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MG MGA Alternative to Rear Bumper BBS discussion at MG-Cars.net
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MG MGA - Alternative to Rear Bumper
| I like the look of my car without the rear bumper but I was not sure what to do about the holes for the bumper posts. Then I saw a picture online with a solution. Does anyone know where I can get the MG emblem hole covers?  |
| gerard hutchinson |
| They look like the bolt-on centres for Magnette hub caps. Try NTG in the UK - www.ntgservices.co.uk cheers mike |
| m.j. moore |
| Also see Ebay Item number: 350119426772 |
| m.j. moore |
| I, too, am in the process of trimming out the body shell holes for the rear bumper brackets. The PO installed a front Sebring valance, and I like the lines of the bumper-less MGA. I found some plastic plugs in the miscellaneous hardware/fastener section of the local TruValue hardware store which look like a good fit. I may use a slight coating of silicone adhesive to ensure a secure attachment. I plan on priming and painting them the body color to blend in with the body. I will post the pix when complete. I may/may not get this done before winter storage...It's starting to get pretty cool for car projects in New England. Let me know what you decide. Rick |
| rpb bunch |
Hard to see from this angle, but we just welded up the holes entirely on my car. I don't intend to ever put the bumper back on, so it didn't matter. Of course, removal of the bumper also required fabricating a mount for the license plate lamp.
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| Chris Sloan |
| Chris, Can we have a better picture please. I am tempted! Barry |
| BM Gannon |
| Gents, A guy in our club used overriders only to cover the holes - I think they were from an Austin A95 - they have a curved shape both inside and outside that matches the rear end curve. Looks pretty neat and gives a bit of protection. Maybe Jim or Barry have a photo that can be posted (Ian Mac's car). Mike. |
| Mike Ellsmore (1) |
| The "MG" emblems look like the ones that are on my TD hub caps. You should be able to get them from Moss or Abington Spares. I always liked my "A"'s with out the bumpers. Cleaner lines. The "A tht I have now has the bumpers on but the car looks better with out them. David..... |
| David Honness |
| Barry, Here's another, but it's the best i have available at the moment. If weather is good tomorrow, i will try to get a higher-res shot.  |
| Chris Sloan |
| the bumper holes seem to be the easy part. How did you do your windscreen? That looks really great! |
| Dick Wallrich |
I made mine into a mounting bar
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| Bob (Robert) Midget Turbo |
| Here's another option: http://www.vintagemotoring.net/wp-content/gallery/memorial-day-run-2007/IMG_4877b.jpg |
| Steve S |
| Steve do you know what kind of over riders those are in the last shot? Thanks, Christopher |
| Christopher Wilson |
| Are you permitted by the authorities to remove bumpers? http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3070000172.HTM Have you checked with your insurers, they may have an opinion on this, as it could increase damage to the vehicle? Generally, removing protective equipment is frowned on. |
| John DeWolf |
| hi bob do you drive backwards a lot?, in the dark ross |
| R W McIntosh |
| Christopher, I'm not sure but I'll ask next time I see him. |
| Steve S |
| Bob Are rear white lights of that size legal? Where did you get the luggage rack tailored for the wheel? I have been on the look out for some time. Cheers Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Ross, mmm sometimes depends. I built the car primarily to do classic rallys (regulation) and thought how handy it would be when you went down a small lane incorrectly at night and needed to reverse out!! :-)) Steve of course they are illegal, although damn handy when you have a prat behind you at night with illegal headlamp bulbs, main beam on, or driving a huge Chelsea tractor. However one day I expect that will be a squad car and I will receive my just deserves.. The boot rack I made myself, Although I know Metal Mickey (SCMW) would gladly do you one. The spare wheel once in situ, is anchored down by a bolt and bracket in the centre |
| Bob (Robert) Midget Turbo |
| Afraid I'm not a fan of the MG emblems stuck where the horns come out - just a tad too JC Whitney for me. Reminds me of the people whose 'taste ' in car decoration runs to applying octagons to anything that sits still long enough. If you decide that you aren't going to fit bumpers ever again, I think the easiest and best solution is to simply fill the holes in the body as Chris did, and as I did on the race car. Smooth and understated. Sorry, for the poor picture, it is the back of a T shirt I had made for walking through the Porsche section of the pits at the Laguna Seca Monterey Historics.....  |
| Bill Spohn |
