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MG TD TF 1500 - Tell me why I shouldn't buy this

It's the cream TD second one down and about 75 miles from me. I got other pictures and it all looks to be there.

http://mgcc.org/swap.htm
LED DOWNEY

LaVerne; You know ya gotta go look - know I couldn't resist at least giving it an "in person" once over. Price is right - we all know a decent engine build alone is more than half the asking price. Take an afternoon and go see if bargains still exist.Dan
Dan Craig

LaVerne, If you are in the market to "indulge" again
in a restoration that looks to be a great buy. You gotta go!

Dan H.
Dan Hanson

If it is all there, grab it! The motor alone is worth at least 5K. George
George Butz

LaVerne, Wow, looks like what we all dream about finding...better than that elusive "barn find". Its already had a huge amount of the most expensive and difficult work done (and Paid for). Even if you decide not to finish the restoration, you should be able to turn it over for a handsome profit! Good Luck!
Steven Tobias

Hi LaVerne,
To echo the above chorus, sounds like an amazing deal with much of the worst completed. Will you put another Datsun 210 trans. in it? Go for it and post pics, please!
Best, Robert; TD 14649, TD 26273, MGC 7213
Robert Rutschman

The other pictures I got clearly show it's not going to be just a bolt it together thing. We know how expensive parts and paint can be. Woods a question at this point. Needs interior and seat kit. Top and side curtain replacement for sure. Battery, tires, probably all new rubber etc. I think your right about the motor and tranny but I just keep seeing the dollar signs rolling in my head and really don't wan't to pour money into another one like I did on the TF. On the other hand I do have room in the shop for it but I wouldn't part out such a complete car. Decisions decisions?
LED DOWNEY

Laverne,you might do the math on completing the running gear, and then pre-assemble the body enough for someone to get the picture. It is probably intimidating to a first timer as it is in boxes, but they might be willing to complete one that they could visualize, that already has a completed engine, etc.
May be possible to have some shop fun, recap your investment - maybe with a little profit; and save one from being parted out.

Dallas
D C Congleton

Engine, if a total rebuild by twist, is near worth the price. Would be nice to see her put back together, but your are correct that there is a lot of cost to get it there.
Bruce-C

For a 150 mile round trip you can’t go wrong by just driving over and having a look. I think the soundness of the wood must be looked at ‘in person.”
David werblow

Well I just sent him an email. I have to head that direction tomorrow morning anyway so if he hasn't sold it yet maybe I'll get a good look at it.
LED DOWNEY

Don't forget to take your trailer with you just in case.....Wish you good luck on this exciting story. Greetings, Huib
Huib Bruijstens

Don't you think I might look a little to anxious Huib ?

I was thinking I might try and dicker the price down.

Economy is pretty tough right now.
LED DOWNEY

LaVerne, You bring a lock for the trailer and park it a mile or so away...

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

LED:
How effective s your "cool" approach going to be if the owner is a regular observer of the site?
Dick Thomas
Dick Thomas

Laverne,
i'm trying to say this nicely with out offending any one,,,, but,, aahhh,, well,,, here goes,,,,, mabey your might think about ditching the fake glasses,nose ,moustach, eyebrows first.... the owner might not let you near the car with those !!!!!

Good Luck,
SPW
Steve Wincze

Fake glasses?
LED DOWNEY

Laverne,
How about because 1)you already have a T series, 2) you already have a B and 3)you don't have an A. That is a nice looking MGA on that site and it appears to be in CO somewhere as well. I wouldn't let proximity be your deciding factor but if it feels good, do it!
Ed
PS: Thanks for the awsome drive the other day. For the record, yes, Laverne's TF will go 90+ with that supercharger without blinking an eye! I lived through it!
efh Ed

I went and looked. Full report and photos at 10.


