hah yeah it sounds a bit out there, I get why he doesn't want me to I just would like to to have better clearance.. oh well.. I'll probably end up settling for terrafirma as I'm getting their front bumper soon also!

 

You're in Dallas? I just saw one on Craigslist last night. I'll see if I can find the link.

 

yepp just north of it in Plano. that link would be appreciated

 

How old are you and who's truck is it(who paid for it)?
Maybe show him how clean a Greg Davis looks when installed and he'll change his mind.

 

If you wanted to go really cheap, you could get something like this and make up some brackets. It won't be super strong, but stronger than the stock plastic and you won't have to cut your quarters. Just an idea, I'm not sure how well it would actually look.

 

I'm 18 but he bought the truck new in 2004... I've been driving it since i was 15 though.

 

Assuming your friend's dad is a good welder and experienced fabricator:
Do you have to pay him to do the welding, or is he doing it as a father/son/son's friend project? If as a favor, or really cheap, it wouldn't cost more than one from a mfg.
There's no reason a DIY bumper can't be as strong as a ready made. In fact, if making it yourself you could use cold rolled steel which is stronger (higher tensile, yield and hardness) than the hot rolled most bumpers are made out of. It's more expensive though so not many people use it.

It may not convince your dad, but if you're building the truck in to an off-roader, sounds like you are, cutting the quarter panels can be done so it looks nice. If resale value is his concern, more and more DII's are being bought to use as off-roaders so cut won't matter. The average around town buyer who cares about looks will likely buy something newer, or won't care about the cuts. And if you're keeping it for the long haul, cuts won't affect the value in the long term because by time you're done with it, it likely will just be a parts car.

 

Antichrist-
yes he is a good welder, as far as payment im sure he would do it for fairly cheap if not for free. They are actually in the process of building a bumper for my friends 98 Pathfinder.

I completely understand but my dad doesn't.. I don't think he's worried about the metal as much as the quality of the welds. I would very much like to built it into an off roading truck which is why I don't really understand as to why he doesn't want me cutting the quarter panels.. i don't think he's ever going to sell it as he loves the truck more than i do. its a mess but thanks for the advice.

 

The Greg Davis rear bumpers are made just a few miles from where I live and I've seen several of them installed. Installed properly they look great but you and others should be aware of a couple of points about them.

First, if you have an '03 or '04 you'll lose the backup lights and the rear fog lamps that are bumper-mounted. Most of us probably use the rear fogs rarely if at all so they'd not be a big loss, but you'd want to install something else as a back-up light. Not difficult but something to think about. I've seen some trucks with no back up lights but I don't know what state and federal regs require, if anything.

I know you have an '04, but it get's a little more tricky if you have a '99-'02 with bumper-mounted turn signals and rear fogs. Any state will require rear turn signals. I've heard of several owners installing the post-facelift rear lights that have the turn signals in the same cluster as the taillights and stop lights. Some rewiring is obviously needed to do that but it shouldn't be difficult.

The other thing is the fit. Greg Davis rears have a great reputation but I've seen and heard about at least a few cases where they needed modification to fit correctly.

 

hmm.. thanks for the insight. im not to worried about the lights in the bumper as i was planning on rigging up some sort of back up light on the roof until i get a roof rack to mount one on. and ive heard about the imperfect fit in some cases and that was another worry of mine, what modifications if any have had to been made? if you know. thanks in advance.