A cheap thin wrench wouldn't have helped - it would just spread. The best move (AFTER soaking the nuts for a few days with penetrating oil) is to wedge a prybar between the frame & bumper to keep the square in the bumper (which is strong & sized correctly) as you back the nuts off.
During reassembly, use anti-seize on the threads. Blue threadlocker is an effective anti-seize agent. After a few days, spray the bolt's exposed threads with rubberized undercoating to protect them for years.
It took a couple weeks to return to the project, but I was able to grind the welds to get the frame cleaned up and flush again. I'm not sure how pretty/polished it is, but the chrome bumper fits well. Success!