MGB-GT rubber -> chrome bumpers?

[NutmegCT]

Hi folks. I bought my 76 MGB to drive and enjoy for a few years before moving "up" to an MGA - I really like the looks of the A body but can't afford one at present. Some guys have said I should replace my rubber bumpers with chrome - which would sure look better.

Rubber is stock for the 76. If I replace with chrome, would I in effect be *lowering* the market value of my B?

Thanks.
Tom

 

[lawguy]

I would think that a '76 B would not be so rare that keeping it 100% original would hurt its value. If it had like 7,000 original miles, I'd probably keep it stock, but otherwise the value in these cars is as fun, affordable roadsters, not as concours classics.

Change it over to chrome bumper if you like and I doubt that any value will be lost. Some would even say it may enhance the value. I don't know about that, but if done well, it certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

[Steve_S]

Lawguy pretty much says it. If I were looking for a later model B, I would prefer one which had chrome bumpers. Not only do I feel they look better, but they shave off a very significant amount of weight from the car. It all comes down to personal preference, so do what you feel looks the best. Good luck!

 

[Bret]

Agreed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif If the car is in pristine condition with low miles as Lawguy says I wouldn’t tinker with it at all. But the great thing about Rubber Bumper B’s is that they are cheap to obtain and in many ways easier to modify as you don’t have to worry about offending anybody by doing so.

I don’t have any plans to get rid of the Rubber Bumpers anytime soon, but as Steve said they are really heavy and removing them wouldn’t hurt. Just read in Moss Motor’s British Motoring that the company offers a Chrome Bumper conversion kit that look fairly strait forward. Ya might want to look at that one.

Call me fickle but I actually kind of like the RB look. So much so that I have been considering installing a set of those fiberglass reproductions of the rubber bumpers and painting them the same color as the body when I repaint the car.

 

[timbomath]

No Bret, you're not fickle, design-wise the look of the rubber bumpered B's - mainly from the front - is aesthetically more pleasing in many ways. It gives a more elongated visual flow and actually incorporates the wrinkles in the hood into a legitimate element of the design. I never could understand the early 70's front grill treatment that totally ignores this element - like they were just too lazy to change the die and stamp them out- this is the look you get with converted RB's. Many other advantages of later cars could be pointed out(and some mechanical disadvantages) but it is really funny to see the bias of the 'purists' in the hobby against the later cars - maybe because down deep they realize that style-wise it is analagous to comparing a '55 Chevy to a '73 Camaro. Nostalgia from having owned one back then, the ease of dealing with 1950's era mechanics and more power (wasn't it nice to live in a time when we didn't even ask where the gas was coming from as we gulped it down at 35cents/gal.)are mainly where the mantra 'chrome bumpers are best' comes from.(Yes, mine's a '79 -'One with real rubber bumpers'- and I've owned: '56 Austin-Morris, '60 MGA, '60 Sprite) Put a '67 and a '79 side-by-side and ask anyone who has no connection to the connundrum of early vs. late model, who doesn't know the difference between rubber and compact dung, which car they prefer for it's styling and the vast majority will choose the newer car - with the older one being 'cute' and 'classic' looking. Point being is, buy what you want and drive what you like for your own reasons, the satisfaction being the in-escapable joy in owning and mainly driving LBC's - they're all classics! You just don't see too many people trying to glue the front end from a '53 Vette on to their Stingray. It's like the elderly (in her 80's) lady said to me the other day at the park - she was admiring the car and asked if it was mine, then she told me about owning a '57 MG back in her day and how much she enjoyed that car. As we parted she told me, with a certainty - as though it was my duty - "Now you enjoy that car!"
Tim Matheis

 

[Wilks]

Hey Bret, this is off the subject, but how do you like that steering wheel? I was looking at getting the same one for my car.

 

[BOXoROCKS]

Do you think it might be a matter of culture conditioning, rubber bumper vs chrome, Five hundred years ago portly women were considered desirable.

 

[Bret]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Bret, this is off the subject, but how do you like that steering wheel? I was looking at getting the same one for my car.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I really like it a lot better than the original rubber steering wheel /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/pukeface.gif Or the cheap 14” Mountney wood steering wheel I had on prior to this one.

I actually got the wheel from a Moss distributor. What I really like about this one is its back to 15” and it’s actually the extra thick rim (1.1” diameter). Maybe not ideal for competition but it feels right for me – besides it looks really cool too with my "Black & Tan" themed interior.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Moss Catalog PN#489-090 Currently on sale for $199.00. But if you look you might be able to find it cheaper through one of the many distributors out there like I did.

Here is a link to the Little British Car Co.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[Bruce Bowker]

[ QUOTE ]
Rubber is stock for the 76. If I replace with chrome, would I in effect be *lowering* the market value of my B?

Thanks.
Tom

[/ QUOTE ]

It can always be put back the original way.

 

[Steve_S]

Rubber versus chrome is an age-old debate, well, age-old for MGBs. As far as asthetics it all boils down to personal taste. Some people can't stand rubber, some prefer it. Me, I definately prefer the chrome cars, especially the early ones. As for rubber bumpers I think the front was done nicely but the rear looks horribly "slapped on". It could use a bit of trimming and moulding imho. But the only thing that matters is that you enjoy looking at your car.

 

[Steve]

If you prefer the look of chrome bumpers then I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if I were you. Go for it, and don't forget to post some pictures and maybe a running report on the progress?

 

[daddytiger64]

In a post further up here, Bret mentioned Moss Motor’s British Motoring Magazine which has an article on chrome bumper conversion. In the article it does mention requiring cutting, welding and painting (at least with their kit anyways)...so you should think about this before going ahead and doing it.

Personally I think MGBs look great either way.

Paul

 

[Steve_S]

I believe it is the lower front sections of the fenders which will need to be modified slightly. Not a huge job from what I've heard but it may require a skilled welder to get it all lined up correctly. Or you can look for a pair of earlier-style front fenders to replace yours with. Probably a wash either way in labor.

 

[Bret]

Actually in addition to welding in the front turn-signal filler plates that come in the kit, there is some work to be done in the rear too. There are a couple of corner panels (also part of the kit) that will need to be fitted & welded under the taillights. How much? Don't know - but I'd more than likely contract the same body shop that paints the car to do this for me.

The following link will show the whole British Motoring article on Moss Motors' Chrome Bumper conversion.

British Motoring Chrome Bumper conversion

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[Fox]

I've converted mine, i bought the conversion kit from the mg owners club.

The kit is ok... but you have to do a lot of cutting and fettleing to gett the front end sorted, you have to cut the holes out for the indicators, and cut half the front bumper plates off

 

[Tom Rynne]

I have done the chrome conversion on my 75 which is a V6 project. I have drawings of both front and rear brackets which need to be fabricated to mount the bumper irons. email me if you need them.
The Moss kit is the same in the rear as it uses the existing rubber mount holes and the same adapter bracket I used to mount the irons. In the front I reproduced the original factory mount plates which requires a lot of cutting/welding on the outer frame. Moss' uses part of the original "horn" from the rubber bumpers to mount the bumper.
I cut the horns back and welded plates to their fronts which I can use to mount brackets for fog lamps.
I have a bunch of pics of the conversion for anyone who wants them.
An alternative to chrome is my modified bumpers of fiberglass which allow you to mount a chrome grill and give you a spoiler. Pictures of my products here:
<https://www.morspeedperformance.com>

 

[Fox]

Anyone interested, look Here

https://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/prod/dialspace/town/pipexdsl/s/asvl47/mgb_chrome/