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MG TD TF 1500 - TF HDB46/9080 For Sale

Your comments are appreciated on this car for sale on ebay, item number 220141285825. Looked for it on the T-register, but it's not listed. I'm going to look at this afternoon and would appreciate any comments, recommendations, etc.

R/Dave
David Sarley

Outside paint looks good but the engine compartment needs a lot of work to come up to the standard of the paint. There is no picture that shows the serial No. of the engine stamped into the block. Which may be the only way to insure that the block is not been changed to a 1250. All the bolt on stuff seems correct for a 1500.
Good luck in your look at the car.
Let us know what happens,
Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

David,

The paint can be notoriously difficult to keep on the fuel tank side panels. One solution favored around here is to create panels which fit in the inside of the chrome lips on the original panels, and paint those, mounting with the same hardware. It is a detectable fix, but not very noticable.

Seems like a very nice car for the money... if the wood is good in the tub.

good luck,
dave
Dave Braun


I may be conservative but $16,100 may be plenty for this car, and it hasn't met reserve. I know it is a TF and a 1500, but they cost the same to restore and only bring a little more in todays market.

What I see is a nice paint job - under professional lighting. Judging from the engine compartment and the tired interior, the paint is all it got. The car sits and presents well, but may need a lot under the skin.

Caveat emptor- as Barrett Jackson says - that's all the money.

Dallas
D C Congleton

David, externally it looks really straight with good gaps, the left bonnet side a bit large. Crusty steering wheel centerpiece, it appears a radio speaker is mounted under the dash,missing the cardboard cover (covers the wiring harness above the shifter),positively crusty and nasty underhood, corrosion behind the battery, aftermarket heater,wiring harness crusty- if original a fire hazard, no picture of the motor ID plate or SN, or of the head casing number. The 1500 head casting numbe is stamped to the right front of the valve cover, I recall stamped in rather than cast. No pictures underneath or of the suspension. Wood????That is the main issue- rotten or not??? and is it really a 1500 motor. Otherwise correct carbs, air cleaners, dash stuff, etc. George
George Butz

Called the dealer who has the car on consignment and arranged to see the car. When I showed up the salesman found out that the car had been taken to a nearby body shop for repair to the lower hinge on the drivers door. Apparently someone had moved the car with the door open and, as luck would have it, it caught on something and over extended the lower hinge. I think it may not be an easy, quick repair. The dealer has not added this to the ebay listing at this time. I'm going to suggest he do so.

Over all the condition of the car is pretty well represented in the photos. The paint is generally good with the exception of the side panels on the gas tank as seen in the photo.

The engine compartment is dirty and there are oil leaks from several areas. Not sure how long the car had been parked, but a small pool was gathering on the floor. I did check the tag on the block and it does match the plate. Did not drive the car so could not evaluate driveability or the issues mentioned in the ebay description. May need engine and/or transmission work?

Wood frame ends coming down from in front of the doors are solid. (Didn't have an ice pick, but did push on it with a key and it was solid.) The rails along the underside front to back appeared solid. The floor boards in driver and passenger foot well were solid. The metal recessed heal area on drivers side showed a bit of rust.

Chrome is generally pretty good. Some dings, but not rust that I could see.

I've asked the dealer rep to call me when the door hinge repair is finished so that I can check it out further.

Thanks to all for the comments. I highly respect those on this BBS for their expertise.

DAve
David Sarley

Forgot to add, the side screens are missing. Dealer rep said he'd call the consigner to see if they had them. There is a Motorola radio in the glove box with the speaker under the dash as George indicated.

Dave
David Sarley

This car is almost a dead ringer for my 1500, mine has its birch grey factory paint and red upholstery.
There are some very original areas here which are well worth preserving, such as the red dash in its original paint. Note how the crash pad metal foldback has been painted to match the dash. The seats are obviously original but dont expect the stitching to last much longer. The door linings have been replaced (good job too). The carpets and the black mudguard piping are not original but the sidescreen box is and note the slightly pinkish colour of the top frame/hood bows. My car is # 9097, so this one # 9080 would have been in the same colour batch coming down the assembly line.

Cheers,
Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

Also check the brakes. Parts alone will run about easily $1K (6 wheel cyls/master cyl/rubber hoses/copper washers/shoes/seals/and possibly the steel lines). Rad hoses are a real nightmare to change on a TF. Equally joyful is changing the fuel pump with a full tank of gas! Carbs need to be checked for leaking/weeping- if so, at minimum gasket/seal rebuild kit. If needed, best to just entirely rebuild (or send to John Twist or someone) so you won't have to fiddle with for a long time. Motors tend to cost at least $5K to rebuild, maybe more with a crank. Virtually everything in will be shot- cam/lifters/nuts, bolts, studs, valves, etc. You will end up re-using the block, head, rods, rocker arms and various brackets only. Of course have to do clutch at the same time. So I guess my concern is that if you pay $16K + for this car, and have to drop another 6 or 7 into it, would it be better to find a better car to start with? Keep us posted. George
George Butz

Judging from ebay, TF's are really 'up' there... couple others that need a lot more work going 10+...wow!
For 16 I would want to have to do very little other then clean and polish to enjoy driving it...
These prices are getting up there with Healeys and such!
gblawson - TD#27667

David,

One of the best 'What to Look for when Buying a 'T' Type' articles I have read is by Andrew Murfin in the T Register Bulletin Totally T Type. Have a look at TTT issue 20 page 19. Navigate to TTT from the Register home page http://www.tregister.org/
+ take someone with you who knows T Types inside out.

Happy hunting
Graham
TD/C 7822
G.D. Smith

Again, Many thanks to all!

Graham, Thanks for the reference to the escellent article. I have a copy of Jonathan Edwards book, "MG TF Super Profile", which also has a very good section on buying. I will try to consolidate both into a checklist of sorts.

It will be interesting to see what happens to this car if it doesn't meet the reserve.

R/Dave
David Sarley

This thread was discussed between 24/08/2007 and 26/08/2007

MG TD TF 1500 index

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