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 - Stone guard installation

I have a pair of stone guards I would like to mount on my TD. I don't know the source of these guards, but the clips that came with them cannot be used on my headlamps. The buckets are chrome plated and a chrome ring holds the lamp in the bucket. There is absolutely no gap between the lamp glass and the chrome ring and the chrome ring and the bucket. Nominally the clips provided should fit through a small gap between the glass and the ring, which is how I have seen them on a TF.

My latest thought is to fabricate three tabs to hold each stone guard in place. One tab would be at 12 o'clock and be secured by the only screw available, which is on the top of the bucket. The other two tabs would be at 4 and 8 o'clock and would use thin strips of Velcro under the tabs, which then would be pressed onto the bucket. (The tab would be fabricated from thin stainless steel stock about 2" long, 1/2" wide.)

As you can gather, I don't want to drill holes in my nicely chromed buckets. Are there other suggestions about how to mount the stone guards? Pictures welcome.

Thanks.

Larry
Larry Shoer

Larry, I have purchased a set just like you have and wound up in the same spot as you are. I was not going to drill holes in my expensive light buckets and that is the only way to do it that I could find. I finally went to the Moss cat. and found those clear plastic covers for the TD lights and put them on. NOt as neat as the wire covers but does protect the lights. The mount for the TF while looking the same does fit with out drilling but that is because of the way the bulb mounts. Good luck and if you figure it out let us know.
Tom

Larry, the clips do not go between the retainer ring and the glass. They are fitted between the retainer ring and the finish ring. It is a tight fit but I have them on both my B and the TF. I don't have any close up shots, but here is a picture from last week. I'm not positive but I think it was George Butz that has the classier style with the external bolt knobs on both the head lights and the fog lights.

LaVerne


LED DOWNEY

LaVerne,

The TD and TF assemblies are slightly different in their design in the front section. The bucket has a lip that goes just inside the forward ring and there is no gap for the stone guard clips. To try to force the clips in will distort the bucket or the ring.

From my recollection, the TF does have a gap, however small, that allows the clips to be used.

Larry
Larry Shoer

The ones on both my TD and TF are the kind that had the bolts or studs through the trim rings and the knurled knob that attached the tabs on the wire mesh to those studs. Photo attached. I found tht after I had the ones on the lights the grille looked "naked" so I had a stone guard made for the grille in the UK and installed that also. This was done back in the late 60's. I don't even want to tell you what I have turned down for that grille stone guard. But unfortunately it is not for sale. As a joke a couple of friends of mine had tea strainers chromed and gave them to me for the parking lights but I never put them on. They remain mounted on a walnut plaque that came with them that names them as the "Stone Shield Institute Award".

George Herschell
George R Herschell

Sorry,

Lets try the photo again.

George


George R Herschell

Let me see if I've got this right. The standard clips that hold the guards will work fine on the TF but not the TD. The type with the knurled knobs that attach the clips to the trim rings required holes to be drilled through the chrome trim rings to accomodate the threaded studs??? Just checking.

Cheers

Larry
Larry Karpman

Sorry, wrong George .
LED DOWNEY

Larry,

To the best of my knowledge your second sentence is correct.

Your third sentence is correct if I understand what George has written.

Moss Motors lists three part numbers for "stoneguards" for the TD (222-100, 222-150, 222-160). This is the lnk to 222-100 (picture also attached):

http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=40703&SortOrder=1

The picture shows the clip coming out of the gap between the glass lamp and the chrome ring. As mentioned, this is correct for the TF, but not the TD.

Larry


Larry Shoer

I had owned, and driven, my TF for a number of years, back when I was MUCH younger, and never gave a thought to stone guards for my headlights - not considering it a problem, or a serious hazard. I have also searched my memory and know of no one who has ever had a headlight broken by a stone - perhaps by driving into another vehicle, but not be a stone. Of course, also here in New Jersey, our roads are paved. Therefore, my question is whether stone guards are a necessity, or an appearance item. RUSS YOUNG
D R Young

Hi:
I found a set of black wire stone guards at a swap meet. I bought them because I needed the clips that they came with. The clips are black but much thinner than the chrome ones that came with the chrome wire guards. You never notice that the clips are not chrome and they fit better that the chrome ones.
Godspeed in Safety Fast
jc
John Crawley

George,

Don't know hat you did to get that photographic effect, but I think it looks great! reminds me of the same effects used in some scenes from the movie, 'Gladiator.'

Also, the car itself is pretty good looking, and I like the idea of the generous use of the stone guards.

Tom
Tom Balutis

Tom,

Thanks for the compliments. I didn't do anything special but rather the shot turned out as a stroke of luck. I did one of my B with a star filter and that worked our very well so I used it for one of our Christmas cards.

I'll try to shoot a couple of photos of the stone guard attachments for the headlights and driving lights, and the grille laater today.

George
George R Herschell

This thread was discussed between 17/01/2008 and 20/01/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

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