If you need to do a bumper removal on a MGF this may help. My experience is from adding some bling but there are other reasons you may need to do this.
The Process #
There are various steps to get the bumper removed. Hopefully you have the workshop manual which does detail this very well
Indicator (Turn Signal) Removal #
Warning – the moment you try to remove the indicator units the plastic clip on the one side that holds them in place is almost certain to break!
The plastics is up to 25 years or more old and will have become brittle. If your clips are not broken you need to remove this with little or no compression of the plastic clip. I was not successful and my one good clip broke off.
With the indicator removed, disconnect the wiring harness and put the indicator unit to one side somewhere safe. Look for a future article on indicator care and repair relating to the clips.

Screws In The Wheel Arches #
As noted by the workshop manual (step 3 in the image) there are 2 screws attaching the liner to the bumper. These are pretty easy to find and remove.
The only bit of “unobvious-ness” I ran into was step 4 of the procedure. After some poking around because the bumper would not come off I found the step 4 screws i missed. To access them, carefully pry the wheel arch liner back. In my defense, the picture shown in the instructions is not the most helpful.


Final Bumper Bolts #
The remaining steps before physically pulling the bumper, or more technically, the bumper valance, off are the bolts.
There are 5 bolts across the top of the bumper just under the lip of where the bonnet sits. With the bonnet up, these are easily accessible.
Similarly there are 2 big bolts that are accessed through the holes where the indicator units mount. Remove both bolts and you are now ready to carefully pull the bumper valance forward and off the vehicle.

Protecting the Bumper Valance #
I had put out a blanket on the floor to protect the bumper and with it removed the changing of the mesh on the 2 grille openings was fairly easy. Just remove a number of Philips screws around each grille aperture. Change out the mesh for the stainless steel. Affix in place by installation of the Philips screws and making sure everything is aligned nicely.


Reinstall & Random Thoughts #
Refitting the bumper was mostly uneventful. I had multiple attempts to get it aligned just right. I discovered that one of the (hidden to me) screws mentioned above (diagram image step 4) wasn’t located quite right. This was why one side of the bumper came off and the other didn’t. Only one of the “step 4” screws was properly holding the bumper. So, after a bit of a struggle I got the bumper and driver’s side headlight properly aligned.
With the bumper removed I saw there was a date and some other writing on the inside of the bumper. From information shared with me I know the build date of the car is 29th August, 1996. August 29th was my Dad’s birthday (amongst other significance of this date). The date written is 27/8/96 so this would seem to confirm the bumper is original to the car, and that somehow this marking has survived. I shared this with a relative who has friends that worked at MG/Rover at Longbridge at the time. So far, no identification of who wrote this has been made. Please get in touch if it was you or you know who this is/was.

Other Materials #
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