| Thanks Bob. I know what you mean about headlights in the mirror. The MG sitting height is right in the beam. Presumably, the spare wheel sits just that bit lower to allow the central mirror to be used? Sorry Gerard to side track from the main thread. It's amazing how many peripheral topics get thrown up sorting one topic! I like the look of the car without the bumpers - first saw it on Barry Gannon's. I think understated is best; keep the back clean if you are going to discard the bumper rather than add odd looking protusions. It also saves on cut or grazed knuckles when polishing! Just one thought if you do add things other than original equipment on the front or rear, what are your liabilities if a member of the public gets injured by such an item? Steve Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| A bit of fiberglass cloth behind the holes followed by a coat of, ahem, bondo would give you the ability to remove the plugs without too much trouble if you ever changed your mind. |
| Rich McKIe |
| One simple way of keeping the line of the back bumper is to put the number plate below the bumper as with austin healeys. Although diverting from originality in my opinion it much improves the look of the rear end and is easily reversible at a later date. This has been done on a number of cars and can be seen in various photos. |
| J H Cole |
| Steve The wheel could do to be lower to make full use of the rear view mirror. Although I abandoned the original position and made a bracket to hang my rear view mirror from the top of the screen. The bracket is incorporated with the centre hood catch so does not destroy the windscreen frame.  |
| Bob (Robert) Midget Turbo |
| Chris Sloan, Want to do the same with my rear license plate/lamp holder (no rear bumper on my coupe). Did you make a bracket to come off the tank strap mountings? Do you have details of the bracket? Thanks, Peter. |
| P. Tilbury |
| Well for now I'm going to leave to holes until I can find an easy way to fill and paint!! |
| gerard hutchinson |
| Hi Peter, I'm traveling and don't have a good photo with me, but here is a pic of an AC that will give you a general idea of what I did. Basically, we fabbed and added a permanent mount for the lamp beneath the boot lid and the number plate now bolts directly to the body. I have no plans of putting the bumper back on, so was comfortable with this "permanent" solution. It's aesthetically pleasing to me, as well.  |
| Chris Sloan |
| The overriders in Steve S's photo look like TR3. I haven't fabricated brackets yet, but I picked a pair of Bugeye Sprite overriders that I think will look even better as they are a little shorter, and are a little concave on the side toward the body. Ken |
| k v morton |
| Gerard, Do you have a 1500 or 1600? If it were my car I might think about adding lights there. Amber for a 1500 (turn signals) or red for a 1600 (xtra brake lights). Or even (gasp) reverse lights! You'd probably want a lens with a shallow profile so they're not sticking out and looking funny, but I'm sure you could find something. For instance, the front parking lenses on a Magnette would be perfect. They probably made them in amber for the home market, or you could stick to clear lenses and use colored bulbs. Just thinking out loud. Heck, I might even try it myself. Mark |
| Mark J Michalak |
| Whoa! Reverse lights are a great idea. They would have to be engaged by a switch but its a very good idea! |
| gerard hutchinson |
| Hi how about putting parking sensors in the holes to protect that lovely rear end gordon |
| g c pugh |
| Parking sensors? At risk of going a little farther off topic, how about putting a closing rate sensor on the front of all new cars along with automatic braking for collision avoidance? That might be simple and cheap for any car already equipped with anti-lock brakes. The most common physical damage accident is rear end collision, almost always the fault of the guy behind, and very often nothing the guy in front can do to defend against it. If I was buying a new car (or paying a tax to subsidize something) I would rather pay for this device than more air bags. To be on topic, this device could well be a more economic alternative to expensive and heavy high strength bumpers. |
| Barney Gaylord |
| Barney The function you suggest is already close. The Infiniti FX35 with "intelligent" cruise control will activate the brakes if the sensor thinks you are approaching too quickly. This is part of the cruise control and turns off below 25mph or if brake pedal is pushed manually. Quite annoying when the brakes activate when passing another car. |
| R J Brown |
| Steve SC Parts sell a boot rack contoured to fit a spare wheel - at least they did 2 years ago when I bought mine. Dave Godwin |
| David Godwin |
| Hi This is what I have done to my sprint/hillclimb coupe. I think its similar to the Sebring cars. Terry  |
| Terry Drinkwater |
| Swooon!!! Marvelous Terry |
| Bob (Robert) Midget Turbo |
This thread was discussed between 07/11/2008 and 27/11/2008
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