraid of doing some work myself, but extensive precise cutting and definitely welding is out of my league.

In my case, I was able to install the True North plate bumper solo and I'm pretty ham-fisted. This bumper required cutting the frame rails back about 2 inches (no precision needed) but no welding. I had been wanting a new angle grinder anyway and it cut through the rails like butter. A shot of Rustoleum and bolted it on.

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I love how you just have the bumper in the small cardboard box lol

In the picture are the frame rails you're referring to what I'm seeing basically at the bottom corners of the radiator? Also, did you paint it yourself? I'm also a bit worried that I won't be able to get the old bumper off--or maybe halfway off and have to call a professional due to corrosions freezing the nuts. That has happened on this rig before with the tie rods etc. and they ended up having to cut them out--so it's highly possible the bumper bolts and nuts are going to need to be cut off as well. Gotta love salt on the roads in the winter time.

Haha that helped me hand-truck it from my 'office' to my work parking lot to do the job. I had 2 bumpers in my cubicle for months before I got around to doing the job.

Yes, you can see the 2 (pre-paint i think) cut-off rails better below. The old bumper unbolts in pretty much one piece and easily. Mine was a Fat Lip version and had a crossmember behind it. All bolts and brackets. Sold the bumper for $30 to a neighbor who had rear-ended someone and he put it right on. Mine is a CA rig so everything came right apart. Sorry about the salt! PB Blaster is your friend, but you could also grind it off without a problem. I saved quite a bit on a BF sale and I believe I even got free shipping so I splurged for the powder coat. I believe the cost was +$200 for that back then. These pics make it look like a civilized affair, but believe me, I had a full-on yardsale - tools and parts and stuff strewn everywhere. My work lot is a ghost town on weekends so I use it when I do anything major (no driveway or garage. sadly).

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Awesome! That does look like a job I can handle provided I can get the bolts off!