Your most welcome Ed. See the post below about the drive and see if you agree.
LED DOWNEY

Ok Here is the story. Fellow bought the car and it was running at the time (I didn't ask how long ago). Decided that it needed to be restored so he began disassembly. The tub and chassis are in his garage along with the engine and transmission. The rest of the sheetmetal and such are in his basement. many other parts are boxed and indexed with a file card in an upstairs closet. The spare tire and a few bits ared housed in a mini storage which I did not ask to go to. The wood in the tub appears to be basically sound but I did not remove any panels to check. He started to put new wood in the right door but he believes that abody shop would be appropriate (sheet metal is ok and it's new ash). No rust found and no major dings. Chrome looks decent. Rubber bushings etc are all shot. I thought it an odd combination of Armstrong shocks on the front and Andrex on the rear. Body plate matchs the frame stamp. He says the gauges worked except one. He thinks it was the amp meter. No sign of the factory tools. Hood and side curtains are ther but need new coverings. Floor boards I didn't see but he says they are ther but are starting to splinter. Has the typical home redneck wiring job so will need a new harness. Motor was taken to John Twist along with the tranny for one of his workshop rebuilds. I didn't ask for the reciets but the pressure plate is obviously new. I would have thought that they would have done a better job with the exterior of the items at Johns place.. Guess not. Block tag matchs the number plate. Original interior color was green as evidenced by the oil cloth on the back board. He stated that he has seen some evidence that the original exterior was most likely green as well. Nice fellow going through a split after 40 years (must be tough). We did not take dollars at all but I told him I would give it some thought this weekend and let him know. Only other contact he has had is some one I have talked to and he is another 200 miles away and is probably a little more iffy that me. Pictures coming and I like some feedback so Have at boys.


LED DOWNEY

next


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more


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Pedal box has been butchered


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vin plate


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and


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in the basement


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engine


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tranny


LED DOWNEY

Ok folks thats it. Whatya think?
LED DOWNEY

Hi, no advice on the car but I know the fellow your dealing with from years ago. My wife used to work in his real estate office when it was in the Hotel Colorado. For what its worth he always seamed like an honest fellow to deal with.

I live in Golden, along with our 1953 TD that will be back on the road some day....
ACD Davis

LaVerne,

It's in much better shape than mine when I got it and I paid more than what he is asking. The engine alone is worth it as mentioned before. Looks like it has very little rust to contend with and all the major parts seem to be there. Wish it was in Virginia instead of Colorado or I'd already have it in my shop.

Good buy!

Mark

Mark Strang

I just did a little quick calculating and I think it's gonna take a minimum of about another 8 grand in parts just to make it a decent driver. Thats with me doing the work. Pretty close to todays market for one already done I think.
LED DOWNEY

LaVerne, Not that it makes a lot of difference, but the rear shock shown in the picture, is the regular Girling shock as supplied from the factory. It is not an Andrex as suggested. It looks like the front shocks are Armstrong which might mean the front end has had some repair. The WSM lists both for the TD but it seems strange that both would be found on the same car but maybe not impossible. It would be a good opportunity for someone with the time, to put it in roadworthy condition. The price seems to be fair with the full understanding of what is required to get it on the road again. Good luck.

George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

Shock possibility: when dad bought my TD in the mid-70s, the original rear Girlgings worked fine. The fronts leaked massively, and the only replacements were new Armstrongs which stayed on my car until I bought some Girlings on ebay and had them rebuilt at restoration. The wood would be my major concern- every piece on mine I thought was fine was totally vaproized behind any metal bracket or panel where you couldn't see. I still think if you could buy it for the 5K, you could sit on it until the economy bounces back (or when someone's stimulus check arrives- BTW- why hasn't mine shown up yet??). Would be a great restoration project. George
George Butz

If all the stuff is really cataloged and boxed that is a good sign. Mine was (and some still is) a hunting expedition among a dozen boxes. Everytime I turn around, I seem to find a $100 problem lurking there. It looks like a decent deal and since you have done one (TF), this will take you a lot less time to do. Bottom line is that it needs to have good wood and an intact frame (not rusted out). The rebuilt engine is a big plus if it is done right. You are right about probably needing $8K of parts. Not having to buy wire wheels (TF) is a big savings, too. The floorboards are out, which makes it easy to inspect. I loved the wiring! Mike Davis
MW Davis

LaVerne,

Just to reinforce your thought process, costs to buy parts for Tommy and to outsource work I couldn't do (which was very little) went like this:

Engine: $3,300
Gearbox and driveline: $2,100
Leather Interior and Canvas: $3,500 (heavy sale discount)
Chrome: $2,200 (outsourced)
Chassis, brakes, suspension: $2,500

and New Wood and Paint: $10,100 (outsourced)

Given that I outsourced quite a bit of my New Wood and Paint, and you are very good at that part, and the engine/driveline are done (mine included a 4.3:1 set) I think your estimate of $8,000 is close to the mark.

