I was involved in developing the Moss Bumper Conversion, so would be
happy to answer any questions that you may have. The installation
instructions should answer most technical questions and are available
at:
http://www.mossmotors.com/graphics/Products/Instructions/453-878-888.pdf
>From my admittedly biased opinion, the kit repairs the damage that MG
had to do to the original MGB design in order to meet the updated DOT
regulations.
The only non-hobbyist procedures are installing the rear fender fill
panels that were cut off the car to fit the rear bumper, and the small
fill panel that repairs the damage to the fender where the front bumper
support was fitted. To be done properly these panels should be welded
to the structure and then the area finished and painted. This work is
very straightforward and would usually be done during a repaint or dog
leg repair.
Just as on the original early cars, fitting the bumper blades takes some
time to get the gaps lined up correctly. There should be adequate
slotting in the brackets to get a good fit despite the differences in
body tolerance. During development we found over 3/8" difference in an
undamaged body from one side to the other.
If you own a rubber bumper car and prefer the look of the earlier chrome
bumpers, then the conversion makes sense. Rather than a customization,
the kit is truly a retrofit bringing the car back to the original design
with the least amount of custom parts. Aside from the fill panels the
four bumper brackets are the only non-factory type parts.
The down side is that you will lose the extra crash resistance of the
rubber bumpers, although the original chassis bracing is retained. This
is a concern and should be carefully considered.
Lowering the car is a matter of personal taste, again the raised ride
height was an answer to DOT regulations. The height can be reduced with
relative ease to the height of the chrome bumper MGB GTV8 which was
about 3/4" higher than a comparable 4 cylinder car, by installing chrome
bumper GT springs at the front and spacers on the rear leaf springs.
Personally I do not advise lowering the car down to chrome bumper specs
as that will reduce front suspension travel and the added ground
clearance reduces exhaust system damage and does make it easier to get
in and out of the car if you are an old fogey like me.
I may revise this last comment after I get a chance to play with my cars
and decide what height works best for my needs. Note that the lowering
springs and rear axle spacers are designed to work with the heavier
rubber bumpers. If anyone has experience installing them in a rubber
car with the bumpers removed, please post to the board. I don't think
they would be too stiff, but they may make the converted car less
comfortable to drive.
Personally I've got two late MGBs to be converted. A 1980 4 cyl. Car
which is a daily driver, thrasher. The bumper conversion is to get the
weight down for better handling on the twisties.
The second car is a 1978 shell which is being modified for a Rover V8.
In this case it is much easier to convert the bumpers and suspension
than it is to take an original chrome bumper car and modify the engine
compartment for the V8.
Once you get away from the belief that everything the MG factory did was
sacrosanct, then you can start looking at the modifications that the
factory did to existing components to meet the DOT changes and marketing
needs.
Hope this helps
Kelvin.
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