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MG TD TF 1500 - All About Straps

Were the straps used on the rear tube to hold the harness, the same as the ones used on the differential to hold the brake lines?

In the pictures I have, they look different.

They also look wider than the straps used on the radiator brace and firewall brace to hold the Temperature gauge tube on, and the wiring harness.

Chris Cooper says there were three staps, but the suppliers only have 2.

I see 4 straps on the rear tube. 4 straps on the differential. 2 straps on the rack and pinion steering unit. 3 straps on the radiator support for the Temperature gauge tube. 1 strap on the firewall support tube (at the bottom) for the harness. Any I am missing?

Also, the straps for the Temperature gauge tube look to be silver/gray cad in the photos. The ones sold by some of the suppliers appear to be yellow cad.

Abingdon appears to be the only one with silver/gray cad plated ones.

Lonnie. You did a good job documenting how to put on the brake line straps. Can you comment on the others?






Bruce Cunha

Bruce,
To the best of my knowledge, I only had two types. See Photos. As far as finish, it seems like some of them were plated and others not. I just powder coated my originals silver.
Jim




JV Smith TD17744

original rear wiring positions:




JV Smith TD17744

Temp gauge. I can't find pictures of my steering rack straps before removal, but I don't find but two types of straps in my parts. I don't have any direct evidence of PO strap changes.
Jim




JV Smith TD17744

I haven't found documentation about a third strap, so I am using two straps, Moss #181-900 , and Moss #161-800.

FYI - the thin double-slotted strap for the temperature gauge tube appears to be painted black in photos of unrestored TF9052. (Moss #161-800, which is brass).
See photo.

No one was able to verify that more than two types of straps were used to secure wiring and brake lines in your thread "Clips and what are they holding", posted 15 July 2018 at 01:49:04 UK time.
https://mg-cars.org.uk/cgi-bin/or17?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=8&subjectar=8&thread=2018071501490430683

Frank Cronin noted that two different lengths of the thin double-headed strap were used. Probably the same strap, just cut to the length needed for the location. So, that may qualify as a "third" strap(?)

Lonnie
TF7211


LM Cook

They are called buckle clips.
Sizes available:
102 x 6.3mm single ended aluminium
142 x 6.3mm single ended aluminium
178 x 6.3mm single or double ended aluminium
178 x 6.3mm single or double ended brass
Regards
Declan
Declan Burns

Somehow I thought there was a double head one for the larger ones too but my mind is going dark and I am too lazy to unzip the car and climb under it.

The larger ones were definately think tin like metal and mine were cad plated but some of the CAD was starting to wear off.
Christopher Couper

This PDF shows how I bend and attach straps on my TF. Don't know if it's "right" or "wrong", but it's the way that I do it.

It is part of a document that I'm writing about TF brake lines.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

The ones on the brake lines look correct and very neat.

Bruce Cunha

Lonnie,

I am sorry, but I disagree with you on how the brake clips should be fitted. Your method is incorrect, and may even be dangerous. The correct method is as shown in the photo from JV Smith in this thread, here it is again.


John Scragg

J Scragg

Lonnie,

Attached is an illustration from the workshop manual showing the cable clip on the steering rack. It clearly shows how the clip should be fitted.

John Scragg

J Scragg

John,

Thanks for posting the image of straps on the steering rack. The method of wrapping on the steering rack makes the most sense and seems the most secure. I haven't installed my wiring harness yet, so I haven't looked closely how they are attached.

My research implies that the strap is attached in three different methods.

1) The strap on the steering rack for the wiring harness is attached as you and the WSM show. It is confirmed by photos of TF9097.

2) The brake line strap on the axle tubes is connected as I show. It is confirmed by figure H.2 in the WSM and by photos of TF0554 and TF9052.

3) The brake line strap around the bearing housing at the end of the axle tubes is a little confusing. The strap on the bearing housing on my TF was wrapped as I show. It appears to be similar to the strap on Dave Braun's site. However, I found another photo that shows the strap wrapped the same as on the axle tube, which would require a longer tail than the straps available from Moss. I don't have the source of the photo.

I'll change my brake line document to include the steering rack one of the ways that the strap is used.

Lonnie
TF7211





LM Cook

I am no expert on the brake line wrap. I think I got my method from a Dave Dubois diagram. It looks to me like the color photo and the WSM wrapping are different. It looks like the WSM has the brake line wrapped in a complete loop down next to the "shank". This appears to be the way I wrapped it. In the WSM photo the tail end is hidden behind the axle tube, not wrapped back over the brake line as in the color photo.

My "original" photo of the rear wiring appears to be wrapped in the same way, just a larger loop.

Jim
JV Smith TD17744

Here are a pair of original straps from the wheel end of the axle housing. I have no idea what they used to form the brake line area but's clear that the used something to get that form fit. I have compared the replacements sold to these and they are an exact duplicate. They are also the same straps as used for the wiring. Due to the length needed they cannot be looped around the brake line before encircling the axle housing near the wheel end. The position of the bends for the brake line here also indicates that they were not to concerned about where the line passed under the strap when the car was assembled.






L E D LaVerne

The three clips were still on the original wiring harness and these two photos show how they were wrapped around the wire. It is looped over the wire tight at that end of the opening and the what seems rather awkward to me is that the end of the opening goes away from the wiring against the frame tube. The excess folded over on the end was the same on all three and it is the exact same strap as the brake line straps.




L E D LaVerne

I do not have any photos of the original inner axle straps but they were here and I did my best to duplicate how they were fixed to the pipe and axle housing.

So what I have seen on this car is the same strap fixed two different ways to the brake line and yet another for the rear wiring on the frame tube.




L E D LaVerne

That is interesting LaVerne,
I finally found an "original" photo of the rear brake line strap. To me, the angle on my photo is inconclusive. Your last photo is just like Lonnie's.
I am beginning to think either strap design might have been acceptable, depending on the installer.

My photo does show the plating on part of the strap.

Jim

JV Smith TD17744

Bill Chasser just picked up a really interesting barn find. It was last registered in 1962 but was repainted sometime in the 1950s.. A lite green (lite mint?) on the bottom and dark green on the top. It has 40 thousand miles on it and was taken apart apparently to repaint it again. Never put back together.

A very solid car with original parts on it.

The strap on the differential was attached exactly as Lonnie has documented. The large end was folded over the tubing and shaped to the tubing and the strap then went over the differential and back through the folded over loop.

The rear wire is exactly like the picture Lavern posted.

The strap on the rear tube looped over the wire then around the tube and back through the large end and then bent back.





Bruce Cunha

On Bill's new TD, there was an original Temperature gauge tube to radiator stay strap. I checked the strap. It was nonferris metal. In scraping it, it is brass. I am assuming it was nickel or cad plated.

You can just see the glint of brass on the edge. While it does not show up well in the photo, I am sure it is made of brass.

Bruce Cunha

This thread was discussed between 08/10/2021 and 12/10/2021

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