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MG TD TF 1500 - What once was lost has now been found

For the last 5 or so years, I have been searching for a CD of pictures of a 52 TD I restored for a doctor from Dubai. Finally, it was found in the hard drive of a computer we no longer use.

This TD was completely restored about 7 years ago and is absolutely magnifiicent. It could be the best in the world. That what the doctor wanted and I have never seen better.

No compromises were made in its rebirth and many modifications were made that I feel enhance the car. As the pictures depict, it is a frame-off and near the end of its journey with me, it was invited to Pebble Beach.

The engine was totally rebuilt with a bigger bore higher compression and a street cam. A 5-speed was added with a custom rear mount. The interior was custom made all leather – from Heritage, cream with green piping with a matching Tonneau – NO TOP as the owner said it hardly rains in Dubai and I want room for my clubs. The carpet is forest green witlton wool with everything bound once fitted. A proper fit around the 5 speed tunnel was a challenge.

The entire cockpit was overlayed with sound deadening mats. I can’t remember the name, but they came 5 in a box and were about 16 x 16 and very heavy and expensive. As I recall, I used 5 or 6 boxes. The car drove like a dream and when you closed the doors, it reminded me of my Grandma’s refrigerator.

The dash was custom made of MAPPA Burl with a hidden mounting system. In the pictures you will see a chrome bit in the glove bit in the glove box. This is a stay from an Austin Healy to keep the door at 90 degrees when opened. The shift knob hand brake handle steering wheel and rear cockpit surround are rosewood. The locking rear compartment and bonnet prop rods are my own design as well. Many of the clamps and brackets were hand made from sheet brass and the heater distribution pipes were copper. The entire exhaust system is welded in one piece and the front hubs were converted to tapered roller bearings. Some of these pictures were taken by my assistant and don’t represent the end result. Often I will assemble things and stand back to analyze, add a tweek or two, and then assemble for good.

I have never restored a car to this level and the end result was stunning. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Sorry the pictures are not in a precise order, I was just glad to find them after all of these years. I hope you enjoy the pictures

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/Boomerang11/library/Kitty%20Restoration%20photos

Any questions I can answer by phone. Feel free to call.

Gregory S.
(708) 715-5517
Columbia Restorations
GMS Serduke

Your link doesn't work. Probably all the ascii spaces (%20).
efh Haskell

No luck with this link.
D Lamb

Me neither...
Geoffrey M Baker

Sorry gents - try the following link. Except for a handful of people who are in the restoration business, this car has never been seen and it is a shame. Hope this works

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/Boomerang11/slideshow/Kitty%20Restoration%20photos
GMS Serduke

I can send the link via e-mail;however, it is not working on this website. Any advice? I posted this on the MG experience and had no problem.

Please help.

Gregory S
GMS Serduke

Try this:
http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/Boomerang11/Kitty%20Restoration%20photos/story

I was able to copy and paste into a browser window.
Christopher Couper

Its the spaces in the name. If you put the link in and replace the %20 with a space character it works.

This link below won't work but just copy and paste it into your browser. Then it will work.

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/Boomerang11/Kitty Restoration photos/story
Christopher Couper

Christopher,

Thanks for the advice.

We cut and pasted the link into the browser and it worked fine.

Note to all - please see the last response from Christopher Couper.

Thanks again.

Gregory S.
GMS Serduke

Wow. Awesome.

I bet it did not look anything like this when it came out of the factory new.

Declan, there´s a competitior for your clutch link...

Rgds, Mike
Mike Fritsch

Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder, and just goes to emphasize the many ways in which our cars can be brought back to life, enjoyed and driven. There are those who show their cars and want a 100% accurate restoration, with no bells and whistles. There are those who want a trailer queen, never to be driven, just shown. There are those who want a nice driver, and those who want a very nice driver. There are those who want a modernized and up-dated car, reliable and safe, with reasonable modern technology applied. There are those who spend their entire lives polishing every last nut and bolt, mirror polishing the sump and chroming as much as humanely possible. There are those who put a V-8 into their TD, or a Willys, Studebaker or even Bugatti. There are those who race, and want the fastest and strongest for the track. These is a place for ALL of these.

Shakespeare wrote, "... to paint the lily... is wasteful and ridiculous excess". This car is nothing I would want, or even admire, and reflects an excess of money over common sense, on the part of the owner. The workmanship is remarkable, but misplaced, IMHO. It reminds me of the TD chassis shown at the 1952 Los Angeles Autorama, chromed to within an inch of its life - all for show. It reminds me of a very nicely done V-8 conversion - interesting, but again, nothing I would want or ever consider doing. I suppose there is a place for this car, but suspect it is in Dubai, nowhere else.

