Jim-
I have converted 3 cars now, & would offer some tips & some questions.
First, to what level of detail do you wish to go? My objective was, in all
cases, to achieve CB ride height & general appearance, not to do a concourse
effort. To do such a conversion that is absolutely undetectable requires
replacing the rear valance, removing the front frame extensions that support
the rubber front bumper, & a few other details.
My efforts ARE detectible if you want to lay on the ground & look at the
rear bumper mounts, & if you check very closely at the front frame. If that
is acceptable, read on.
First, some welding is required, so this is best done prior to a paint job,
although a good body shop may be able to match the pain well enough in the
small areas affected.
As far as parts are concerned, I have seen adds from a British parts house
or 2 for full kits &/or parts. The alternate is a salvage yard or a parts
car.
What you will need:
front & rear bumpers, backing bars, front bumper mounting irons
CB front fenders or the parking lite area under the headlights( I just cut
the lite area from
otherwise junk fenders)
the bit of rear fender under the tail light from a CB car
front valance, 1974 or earlier, your choice of design
front parking lights, again, style/year of your choice
CB grill, style of your choice
2 pieces of steel plate 4" x 6" 1/4" thick or greater.
misc nuts, bolts washers, C-clamps
What to have others do
unless you are good with a MIG welder, get your buddy or a local body shop
to weld in the
missing pieces. The body shop that will do the painting is the obvious
choice, as that way,
there is no discussion later about why the repair looks good or bad. About
2-3 hours work is
involved.
Now you get to work
Remove both bumpers & the wiring for the front parking/turn signal lights
remove the front valance
cut away the rubber bumper mounts. This must be done on an angle, cutting
more away at the
bottom to clear the valance. Now the open end must be filled, either by
welding in a plate or
by pop riveting a piece of sheet metal over the opening. In any case, this
must be sealed to
prevent water entering. If you are welding, add a captive nut for the
valance. The fill step
may wait until later, depending on how you wish to bolt on the front
bumper.
At this point you may decide to remove the frame extension that provided
additional support
for the front bumper mount, depending upon how anal you are & how good
you are with a cutting
wheel or Sawzall. I removed it on the second car.
At this point, some variance in procedure, depending. If you have a parts
car or access to a CB car, make a template for the front bumper mounting
holes, & do the hole prep now. If no car is around to copy from, continue as
written.
install the new front valance- easier said than done, as the repros suck.
Expect bolt holes
that do not line up, valance too long on one or both sides, etc. Much
easier with the front end
up on jack stands
with a little help from a friend, offer up the front bumper assembly
including the mounting
irons. Use large C-clamps to hold the irons to the front frame, fiddle a
lot until you are
happy with the way things look, & mark for the mounting holes. If you
weld, make up a plate
with captive nuts, slide inside the front frame & plug weld. If you do not
weld, all is not
lost. Drill holes for the mounting bolts through both sides of the frame.
Straight & level is
nice. You now need 4 pieces of thick pipe, ID to match your mounting
bolts- 3/8", I think. The
bolts must slide into the pipe. Drill the INSIDE of the frame rails to
admit the pipe. Cut,
grind the pipe so it is inside the frame rail, against the outer side,
flush with the inner
rail. remove the bolt & pipe & dimple the inner rail slightly at the large
hole. Place a large
washer under the bolt head, install the pipe, insert the bolt's (), the
front bumper unit,
washers, lock washers, & nut. I would anti-seize everything, including the
entire length of the
bolts. Remove, & install the front valance, if not already installed.
Install front lights
Rear bumper
Drill the 4" x 6" plates to match the rubber bumper mounting plates on the
rear valance, & bolt
in place
Assemble the rear bumper & backing irons. Add a pair of long 3/8" or 7/16"
bolts or pieces of
all-thread with 2 nuts & washers each to the bumper mounting holes. With
that helpful friend,
line up the bumper & use the bolt heads or ends of the all-thread to mark
the plates for the
holes to be drilled. You can drill & tap the plates, cutting off the bolt
heads & threading
them to make large studs, cut off the heads, drill the plate & weld, or
your alternate method.
All-thread is not strong enough to support the bumper without a sleeve of
pipe as a spacer.
Add the shiny little filler piece with sheet metal screws.
Take lots of pictures, tell all your friends how good you are.
See the archives for advice on lowering the car- just remember that using
the early cross member is the only way to preserve the ride & suspension
travel.
E-mail me about whatever I forgot. The easiest year to convert your car to
is a 1973/74, as the tail lights are the same, as are the side markers.
Jim Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgb-v8@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgb-v8@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of Jim Ray
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2001 5:11 PM
To: MG List; V8 List
Subject: Fw: Rubber Bumper to Chrome Bumper Conversion
I am planning to convert my 1980 MGB to chrome bumpers. What is involved in
this conversion? Does anyone have a source for conversion parts? Any
advice is greatly appreciated.
Jim Ray
Chatsworth, GA
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