It's really not all that hard, just cut, weld, and grind. I did mine te same way, but mine's a black bumper, so I didn't have to bother with rechroming, just paint. It does give a very nice, finished look to the front end.
As I have mine registered as an antique vehicle, Illinois allows us to have an appropriate front license plate for the year of the car. I chose to use an european styled front license plate, so it fits perfectly above the narrowed front bumper section. (However, in normal governmental fashion, you have to carry the original issued front license plate in the car along with you, but it does not have to be displayed - makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?).