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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Rubber bumper armature replacement?

I'm presently toying with the idea of replacing the armature on my r/b GT with something that doesnt require a crane to lift it. Has anyone experience of doing this. Would prefer to keep the rubber outer. Danny.
Danny

I'm still trying to figure out where the armature is located, and what it is?! Neither the crane reference nor the rubber outer ring a bell. Must be a joke posting, ha.
Joe Ullman

Thanks for solitary reply Joe. Its the steel girder! that is behind the rubber outer on the bumper. The clue was in the heading.:-) Youve obviously never lifted one, weighs around 1cwt!! I was just wondering if anyone had fabricated a lightweight replacement,or made up a bracket of some sort that would enable the shape of the outer rubber covering to be retained/supported. Im aware that the alternative is to go steel bumper, but kinda like the look of the rubber one, prob makes me a majority of one. Danny.
Danny

Danny, I think I read a while back that somebody somewhere makes (or has made) glassfibre replicas of the rubber bumper profiles, which when painted in body colour can improve the looks no end. Result is a little like the RV8, say no more. Try some archive searches on relevant keywords...
David

There's a local fiberglass shop that appears to have the ability to make a mold out of a rubber bumper. If I were to do it, I would still put the steel girder in the bumper (safety is of paramount importance). I would also have the hole for the blinker reshaped to be circular so I could go with a more modern looking round turn signal. I'd also have two more circular holes added just inside the turn signal holes so I could mount fog lights in them. One of these days I'll get around to doing this. Maybe the interests of others could motivate the project?

Justin
Justin

I also thought of a light weight replacement. I was even thinking of using mine to make a mold and making one out of fiberglass. I really didn't like the rubber bumper until I saw the Sebring on Larry's site with rubber bumpers...SWEET. If you find anything, please post it here.

Galen
G.P. Copes

I found the picture you were talking about, from the 2000 conmvention..

http://www.embreyfamily.com/mgb/PhotoAlbum/v8convention2000/disk02/MVC-018S.htm
Larry Embrey

I always enjoy being edumacated.
Joe Ullman

Might it be possible to lighten the front and rear bumpers by cutting holes in the girder? I imagine that some sort of lattice work based on triangles would retain a lot of strength but might be able to shed a lot of heavy material. Anyone happen to know the actual weight of the front and of the rear bumpers?
I agree about the idea of fitting lights into the bumpers. I had often thought about recessing the rear foglights into the back bumper but it is one of those things which I have never gotten around to seriously looking at.
Marc

Mark, I heard 50-75lbs EACH BUMPER. I think they are 50, 75 seems a bit high..
Larry Embrey

Thanks for comments/suggestions. Interested in Marc's idea of converting the girder into a spidersweb lattice affair. Re strength, my understanding is that the steel armature is to protect the car from extremely low speed impacts only, nothing to do with safety per se. Wouldnt like to think of the effect of a thinly veiled steel girder on flesh and bone! (mega bull-bar!) Anyway, the shedding of around 1cwt in total must improve the response and general chuckability?
Danny

Just a thought - but my lads work in a factory that makes Ford bumpers and they are just a plastic shell filled with foam.

So how about taking off the plastic cover, fitting sheet steel brackets inside to attach the mounting bolts to and filling with expanding foam, then sealing the rear surface with fibreglass.

Should be light but still more robust than the bumpers fitted to modern cars......
Chris Betson

That'a a good idea Chris, although that expanding foam is evil stuff!
There is at least one Rubber B with the armatures removed - it was in the MGOC concourse at Billing a couple of years ago and was a really good job using a lattice arrangement. But the foam would be a lot easier to do.
The safety concern is pretty irrelevant because even a fairly low speed prang causes a lot of damage - I had a Mazda RX7 implanted in the back of my chrome GT some time (years)ago. Although the impact speed was less than 15mph, it twisted the chrome bumper beyond use, crumpled the rear panel badly, and creased the boot floor. Mind you, the Mazda looked like it had hit a wall with both wings, bonnet and front panel badly damaged. I reckon the foam filled rubber bumper would perform better than this providing that the mountings are properly sorted.
Dave
Dave Wellings

Some years ago I was driving in central London in my MGB GT of the time (which had r/b) on a wet winter's day. Had to stop suddenly only to see, in my rear view mirror, a white Ford Escort van hurtling along behind me and barely able to stop. He hit me with quite a thud and I got out, fearing the worst. Result? Front bumper of his van crushed and crumpled but on my MGB GT bumper, a slight mark in the dirt on the face of my bumper which was swidtly wiped clean to reveal nary a mark. I was quite impressed ...
David Knowles

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2002 and 19/11/2002

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