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MG TD TF 1500 - T-series cars on eBay

I thought that the "53" MkII would be enough for me to comment on but then my fellow Georgian is selling FOUR !!! Oh well. The MKII guy says that he has lost interest. That made me think that possibly he did not do his own restoration work. I would venture that we do MOST of our own work and that WE will never 'lose interest'. Then there's the guy selling four. He has not done any work (at least for a long time and not much at that). You see where I'm going with this?

John
John Redman

Just saw this one John. It would be nice to see 4 more back on the road. Wonder why he is not selling them seperately? Of course, we will have to keep an eye to see if his reserve gets met. If under 20,000, they may be a nice buy.
Bruce Cunha

Let's hope that they are not bought to part out.
D Clark

The point that I am trying to make is that these - I'll call them "cars" though they are much more than that - give us, by the skinned knuckles and gained experience, an extra, good reason to be alive.

John
John Redman

For me MG's are a WAY OF LIFE. not just a car.
Sandy Sanders
Sandy Sanders

With very few exceptions, the greatest pride in my life was rebuilding my MG's It gave my self esteem a boost like no other.
Bruce Cunha

And driving them and answering all those questions at every stop light is just about as thrilling as it gets... ahh..the hum of the xpag at 3500 rpm on a warm summer night...or a cool fall one... Life just doesn't get any better...(ok...so i have no social life...f!!!)
gordon lawson

My greatest thrill in driving my TD is still the same as it was back in 1956 when I got my first one. Up here in MI I wait for a nice non windy fluffy snow fall gently coming done and then go out and drive in it during late nite early morn when NO traffic, top down, tonneau on, and I'm making the first tracks. Wow it's like being in Heaven. Greg & grimm
G.J. Cenzer

MG's do have a unique sound. My J2 (once it gets above the dynamo clatter) sounds exactly like my TF. I sometimes let someone else drive them up and down my street just so I can appreciate the sound they leave behind. They're especially nice in a smooth downshift along a narrow building lined street or going thru a tunnel. The only better sound might be from a Jag XK.
SEAMUS
F. HEALY

Still, though I agree that driving them is great, that having invested the sweat and blood in these is what keeps the love enduring (like a marriage). The people that buy a fully restored one and those that hire the work out can also experience the driving part but the "53" MkII guy is giving it up. Are any of you (except for health reasons)?

John
John Redman

Only in my will John.

Actually felt so great about the way my MGB GT came out this summer, may look an doing an MGA. Not that I don;t love my TD, but each MG is an interesting car to do.
Bruce Cunha

Yeah, Me too, but I am a YOUNG 62 YO and which of my daughters will REALLY appreciate this "car" (that does not help chrome these bolts with me)?

John
John Redman

My 1954 TF was the first thing I restored at a young age in 1965. Now, 40 years later I can look back on a life full of restorations and ownership of some very nice toys including 20 or so Jags and 40 or so airplanes. It made it really meaningful to get back in a TF a couple of years ago. I drive it a lot. It makes me feel good. That's what it's about after all.
D Clark

I have had my 1952 Mark II for over 12 years now. It was in running condition when I purchased it, but I have done much rebuilding of components. It is a much better driver today than back then. It has never been "restored", always kept on the road. My adult son fell in love the first time he saw it. He drives MGB's as daily drivers. When the time comes, he will get the TD, and I will retain "visitation rights" as long as I am able to drive. 27 years ago, I briefly owned a 1952 MG-YB. For many years I regretted selling it. When I was offered the TD, I jumped at the chance. There will always be an MG in the family.
John Masters

Mine goes to my daughter (now 18 and ready to learn "standard")... of course the last drive with me in it will be with the ashes....and i have stipulated that its a long drive on a very winding road!!!!
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Since 1956 I have always owned driven an MG. Never had the room for more than two at once and now (at 69) only have room for one. I started with a '52 TD in '56 and am now ending with a '52 TD. Been thru J2's, 11 TD's, (ground up shown at Henry Ford Museum) TwinCams, midgets, BGT's (next favorite after TD). Just like my wife of 45 yrs "My first Love is My Last Love". Greg & Grimm
G.J. Cenzer

