MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - What to do with TF basket case?

Hi,

I'm looking or opinions & advice on how to proceed with getting my '55 TF back on the road.

Here's the story:

A fellow car club member gave a heads up about a MG TF. When I show my wife the pics, she said we should get it. Yeah, I about fell over! :)

It seems that this car was a running driver that the PO started taking apart to restore 30 years ago and it has been sitting in a garage ever since. The tub is on the frame, the engine/tranny is installed, and the wheels/suspension are still mounted. Everything else is apart. The wood is good, the metal is straight and sound. It is a very solid conditon car. It does need paint. The PO painted it an ugly blue. According to receipts, the engine and tranny were rebuilt in '67. I don't think it has been started since '70 or '71.

I was very excited to discover that this car is a TF 1500. BUT, that was quickly squelched when I determined that the engine is an early TD 1250. Bummer.

I plan for this car to be a driver, not a showpiece. Not sure I want to go complete frame-off make it brand new route. Especially since I don't have the original engine.

So, I need a plan.

Thanks.
Carl

Carl,

I personally have a great deal of admiration and respect for anyone who is willing to take on any restoration project. I do not have the time, money, skills, tools, patience or place to do any of that. But anytime someone is willing to preserve one of these fine automobiles at least they can say, "There's this nut in California that's cheering for me".

Best of luck and anytime that you need a cheerleader, just let this board know.

Cheers - Dennis
Dennis Rainey

Carl
If your going to repaint the TF you can determine original body color from builders plate on firewall see chris coupers TF site www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtf for codes. You may be able to uncover some of the original color beneath the lovely blue presently there. My TF had been repainted grey but the undersides of all wings had been covered with thick undercoat before. While a real mess to remove it did prevent denting from stones and also preserved original color MG red hidden away for god knows how many years! Had the color computer matched took everything down to bare metal and resprayed to MG RED. As the wood was all good I left the tub on the frame and took all the rest of the pieces to my paint guy for stripping. I stripped the tub myself. As long as you have the proper bolts...hopefully the PO was big on bagging and labeling its not that hard bolting the puppy back together....just time consuming but then again what else could anyone rather be doing!The fender welts are tricky but I did mine unassisted and Im far from handy andy! Good luck with the project...drop a line if you have questions...believe me there is know question that someone whose familiar with this site wont have an answer for!!!
jeff payne

Don't worry about the engine being an old 1250 rather than the 1500 that should be in the car. Turning a 1250 into a 1500 will be the easiest (and probably least costly) part of the job. Bodywork, trim, and jewellry will soak up far more time, money and effort.

Any number of companies can increase the capacity of your motor. One in melbourne Australia is comfortably taking 1250 xpag and xpaw engines out to about 1.8 litres.

Interior trim, chrome plating, badges, handles and all the little bits and pieces on has to buy from places such as Moss will usually add up to about 80% of the restoration cost of a basket case compared to about 20% on mechanicals.

Phil Stafford

Hi Phil
Do you have any more details of this Australian overbore job? Where do these guys find space in the XPAG block for 1.8 litre capacity?
Remo Peter

The comapny that specialises in bib bore XPAG's is called Crankshaft Rebuilders in Blackburn Victoria
see them at crankshaftrebuilders.com.au

Basically they overbore and sleeve the block (and if my memory serves me correctly, with a slight bore offset in some cases as well to cater for the large sleeves) custom billet steel stroker crank, and associated high performance rods, pistons, headwork and balancing etc.

The biggest capacity motors require the installation of an electric water pump (Davies Craig)as the new sleeves protrude into the waterpump space.

If you check out their website you will see that they manufacture their own range of crankshafts, computer designed in their own shop. They recently hosted a technical night for the Melbourne MGCC T Register
Phil Stafford

This thread was discussed between 01/07/2003 and 03/07/2003

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.