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MG TD TF 1500 - Mark II on ebay

This guy swears that he has a Mark II. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130309470498&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:MOTORS:1123 It seems legit, but what about the aircleaner? Looks like some kind of aftermarket oil bath type. Didn't the origional come with pancake filters?

A couple of months ago I met a fellow at a local car show that was showing his newly acquired '51 TD. He told me that he didn't know much about it...he was more of a musclecar guy. He said that he had bought it, very reasonably, from the estate of the origional owner who had restored the car. It was a decent looking amateur resto. At first appearance, the only thing that was inconsistant with the rest of the car was that it had late round taillight fenders, along with proper non-armstrong front fenders. Then I saw it! A blister on the passenger side of the bonnet. This, of course, caused me to look under the front of the car, and there were the Andrex shocks. I asked if I could look under the bonnet, and he very sheepishly said that the reason that he didn't have it open, was that the PO had put in a Volvo motor! Ouch! When I suggested that he check the numbers to see if he had a Mark II, which I explained to him was a rare version with considerable value, he said that he did have the origional motor and tranny in his garage. I'll probably never know if I made his day, but I'd bet that it was a real Mark II! Why can't things like that happen to me?
Steven Tobias

Steve,

The TD/C came with the oil bath aircleaner, but not the one shown on that car. The TF came with the pancakes. Because of the larger carburetors, the inlet branch pipe was slightly different on a TD/C. I'm pretty sure that the factory made quite a few earlier TD/C without Mark II badges (even up to s/n 20000 or so), and a few TD/C in varying levels of engine stage tuning, including some 79 or so that came with a pretty agressive Stage III set up. The documentation on these cars varies with time, i.e as research has been prepared the story varies. We may never have the complete picture on the TD/C.

I have a good friend that has had a TD/C fall into his lap with the Stage III engine (one of 79). Original paint, interior and canvas, no Mark II badging and painted grille slats. Although we call it a Mark II, it is more properly called a TD/C in my humble opinion.

The car on ebay has the extra banjo fittings on the carburetors for a TD/C fuel system, but someone has bodgered it up to run on a single fuel pump. I think it is a TD/C.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

A search on the MG Car Club T Register site shows no TD/C 10850 registered or listed in the production records. (NO MkII made)
However, the production does list a regular TD (TD 10850 EXLNA with Engine No. XPAG/TD2/LHX1086? (due to a software glitch the last digit of LHX engines is missing from the record currently) Made 10/10/1951
This engine number corresponds with the TD/10866 shown on the engine tag and XPAG/TD2/10866 stamped on the brass Mfg Plate

My conclusion is that it may be a faked TD MkII and they have gone so far as to restamp the frame and Mfg Tag TD/C 10850 instead of TD 10850,
Look at the picture of this on the frame carefully, the TD/C looks cramped but in excellent size and depth agreeing with the following 10850. the C in TD/C on the Mfg Tog looks good also.

The Engine numbers at some point became XPAG/TD3/ instead of /TD2/ for the Mk II engines, I don't when this occured. The earlier, smaller clutch XPAG/TD/ engines had no Mk II indications.

It may also be simply an error in the production record.

A mystery!
Don Harmer

The carbs look like 1 1/4" and not the 1 1/2" as they should be. I have doubts that this car was produced as a TDC and expect that someone has gone to a lot of effort to change it's identity. The windscreen has a center mounted wiper motor that did not come with that year car. There are many question in my mind about it's origins.

George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

Correction on the wiper motor. It is where it should be on that year car. I still have doubts.

George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

Fuel lines to the carbies are not MKII routing,,,,
Steve Wincze

Sorry Dave, I missed your comment about the fuel lines,,,,
Steve Wincze

I looked at Chip Olds article in the T Series Handbook Golden Anniversary issue. The XPAG/TD3 change over occured with engine number 17029. Up until that point the engines with the larger sump (after engine 9407) all carried the /TD2 whether they had the additional horsepower or not. The carburetors on the car in question do look too small to be H4. The appearance package didn't come about until TD/C22613 with the badges, black madallions and chrome grille. Interestingly, Chip also says this is when the bump on the RH bonnet came about to clear the new enlarged air inlet.

Hope this helps,
dave
Dave Braun

Judging by the frame/number plate, I would have to go with TD/C as well... anything could have happened to the original carbs?
The patina over both numbers is just too real looking... Lots can happen engine wise over the years...!
gblawson(gordon)

The close up of the ID tag sure looks original. Hard to tell about the carbs from the photo. Don, interesting comment about the software- I thought it was just my TD that was missing the last digit from the T-register site (it shows 1124, not 11249). I think I recall all of those numbers were manually entered, so someone could have left the "C" off. George
George Butz

Lazarus, my 52 TD is TD10855 and was originally Autumn Red. Also, TD10890, belonging to Stuart Keen is a MKII and was/is Autumn Red. Looks as if somebody at the factory found a big barrel of Autumn Red paint in early October of 1951.
Bud Krueger

Well it sold for 15000. 35 bidders. I hope that it was a legit Mark II. Either way, it looked like a decent enough car. If it turns out not to be a real Mark II, One could probably get enough for the Andrex shocks to make back a good part of the price!
Steven Tobias

This thread was discussed between 03/06/2009 and 08/06/2009

MG TD TF 1500 index

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