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MG TD TF 1500 - Front latch pillar

I am afraid I am going to have to replace a piece of timber in my 54 TF. I believe it is called the front latch pillar. It is the piece that holds the inside catch for the door latch. It has been worked on such much that it is splitting. I was wanting to know if anyone has had any experience with this and/or is there a link that I might go to that gives some detailed instructions. Thanks for any help.
Bud White
S.A. White

Bud, most of us have encountered the majority of problems with our cars but a photo or two will produce many more suggestions than just a word description.
Give the guys more info so you can choose a final solution.
Jim Merz

Hello Bud . If you so wish to call me ( 8196895455 )I would only be to pleased to discuss this issue with you . To avoid time consuming problems and additional cost I would recommend you review several alternatives. Most recently I changed all the wood in a T.F. I'm re-conditioning. John
J .R.C Cavey

Replacing that piece requires removing the front quarter panel, which requires moving the fender and running board. If the wood is solid, you may be able to glue and screw the wood together.
David
D. Sander

Replacing that complete piece of timber without a major teardown is impossible.

If this is the only problem you have with the body tub then it may be worth considering fabricating a false pillar out of 1/16" steel sheet. if it was folded as an angle to fit over the timber it could be welded or screwed to the bottom body iron and the top steelwork that the windscreen support screws go through. This angle would need a recess and nuts welded behind for the latch to screw on.

Others might have a better idea or a way to replace the timber. if you are interested in pursuing this idea I may be able to post a sketch to explain further.
Max Irvine

David and Max are correct. Try to figure out a way to repair it if possible, many methods available. Yes, a photo would help.
George Butz

Bud, welcome to the pillar club! Here is my latest version of the dreaded pillar problem (picture below).
It's made of some oak I had around. Held in with Kreg pocket screw system and metal straps. It is invisible once the panel is in place. I cut the center section of the old pillar out with an assortment of hand tools. (It was held to the other wooden frame members with half-lap joints that cannot be separated without a total teardown as the guys stated above.)
The new pillar is rock solid but the door latch has a mind of it's own! Currently it closes properly but it was a challenge!
Hope this helps,
Ed



efh Haskell

Thanks guys for all the info. Have been away from the computer the last couple of days just now able to reply. I can see there are several possibilities. I will let all know what happens when I get started. Since it may be a long procedure I may wait and make this a winter project.
Thanks again
Bud White
S.A. White

Bud, mine took several days of trial and error and it was the 2nd one I've done. Plan for a week and you won't be disappointed. I don't weld or the metal method would have been preferable.
I have a lot more photos if you decide on my method. Contact me at efhask at roadrunner.com anytime.
Ed
efh Haskell

Bud, To repair that piece of wood is a tedious job to say the least. If any way possible, try to strengthen the wood in place. Here's a product that supposedly works very well, just follow directions to the letter. You might have to rout out a section and replace the cut out area with new wood by gluing and screwing in place. Replacing the whole pillar is a tremendous amount of work and the new pillar won't fit anyway without a lot of tweaking. Your call, but I would try and fix it in place.

Check this site out. When on the site, scroll down to the wood section. PJ

http://www.jbweld.com/product/wood-restore-liquid/
Paul sr

Somebody on this bbs tole me that oak is very acidic (miight promote corrosion/rust on the metal skin) so try to find ash.
Jud
J K Chapin

Apparently Jud is correct:
"Oak, sweet chestnut, Western red cedar and Douglas fir are the woods most commonly associated with corrosion of metals in contact with them under damp conditions." (from a UK web site)

My car is stored in a heated garage in a very dry climate. The inside of my body panels also have several nice thick coats of epoxy based primer as well so I'm not too concerned. Doing it again though, I would try to find ash but it's not available here in the Rockies.
Ed

efh Haskell

Hi Bud,
I did something similar to what PJ mentioned with JB Weld products, but I used something formulated with wooden boats in mind, Smith's EPS and Putty. Take a look at <http://www.boatanchors.org/mgtf.htm>, about 1/3 the way down to see my work.
I didn't want to get into major wood replacement.
Al

54 MG TF "Emma"
A W Parker

This thread was discussed between 19/06/2013 and 23/06/2013

MG TD TF 1500 index

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