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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 - battery tray liner

What is recommended for cushioning the plastic battery tray liner against the battery box so as to not scratch or wear the paint? Felt, thin rubber, etc.? thanks,
Tyler
C.T. Irwin

There should be two rubber plugs on the back wall of the battery box. A/S 043-089. Bud
Bud Krueger

Tyler, unless you go the route bud suggests anything not fixed to the battery box will wear your paint...no matter how soft the material, if it can move against the paint it will wear through...either from its own coarseness or from the grit it picks up and holds over time...felt will turn into something very similar to scotchbrite as it picks up grit over time.
If you use a minimum amount of silicon to hold the tray in place it will not move and fret away your paint and it will be removable if desired. Regards, Tom
tom peterson

For the same reason I don't drive my car with the windshield rubber in place (and obviously when it rains too). Just the movement of the windshield with the rubber resting against it is enough to wear your paint away.
Chris Couper

I had the same concern even though my paint is not perfect. I placed one of the battery acid absorption mats (Moss p/n 240-025) between the plastic battery tray and the car tray. I figured if the battery box cracked and leaked I would be double protected there too.

But everyone is right, it will still wear the paint, but not as much as a plastic box. I did have to trim the upper edge of the plastic box to make it fit.

...Bill
Bill G

Why not use a gel cell battery and be done with the ugly plastic liner?

D. Sander

That Gel Cell battery with the Lucas label is very nice! I haven't seen that before, can you please share your source?
Bill G

I got mine from Abingdon Spares but the LUCAS is not white. Another company makes it for them and they drop ship it to you.

There are some neat things about these batteries:

1. As pointed out they don't have liquid and there is nothing to leak and nothing to maintain. The caps are for show only.

2. The battery is tiny. If you unscrew one of the caps and peer inside you see that only about 1/3 of the case actually has anything in it.

3. You charge it up and forget it. As long as you don't have a discharge it stays charged forever. I had one sit fully charged for 3 years and its still as good as day 1.

4. You MUST NOT trickle charge them. Once charged fully, then unplug your charger. You will ruin it if you keep a charger on it. Same with overcharging.

5. They seem to charge a bit slowly when near discharged but once near the top they seem to recharge quickly. ie normal starting after a few minutes the battery seemed topped off. You can check via the voltage. They give you the specs on what state the battery is in.

5. Bring your money. These things are not cheap. From AS its $375 plus shipping

Chris Couper

I took a standard Optima battery and doctored it myself. I bought a standard Optma "Tar-Topper" battery case. This is to make the battery look like a Delco battery. I sanded the delco off the caps, filled them in with JB Weld, then painted them silver grey. I had the Lucas graphic made at a local graphic shop. It was very inexpensive. It is a vinyl transfer.
Of course, I finished the installation with proper Lucas "helmet head" screw on cables, avalable from Rhode Island Wiring. I've done this for both the TD and the TF. I also installed a cut off on the ground side. It is easily removable for shows. Two minutes with two 5/16" BSF wrenches and all traces of the cut off are gone.
-David

D. Sander

Chris, where did you get the rubber angle buffers that are between your battery and the support?
Richard Taylor TD3983

Richard: About a third of the page down. They came from Australia.

http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_nitty.htm
Chris Couper

I ordered my cables from moss and they are just regular battery cables. Yours look as though they have a cloth covering. Where do you purchase these?

Rob
Rob Welborne

"I ordered my cables from moss and they are just regular battery cables. Yours look as though they have a cloth covering. Where do you purchase these?"

Rhode Island Wiring
-David
D. Sander

Rob: That's on the Nitty page as well as Dave pointed out - RIW
Chris Couper

This thread was discussed between 15/10/2013 and 19/10/2013

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