Afternoon project? 1973+ bumper reinforcment removal for weight reduction...worth it?

If I recall, that chunk of steel weighed about 40 pounds. It just bolts into place so the physical removal is not difficult. The only problem with removing it is the big gap it will leave between the bumper and the grill. I was considering using a piece of aluminum to replace it. I expect this is a 73 only piece as they had the impact bumpers starting in 74.
Early 74s still had it, mine was an early 74 and while it got the impact bumper on the rear, it shared the 73 bumper on the front.

total bumper weight with the crash plate was around 60 pounds. so Im thinking the 40 pounds sounds about right for that crash plate.