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MG TD TF 1500 - Trim Rings on Steel Wheels?

Gentlemen,
I got the new Moss catalogue in the mail today, and saw for my first time that trim rings for TD and TF steel wheels are available. Were these ever available as a factory option or on the aftermarket? Does anyone have a set on their car? How do they look? Are you happy with the appearance?
Gene
Gene Burgess

I have them on my TD. I believe they were available as an aftermarket but, at the moment,I can not find an old advertisement which displays them.
Dennis
D F Sexton

I've got them on the TD. They were on the car when I bought it 23 years ago, but when the old ones started to get banged up, I liked them so much I bought another set from the local auto parts store. $15 per wheel as I recall.

Cheers,
Lew Palmer
Lew Palmer

I really like the look and saw an ad with a TD using them from the 50's... See them for $24.00 each at Can Tire.
gordon lawson - TD 27667

It was probably the MG Mitten in Hollywood that offered those. They had all sorts of stuff to "dress up" the cars. Dave
David DuBois

Not so.

These rings were made for export TDs in 1950. Not many sets were made and they were one of the VERY few dealer-installed options offered by the factory - the others being a heater, a driver's side mirror and a (choice of) driving/fog lamp. Also the "home" TD could be purchased with a 'trouble lamp' for very early TDs (1949&50)that were fitted with the (dash)connection points as found on the TC.

As been indicated, the rings later became available through the aftermarket.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Hey Gordon,

My TD (15470) has the inspection lamp sockets fitted to my front center panel. Is that correct?

Gene, now I have a hankering for some trim rings!

dave
Dave Braun

The accessory inspection lamp/teapot/etc sockets have been on all T cars (and a lot of other early other models).The early lamps were brass (ebay:$150.00's) and later were plastic "art deco" design (ebay:$90.00's).
gblawson

Teapot? Now there's a thought...

dave
Dave Braun

My 1951 has the wheel trim . I found the car in a barn after it had sat on blocks since 1962. They must of been an early option.
Russ Oakley

Hello to All -- My friend Gil Langswager has had trim rings on his TD since 1955 when he bought the car.The story as I remember it was that a GI purchased the car new in Europe in 1953 and the gov't shipped it back for him when his tour of duty was up. Gil wound up buying the car and has had it ever since. No long periods of storage either.

I think Gil could tell you if those were dealer installed, or aftermarket items.

Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

Gentlemen,
Thanks for everyone jumping in! I was afraid to say that I like the look, almost TR6ish, and I needed confirmation before I went and bastardized the car with something hokey.

Dave Braun,
I agree with you! Now....how do I do this and get it past my wife, without losing some of my tender body parts?
Gene
Gene Burgess

The MOSS catalog does not make it clear if the $46+ price is for 5 or 4 or 1 each. If it's each "ouch" mine doesn't need them.
Greg & Grimm
G.J. Cenzer

Gord (Lawson) and Dave (Braun),

1. The inspection lamp sockets were fitted to all early Series I TDs, and all YAs, YBs, and YTs. My '53 TD Series II did not have them. Of the 6 very late YTs produced with TD II running gear - including the 4.875 cwp,(2 known to have been shipped to Canada, one of which is owned by a club member), they did not have the sockets fitted.

2. Those factory chrome rings were being fitted to many T models - at least, here. The local (Montréal) MG Dealer - Cooke-Toledo Motors, had boxes of them and eventually scrapped most of them beause they didn't sell, but not before they gave a few sets to new MGA buyers (tacky IMHO). So its likely that just more than the early TDs sported factory trim rings.

What was rare however, were the one-piece full wheel covers on a few of the very last Series II TDs and early MGAs. As far as I can determine, these were strictly for the home market and never made it to this side of the pond.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Thanks Gordon!

I certainly did not know the history of the sockets. I never use mine for anything, so I haven't noticed them in other cars, one way or another. I just assumed all TDs had them!

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Gregg
The rings from Moss are $46+ EACH. Ouch is right!

Dick
RF Wacht

For $24.99 I can fit a FULL SET of wire wheel hub caps from the local auto discount store and look just as tacky and have a lot of dough left over for my Sheep Dip drams.
Greg & grimm
G.J. Cenzer

Knew i had seen this photo somewhere.....

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_mg_on_trial.htm
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Now that doesn't mean we all go out and buy "bulldogs" for our rad caps...!!!!!!
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Ok...went to my local tire dealer and he had a shed full of old trim rings... we are talking hundreds... found two 15" in the whole bunch... he gave them to me free...
Not sure if i like them or not?

http://www.niagarabritishcarclub.org/gb/td265.jpg
gordon lawson - TD 27667

To me, it's a quick fix for rims that need paint. I do like the look of wide whitewalls, wish they weren't so dear.
Tom

Gordon,

You said: <<The inspection lamp sockets were fitted to all early Series I TDs, and all YAs, YBs, and YTs>>

Not sure about the YTs but the YA and YB did not have the lamp sockets; just for the record.
Willem van der Veer

Gordon.. Did you look at the lifting handle on the MG-TD . It is either a bail or handle for hand parking or ????????? It looks like a handle from a paint bucket.
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

Gosh Sandy,

I thought that was a badge bar gone awray, and the driver had not won any badges in his car.

dave
Dave Braun

Hello to all, --- Was at the GOF this weekend in Stockbridge MA. Talked with my old friend Gil Langswager about the trim rings he has had on his TD since 1955/1956 and learned that the ones he has came from a 1949 Ford. But that the factory did supply a few sets of a slightly different design which are very close to replacements for a 1962 Pontiac Tempest. Seems there was a groove worked into the design of the original MG types that is very close to the Pontiac design.

Hopes this info helps you locate the trim rings you would like for your car.

Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

Willem,

As I indicated, the Y series cars that were shipped to Nprth America seemd to have completely differeny specs.

Most, but not all YTs had TC fittments like the chronometric rev counters, however some of the NA models had TD running gear including the magnetic instruments and 4.875 cwp (I've seen one). Most Ys shipped to NA were LHD, but from what I have read in Neil Cairns articles in Safety Fast and other places, the records for all Y's were incomplete as their production co-incided with botn the early TD and the later ones and got mixed in the process.

So there is a lot of grey area in this. In fact I'm not sure what was shipped to the home market, and what was shipped off-shore.

You may be right. I may be right. I wish someone out there could clear the air.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gordon A. Clark

I just checked with my local hotrod shop about trim rings for my 54 TF. He had one in stock and it was the type fitted to cars of the 40's and 50's. It is a narrow ring with flutting inside. It leaves about a half inch of wheel showing around the rim and is stainless instead of chrome. About $60 for the set. They should be in Friday. And it actually looks nice on this car without being overbearing visually.
mwhitt

mwhitt
What is the name/location/email address of your local hotrod shop? Better yet, from whom did the shop order the rings?
Thanks
Dick
RF Wacht

This thread was discussed between 18/08/2005 and 15/09/2005

MG TD TF 1500 index

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