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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 - Fenton Bagley

The telephone number I have on record for Fenton Bagley is apparently the wrong one. Would anyone have the current one? Thank you for any help.
Geoff Love

Geoff
In Jan. of 2008 I was able to get a hold of Fenton by mail only. His address is Rural Box 1. Holman. New Mexico 87723-9801. His cell #505/447-3883 but it does not work very well. From his letter to me he is book to Jan. of 09 and only works 3 mo. a year. His prices ran from $3500 for a body tub and up to I could not tell what, his letter seem to go on and on without saying much. I tried getting more info but have not had any luck to date.
Hope this help
John mgtf 1954
D Costantino

Thank you for your help. I have tried phoning on his cell but there is no answer and no way to leave a message. I'll keep trying over the next few days. I had the same address as the one you quote but, on making further enquiries, and thinking he had moved because his home(?) number had been re-allocated, I came across another address to which I have written.

I am restoring a 55TF for a client and the body tub is beyond repair or restoration. I have had several tubs from F.B. over ther years and they are all first class. Moss are no longer importing them and their supplier in the UK wants about $9000 for one landed here on the West Coast.
Geoff Love

John

Further to my last communique, I have just been able to get in touch with F.B.. He is still in the business and will be able to supply me with a new tub in a year.

Thanks for your help with the phone number
Geoff Love

WOW! "A year"????

I'm wondering if there aren't any others who could supply a tub any sooner (being in the market for a TD body tub at the moment)?

I first heard of Fenton Bagley in the early '70s, and his reputation is unparalleled, but a year?

Jeff
Jeff Brown

Jeff, if you can find me anyone else who can do as good a job in less than a year at more or less the same price as F.B., please let me know asap.
Geoff Love

Wasn't there some one in North Carolina doing tubs?
I think that Whitworth shop is not doing these any longer but not sure.
Terry in Oakland
Terry Sanders

I spoke to Craig Seabrook of Whitworth earlier today and he confirms he no longer does body tubs. I haven't heard of anyone in North Carolina who does.
Geoff Love

Jeff brown,

As far as I know, Hutson are the only suppliers of complete tubs (http://www.e-typecars.co.uk/mgt.html)

There may be others, and I would be interested in learning.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark


Steve Cannon in Greensboro NC is the manufacturer of most of the wood kits on the market, and he had some Body Tubs at his Hershey space a couple of times. These were reconditioned tubs with new wood- ready to paint. The tubs were done by another business in Greensboro, whose name I don't recall. I'm don't know if they still do these or not, but it would be worth a call to Steve.

Classic Wood, 1006 Raleigh St, Greensboro, NC 27405, PH: 336-691-1344

Dallas
D C Congleton

Thank you, Dallas for the lead. I'll give him a call and see how he may help. However, having now been able to contact F.B., thanks to John's help with the phone number, I am inclined to go where I have had good service in the past.

Gord, I phoned Hutsons yesterday and, as I said in an earlier post, they can supply one at a cost of about $9000-10,000. This is very expensive, mainly due to the weakness of the American dollar. Fenton can supply one for about $5000, or possibly a little less, but he needs the time of 1 year in which to build it, but that does includes delivery by himself, door to door, from New Mexico!

When using Fenton, as I have done 3 or 4 times in the past, it is necessary to supply him with all the used metal parts salvaged from the original defunct body tub, together with the scuttle. This necessitates some inventive packing to be able to send those parts to him. The main metal longerons have to be cut in half, then they will comply with UPS's regulations re size. He welds them together and the repair is invisible when installed in the new tub. He will also use the old doors, where appropriate, and the tub is delivered with the refurbished, re-wooded doors hung precisely. All metal parts are reconditioned before being placed back into service.

His workmanship is of the highest order and represents excellent value for money.

Question. Having restored an MG using a new tub from a manufacturer such as F.B., can the car be called original?

I bet that will generate some correspondence on this newsgroup!
Geoff Love

I wish I had read this thread about 6 years ago when I started on the restoration of a basket case TC. The body wood was completly rotten but the metal skin was good. So ordered new wood from Craig Seabrook but he was out of stock for some items. It so happened that someone local had a bunch of FB wood left over including all I was missing.
It turned into an expensive nightmare. The CS wood did not fit with the FB wood. I don't have either the facilities or talent to do woodwork so I found a guy who said he had restored cars with a wood body frame, turned out it was a 27 Nash basicaly vertical and horizontal 2x2 &4x4s.The compound curves were a real learning curve for him at my expense.
If I had it to do again, having learned what I've just learned, I would bundle up the metal skin in my SUV drive to NM and get a FB body tub in a year. Terry
Terry O'Brien

Terry,

For the record, Chris Hollum in Montreal stocks brand new TC tubs. Price is around $6,000.

Chris Hollum is a little known stockist. Low profile type. Never advertises. He makes regular trips to England and elsewhere, scrounging NOS English car parts.

I once jokingly asked him if he had wheel cylinders for a '36 Morris 8. His response " .. how many do you want? Do you need the hoses too?" !!

I once offered to write a dataBase for him for free. His warehouse in enormous. His dataBase is in his head! He quietly serves the Québec, Eastern Ontario and Northern New York state markets.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

His number is 1-514-639-4639
gblawson (gordon)- TD#27667

I just ordered a complete tub for a TF from Hutson. This tub has all new wood, internal metal structure, and sheet metal (including the cowl), No recycled parts or pieces. Their build time is 12 weeks. The catalog price is 3470 GBP or about $6800 at the current exchange rate.
This price includes NEW and fitted doors and all new metal parts.
Of course you have to add shipping to this cost, But it appears to be a good deal considering the time and all new parts and with the fitted doors!!

For anyone contemplating a tub rebuild, this is worth examining, considering the additional labor cost of salvaging, restoring, and refitting the old (and typically badly rusted) metal parts.
Don Harmer

Don, Any idea what the importing agent's charges and duties are likely to cost you?
Geoff Love

Don and all
I have used at least 10 tubs from Hutson. They all were absolutely the best that I have seen. I used to order two at a time as they would fit in one large carton. I could fill the carton with extras and have it shipped air-freight to Tampa. I am using the last one I have to build up a TD MKII. They come complete with doors and cowl all fitted. All I have had to do is clean and paint after fitting it to frame. The door fit is the best that can be had. Although these units wer purchased a few years ago I would not hesitate to order more if I were to stay in business.
Sandy
Sandy Sanders

Goeff,

Estimate of $1400 for all.

Don
Don Harmer

I bought a complete Hutson TC tub 4 years ago. Couldn't wait for Craig Seabrook.(3 yr wait) Great tub. Air freight to North Dakota at the time was about $550. customs charges including fees were less than $400. Great Tub and great service. Toughest part was transfering the money. They wanted cash. No CC. Too bad Craig isn't making complete Tubs. His are superb
L.A. Leclerc

This thread was discussed between 18/02/2008 and 25/02/2008

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