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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Another TD back on the road

Lest anyone thinks I'm just some opportunistic interloper (I may be that anyway), here's a quick pic of a '52 TD I just spent the last year getting back on the road for a friend.

He's been driving the wheels off it since it's been fully road legal. Still a few small things to wrap up—driving lamp, complete wiper installation—but is essentially done. It's a great driving little car.
Lots of new stuff on it but the highlights are paint/body, interior/top/curtains, rebuilt brakes front/rear suspensions, carboy rebuild, basic tune up stuff, new wiring (including the regulator which was toast) and more small stuff than I can (or caret) recollect.

While not evident in the pic, color combination is red on red. Fancy radiator cap and grille badges came with the original car so we kept them.


DCT Townsend

DCT,
looks Great !! Was it at the GOF in Middlebury??
Will it be at the GOF in Auburn in Sept??

Steve
Steve Wincze

Steve,

No, Bruce didn't make the GOF in Middlebury because the MG hand;t been inspected in time. I was there on the vendor day. Sure were some sweet rides to see.

Regarding the GOF in September, I'd love to see him make the drive. Maybe as he gains confidence in the MG's reliability he will give it some consideration. I know he put 50 miles on it last Saturday and is adventuring out in ever widening circles so, who knows, anything is possible.

DT
DCT Townsend

Here's another pic.


DCT Townsend

DCT,
The car really looks good! We are planning on getting up to Auburn,,, hope to see it there!
STEVE
Steve Wincze

Sharp car! It sure would have been welcome at Middlebury.
David
D. Sander

DS - Ah, that it would have been ready in time, I tried, but simply ran out of time between what needed to be done to get it inspected and on the road and getting ready for the GOF myself.

The irony is that Bruce works at Porter Hospital in Middlebury. So it's his home turf, so to speak.
DCT Townsend

My TD lived across the street from Porter in Middlebury for 44 years.
David
D. Sander

Lovely! Some day Lily Christine IV may look like that... her original paint color was MG red...
Geoffrey M Baker

Gorgeous!

And it's great that he is driving it, too.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Great to see another back on the road. Nice looking TD.

So, for those like me, explain what inspection was needed?
Bruce Cunha

In Vermont (and I'm gong to assume many other states), even though the car is registered and has plates on it, it needs to have a basic safety inspection (wipers, signals, headlamps, brake lamps, brakes, no exhaust leaks, etc.) before it can legally be driven on the road.

Some folks here think it's just a money grab on the part of the state but, after seeing some of the vehicles on the road where I live, I think it's a good idea.
DCT Townsend

Humm,, new TD's,, and GOF's,,, I'm assuming that your friend is a member of the T Register?????

SPW
Steve Wincze

Sreve W.

He is indeed as am I. In fact, I just received my welcome letter, issue of TSO, and a few other incites in the mail today.

DT
DCT Townsend

Wow! That's some pretty awful spelling in the last post! Really have to be more careful before hitting "send".
DCT Townsend

Ok, I have learned something. Never lived in a state where a car that did not need a smog certification had to go through a general inspection.

As my wiper has a mind of it's own, Unsure I would pass.
Bruce Cunha

In Vermont we don't have a smog check, but on "modern" cars (1996 and newer) the check engine light has to be off, and the car is plugged in to a scan tool to check the function of the emission sstem.
David
D. Sander

Here's another shot of the 'Lil Red Roadster.

As far as the wipers and the inspection went, we had the wiper motor bolted up, the blade assembly behind the seats and temporary wiring run while we're waiting on the proper loom from Moss. Inspector just wanted to know that the wiper motor worked and extracted a promise from us that we'd finish the assembly at the first opportunity.


DCT Townsend

But, you could have it mounted. Remember, it's operable by hand. If anything, it's the mother of all variable interval wipers. Bud
Bud Krueger

Bud,

I would have operated by magic spell if it meant getting the inspection sticker!

DT
DCT Townsend

On the J2 I owned, I went to have the car inspected in Denmark when we live there. The J2 had vacuum wipers. When asked to demonstrate them, the car was idling so had very little vacuum. So I used the manual handle to help them along. The inspector asked what kind of wipers they were. I responded "vacuum wipers with manual assist." The inspector responded "FAIL!".
Lew Palmer

Beautiful car. Here in NC, the DMV offers antique plates to automobiles that meet the antique criteria, and there is no requirement for an automobile with antique plates to be inspected.
R C Flowers

RC,

Antique plates are available her in VT but (according to our DMV) they limit how much and under what circumstances you can drive the car. In this case, once Bruce's confidence in the car is sufficient, he plans to make his commute to Middlebury (about 35 miles away) on occasion. Hence the need for a regular plate.

DT
DCT Townsend

This thread was discussed between 23/07/2014 and 28/07/2014

MG TD TF 1500 index

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