Rear Light Delete

I finally decided to weld up the backup light holes.

There is actually quite a crown to the area. The patch required significant shaping prior to welding.

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It needs a little filler which I will do after all the welding is completed to the back.

As I asked in my your other thread, why would you want to do this?

I mean, I can see it from an aesthetics point of view, but back-up lights are quite useful when backing up in the dark. Seems silly to me to remove them.

I have thought about changing them out for something a bit better looking though, but I haven't found anything I like better.

I think the reverse lights are the most fugly part of the MGB next to rubber bumpers. The backup lights do nothing but alert people in a parking lot that you are backing up. I am wiring in a relay that causes the license plate and third brake lights to flash when I am in reverse, so that will not be a problem.

I put decent bulbs in mine and they are bright enough to light up the road behind me so I can see where I am going. [shrugs]

Those tacked on reverse lights are super fugly. Mine are long gone. Good job getting rid of them Rick! Getting back to the pure Mark one style. Next step fridge door handles!
I was originally going to attach the reverse leads to the blinkers, as reverse lights, but the number plate light is more than enough to see where you are going. So I have not bothered. If they had to have reverse lights, why on earth did they not incorporate them into the taillights. Plenty of room around reflectors.
I don't mean to degree with you Andrew, But I think they got the design right first go and every every change after that was a backward penny pinching step, by persons who didn't seem to be trying very hard.
There are two exceptions- the GT looks good, way ahead of its time
and V8 was mega good. Neither of these changes came from within MG, sadly.

Looks way better without the reverse lights. I'd go all the way and remove the gas filler too.

I'd find a way to redo the brake light setup and squeeze reverse in the stack.

There's no question the car looks "cleaner" without the reverse lamps - but is it legal? I seem to remember hearing that you can't remove functioning elements from the car that were there originally. Styling items, yes - functioning items, no. Items such as turn signals, 3rd brake lights, or reverse lamps. You would not HAVE to add reverse lamps to a car that came from the factory without them, but you can't remove them from a car that originally came equipped with them. I doubt if having the plate lamps take the place of reverse lamps would count as "legal" reverse lamps. I also question the safety of such a setup. If I saw a car with the plate lights on and brake lights flashing I don't know what I'd think was going on. Not that the car was backing up. Probably that the person had their lights on and was tapping the brake pedal.
Michael's idea of integrating the reverse lamps into the brake/turn signal configuration is an excellent one - if it can be done.

It would take a newly designed lense and housing. But if your going through the work of welding up the old ones, that doesn't seem like to much more work.

Reverse lights is most areas is an aux. light aka not required...

An accident will not be due to lack of a reverse light. It will be due to some bimbo text messaging while she is driving. A reverse light, flares, smoke signals, or anything else is not going to stop that! When I do park in a parking lot, I always pull through to the next isle so I can drive out of the spot head on.

If I were building this car to drive I might be concerned. Honestly, I doubt that it will ever be driven at night.

A license plate frame with backup lights was my solution 20 years ago when I was working on my Street Rod. This one in the pic has LEDs, mine has small narrow lenses and regular incandesant bulbs (like you find under the dash of older cars), but is very similar.

I got the idea to look for this when I did the bodywork on my '85 Grand marquis. The area for the plate contains the backup light. When I searched the Street Rod catalogs (no net in those days), Viola!

Edit to add (and for my terrible spelling)...If you don't like the "bling", just paint the frame the same color as the body, and it'll blend right in.

While the rear does look cleaner without them (what’s with a towbar on a sportscar?!) they’re an essential part of the look of that age MG.
They’re not ugly – they just ‘are’ and they’re useful.
Paul