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MG TD TF 1500 - TD chassis welded

Hello everybody,
both side members of my 53 TD are welded about 40 cm before the front cross member.
Is it original ?

Both welded joint are identical, with the same Z shape on the walls and the small plate under the side member.

Laurent.



LC Laurent31

That is a repair to the chassis - would not be found on an undamaged car. That said, the repair looks as if it is well done. I would simply confirm the chassis and cross member measurement against those found in the TD/TF shop reference book.
DLD

Is it possible that, due to a front-end accident, a whole front clip was welded in place? If so, check the stamped frame number against your title, to avoid any confusion.

I agree - it looks like a solid repair, and I would not worry about it.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Frame repair, like this:

Be well, David


D. Sander

And this:



D. Sander

Finished frame, welds ground flush.
Be well,
David


D. Sander

Is that a grease collector on the rear U joint? CV Joint?
MG LaVerne

LaVerne,
I think it was a tricky camera distortion. Here is another shot of the driveshaft from the same photo shoot.
Be well,
David


D. Sander

My TF is only a TF as far as the middle of the door, from then it is a 1952 TD.I had severe corrosion at the rear of the car. Chassisbuild Ltd found a TD with severe frontal damage and merged the two good bits. They fabricated a box section which was plug welded to the two halves and then the butt was welded and ground off. You can't see the join, the only other mod was the fuel pump mount had to be swapped over.
In my first 20 years of ownership it lived outdoors and had a hard life.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee raybar2(at) tiscalidotcodotuk

David,
what are the two lengths of angle iron from the rear of the tunnel to the crossmember for?.They are not on my car.
Ray
Ray Lee raybar2(at) tiscalidotcodotuk

Ray,
I think those are the floorboard supports.
Be well,
David
D. Sander

So a repair !

I don't worry about it. Just looking for possible history.
Strange. Because inspecting closely, it happens that there is another weld on both side members a few centimenters just before the front cross member. Just at the control link bracket location. And the welds are all around the side members.
So 40 cm have been totaly changed for both side members. The chassis number is correct. In my opinion, this part of the chassis is not prone to corroson since it is oily and it's not a low part.
What could be the cause of such a repair ?
Why a Z shape of the both rear welds ?

Thank you all
Laurent.


LC Laurent31

Why a z weld on both sides. Well here is my guess.

There is a old USA TV show that might provide a answer or at least add some head scratching to the person who asks. When I was a kid growing up I would say your car/frame has the mark of .....

It is the mark of Zorro!

Your frame is a fighter for the oppressed.

Joe
JWP Policastro

The weld is weaker than the surrounding metal. I would venture a guess that the z formation was to make a stronger weld. When welding on a frame, you do not want a short, straight line. Generally, frame welds are done on diagonals. It looks like they also welded a piece of flat stock on the bottom of the frame for added strength. It looks like a frame repair that was done with strength more in mind than looks.
Just my $.02
Be well,
David
D. Sander

This thread was discussed between 08/04/2016 and 09/04/2016

MG TD TF 1500 index

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