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 - Steering Wheel MG Logo

I need to touch up my MG steering wheel centre logo. Not the hub, just finished painting that, but the MG logo itself. It's original so I want to reuse it. The "gold painted" background area of the logo has a couple of spots of paint missing & there are some tiny scratches in the MG "chrome" initials. Not sure how to go about restoring this. A dab or two of colour matched gold paint will probably sort out the background but I don't want to fry it up. The chrome MG initials however have me stumped. Any ideas? Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter, have you removed the center, acrylic, logo from the hub? There are two holes in the hub through which you can press the logo out of the hub. You can repaint the background from in there. Bud
Bud Krueger

I have it apart, but my problem is I don't know how to proceed from there. Maybe the "chrome" part can be re-silvered & I'm hoping the cream/gold background can be touched up or repainted the same colour. It does seem that during manufacture the chrome initials are finished first & the background is then painted. Examination of the rear shows that the background colour is sprayed over both the letters & the background. This makes touching up the MG letters difficult, perhaps even impossible. I can gently sand back or even try to remove the raised (when seen from the rear) background paint chemically or with a solvent & repaint that in the cream/gold. But neither sanding or stripping are risk free because of the base material. The touching up of the "chrome or silvered" MG initials however really has me stumped. The pain is you can't get just the logo, even if it did look original as you have to buy the whole damn assembly. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter, I thought about this and didn't touch it (because it really didn't look toO bad on my medallion) but I was thinking if you clean it just as well as you can (without removing more of that inner paint, then touching up the missing sections might work. But definitely solvents might just loosen more paint. I would just try using really tiny paintbrushes and see how a section comes out... I imagine originally they did the letters then sprayed over for the background.

Alternatively you could consider starting again, using a solvent to remove EVERYTHING, then using a chrome paint for the letters, then washing off the overspray from the chrome with solvent (taking care not to let the solvent get into the initials, then doing the background.

This is all just theorizing though... GOOD LUCK!
Geoffrey M Baker

That is kinder what I was thinking Geoff. I might have to just accept the blemishes on the letters & just deal with the background. Still concerned about the possible effect of the solvent on the acrylic though. Oddly enough it might have been me pushing through the two holes to remove it that damaged the background paint! Bummer
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter H
Stop being anal, forget your original wheel, contact John Kimble at Kimble Engineering in UK and buy a Brooklands Wheel. I have had one on all my T Series cars since 1963 and can assure you that there is no better way of steering a TC, TD or TF!
Peter Malkin

Peter, definitely depends on the solvent. I'd try using a cotton bud and a small section of the background and try a little acetone and see what happens. Worse case, you have to look for a replacement on ebay, right? The right solvent may take it off perfectly leaving you a nice clean plastic surface to start again... the wrong one... well, I've broken enough TD items and had to go shopping for replacements on ebay :)
Geoffrey M Baker

Sorry Peter. I was born anal & proud of it. There is NO way I'm putting a Brooklands wheel or anything else that doesn't look original on my car! I had no trouble hanging the rear end out & steering the old girl in the sixties & don't anticipate any problems now. A major part of the kick I get out of both owning & restoring my TD is discovering what was original & then sourcing it. I just found 2 sets of original NOS spark plug caps still in their packaging & believe me mate that made my week! So to each his own. If it was good enough for Cecil it's good enough for me. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter H
Fair enough - I understand your thinking. My first car (in November 1963) was a TD and I changed to a Brooklands wheel then as that was all the go. My TC - owned for 25 years - has that same wheel. I have to call it a tradition. Like you I opt for originality or period accessories like Monaro Motors Aero Screens and Oil Filter Assembly, over centre door locks, passenger grab handle, water temp guage etc.
Peter Malkin

No worries. Oddly enough the guy who sold me the NOS spark plug caps was Andrew Malkin. How about that!
P Hehir

Hello Peter,
My EH Holden has a similar type of horn button with "chrome"lion and stars and red and black paint. I have a spare badge. I managed to strip the paint off it with gentle scratching with just a finger nail.

Once I got the bilk of the paint off I used polish to clean the remnants off.

I have been giving the repaint and re-chrome a fair amount of thought. I tried paint on chrome but it is not bright enough.

I have wondered whether solder dripped into the depressions might key into the plastic and seal up so that it doesn't lose its shine. I imagine the original finish is an aluminium foil heat transferred into place.

The painting part of the process should be fairly easy.

Max Irvine

Peter,
Solder doesn't work, it won't flow and is too hot for the plastic. I think it is a chrome plastic film that is laid in there in some way. I did a search for chrome plastic sheet and chrome plastic badges and there is some info on the net.
Max Irvine

Thanks Max. I'll check it out. The ones for sale on Ebay are in worse nick than mine. I think I just need a little dab of cream gold paint to match & I might be OK. Surprising that someone somewhere isn't making just the emblem insert. As they're a simple enough item to replace I'm sure there would be a market. Thanks Geoff for your help as well. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

This thread was discussed between 08/05/2014 and 10/05/2014

MG TD TF 1500 index

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