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 - MGTD questionable ebay

This TD in Toronto is listed at US $21900. However it does not have a clock it has an MG emblem in it's place. The door map pockets don't look right. The driver's seat has big blemish in the cushion.
Amazing!
Greg & Grimm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31858&item=4535801627&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
G.J. Cenzer

AND !!! it has an Alabama plate on it. There was one more thing that I had also noticed, but, no matter, it is quite a nice starting place for someone. Oh, yeah, I think that this is missing some transmission covering.

John
John Redman

That's funny, the coil looks like an oil filter and the oil filter looks like a coil.

Also, the center medallion in the steering wheel is the brass medallion from a US army drill sergeant hat!

Evan Ford - TD 27621

Evan,, that is quite a unique oil filter arrangement !!!! And tube shocks in the rear to boot !!!

SPW
Steve Wincze

Let's see. There is the matter of the awful "wood" dash, the extra instrument, the displaced horn button, the toggle switch and, sigh, the color. And why did he RAISE his buy-it-now price (after not really coming close that last time)?

John
John Redman

That's a relist from a few weeks ago.

It's the ghastly paint job that turns my stomach.
Stan Griffis

We need to form an MG Police brigade that can put a slap on these beings!
Greg & Grimm
G.J. Cenzer

Some interesting trivia (to me anyway) is if you look at the 6th picture down of the MGTD in ? in the background you will see the front end of a 1965 Olds. In 1965 when I was finishing restoring my 1932 MG J2 I was working as a designer for Cadillac and because no lower end emplyees could afford a Cadillac Olds Div gave special permission for Cadillac employees to buy discount mileage Olds's. Well I called one day looking for a car and the Olds guy said he had nothing available at that time except one car but "you don't want it" "I said why not" He said it was a four door with four on the floor. I "SCREAMED I"LL TAKE IT". It was a four door bench seat 454 with a four speed floor shift. Man I could blow off Corvettes with that car. OK what brings this up is that I needed some more money to finish my J2 so I decided to sell either my 1951 MGTD or the Olds which ever went first. Put both adds in the paper and you got it the Olds went first. Was a teacher from Ann Arbor MI whose wife just had a baby and they had two VW's and he loved the fact that it was stick shift. Never did sell the TD until the oil embrago hit. Sorry if I bored you.
Greg & Grimm
G.J. Cenzer

Well guys, I don't want to start a flame war but can we cut others a little slack when it comes to doing things differently. For what ever reason the owner has obviously put a lot of money into this car. I can agree that many details are IMHO misguided but I also doubt that a car representing this level of investment will be towed off to the chusher next week. It may find a new home with a well to do novice and, when he finds the true enjoyment of our hobby, may just de-restore this car into a truly admirable example. I sure would hate to be next to this car at anything but a well judged show with knowledgeable MG judges. He would out shine my humble effort. Never the less let's be gracious.

Jim Haskins

1953 MG TD
J. M. Haskins

While the car looks good (other than color), there seems to be a lot of detail missed. The body work is straight and the chrome looks good. The steering wheel center medallion is just the start. The steering wheel itself is wrong. Abingdon never used a black interior on a TD. Battery cable replacement clamps are trash that are only good to get you home after a breakdown. Fuel lines from pump to carb should be braided and not have a filter. All chassis components should be painted black, not tan. The list goes on.
John Masters

Lots of details wrong, but the basic car looks straight and good. Boy, would I ever hate to have you guys see my car with its 70's restoration (that I did in high school!) black vinyl, cracking paint, in-line fuel filter, etc. I do have a clock (that works thanks to Hal Kramer) and the correct steering wheel, and it runs and drives perfectly thank you! It also makes people smile and wave! The rest is nothing that a few zillion hours and a few dollars would cure. The e bay car probably is overpriced.
George Butz

All that time and money and he did not even get a complete front carb overflow pipe. Also the muffler, why was it not chrome plated along with the differential and suspension parts.Interior looks like an old AAMCO kit. Wood work on dash is an amature experiment. Horns appear to be the wrong ones. They have what appears to be a helmet type cover.No power outlets in the center panel and I did not see a direction light switch. Methinks somebody got took. Other than that I would not mind having it as it could be ressurected with TLC.
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

As far as being gracious goes, I don't think anyone has a problem with the various states our cars are in. Its the dealers misrepresenting these cars as original that gets me.