I agree with everything here except..
"those that hire the work out"....I have done all the work I feel confident to do...but as rare as XPEGS are, well, I really could not afford to have somebody else do it...but went that route anyway.
There are things I just had to admit were beyond my mechanical skill level. Better to "hire it out" than "trash it"!
As for "ahh..the hum of the xpag at 3500 rpm" absoultly!
Whilst the expert was rebuilding this summer, I was out on the garden tractor with a mini-disk recording of "Izzy's" XPEG I made before I took her into the shop. I wouldn't confess this to any but you guys...I just got home from driving up & back to Grand Rapids from SE Ohio (800 miles) ..my mits has a pretty good stereo in it...not "quite" the same but listen to it all the time in there as well!
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

Really, Dave, I did not mean it the way it must have sounded to you. Obviously, your knuckles have felt the various odd corners and impermissably sharp things in the engine compartment from time to time. But there are those who (for some reason) buy these cars for investment purposes, those who don't know a spanner from spam and send the car (and to them it IS a ___) off to a shop for a restoration. I think that the lack or loss of interest most affects these people. I am just awed by the warmth and helpfulness expressed in this group and feel that every single person (what are we, anyway, about 300?) has a lot to contribute. Certainly many of my questions are answered here (including ones I do not even ask like the one concerning the center front "grease" fitting. Yes, I made that mistake and "learned" about it yesterday).

John
John Redman

I rate myself as a ok mechanic, but there are things I just don't have the equipment or the knowledge to do correctly. These go out to the shop.

My 1997 Mercury has been having brake problems, Am I going to work on it. NO. Not that I can't, but doing the brakes on it is work.

Doing work on my MG's is therapy. And I need a lot of therapy
Bruce Cunha

Have to admit, I have slight panic attacks as I take things apart... i'm probably the least mechanical person on here... I have tricked myself into calling it "extended detailing" when I attempt repairs... like rebuilding the generator... I just cleaned the inside really well and got all the black stuff out of the grooves and made sure the little brush things sprung in and out... when it went back together it made the ignition light go out... seemed to work and that seems to work for me... Redoing all the brake lines was actually "putting shiny pipes on polished T joints"....changing fluids is just "getting rid of all that dirty stuff and putting clean back in"...see...it is all actually just detailing.
Wouldn't trust myself however to touch things like "timing"..."carb tuning"..."tappet adjustment" ... you know...the stuff that if you do it wrong makes you stop at the side of the road the day you forget your cel phone....Besides... a trip to an actual "LBC mechanic" I include as one of my favourite ways to spend an hour or two...
gordon lawson - TD 27667

John ..No offense taken at all!
Bruce.." Doing work on my MG's is therapy. And I need a lot of therapy" Well put...I have been told by "experts" I need this! LOL!
Gordon.."least mechanical person on here", no way, your skills amaze me! I am really suprised to hear you say "Wouldn't trust myself however to touch things like "timing"..."carb tuning"..."tappet adjustment"!
I know one thing I will never do again...
When the Mits dealer quoted $450 for new plugs on my 3000 GT I hung up on them...give me a break! I bought the plugs,
shop manual and dug in. 14hrs later I had the new plugs installed. Stupidest thing I have ever seen. First 3 took about 15 min. the back 3....that "engineer" should be shot! Why would anybody design an engine so you have to remove the entire top end to get to the rear plugs! When I got to the end of the job, manual showed "10hrs"..next time I will just bite the bullet.
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

I have an '89 535i 5 speed (not on the road this year due to gas prices and of course the MG)...anyway... there is a joke about this model... At the very start of the assembly line there is a guy holding the little $.95 heater control light... And once it is in place, they build the entire car around it... at least 4 hours to change.
gordon lawson - TD 27667

This thread was discussed between 02/12/2005 and 04/12/2005

MG TD TF 1500 index

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