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 - One year on restoration

Today is the first day of the second year since Tommy's (TD 15470) restoration. I took him out of the driveway and down to the hardware store and the NAPA store, sans interior, convertible hood and hubcaps, one year ago today.

In the ensuing year, I have driven him 5320 miles, two oil changes (I plan another this week) and I finished the weather equipment. Totals are $632 for fuel, $7.47 for oil (I bought break in oil and one change of 20W 50 during the rebuilding process) $337 for service (which included my distributor rebuild, touch up paint, new steering boots, and a new battery) and $95 in Miscellaneous which includes my new cockpit cover. The only month I didn't drive him was January, and with the amount of snow we had last season, that's pretty good!

Milage has been 24 mpg, steadily increasing to the current 25.3 mpg.

I'm fortunate to live on the fringe of a metro area. I can drive my car as my daily driver and I do, up to 80 mph on congested urban freeways, or a more leisurely 30 mph in the small river town I live in. This past year I've come to think of Tommy as bullet proof, and my experience in rebuilding him allows me to quickly troubleshoot any hiccup either in the garage, or as it happened, once on the side of the road. Tommy has been good that way. Even the steering boot burst as I was pulling into the garage.

I've learned in the past year:

This BBS continues to be a lot of fun and quite helpful, even though my car is done. Thanks to each of you!

I tend to undertighten grub screws on electrical connections for fear of stripping something out. This has been verified on all three cars I wired this year!

Nine year old batteries do fail.

Just because something is rebuilt doesn't mean it won't fail. It is simply an opportunity to do it better the next time.

Manifold to exhaust pipe nuts can and do fall off.

The Moss rubber parts are terrible. My rubber suspension bits already need replacing. I would point out that the suspension was finished three years before the rest of the car, but still... it was indoors under cover the whole time.

Tommy's website has brought me more friends from all over the world than I would have thought possible. And to think I started it only because I knew my brain would need a jog or two when I reassembled the car. Visit it at http://www.dbraun99.com if you would like. Now that the car is truly done, I'm planning on creating some CDs for those who lack broadband access. There will be a nominal fee for shipping and handling.

The car felt just as secure on the bias plies as it does on the radials, but the radials are smoother.

The carburetors taught me how to really set up SUs. The process I thought I invented to do so has actually been done by many others in the past, so there really is nothing new under the sun! (but it still is a cool process none the less)

It is a lot more fun to drive a car than restore one, but the neat thing about a restored car is that it is much easier to work on!

The wiper system works just fine, thanks.

Tommy averages at least one compliment a drive which is fun for both of us.

It took me about five years to discover the Minnesota MG T Register, and my first GOF with them was in 1991 (MK XIII) as a 'First Timer'. Tommy won the traveling Wichita Dog Show Trophy as 'Most Loved'. That experience and the way I use him today has taught me that Tommy will not expire if he gets a paint chip, or drives through a blinding rainstorm. In fact, it adds to his charactor to do so. I'm looking forward to his first big outing of his peers. It has been over a year since the last GOF Central and he wasn't ready then, so Tommy goes to Sheboygan as a Driver and not a Show Car. I wouldn't have it any other way.

warmly,
dave


Dave Braun

Dave, put me first on the list for a CD! You never know about the web. Nominal fee is fine. You could charge more!
Ed in CO
efh Ed

Well said Dave...

August 8th was my 5 year anniversary of 'on the road'...

I too have come to think of (I don't have a name for it) the TD as bulletproof...I know that if something does go wrong, you usually just keep taking the item apart till you find something broken, then you repair/replace the part and put it all back together again...

I have put a total of 25,000 miles on it in the 5 years....

It has taken me trouble free to Gatlinburg TN, 850 miles each way...in 100 degree heat.
It has been to Seven Springs PA, about 400 miles each way.
It has been to Gathersburg MD, about 350 miles each way...
It has been in parades, and poker runs, night runs and morning runs...it seems to just keep on going.

I assume, based on things my father told me, that it should have rings and the valves looked at (20,000 miles seemed to be the point back then) and I have developed a little clunk once or twice when taking off and or downshifting...we think it might be a universal?

No matter where I go, people come over to look...very few 'is that a kit car'...more 'thats a real one isn't it'?

I don't know of anything in my life that has brought me such joy (other then kids/etc)....

I kept track of every penny for the fist few years, but have missed the last couple... think my total investment is less then $13,000.... 10 for the car and the rest in 'fix as i go'....

Two biggest improvements were the 4.3 rear end and the O'connor clutch trick....

The forum has been such a great side effect of owning the car and i feel i have a whole group of close, if not met, friends....




gblawson(gordon)

Wow Dave, That's alot of miles! Probably around 2 1/2 times as much as I do with my TD. I also take mine to work via parkways, but I try to stay at 60 mph or less. I have touched on 80 mph a few times, but I recently had one of those "out of body" experiences, where I pictured myself hurtling down the highway totally unprotected against Motown heavy iron, driven by texting, cell-phoning soccer moms! I now drive very defensively and conservatively, and I try to keep more to secondary roads-which are generally quieter and more enjoyable! I am very confident in my car's handling, but let's face facts...our cars are virtual death traps in any kind of collision.
I do love to drive my car-even more so since I did the 4.3 rear end several years ago. I have also found it to be very reliable and it's so satisfying to be able to take it anywhere, almost anytime. Our winters, here in NY, are tropical compared to what you get, so I try to drive my car all winter, as long as the roads are clean of snow and ice. I don't have a heater, so I do need to dress warmly, but once the engine warms up (with the help of a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator), Enough heat radiates into the cockpit to make all but the coldest days livable!
I agree; this BBS is really great. I've picked up some great advice through the years, and it is also nice to occasionally be able to pass on a tip that I learned the hard way!
By the way, did you get to Oshkosh this summer? I regret that I missed it. Seeing the A380 land would have, by itself, made the trip worthwhile!
Steven Tobias

Dave -- Thanks for the update on Tommy and your insightful thoughts regarding the restoration process and ongoing maintenance issues. It's been one year to the month that I took possession of my '54mgtf which is now down to the frame and poised to start the rebuild. Your web-site, as I have commented previously, has been a source of invaluable information, inspiration, and encouragement. Please include me as well to receive the CD you are planning on creating.

Gordon, I'm envious of the estimated total investment of $13,000 for your TD, as I was really quite naive at what this restoration project would cost me, in dollars, when I started last August. But, I do look forward to the joys such a car will bring once it is totally restored and out on the road.

Thanks to all on this list who have provided invaluable information and encouragement as I journey through the process of restoring this great car.

Cheers -- John
John Brickell

This thread was discussed on 25/08/2009

MG TD TF 1500 index

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