In 1974, the US tightened legislation regulating safety standards on both domestic and imported cars. Clearly, Congress was dubious about MG’s “Safety Fast!” motto. As a result of the new legislation,M G had to completely redesign the MGB’s bumpers. The first half of 1974 saw the introduction of a blocky rubber overrider, but in the latter half of the year the classic chrome bumper was replaced with an entirely rubber bumper. Converting to a rubber bumper necessitated structural changes which allowed MG to reconfigure the engine bay at the same time. Never before had so much style been sacrificed in the name of safety.

Convert to a Chrome Bumper

Today, chrome bumper conversions are a common request from owners who’d like to return to the classic MGB style. Naturally, converting a post ’74 car back to the original chrome bumper requires more than a spare bumper, some extra bolts, and a empty afternoon. Our conversion modifies the car the way the factory would have done it, rather than being a cosmetic bolt-on. We modify the front fender, allowing us to replace the turn lamps and lower valence properly using the correct brackets for chrome bumpers. We also cut back the extended frame rail to house the early grille and valence. For the rear bumper we correct the rear quarters to accommodate the chrome replacement. Then we make a custom bracket which allows us to use the rest of the original chrome bracketry, but which bolts on to the later car body without extensive renovation.