New 1st Gen Front Bumper Option

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Hello fellow 1st gen owners! I have spent the better part of two years researching and looking over the various options for 1st gen front bumpers. I went through different phases of interests in that I was sure I was sold on a tubular, pre-runner style, but later on I started thinking I was definitely set on a plate bumper.

My searching eventually led me to falling in love with the Maxterra style front bumper. I asked him if it was available to purchase for 1st gens, but was disappointed to learn it was not. Discouraged, I finally accepted that I would be looking at used bumpers to get what I wanted in terms of price point out-weighing what I actually wanted.

I tried to like some of the newer bumpers that different folks were coming out with, but none of them captured my interest the same way as the Maxterra bumper did. It was after this realization that I decided to take matters into my own hands and reach out to a local fabricator to see what could be done.

I sent him pictures of my dream bumper, along with my own preferences and what I wanted out of it. I stressed to him that while I wanted an amazing bumper, it also had to be realistic in pricing. This is the write-up that he sent back:

Xterra Front Tubular w/ winch mount


-1.75" CREW tubing outer construction
-1/8" plate for side construction
- winch mount plate, 3/16" and 1/4" plate construction
- 2 clevis mounts ( d rings not included)
- 2 LED flush mount pods
- holes punched out on side plates
- Steel Alliance tears cut out in center plate
- raptor lined finish

Installed out the door price $1,000.00 (plus tax, if paying with credit/debit card or check)

deposit required - half upfront is required as a deposit to get project underway.

(Picture of the bumper if no one knows what it generally looks like)

IMG_9823__zps7y24rvn1.jpg


-----------

Now, here is my dilemma. Obviously that is a pretty good chunk of change. I could do without the LED pods being included in the price, and the Raptor Lining finish was a $150 option. So without those 2 additions, the bumper would cost $800. Given the materials listed, as well as the general cost of labor and fabrication, does that seem like a good and fair price? In comparing it to other bumper options on the market, it seems like a competitive price, especially considering I am getting exactly what I want.

What do you guys think?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

XTP_Dyer

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Nashville
For the bumper, the price would seem fair if it came out right.

The first question I had when reading this is what does his other work look like? Does he have bumper build experience? How do the welds on his previous work look?
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
He has done different pieces of armor spanning everything from 2nd gen Xterras to Toyota bumpers and sliders, and various Jeep things. His welds are top quality, and most of my local off-road group buddies go to him with whatever they need and speak very highly of him. His armor work seems pretty split between tubular and plate designs, so I trust him to pull off this hybrid style.
 

cpalka9

Bought an X
Location
Ocala, FL
One thing I have a question about is the hoops. I understand its tube construction but are you also getting the upper hoops like on the maxterra bumper and does the price reflect this?
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
One thing I have a question about is the hoops. I understand its tube construction but are you also getting the upper hoops like on the maxterra bumper and does the price reflect this?

Yes, that price is everything as is in the picture. The only big difference is that the front plate would include the fabricators logo on the bottom, but he would give me the option to have whatever I wanted cut into the top portion.
 

GPD605X

Lockers Installed
Founding Member
Location
Gulfport, MS
I've got a local fabricator who says he can make me a famous Maxterra bumper for like $500. That's top tubing, skid plate, fog light cut outs, winch mount and shackle mounts. And that's a whole new bumper.
The first "fabricator" I gave a shot made it similar to Maxterra's but never finished it.
This is what mine looks like:
457DE1A8-9B51-4B3F-BECC-CE2C89A86A2C_zpss7wsxpq2.jpg

This is what I want it to eventually look like:
Bumper%20Options_zps1nojkrst.png
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
I was hoping mine would come in around $600, but when the thickness of the tubing comes into consideration, along with the thickness of the plates welded on, it adds up. I mean, if I didn't opt for the dimpled plates and chose to go with the plates riveted or bolted on like yours, I'm sure the cost would come down. And the top plate welded on as opposed to just being "open" added to the cost. I really like yours, don't get me wrong, but the visual difference in terms of structural fabrication is pretty noticeable.

If I'm going to be spending the money for a bumper, I want to be damn sure it's built to my exact wishes and is strong as hell. I think it will turn out really good, and the more I compare prices of different bumpers, I think the price is pretty good considering I won't have to pay for shipping
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
With a little bit of magic, I was able to chop up what it would look like on my X:

CIMG2287_zpst5tud4sm1_zpssulmkcn7.jpg


I'm going to pull the trigger and get it made. He's excited to see it all finished almost as much as I am, and if everything goes good, this could be another option for us 1st gen folks!
 
Last edited:

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
As with most other things that I have wanted to purchase for my truck, real life comes up and slaps me back into reality. It's on the back burner but hopefully it'll become tangible sooner than later
 

P&P

Need Bigger Tires
Site Sponsor
Location
Middle TN
I hope you guys end up with what you want. As a shop owner I just want to add my $.02 that any bumper takes a lot of time to do correctly. The first time without having plans of any kind is especially time consuming. Whether you jump right in and start cutting metal and figure it out as you go or sit down and plan it all out there's lots of time spnt getting all your angles and fitments correct for the weld joints to be strong. Time far outweighs the cost of materials. Even to not worry about ever reproducing it you have to get I don't know a shop that charges less than $60/hr for labor. An 8 hour day @ $60/hr = $480. We are deff. slower at 1 offs and prototypes than job shops since we have geared ourselves towards being a production facility but to get the Tundra slider prototypes done how we liked them the other day we have ~16-20 hours into them.
 

granitex

Skid Plates
Founding Member
Location
Columbus OH
^^^^^^ the real money is in the time and materials for the first trial and error version, you build it, break it, fix what broke, and refine the design and build. Your first one is really just practice to learn what you really want to build, and how you want to build it.

