This is cool looking. Seriously considering this as an option as opposed to buying a whole new bumper. Would you recommend doing this?

 

I think you just convinced me to go this route... stubbify the factory bumper with a hidden winch. Looks great and the cost is low. Thanks for the pics.

 

I'm on a tight ass beer budget with my rig as well. I like the set ups on this thread. I would just compare bumpers with winch plate. Winch plates are crazy priced and you might be about to get a bumper already set up. I like the Rough Country stuby very sweet, and I have been contemplating the stock bumper cut down as well.

 

I started a thread a while ago called "lets see your chopped stock bumper" tones of cool pics and ideas to choose from.... I just about put blade to plastic and decided not to...

I love the look of the plastic stubby but damn to they dent easily... I snagged a Father's Day sale at Canadian tire got my LP8500 for 279 and the rough country stubby for 200 shipped from just jeeps. The suspense is a killer

And an off topic question.... My LP came standard with wire but a hoss front not the roller... How soon should I buy the roller.. Or should I go synthetic I hear lots of good And bad for both

 

This is exactly what I am looking to do with mine - I just haven't decided on flipping the winch over or running it like this. Great look and nice job!!

 

A friend of mine that I wheel with has a TJ with the lp8500. He's had it for a few years now and has had good luck with it. I think its a good winch for the price. I went with the MileMarker SEC8 Scout...so far so good.

 

Ok so I've been looking at it and after buying the winch, winch mount, stubby end caps, new fog lights, along with the time it takes to make this thing, is it not worth just buying a pre-made stubby bumper that comes with a winch mount and fog light cut outs?

 

You are probably right if you find the right bumper.

Though there are many cats talking about $300 bumpers, they are not the majority. My biggest problem was that I could not decide what bumper to buy. I saw the thread with people modifying stock bumpers and went with it. A lot of the guys doing it on the cheap use a universal winch plate and just have to fabricate more.

The foglights was an unforeseen obstacle, but I think the guys using the universal flipped winch can still fit factory fogs.

With the winch, winch plate, fogs, and end caps, I am probably in $650-700. That and an afternoon with the sawzall...

I currently have a BB lift too and was worried a heavy bumper would sag the front and my wife is not letting me get coils... YET!

I know it can be done cheaper by someone with better fab skills, but I did not trust mine...

 

Looks awesome!

Where did you get the 'VDP' caps?

My stock bumper ends have been "trail modified" and I want to cut off the carnage and stub the factory bumper.