Tom Lange
M<GT Repair
t lange

I second Tom's motion. Bud
Bud Krueger

I give up, have tried hot link, copied/pasted several ways, won't work in IE or Chrome. George
George Butz

Well, I usually can make a url work in some browser but no luck with this one.

JE Carroll

Beautiful

Did the clock keep accurate time?

Ian
TF4056
Ian Fry

Here you go Tom:


Christopher Couper

I'm with you, Tom. It's all horses for courses, but this ain't my horse... I like them factory original, like you. A guy I used to work with - a Jaguar factory-trained journeyman panel beater - when shown something like this would say "Bl**dy h*ll, that looks like a bad woman's bed room!"
Kevin McLemore

"Here you go Tom:

Image"

Now there's a new place for a logo that could win the match :-)

Mike
Mike Fritsch

While the end result may not be for everyone, that's for sure a superb showpiece for the capabilities of the restorer. And they are a fantastic set of pictures, both for the details they show and for the photos as such.

Here's a professional modification of the cross member for the 5-speed and certainly a lot of improvements that many of us have worked on one way or the other. I like the idea of a glove box lid catch, that's a new one.

Why you'd want a heater in Dubai, though, beats me. On the other hand, while I saw the pipes, I could not see the heater in the pics, so maybe it is left out as an option.

Mike
Mike Fritsch

Mike sums it up well. Cecil Kimber may be spinning in his grave, however it is nice to see the results of skillful craftsmen. Amazing detail in the copper heater pipes, etc. Not for me, but if that is what the owner wanted, so be it. George PS- Chris C- thanks for the link that worked.
George Butz

As I looked through the pictures and saw all manner of polished brass and steel, the on,thought that came to mind what that this car was "restored" to a nautical standard. The stained and varnished hood tack rail at the back of the body tub brought the sailing yacht feeling home for sure.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

I would better classify this as a Restomod. IMHO, a restoration is returning the car to what it was when is left the factory. This might be the owners (or restorers) Idea of a perfect TD, and it is a beautiful car, but just another persons idea of what a TD should look like.
Bruce Cunha

Funny, I keep getting a photo bucket error message! And I have a P bucket account when I cut and paste the link. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Paul, copy the entire last line in Chris C's post, ie the hot link and Restorationphotos/story at the end of the hotlink. As Chris said- hold on to your hat! George
George Butz

Some folks are not getting the link to work. Let's try this. Copy and paste the entire thing:

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/Boomerang11/Kitty Restoration photos/story

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/Boomerang11/Kitty%20Restoration%20photos/story


BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Hurray! George it worked! Cut and pasted last line and sucess. Have no idea why Bobbys links don't work for me. Oh well, it's a computer thing, what else is new! On to more important things, Grin. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Paul - it's the top link only - as you saw the entire thing must be copied and pasted, not just the blue text.

For some reason the second one, copied directly from the browser URL line, doesn't work. Who knows.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Finally !!!! It worked!!!
Gregory,
Your workmanship is quite good!!!! And if that is what the customer wanted, you surely succeded in delivery!!! I think the comment "restored" to a nautical standard sums it up.. I wonder what all of the bright work looks like now, 7 years later???

Steve
MGTD52 at Comcast dot net
Steve Wincze

Finally got to see the pictures. My take is the car, rather than a faithful restoration which would please the correct police, is a nicely executed show car done to please the owner. I like it just as I like the 100% cars, the drivers, and the hot rods.

It's not like chopper motorcycles where I can appreciate the artwork but not the bike as they're not rideable except for in a more or less straight line. This is a drivable and apparently driven car located in a country where a little bling is appreciated.



JE Carroll

One other comment: It is nice to see the "art" in many of the polished brass pieces such as the brake line fittings and others. It seems someone set out while designing to make them look good as well as functional. George
George Butz

GMS
Not really what I would do....but nice anyway. Too much not " right" according to standards as they are published and out there, and as supposed original cars present themselves. I have had several TDs and am currently restoring another. Nice work though, just not what I prefer. To each their own.

Brian
ZBMan

Greg,
I have to commend you on such an exquisite upgrade.

I overhauled my wife's TD into a supercharged TD with a great deal of stainless steel including the tub. It'll never win a ribbon but my wife wouldn't trade it for three 100 points TDs.

Jim
JRN JIM

I had given up on getting the link to work, but found it is also posted on the MG Experience forum- I clicked on the link and the pictures came right up.
Very impressive work, Gregory!
J K Barter

This thread was discussed between 15/12/2014 and 22/12/2014

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