Just trying to get someone to copy someone's design for less money is bull.

There is a reason that quality costs, and the cost of just a good welder is well above the cost of a bumper, without ever getting into the cost of materials, consumables, the shop itself, and the time of the professional craftsman to assemble it all.

I am a huge advocate of doing it yourself, But if you like a design pay the man who put in the hours perfecting it.
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
^^^^^^ the real money is in the time and materials for the first trial and error version, you build it, break it, fix what broke, and refine the design and build. Your first one is really just practice to learn what you really want to build, and how you want to build it.

Just trying to get someone to copy someone's design for less money is bull.

There is a reason that quality costs, and the cost of just a good welder is well above the cost of a bumper, without ever getting into the cost of materials, consumables, the shop itself, and the time of the professional craftsman to assemble it all.

I am a huge advocate of doing it yourself, But if you like a design pay the man who put in the hours perfecting it.

I'm too tired to read my first post that I wrote over a year ago, but I thought I clearly stated that the design I like, Maxterira's, is strictly 2nd gen only. I reached out to him more than once to beg him to do a bumper for me for my 1st gen, but it wasn't in the cards. Reflecting on what you and P&P said, I would have gladly given him my money to build it because it is his design, he knows how to do it, and I would know without a doubt ever crossing my mind that it would be built right. Again though, that was never going to happen so I was trying to make due with what I could at the time.

The local guy I reached out to builds off road bumpers in a fair quantity. He generally does the same style I was looking for, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted. When I shared the design that I wanted with him, we talked about if it was even feasible and something he was confident he could do right. I'm not going to post pictures of all his designs or try to sell you guys on how legitimate he is. It's my money, Xterra, and energy that I would invest and frankly doesn't have to be justified. I know bumpers and designs are touchy subjects around here, but that's why I thought I made it clear on here that I tried my hardest to get Maxterra to make me one.

In the end, this is a year old thread that was resurrected and no real input was put forth back when I was seeking advice. I have moved on from this idea, clearly, for now and am ever-weighing my options for my truck. For all I know, I might sell it before I ever even get a bumper on there.

So Granitex, please don't flog me or insult my intelligence by saying I was "trying to undercut someone's design for less money." If you read my posts about this a year ago, you'd understand that was never the intention. I'd have gladly paid Maxterra full price of whatever he wanted if he made it. The local guy was still going to charge a very hefty price, and this was never about trying to save a buck. It was about getting someone to build the bumper that I wanted, without having to compromise.
 

granitex

Skid Plates
Founding Member
Location
Columbus OH
Not trying to imply anything on your intentions, just trying to shed some light for other people who follow threads like these and inevitably complain about the price and try to get someone to make a clone for them, or ask for shop drawings so they can make it themselves. Seen way to many threads go off on that tangent and just wanted to hopefully put a stop to it early.
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Not trying to imply anything on your intentions, just trying to shed some light for other people who follow threads like these and inevitably complain about the price and try to get someone to make a clone for them, or ask for shop drawings so they can make it themselves. Seen way to many threads go off on that tangent and just wanted to hopefully put a stop to it early.

For sure man, and thank you for your wisdom and input. I was blinded by the prospect of shiny things when I wrote that a year ago, and admittedly didn't take a step back and look at everything from the bigger picture.

Folks are gonna do what they want, and if they trust their own local person to fab something up for a few hundred cheaper, hopefully it works out. Unfortunately I feel like many people recently have become disillusioned from some of the big name vendors, and I think local fabrication options may become more common. When I wrote this a year ago, I was even beginning to see some of the same things and wasn't very anxious to give certain vendors money.
 

GPD605X

Lockers Installed
Founding Member
Location
Gulfport, MS
My bumper was inspired by maXterra. I know he was never going to build another one and I liked his design a lot. So I had another local fabricator fix what the first guy screwed up and came up with one similar to maXterra but not a direct replica. It was 95% done before it got smashed less than 12 hours of being on. It still needed top tubing and the center section plated but you can get the idea.
cf10dbe3821680277cf4ee014c21be66.jpg



Sent from my couch
 

Cruecible

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Location
Albuquerque, NM
My bumper was inspired by maXterra. I know he was never going to build another one and I liked his design a lot. So I had another local fabricator fix what the first guy screwed up and came up with one similar to maXterra but not a direct replica. It was 95% done before it got smashed less than 12 hours of being on. It still needed top tubing and the center section plated but you can get the idea.
cf10dbe3821680277cf4ee014c21be66.jpg



Sent from my couch

Your streak of bad luck hits me right in the feels dude. I'm pretty bummed for ya
 

GPD605X

Lockers Installed
Founding Member
Location
Gulfport, MS
Yea lol, it's def not the best with this one. Dropped it off at the insurance place last night and hopefully it gets sent to the crusher lol
 
Top