Lightening rubber bumpers

[Moderator]

How much weight can be removed from the front and rear MGB "rubber bumpers" respectively while maintaining the original appearance? 

I know there are several approaches to this, so please volunteer any qualifications. What were you willing or unwilling to cut, for example. 

I'm asking this on behalf of my friend Walter Kallenberg who has one of the original factory-built MGB GT V8s... but modified over the years. I expect some of you will remember meeting Walter - he used to occasionally cross the pond to crew for John Targett. I met Walter several times... particularly at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen races. I believe he's willing and able to entertain any options you might suggest - including racecar specific ones - but would probably prefer a reversible solution.

@Carl: this question is right up you alley, isn't it? 

[Moderator]

Any comments about Morspeed (or other) fiberglass replacements for the rubber bumpers would also be welcome. (Quality? Ease of installation? Weight savings potential? Etc.)

[BlownMGB-V8]

I saw a set of those bumpers on a B this last week at the annual meet and felt they nicely blended the aesthetic of the old and the new. The owner said they weighed 7 lbs each, so a big weight savings. Originally made by a doctor and his wife in the UK and then passed on apparently. That's all I have. The fit was pretty good but I wouldn't say perfect. It probably could be made so.

Jim

[MGBV8]

@Carl: this question is right up you alley, isn't it?

Yes.  Give me a day or 2.  I just landed home from a whirlwind trip to the British V8 meet & a weekend trip with my dad & members of the Appalachian British Car Society to visit the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN.

[MGBV8]

How much weight can be removed from the front and rear MGB "rubber bumpers" respectively while maintaining the original appearance?

I weighed my rear bumper at 43.8 lbs.  I was able to reduce it to 20 lbs.

Rear RB started at 43.8 lbs. Carving up the metal reduced the weight of the inner structure from 28 to 18.3 lbs. Not enough, so took the sawsall to it. cut it into three parts with only the mounting points to the body left. That dropped the steel to 6.9 lbs. Screwed those pieces back the the rubber (which weighs 13 lbs alone). Ended up with a 20 lb. rear bumper. Next go round will be to trim the rubber down for a snugger fit to the body ala the "Lloyd Faust Method". More to come when I trim it down like Lloyd Faust did. He got his down to 14 lbs.

https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mgb-and-gt-forum.1/more-rubber-bumper-mods-fyi.2012349/

Front bumper metal structure (armature) was reduced via plasma cutter. A bit disappointing, only dropped 10 lbs.  I plan to revisit to remove more metal.

[MGBV8]

More ideas:

https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mgb-and-gt-forum.1/another-take-on-trimming-rear-rubber.3746141/

https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mgb-and-gt-forum.1/cutting-down-rubber-bumpers.2335344/