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MG TD TF 1500 - TF Dizzy

Hi, I am helping a friend get a 1954 1250 TF on the road. He only recently bought it and we have had to rewire it as the loom was patched and burned in places.
This all went well and everything worked correctly, we did the trick of testing with a battery charger in case there was a fault.
When we tried to start it,the rotor arm destroyed the cap. The cast alloy body moves 1/8" radially so needs replacing. I have various distributers but forgot to label which cars they came off, could anybody let me know the serial number for the correct dizzy.
Incidentally while taking out the instruments for the rewire I could not get my nut driver to undo the nuts.
As I have a TF I knew the nut driver was correct, with a mirror I found that PO had lost the nuts and had replaced them with terminal nuts off spark plugs with a slot cut in them.
Ray
1954 TF 2884
Ray Lee

Ray - IMHO it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference which distributor you use, as long as it fits proprly - an early distributor fits into a late engine with a spacer, late distributor does not fit into an early engine. Different T-series distributors all have slightly different advance curves, but obviously, an old distributor in good shape will give a more reliable spark than a worn late one. Unfortunately, as for the one you have, if the body is loose on the tube there is little you can do to make it work. Some have tried to glue it in place but it almost always comes loose, and some have drilled and tapped for Allen screws, but they almost always come loose, also. I've thrown away three late ones in the last year.

A 40367 distributor is original to a TF, and will have the suffix D showing it has a high-lift cam. And the date of mfg is the last few numbers after the model: 253 is Feb, 1953, for instance. Hope this helps.

Tom
t lange

Thanks, I have found a dizzy with the correct advance and will fit that.
My friend was taken for a run in the car before he bought it, I think the owner must have removed the original diz before send the car off. there is no way the car could have run properly with the one fitted.
It had the following faults; spindle bushes worn,main body loose on steel housing,brass spring pivots in wrong holes, rotor plate loose on spindle and the advance stop holes filed out to alter advance from 12 deg.The cam was actually touching the points plate.
The only salvageable parts are the points plate and the skew gear
Ray
Ray Lee

What kind of smuck changes out the dizzy "after" selling the car?
"terminal nuts off spark plugs"
You are way too kind refering to this one as "PO" ..obviously a "GDPO".
David Sheward

This thread was discussed on 23/12/2010

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