This car could be returned to original with a few minor updates. Personally, I hope he gets $21900. It helps establish the value of our cars....
Evan Ford - TD 27621

I Agree Evan. This vehicle is no where near the MS's sold at Barrett-jackson this year. I like the silver paint on the underside.

I also like seeing the price of our car's going up. But also have always liked that you can purchase a pretty nice MGTD for less than any new car.

Bruce Cunha

Let me make myself perfectly clear (sounds like Nixon again eh) back in the '50's/'60's when we peoples what liked these Brit cars used them for daily transport during the week and ice racing/gymkanas/ralleys on weekends everybody was making mods. I used to get parts and mags from England back then and our friendly Blokes were also doing mods. Then all of a sudden in about the mid '80's some rich 'mercans started "restoring to original" (TD's were going for same price then as now) and I used to laugh because I was there when there was no such thing as original even from the factory there were variants. Hey it's yours do what you want that's the beauty of it, I just like to sorta snicker at some of the "shooters/hucksters" out there on ebay.
In 50 yrs of checking adds in Road&Track/Sportscars Illustrated (soon to become Car&Driver)/Hemmings, I have never seen or encountered upon inspection for purchase, such distortion of reality. i guess it is a blessing of the techno age. So read 'em enjoy 'em and have a good life.
Greg & Grimm (He's getting better)
G.J. Cenzer

I have a 53 TD and was asked at a show why I put a glass pack muffler on it and why did I install a wood dash. My answer was ,,,because I wanted to . If I had got the car new back in 53 I would have done the same thing . I even named the car . On the back of the gas tank I painted in script ...BUZZ BOMB,,.Some times I just dont get all the hype over a car not being totaly original . There seems to be quite a bit of controversy over just what is proper and what is not .
A car should have some personal touch of yours in it otherwise it;s just another MG that looks just like some other guys car , how un imaginative and boring .
I admit you do see some funny stuff out there but everyone is not rich and can aford to have a car that looks just like the next one. But that does not mean they dont enjoy driveing a sports car any less.
I guess I am in trouble now .
A.L. Gerstle

No you're not in trouble. In fact I wholeheartedly agree with you. Indeed a sports car should have a "personal" touch. For my 52 TD I already have a Bluemels "Brooklands" steering wheel ready and restoration isn't even started yet !!! However I think that modifications should easily be converted back to standard spec. That is: not irreversible like the upholstery/paint on this car.
Fact is that a lot of so called "Classic Car Dealers" pretend that these, dare I say "tarted up" cars, are factory original and therefore the norm. They are even asking more money for them than for a car restored to factory original specification (at least here in Holland). This is somehow a strange phenomenon: suppose a "factory original" Rembrand painting would fetch LESS money than one "modified" by a good willing amateur painter ???!!! Classic car dealers should have the decency to tell their customers exactly WHAT they are buying.
Nick, 52TD/63midget
Nick

My 2 cents -

There has been a lot of chat about the relative virtues of "original" vs. "modified". First, I would be suprised to find ANY TD out there that is "original". Sure, many have been restored to factory specifications as best possible, while using new parts. In some cases (battery, tires, etc.) you can only obtain newly manufactured replacements that mimic the original, if even that. Are these cars "original", no. But they attempt to represent the original era.

Many people (myself included) make modifications to their cars (new radial tires, Brooklands wind screens, walnut dash, Pertonix ignition) which personalize their cars and make them more driveable and reliable. Are these modifications bad? IMHO, no. Is there a limit to how far modifications can go? In my opinion, yes. Putting in engines, gearboxes, etc. that aren't from the period (i.e. Volvo motors, small blcok Chevy's, etc.), wide wheels, fender flairs, the list goes on. But, as has been said many times, you can do whatever you want to your car. I may not agree, but who cares? It's YOUR car, do as you please. There was a recent American Hot Rod episode where the team took a Ford Model A Pickup truck that was well into restoration to "original" when the team bought it, chopped, channeled, put a big motor, wide wheels, etc. I had a problem with that because of the condition and rarity of the truck, but, to each his own.

I think the issue on this thread and the other similar threads is not whether the car has been modified and to what extent, but, as Evan stated, the fact that the seller represents these cars as "original". There was a car on e-bay not long ago that was represented as "original" and had very low (I dopn't remeber how many) documented mile, but was readily apparent from the photos to have many "non-original" mods and must have had ten times the "documented miles". I have a real problem with that.

Whew. Got kind of long-winded, didn't I?

Larry
Larry Thompson

This thread was discussed between 15/03/2005 and 17/03/2005

MG TD TF 1500 index

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