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MG TD TF 1500 - Different front pan and Picture needed

I was examining pictures of the factory accessory light/badge bar. One of the pictures is one out of a MG brochure. I note the front pan in this picture is different than what I see on most TD's (Note the long piping on the front edge.)

Did early TD's have a different pan, or is this just an illustrator drawing?

I also would like pictures if anyone has an original factory bar on their car. I want to see how the bolts are placed (did they use the front screw hole for one of the bolts?) and also where the wire for the light runs.


Bruce Cunha

From my observation pictures are pictures but drawings can be anything.

But almost certainly pictures came from the prototype cars. So they often don't resemble what actually made it into production, at least past the first few months of production.
Christopher Couper

Hard to tell if that is a picture or drawing, or combination? The shock body/arm is not correct. Also the bump stop(I know it is the original type without the spacer- shape is not correct for those) and top swivel seal don't look right. So Chris is correct if it is a photo. George
George Butz III

I suspect that is a drawing. Note the shadows are not consistent.There does not appear to have anything holding the shock arm to the shock shaft.
Sanders

I know nothing about early TD minutia, but that looks like a photograph to me, printed in a magazine or similar. The tire looks way too detailed, and the lighting is optimized to show the suspension at the sake of the rest. If it were a drawing, the lighting would be perfect everywhere.
Steve Simmons

I'm sure it is a photo, but I suspect it is of a YB.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

I don’t think the wings are scalloped as high. I could be wrong though
W A Chasser

Definitely not a MGY. Here is a photo of a YB.
Sorry about size of photo. It is a thumb print from the IMGYTR 'MGs on Parade' webpage.

MG Ys front winger edges are nearly level and hidden behind bumper bar.

cheers
Stuart

Stuart Duncan

Google MG-Y type front suspension. There are a couple of pictures on there that show the exact same shock and shock arm. I think Bruce's image is a photo, and as speculated above a prototype TD? That would also explain the different splash apron. That kind of thing is still done today with prototype and super early build modern cars. George
George Butz III

Photo or drawing , it has been manipulated a bit. No one has mentioned whats holding the inner suspension pivots in place. I might mention that even though the TD1250 I have here clearly only had a straight piece of piping which ended before the bend of the splash pan down the front, this image shows it running on down the front and to the bottom of the pan. The image in these photos shows the same piping run. https://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/Pictures/TD11272/Thumbnails/mgtd_gallery_thm_TD11272.htm

Clearly things changed,
L E D LaVerne

Good Catch LaVern. I have looked at Chris's photos and did not catch that. Here is a factory photo of the front of a TD. The piping runs all the way to the bottom of the front pan.

The picture from Chris's gallery says 1951. So was this the way the piping ran on the front pan?

Bruce Cunha

Great spot on the pivot. Wonder if that was two pictures stacked and then photographed? George
George Butz III

For another interesting re-touched TD image see "TD Press Photo" in the archives here.

In this present post, the lack of a lower pivot is due to the re-touching artist getting carried away.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

A couple details to note

I’m the pic s referenced by Laverne in Chris’s gallery
I have to question the originality as the front bumper braces are incorrectly positioned with the bracket mounted behind the spacers. It’s obvious to me that an OP had reassembled the front of the car incorrectly which makes me suspect the rest of the welting details as being original

In the last pic posted by Bruce showing the TD on the assembly line. Note that the welting is not folded at 90° to finish off the rear of the apron which I’ve always thought to be correct. Also, looking closely at this pic, the tail of the welting is trimmed off but leaving a small portion at the end to be pinched between the apron mounting tabs and the dumb iron just looks like sloppy work. I don’t recall ever seeing it done like that on any of my cars or the survivors I’ve looked at over the years.

Bill Chasser
TD/c-8151
W A Chasser

Bill: "I have to question the originality as the front bumper braces are incorrectly positioned with the bracket mounted behind the spacers."

The spacers are installed correctly but those bolts are not original and it looks like they had used additional nuts to fill in the gap. Maybe they had a tow bar attached periodically that required the longer bolts? Who knows.
Christopher Couper

Chris. You are correct. In my late night blurry eyed staring at the pic the nut in front of the brace looked like a spacer. Upon closer look with my glasses on I could see the spacer behind the brace. Thank you for pointing out my mistake

Bill Chasser
TD/c-8151
W A Chasser

This thread was discussed between 15/08/2021 and 20/08/2021

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