Another Cherokee

Sorry I can't figure out how to upload a pic, so I will try to best describe my dilemma.
I want to buy an aftermarket front winch type bumper. It appears on my year (96) XJ, the front flares continue well below the bumper line, and then meet up with a front air dam/spoiler. So even when I remove the spoiler and stock bumper, it looks like my flares will interfere with the new bumpers side wrap. The aftermarket bumpers wrap back to the actual wheel well opening. I guess I could try to carefully saw the flare along a horizontal line where the bumper wrap needs to go, but I have no idea how well it cuts, or what to do to make it look right.
Hope I'm describing this right. On other years, it looks like Jeep stopped the flare, and continued the line on the actual bumper end, so when you remove the bumper, you were perfectly set. Not on a 96, though.
Thoughts? Am I missing something?
Oh, and yes, I know I could just remove the flares, blah, blah. Don't want to if I don't have to. I like the look actually. Don't hate on me

Xj88

Just cut it. Here are pics of where I cut ny 88...

The first pic is how it looked before the cut

arorton

The bumper is most likely made for a 97+, the best way to fit it would be to cut a horizontal line like you described (I think).

Xj88

Bumpers aren't made for specific years....they expect you know to just trim the flare

Another Cherokee

Exactly, they all say all years, so I guess I'm off to get a very fine tooth hack saw blade and see how neatly I can trim plastic!

arorton

but sometimes they will call them 97+ bumpers because on 97+ xj's you don't have to trim. some bumpers are made so that you don't have to do the trimming, so some are year-specific. Sorry I referred to them differently than you would have.

Xj88

I just don't think I've ever seen a bumper that specifies what year xj it'll fit.

arorton

Nates 4x4 used to, that's where I got mine, that's the only reason I said that initially