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MG TD TF 1500 - Finally took possession of my new to me 53 TD

Drove from Florida to Maryland this weekend to get it. It was my Uncles. At Christmas he had indicated he wanted me to have it as he knew I'd fix it up and take good care of it. Unfortunately he passed away a month ago and was never able to see me get started on it. So my task will be to get it mechanically sound and running then strip her down for the cosmetic stuff. There seems to be no rust and very minor denting. There was however a tonneau on it so there's a myriad of snaps around the tub. I'd like to remove those and fill the holes in. It just doesn't look good. It will need full interior, full suspension rebuild, tranny jumps out of second, fuel tank is plugged with crap but doesn't seem to be rust??? One of the 2 fuel pumps is off and had sat in weather so will need some serious work, the other, who knows. Carbs will need attention. Supposedly the motor is good, we will see. I have to do some checking of the carbs and head to see if it is still a real MKII. Supposed to be.


l rutt

Congrat's on your new possesion! It certainly looks like it was worth the trip to MD to get it. I'm sure you will have a lot of fun getting it to run and drive safely. I'm sure the people on this BBS will give you very good advice on anything that you have questions about.

Check with me about battery charging systems

check with Dave DuBois for fuel pumps

Check with Lawrie Rhoads about Windscreen wiper motors

Thats enough for now!

Cheers,

Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

Don't be to quick to remove the tonneau snaps as it will be a valuable asset for you in Florida. My original interior lasted 50 years because the car was never left without the tonneau in place and your climate is much hotter than mine in Canada.
George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

Check with me about replacing the metal tonneau snaps with suction cups thanks to the idea of a British owner. It works without holes in the sheet metal.

Dick Thomas
TD13583
Dick Thomas

Congratulations on your new addition. She looks beautiful. I am so envious. I'm sure mine is out there somewhere. I just have to be patient. But not too patient!

Jackie
Jacqueline Peabody

I agree... leave the 'lift the dot' studs...you will have the tonneau on more then the top up....
Looks to have the 1500 badges on the bonnet... do you have engine/block/head numbers?
gblawson (gordon)- TD#27667

You may have a few too many lift a dots, but, as has been stated, will protect your interior much better than top ever will. Ever see how many are on a original Cobra? I recall them in a Tucson Ford showroom in 66 and they looked sweet.
Your excitement is a pleasure to us all! Bob
R.AF. Robert Finucane

Irutt.
What part of florida are you in?
Sandy Sanders
Hudson florida
Sandy Sanders

I'm located in Deltona, FL. The car is a MKII by badges and VIN. No andrex shocks but does have the hood badges, rear bumper badge, and right side hood bulge, plus the chrome rad slats. The motor was replaced though and I need to check the carbs and head to validate it still is a MKII in configuration. The air cleaner appears to be a small one as opposed to the larger MKII 9" I think. I should be able to measure the throat of the carbs though and see if it's 1 1/4 or 1 1/2. And as I recall from searching this site, if the head measures 2.938 deck to top then it would be a proper MKII. It does have the dual fuel pumps although 1 has been taken off and was left in the weather so is not in the best shape. I know my Uncle said it had a '100 ton' crank when he rebuilt it which I guess means the improved strength crank that came out. The fuel tank is full of crap so cleaning that out is first order of business. Then the lines and on down the line.

A real shame is that this car sat outside in weather for 2 years and greatly diminished it's condition. A whole box of very expensive parts was inside at the time and are all ruined and rusted. His son just didn't care for the car so he took it back and put it in a garage. That's why he asked if I wanted it as he knew I'd make it right. He always admired my restored bikes (some of which are British) and knew I had whitworth tools. Plus it goes well with the Miata we have, kind of old vs new.

I'll have a ton of questions coming up that's for sure. To start with would be the best book/guide for restoration. I'm thinking of 'Horst Schach' book 'The Complete MG TD Restoration Manual'. What do you all think?
l rutt

"I'll have a ton of questions coming up that's for sure. To start with would be the best book/guide for restoration. I'm thinking of 'Horst Schach' book 'The Complete MG TD Restoration Manual'. What do you all think?"

That's one of the best, if not THE best. Congrats on saving another MG!

Cheers

Larry
Larry Karpman

Congratulations on the great car, and welcome to the fraternity! I look forward to hearing what you discover as you go along. Thanks for posting!

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Love the color. Clipper Blues are rare, I would assume the car has been repainted sometime in its life as the color was supposedly not available after 1951. They are fun to drive and my Clipper Blue will be back on the road in a couple of weeks. welcome aboard....
TOM

Did the Clipper Blue come with the Apple Green interior?

According to Hal Kramer's article in the June 1996 TSO, Clipper Blue was available only on the 1951 Series I TD, and came only with a biscuit interior.

Irutt's Mark II is a TD2 and has an Apple Green interior.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

If you have 1 1/2" carbs, the inlet throat will measure 1 3/8". The Andrex shocks may have been removed but there should be holes in the lower front 'A' arm of the front suspension. There should also be, or evidence of, a bracket on the coil spring
housing for the shock arm attachment.
George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

Have you made contact with the Classic MG Club in Orlando yet? If not let me know. Super nice and knowledgeable people. George
George Butz

Well...The air cleaner is 7". The carbs are 1 1/4. The heads do not measure 2.938 or even close so I'd say the original MKII engine was replaced with the std engine. Oh well. I'll just fix it up to be a nice driver. At this point it's not worth the expense to try and put it back to MKII spec I'd say.

As for color, I think it's just badly faded BRG. There are some spots that are 'more green' than others.

As for the Orlando or Volusia clubs, please post the way to contact them. They could be a valuable source of information.

Thank you,
l rutt

Congratulations on a great car! Very exciting project. Keep us posted on your progress.

Good Luck!
Evan Ford - TD 27621

ClassicMGClub@cfl.rr.com Tony Roth is the contact person. A veritable treasure trove of info avialiable from these people! George
George Butz

George,

Are you going to be at GOF South next weekend? With TD?

Gene
Gene Gillam

Gene, I'll be therewith the just finished TD. Mr Rutt, by the way, the GOF south happens to be in Ocala this weekend. Check it out! http://www.britishcarclub.net/ scroll down the page to find links. George
George Butz

George,

Great...didn't know you'd finished your car. I'll be looking for you. Sure hope the rain holds off.

Gene
Gene Gillam

I know you will enjoy your TD. We all enjoy driving ours. I always us a tonneau on mine but remember it is your car and do what you you want to do. The main reason you have your car is it enjoy it.

David......
David Honness

Hello IRutt, from I (as in Ira) Spector. I also have a '53 MkII. My engine was also replaced by the previous owner (an automotive historian contacted me; it apparently wound up in an MG Moto race car). My car was in much worse shape when found than yours. If you need any advice, this bulletin board, the archives, and yours truly, are at your service. The other MkII difference is the gearing of the rear-end; if you still have the MkII diff., at 4.875 to 1, it is a real improvement over the stock 5.125. I've driven a friend's '52; the 4.875 does make the car more enjoyable. I would not fret over the engine change. While I have a set of the MkII carbs and intake (a future project), the stock engine is just fine. These are great cars to restore and drive. Also, my car had what looked like too may tonneau holes; we later found that they were needed.

Best of luck with a great find!

Ira
I Spector

This thread was discussed between 07/04/2008 and 09/04/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

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