De-bumper or not de-bumper?

Now that is the question!  I have been toying with the idea of decluttering ABW since I bought her almost a year ago.  The car already came with a fast-cam Oscelli engine and Minilite look-alikes.  The addition of some large driving lights and a little more "rallye stylee" finally convinced me that naked was the route. The weight penalty for the bumpers and hangers must be considerable.  I have also struggled to find a decent pair of rear quarter bumpers to replace the existing crinkled chrome, misshapen efforts. And  I could never get them hanging straight either.

Now the purists will no doubt shake their heads and groan at any modifications.

An obvious downside is that I will need to avoid bumping into anything.  Although, I'm far from convinced that the existing heavy ironwork would do anything other than transmit the impact to the chassis and bodywork. I don't intend testing this hypothesis.

At the back I've retained the over-riders; these also serve to hold the number plate illumination.  I have filled the excess holes with some low-profile allen head bolts, with rubber gasket for a waterproof seal.  In time I plan to fit a rear fog warning light and perhaps an auxiliary reversing spotlight.  I may switch to a horizontal rather than square number plate.  Phase 2!

A naked rear!

Around at the front end, I have removed the bumper and used the forward facing bolts to mount some brackets for spotlights and to locate the front number plate. Fitting the driving lights to my satisfaction took some time - more on that later!

Safety Fast front end.

However, I am still on the hunt for some decent replacement rear quarter bumpers and I have carefully stored the front bumper and various fixings.  I do not think the existing items are good enough to re-chrome, but if I can find some quality original items I will consider refurbishment. There is always a chance I will want to change my mind, so I am keeping the options open.

Anyway, what happens to all those bumpers - especially the rubber ones - that are removed?

In the mean time, naked is the way!