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MG TD TF 1500 - Attaching the TF Kick Panels

Getting close to attaching TF kick panels, but have no photo of how to make he forward attachments (my car came with no kick panels).I know tacks go into the hidem trim on the rear edge, but what attaches the front (forward) end? I sure would appreciate any photos.

thanks,
Tyler
Tyler Irwin

That makes two of us! PJ
Paul S Jennings

Two oval head wood screws with upholstery washers.

One is visible in the attached picture. Should be existing holes in your wood unless it's new.

Dan Nordstrom

Here's a little better shot.

Dan Nordstrom

Great photo!
Thanks Dan.
Tyler
Tyler Irwin

Dan is correct. And here is mine too.

Matthew.

M Magilton

Is this the same on the TD Matthew? Cheers
Peter TD 5901
P Hehir

Matthew, what is the metal tag on your kick panel? PJ
Paul S Jennings

See http://www.ttalk.info/TDKickPanels.htm for some more information from John Crawley and a link to his email. Bud
Bud Krueger

Thanks Bud, Like Tyler, it was the location of those two front screws that had me stumped. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Peter, I have not examined TD's to be sure.

Paul, the tag is the dealers plate fitted when new by Lanes Motors who were the distributors for the state of Victoria.

Matthew.

M Magilton

Matthew, Thank you for getting a picture of the metal tag and explaining what it is. What a nice historical indicator for the car. You don't see much of that here. Kinda rare for a dealer to put anything on a car but a decal, very few permanent metal tags as yours has. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Tyler:
You didn't let me know how the kick panel forming turned out. I would be most interested in any feedback so the I could improve the instructions. How about posting a couple of pictures?
Godspeed in Safety Fast
Jc
John Crawley

I just discovered I need to pull my floorboards out AGAIN! Their a smidgen too wide for the side panels to drop past the outside edge of them. I used the old boards for patterns, but must have drawn them out on the new wood the width of a pencil wider. SO, I'm pulling them out, shaving the edges down, installing the panels and then put the boards back in.
I have finally figured out a name for my car, "Two Step"! It's been two steps forward and one step back the whole way. Every time I think I'm done a project, I have to undo it to fix something else! So, I think "Two Step" is a good name! LOL! PJ
Paul S Jennings

John,
Send me your email address. Here's my practice panel (photo). Will bend it this weekend. found a neighbor up the street with a V brake.

Paul,
I, too, have had to repeat things 2 or 3 times on many occassions. It's a terrible time waste. Final body and trim reassembly is the most time consuming part of the restoration. A nd I'm not done yet.Heck, the mechanics were easy.

Tyler

Tyler Irwin

Tyler,
I bought a TF interior kit from Buckingham Interiors. The kick panel boards have a series of half depth cuts in them in the area where they need to be bent. The cuts fan out a bit towards the top to allow for the wider curve needed at the top. There is another piece of vinyl glued on the inside of the panel in the area of the cuts to make sure it doesn't fall apart. I would upload an image but it doesn't show up well.
Max Irvine

I soaked mine overnight with wet towels in the area where they had to be bent and they bent and formed very easily. PJ
Paul S Jennings

I forgot to add, I let them dry completely before installing them! PJ
Paul S Jennings

There is an older thread on doing this that I found very helpful. It did use a commercial bender (metal brake) to form the edges. I modified it slightly since I dont have one).

Here is what I did.

Install (roughly) the panels and mark where the bend should start. This will be at an angle.
Calculate the length of the bend at the top and the bottom. That's the rise, the half circumference and the fall to the innermost sharp bend.
Mark the folds, left an right
(See first (left) pane in the attached picture.)

Then soak the panel overnight along the curve bend.
Fold the panel over a piece of round and let it dry.
(I am not sure if I scored before or after I formed the round. I think after).

You need to give the panel a reason to fold sharply. The previously mentioned post used a metal bending tool ( Metal brake). I dont have one. I used a tool for repairing screens. (Seen in some of the frames)

With a straight edge as a guide I scored the back of the panel. I then bent the panel over the edge of a table, with the rest of it clamped down to the table, at the score, using a myriad of clamps and a plastic hammer.
(Third and fourth frames down on the right)

I then finished the bend with another straight edge and some longer clamps against the edge of the table.

Second Frame down on the right.

If the vinyl tends to loosen it can be re-affixed by applying a bit of heat from an heat gun or hair dryer.

Just a bit, not too much.

Jim B.


JA Benjamin

I wonder if the vinyl was glued on after the bending?

Matthew.
M Magilton

Just test fitted my original TD kick panels (with remnants of the original red rexine & stitching) & was a little surprised to find that the holes for the two securing screws were not in the same place on each panel. The difference in location is considerable but I guess it was not that important. Matthew's seems to divide the height into 4 with a screw down 1/4 & the other, up 1/4. I intend to bend my new bespoke panels & test fit them before covering with vinyl. I'll effect the bend with a water spray just wetting the area against the roll bar & perhaps use a pipe former while they dry. I don't believe the bend should be so extreme that the panels completely hug the roll bar. Matthew's is about as tight as I want to go. Any idea of the gauge & finish of the original "oval headed wood screws"? Possibly slot heads on an early TD? Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

This thread was discussed between 09/03/2015 and 25/03/2015

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