Alright, so some very thoughtful person decided to back into me in the parking garage today, and my newly modded stock front bumper has a great dent in it. The guy didn't want to go through insurance and agreed to just give me $400 cash... can you say trail bumper time?!

I looking at the Smittybuilt SRC bumper with winch mount, but I won't be getting a winch just yet (just convinced the wife to let me get skids and a CB to join a local 4x4 club, so an extra $3-500 is out of the question). So there lies my problem - what can I do to cover that big hole where the winch should be... just something temporary (a year or so) that will give it a more finished look.

Any thoughts?

Put a sticker there that says "Coming Soon" and leave it alone.

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You could trim a piece of aluminum plate and bolt it over the front of the hole using the winch mount holes.
Suggest hitting the plate with some etching primer and rattle-can bedliner unless you're into bling.


If you want mad redneck street cred., duct tape is always and option . . . yee-haw!

EDIT: I was only thinking about the front of the bumper, not the gaping bay where the winch lives.
Maybe a box full of puppies? Everyone loves puppies!

Unless your wife is looking at the empty spot as a place to put a planter (don't ask), why bother?
Leaving the big empty hole will inspire you to save up for a winch.


Or, like me, it's a great place to push all the snow you brush off your hood.

Find a tool box that fits and bolt it in there.

Get a shitty/dead winch and slap it in there till you get a good one.

Didn't you read the OP? He can't afford $300-$500 for a Smittybilt.

What you did there I see it

That's not the worst idea i've heard. Could make a good storage space for bungies and inexpesive tools/tie down.

Cardboard cut out of a winch?

Severed head and assorted body parts.

The empty space isn't that big of a deal. I ran my JCR stubby without a winch for a few months and just ziptied a license plate (beach permit) to the fairlead mount. If you mount a pair of lights to your bumper, it'll use up the empty visual space a little. Or... just not worry about it.

Round these parts the Red Necks put their most recent kills there. A guy ran around with a mallard hanging from his winch line until it rotted and fell off, another had a deer head bungied to his front bumper all winter.

Sounds like a great idea, but what's he gonna do with all that stuff when he gets a winch?

OK FUCKMOUTH.

Get a cardboard tube from a used roll of paper towels, wrap some string on it and shove it in there. If you want to get extra credit, paint the ends to match your favorite winch brand

The toolbox answer is the closest to a real solution, so that's winning for now, lol. I just wasn't sure if anyone manufactures a plate to cover the huge hole in the top of the bumper... maybe I'll make a trip to the local machine shop and see if they can cut some plate steel for me. Maybe I can build in a storage box for some recovery straps.

Thanks for the ideas folks!

How about a Costco size box of tampons?

I wouldn't do that... Up to you. I guess it might depend on where you live... rural/ city/ high crime area/ low crime/ garage kept/ open parking/ etc.

Potential theft and damage to your bumper in the process. Is the toolbox going to be 100% water-tight? How badly damaged tools might get or how dry-rotted/ moldy the tow straps get when subjected to moisture would be a concern if it was me. If the box isn't waterproof then consider the hassle of removing the stuff and drying it out. Even with drain-holes there will still be a potential for moisture in the bottom. If the box is metal it's going to rust around the hinges and latches and if it's plastic then UV damage will be a possible issue as well.

Do you have a cat? I feel like like a cat carrier would fit up there pretty good.

Get a winch cover and cover a box the size if a winch.

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These are pretty cheap.

I was planning on using an old AL kickplate, some brackets, and spray paint. $0 for me, but even new parts from it's a workable cover for like $10. AL is soft and thin enough to use a handsaw.

Yeah, I thought of that. I'm not in a high crime area that much, and I would only keep recovery straps and gloves in there, but I don't think I could make it water tight that easily. I think that if I go with that bumper, I'll just see if someone can fab a plate to cover the gap for me. Now I'm leaning toward a RockHard stubby bumper, though, lol.

Leave it void, and remind the wifey ALL THE TIME, just how alloying it is to look at a bumper without a winch, and continually make the comment, "If I only had a winch, my Jeep would look complete again."

It works, trust me, I read it on the internet.