03+ Yukon XL 2500 Bumper Swap Options

Sorry for the wall of text but I have lots of questions and, so far, have found very few answers. I have a 2003 Yukon XL 2500 and am curious as to what my options are for front bumper swaps with as little permanent frame modification as possible (preferably none). Are my factory bumper mounts the same as a 99-02 Yukon since the bumper is visually the same beyond the 03 GMT facelift? Or does the 03+ Yukon bumper bolt up differently even though it looks the same? Are the bumper mounts different on a 2500 vs a 1500 even though the two are visually identical on the SUVs? I know the bumper mounts changed in 03 on the 1500 trucks but I'm not sure about what was changed on the 2500 SUVs between 02 and 03. Which of these bumpers would bolt up to my 03 2500 without (or minimal) cutting and welding on the frame: 99-02 Sierra HD, 03-06 Sierra 1500, 99-02 Silverado 2500, 00-02 and/or 03-06 Suburban/Tahoe? I ask about the Silverado/Suburban bumper because I'm open to the idea of "converting" the whole thing into a Chevrolet but I need to know what my options are. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You want to look at 99-02 1500s for direct bolt on, the 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL has the same frame as the 1500. The frame mounts are going to be the same as the 99-02, so changing to 03+ either Sierra or Silverado will require some modification either to the brackets or the frame horns.

If you use a 2500 you will either have to trim the filler piece of the top of the Sierra part, move everything down a couple inches (1.5-2"), or put a body lift on. Would be best to use the 1500 bumper, as there is not really an visual difference that I can tell.

Also you only need to post in one sub-forum. I replied here because it will be the same for all exterior, not just Sub/Yukon XL.

i put z71 bumpers on my xl2500

Do you have pictures of that? Didn't think the Tahoe/Sub bumper would fit well on a Yukon.

camaroz1985 said:

You want to look at 99-02 1500s for direct bolt on, the 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL has the same frame as the 1500. The frame mounts are going to be the same as the 99-02, so changing to 03+ either Sierra or Silverado will require some modification either to the brackets or the frame horns.

If you use a 2500 you will either have to trim the filler piece of the top of the Sierra part, move everything down a couple inches (1.5-2"), or put a body lift on. Would be best to use the 1500 bumper, as there is not really an visual difference that I can tell.

Also you only need to post in one sub-forum. I replied here because it will be the same for all exterior, not just Sub/Yukon XL.

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The GMC 2500 bumper isn't any different I believe it's the grill that differs as it has a lower black valence that differentiates it from the 1500 grill. On the Chevy 2500s however the bumper cap has a spacer underneath that gives it the extra height and either way they all mount up the same it's the body that was raised to accomodate the Allison under the transmission tunnel and the Chevy hood that was changed to accommodate the cooling stack. Lots of 2500 guys raise the front bumper using washers and other bits and eliminate the black valence spacer on the bottom of the GMC grill to get the 1500 look.

Source = I have a '03 Silverado 2500HD that I did a front end swap to a Sierra. I used a 2004 Yukon Denali XL 1500 fender for the driver side, a regular 2002 Yukon 1500 for the passenger side and a hood off of a 1999 1500 regular cab Sierra. The grill and bumper were from a 2005 3500HD however I got those parts because the 3500HD had a Denali-swapped front end and the bumper bolted up perfectly.

You can see the bumper cap spacer here on my Silverado front end before I had it paint-matched:


The blank spot where it should be when I was testing my retrofit before I completely changed the headlights:


Here you can see the black valence under the chrome on my Sierra front end:

Understood, I thought you meant you put a Suburban bumper on a Yukon, which is what I didn't think would work.

Also the bumper cap (black plastic piece) is different from the 1500 and 2500, not just the support underneath it. Look at the distance from the two oval trans cooler holes to the top of the cap.

1500


2500HD/3500


That accounts for the extra body lift that the HD trucks have.

camaroz1985 said:

Understood, I thought you meant you put a Suburban bumper on a Yukon, which is what I didn't think would work.

Also the bumper cap (black plastic piece) is different from the 1500 and 2500, not just the support underneath it. Look at the distance from the two oval trans cooler holes to the top of the cap.That accounts for the extra body lift that the HD trucks have.

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Correct, I just didn't happen to have a picture of the cap as well around handy. Personally I think the Chevy bumper was a more slick way of overcoming the body lift AND was miles easier on my knees while working under the hood. My least favorite part of the swap to the GMC is how I need to put something soft under my knees if I'll be up there for any length of time.

By the way. Love the new style 5 spokes on your Sierra. Thinking of getting either the black or machined with black insert version for my Suburban.

camaroz1985 said:

By the way. Love the new style 5 spokes on your Sierra. Thinking of getting either the black or machined with black insert version for my Suburban.

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Thanks, I love them too and I picked them up with the factory tires for $450 off a 2016 in December 2015 I think they actually looked better on the Chevy front end I had before which looked like this:


But the truck I originally fell in love with them on has the same front end as your Suburban and looks like this

Yeah love the look on the 00-07 trucks. I'm going to buy from OE Wheels so they will be the right bolt pattern without the need for adapters.

These
http://www.oewheelsllc.com/20-Fits-Chevrolet-Silverado-Wheels-Matte-Black-20x8-5-SET

Or these
http://www.oewheelsllc.com/20-Fits-Chevrolet-Silverado-Wheels-Black-Machined-Face-20x8-5-SET