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MG TD TF 1500 - Transporting TD project
Hi all My wife and I are selling up and moving across Australia (some 3000km from tropical Darwin to a cooler Gold Coast area of Queensland) in the next month or two. As my TD (even after 35 years) is still only a chassis / body combination, I am consider loading the TD into a sea container and tying it down. It is a driveable chassis and in the next couple of week I hope to have the body together and bolted onto the chassis. I am not sure if I will have the guards and bonnet fitted or not. No electrics will be fitted. Has any one attempted this kind of transport of a project car? What else should I consider? All suggestions welcomed. |
Stuart Duncan |
Stuart, How are the rest of your belongings being transported to the cooler gold coast??? It seems like a container might be expensive/complicated,, you will have to get the chassis transported to and from the docks some how also,,,,, SPW |
STEVE WINCZE |
Container, with TD, will be road transported. The TD will fill most of a 20ft container, when I add a couple of extra engine blocks and crates of spare parts I have aquired over the years. Household effects and a 1972 VW Beetle will be moved by removalists. I will be driving a Toyota Camry towing a trailer full of plants. (only a 4 day drive which I have done about 20 time in the past 35 years) |
Stuart Duncan |
Stuart, sounds like my TD. Little-T was taken apart in 1970 by a previous owner in Florida and moved several times, then sold to someone else who moved him from Florida to Alabama and then Georgia. I purchased him about 5 years ago and moved the parts to Kentucky and then took chassis and body parts to Kent, Ohio and dash items to Novelty, Ohio. The gauges went to England and the steering wheel to Australia. Now all are back home in Kentucky and slowly going back together. |
Richard Taylor TD3983 |
I moved a (complete) 1933 J type MG from Vicenza, Italy to southern England. It came on a bulk vehicle transport, waiting only a few days for the group to be assembled. Have you explored this option, or are there too many loose bits to cope with open transport? IanB |
Ian Bowers |
I took my TD apart in Florida in 1968 or 69. We moved to Massachusetts in 1970. The car, mostly in boxes came with us on the moving truck. About 1400 miles. Nothing happened to it, and no progress was made. Around 1976 we moved to Pennsylvania (about 300 miles). Again boxes and chassis on the truck. In 1981 we moved to Wisconsin ( about 900 miles). Again boxes and chassis, most untouched from Florida. In Wisconsin the chassis and suspension was totally stripped, the engine rebuilt and the breaks rebuilt. The chassis, motor, suspension, gearbox, rear end and breaks reassembled. In 1988 we moved to New Jersey (about 900)miles. In the process a few items have been lost but most are here. Jim B. |
JA Benjamin |
Thank you for your comments. TD will not be in a state to go on a car carrier. Attached is a photo of TD as it is today. As mentioned on another thread I hope to have tub togther and on body in the next 3 weeks before it needs to go into container. Stuart |
Stuart Duncan |
Hi all Sorry for reactivating this thread, but thought it best to do so. I have moved across Australia and the MG in the 20ft container is somewhere in the middle. I was able to tie the TD down in the container and stack parts on the floor boards and around and under the TD as per attached photo. I had to fit the old rusted front quarter panels back on the tub, as the new ones I had made in the 80s didn't fit. Now to find somewhere to work on the TD. My wife has decided the garage in our new home is only for going vehicles (ie Toyota Camry and '72 VW Beeetle). Stuart |
Stuart Duncan |
Sell wife, use funds to purchase container. FRM |
FR Millmore |
good luck, but how you will get the Container on the truck? Crane? And how you make sure that nothing will go loose or damage other components? Last question: You are sure you will find time to finish this project? I understand your wife is not in favor for it, but why you take it with you? If you like a TD why not sell this ruine away and buy a car you can have fun with? And believe me, even with a restored Project you will need more time as you can spend. Sorry, cannot understand. Cheers, Guenter |
Guenter |
Guenter Container is listed on and off purpose built side lift semi trailer. Concerning why I took TD with: I have had it since 1974 (37 years) and it has become part of my life. Since I am retired I have time to work on it, bit by bit. Last year I finally got the TD to a running chassis stage (and spent over $6000 on parts etc), now it is time to do the body work and get the original XPAG motor together using Lens cam and roller lifters. cheers Stuart |
Stuart Duncan |
I'm with Fletch. :-) |
LaVerne |
Stuart, I always thought a 20" container woud make a nice garage. So why not buy it and put in your back yard as a workshop. Might only work with some of the other suggestions, though;-) Rgds Mike |
Mike Fritsch |
Problem solved: Move wife to storage locker ...take over garage & house for TD! That new dishwasher could come in handy for cleaning parts! Park the Toyota in the living room and the VW in the dinning room so you will have lot's of room in the garage. |
David Sheward |
Dave may have been joking but that's exactly what I did back around '67. I had two MG's at the time, one TD I restored and one TF I raced on the weekends. Since I lived in an apartment at the time I had no place to store them. I found an old estate in Niles, Ca. owned by an older gentleman. He had built a newer house on the back of the lot and had the older house located in the front. The old house he rented out for storage and fortunately he had installed a large garage type door on the side. I rented two rooms from him. I had the TD stored in the dining room and the TF in the living room with extra parts, etc. I wish I had taken a photo of this arrangement. Cheers, Roy |
Roy Challberg |
Allo Stuart. Methinks your wife has too much power....! All the best. DrRx. |
drcrougeux |
Roy, how did you do on oil stains in the dining room ? I keep struggling to keep my garage tidy with all the soaked cardboard. (yes I know there's the thread on drip pans...) Rgds Mike |
Mike Fritsch |
When I got married my 58 Panhead was in the living room (spent winters in there) and the engine for my Austin in the dinning room. My wife has happy to let me do "whatever" in the garage ever since. Disclaimer: She's "car-people" ...only one in the house now is "parts" of one of her cars. |
David Sheward |
This thread was discussed between 15/03/2012 and 06/05/2012
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