yeah; the lamp socket is the only "defect" in any bumper design. Unfortunately; I don't know of any workaround/fix.
I started bolting terminal strips near the pop bumper and putting in a #555 pigtail socket in them so that I can easily clip off the leads near the terminal strip; fish them out. Replace the base/skirt/body. That way I can reuse the socket with only the loss of 0.25" of leads on the terminal strip.