KrazyKid said:
I need to replace my front bumper on my 98 Durango and I see that there is a visual difference between the older and newer first gen Durangos and similar Dakotas...
Yes, you are correct, there was a significant change from year 2000 to 2001.
KrazyKid said:
What I need to know is:
Can a 98 Durango Front two piece bumper and cover be replaced with a 2002 one piece bumper cover? If there are mods are they easy/worth the hassle?
When they did this change from 2000 to 2001 they did lots of other changes behind the bumper to increase crash ratings. The difference is on yours there are two peices.... a hard bumper(most likely painted black) and a lower poly material valance. If you are looking to get a new lower valance, I believe they sell these, but you really need to look hard. If you're looking for a bumper,... thats going to be a little more difficult, because they aren't just laying around,.... most everyone uses theirs, or just gets a one piece bumper cover to cover over it.
On 2001 or newer there is a smaller hard bumper that is under neith the one piece bumper cover, so interchanging a 2001+ bumper assembly onto your 1998 can probably be done,... but would take some doing.
You CAN take the one piece bumper cover and put it over your bumper... but, do realize that the size of your bumper is a hair (thickness of bumper cover) larger than the smaller bumper that the one piece bumper cover is intended to fit on.
KrazyKid said:
Are there any "cheap" but good OEM replacements that are not just the plain OEM styling? (I am not looking to make a low-rider/show car, just something a bit more cool...)
I wouldn't call them cheaper....you can get a cheaper one that looks cool and is not so "low-rider/show car" for around 350 to 400 shipped. Contact Sam at
www.socaldakota.com for your best pricing.
KrazyKid said:
Does anyone have a snowbear snowplow with a non-stock/OEM lower bumper cover?
I would think that it would really depend on how LOW the bumper cover goes.... i know those snowplows are bolted onto your frame... so the only problem would be clearance.
KrazyKid said:
Thanks in advance to any ideas/suggestions/links!
No problem,... anytime, and to find out more about bumper covers.... go to
www.dakota-durango.com and click parts list, then exterior, followed by "bumper covers". And be sure to give Sam at Socaldakota.com a call.... he might be having some specials on bumper covers or something.
Paul
