MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

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 - Factory Special Parts

Just curious!
Does anyone know if any of the "Special Material available through the Service Department" was fitted to T-Types before they left the factory? With over 50000 T-Types produced, I am guessing that at least some cars were to special order? Perhaps factory workers from the era, who are still with us, might know?

I refer to the Special Parts which were listed in the back of the SPECIAL TUNING manuals published by the MG Factory during production of the T-Types. (Among other things, the 1949 edition lists 16" wheels and Brooklands steering wheel for TCs. The 1951 edition lists wider wheels and dual water/oil gauge for TDs and the 1954 version lists camshafts AEG122 and 168551 etc for TFs.)

Nearly all T-Typers would know the factory "STAGES of TUNE" but I am guessing that some are not aware of the lists of "Special Materials" listed in the back of the original SPECIAL TUNING Manuals? I have attached just page 15 from the June 1949 edition.



R L Schapel

Matthew may know something. A little off topic in relation to performance enhancement but he informed me some years ago that 10 TC's came into Sydney straight off the boat in the ivory/beige combo so it seems that special orders were indeed possible even as far as interior/exterior colour combinations were concerned, which is a pretty extreme special order given the pressures and constraints of keeping a production line moving. But way back then there was the motto that service was important, had to actually mean something and that the customer was always right. Those were the days. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

There is very little in the way of special orders that I have found. I would imagine that any Special Materials would have been ordered directly from the factory and fitted out here. A TF was ordered by P&R Williams of Sydney for the REDEX rally with disc wheels (the others were wire wheels). I dont think the Ivory & Beige TC's were a special order, just the combo the factory sent out at that time. TC9993 was ordered without a body and used by Ron Ward for competition before Noel Barnes took over. That would be the only reference I can find to a special competition order for TC's.
M Magilton

Bill Chasser can provide more details, but he is restoring his fathers TD/C that was ordered from the factory. It has bucket seats.
Bruce Cunha

The valves and the valve springs were standard issue on the TD/C engines.

The packing pieces and the high compression pistons are explicitly mentioned in the Special Tuning Booklet, but I have no idea if any engine left the factory with these installed.
Ian Bowers

The reproduced Special Tuning manual was produced in 1949, and intended for the TB and TC cars. There were no TD/C cars yet!

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Tom, what is reprouced at the back of Blower on this precise subject?
Ian Bowers

Similar special parts in "Special Tuning for MG midget Engines ..." for TF: XPAG and XPEG, 1954.

http://www.dbraun99.com/Technical%20Index/XPAG-XPEG_SPECIAL_TUNING_COLOR_7.pdf

I couldn't find the part numbers in my TF Service Parts List.

Did MG produce a Special Tuning booklet for XPAG/TDs?

These booklets are a neat look into the involvement of MG with owners for performance and racing.

Lonnie
TF7211

LM Cook

The URL in my previous post doesn't work because it has a space in it. Find it on Dave Braun's site by clicking this link:
http://www.dbraun99.com/

Scroll down to
Technical Documents and Valuable Website Links

Click
•Go to Technical Index Page

Scroll down to
Period Documents

Click
•The M.G. Car Company Special Tuning book for XPAG/TF and XPEG engins as fitted to TF Cars. Check this out even if you have a TB, TC or TD. In color, over 8MB, Thanks to David Sheward for this booklet.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Interesting subject and here’s my take.

I am presently reading the book “Mr MG” a biography of John W. Y. Thornley O.B.E. Written in 2003 by his son Peter J. H. Thornley.

In chapter 9 - Maintaining the Breed, page 89 of the paper back edition I quote:

“However, it would not be right to move on without mentioning Special Tuning. With the increasing success of the rally cars, a demand grew from the sporting public to either have their cars similarly improved, or to purchase the pieces to allow their cars to be modified to the same standard. To capitalize on this, a retail outlet was formed in a small way, as such things do, but grew to be large and very profitable. The parts that competition department used were made available to anyone with the wherewithal to pay the price. Even the same labour-intensive cylinder heads produced by Downton Engineering for the department were made available to the private campaigners. Although I always suspected that the factory ones were just a little bit better, I am assured there was no difference. Special Tuning became sufficiently profitable to be paying for the majority of the competition programme. Of course, the publicity value of the competition programme for the whole organization in the late “fifties and sixties” was enormous. As successes grew the budget stabilized and they were able to do more and more”.

Hope this helps.
gl rombough

The profitable retail outlet would have saved Abingdon the inconvenience of building and tracking special orders I suspect.
M Magilton

Lonnie, Yes, the factory did produce a version for TDs. See the image, which shows the TC and TD versions. Hopefully I should soon have a copy of the TF version too, because I ordered one on eBay about a week ago. (Couldn't resist completing the XPAG set.) There were a couple of MGA versions too. I have a copy of the MGA 1500 version and I have seen images of a later version for MGA 1500 & 1600. (TC is "buff", TD is blue, TF is green, MGA is Yellow.)

Thanks guys, for the feedback. It is a pity there is not documented evidence either way. I suppose there might be some factory personnel still living, who might know. I guess a lot of information is lost unless it is recorded as it happens. Is that one advantage of this modern digital age?

I am not a concourse guy, but it must be a dilemma for concourse judges. I don't think factory, period-available parts get any penalty at most concourse events.

Cheers,
Bob



R L Schapel

Anyone have a good PDF of the TD Special Tuning booklet that Bob shows in the previous post? Or have a link to the booklet online?

I'm trying to save all of the MG manuals, documents, and videos that I can find. Links are nice, but websites disappear and the data vanishes, so saving the actual files from the site or from scans is important.

Thanks,

Lonnie
TF7211

LM Cook

The TD booklet shows up with regularity on eBay. I recently purchased an original publishing but haven’t received it yet

Bill Chasser
TD/c-8151
W A Chasser

Lonnie,

Here is one link to the 1951 edition, if it doesn't work just copy paste this link.

http://www.rmcshane.com/projects/MG/td%20xpag%20tuning/MG%20TD%20Special%20tuningindles.pdf

John
J Scragg

John -

Fast Service!! Thanks,

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

This thread was discussed between 12/11/2019 and 14/11/2019

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.