I would like to tackle another TD because there are a few things I would do differently and it would be fun to try them. I wouldn't do this car because my favorite things (engine and gearbox) are already done. Applying the same thought process to your likes may yield your answer.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

One good way to settle the shock dilema is to find out if there are the reliefs in the front fenders(wings) for the Armstrong shocks. That will tell you whether the car came with Girling or Armstrong shocks. Very possible that at some time in the past that the rear shocks were replaced with used shocks from another car. Hence the mismatch.

On the other hand it is possible that the original front Girlings got to leaking and were replaced with Armstrongs before they discovered that they needed reliefs in the front fenders(wings). Might be the reason the restoration was stopped at the point you found it.

Good luck in solving this delema(sp).
Cheers,

Bob
R. K. Jeffers

I was hoping you guys would pick it apart. If you don't start bad mouthing it I may have to go buy it.
LED DOWNEY

Are you sure you don't want that "A" for your garage? Saw one at a local club breakfast here yesterday. Sure was nice!
efh Ed

I'd like to have both. Are you interested in the TD Ed?
LED DOWNEY

A friend of mine bought a rebuilt engine only a year or so ago for $5000.00 ... Wish it was closer to me!
gblawson(gordon)

LaVerne,

Nope, a 2nd project for me would have to wait till the first one is complete...a ways off. Plus I only have a 2 car garage. You however, have room to spare! I think that A would round out your "stable" perfectly, but that's just my opinion. I don't know what forum advice exists in the MGA world either...

Ed
efh Ed

Ed,

Just above the TD TF forum, is the MGA forum,,, and it is quite active,,,,

SPW
Steve Wincze

You guys were no help at all. Looks like I'm gonna have to buy this thing and bring it home. If thats not bad enough I'm going to go look at a couple of chrome bumper "B"s in need of some serious help. Who's gonna come over and help?
LED DOWNEY

You buyin'the beer? Hard to pass up a bargain,eh? You know we're good for moral support if nothing else. Stock up on Ibuprofen for the knees. Sincerely,Dan
Dan Craig

Posted by MW Davis, Colorado, USA:

"If all the stuff is really cataloged and boxed that is a good sign. Mine was (and some still is) a hunting expedition among a dozen boxes."

In 1965 my fiance and I bought a 1954 mgtf in boxes. naive and young I didn't even question if all the parts were there. I was very fortunate because it was complete and most parts were in good condition. We honeymooned in that car and kept it a few years until the first child when it gave way for a Jag MK1 sedan. Still married 44 years later. As of about five years ago we're back into a TF, 1955 1500 this time around. She drives a near perfect 1994 Vanden Plas. Life is good!

Someone needs to buy this TD. It'll all work out.
Dave
Dave Clark

LaVerne,
Well, we're still in Morro Bay having a good time but will be cruzin thru GJ on the way home on May 9th. We may have to stop by and see this stuff? If I didn't have a Dr. apt the next week you might have a new roomate. I had a beautiful chrome bumber B in a prior life. Shoot me an email if interested in a quick vist.
Ed
efh Ed

If I was closer I would sure come over and help-according to mapquest, I'm only a 32 hour drive and 2,107 miles away! Looks like a great project. George
George Butz

Fridge is empty now but name your poison and I'll fill her up.

Lets see George, since the earth is turning at approximatley 24000 miles per hour (headed east) then all you should have to do is put the TD in neutral and let the earth rotate under it. You should be here in less than an hour. I may commit blasphomy here because I'm giving thought to using the B drivetrain and suspension, brakes, wire wheels on this project. Or I can stick to original since it does still have the original engine tranny combo. The reason for the thought was the butchered pedal box. Still in the thinking stage. I'll have a better feel for it when I can get it home and get greasy with it. I feel dirty just thinking about it.
LED DOWNEY

This thread was discussed between 08/04/2009 and 22/04/2009

MG TD TF 1500 index

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