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MG TD TF 1500 - Left Handed Starting Handle ?

No I am not being facetious, what I want to know is which way round the starting handle clips to the rear wall of a TF. There are two half moon cutouts in the upper rail to take the bent bent of the handle so it could go either way round. I was wondering if RHD and LHD cars had a different position for the handle - easier for the driver to reach?


Jan T
J Targosz

I was told many years ago that the handle was on the drivers side to make it easy to get at. So on the right on yours.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

Hi Ray,

Thanks for the response. My suspicions about the handle were raised when I read the article by Rob Grantham on the "Original MG TF" site concerning reupholstery. The car shown is a RHD but the handle is on the left.


Jan T
J Targosz

Seems to me that if you're sitting behind the wheel and reaching back the hardest place to reach is directly behind you. For tht reason I'd want to handle (bent end) on the opposite side: left hand drive - bent end on the right; right hand drive - bent end on the left. Of course I drive a TD with the handle on the back of the seat where it can't be reached from either side (but I suppose one normally gets out of the car to use the handle :-)) Jud
J K Chapin

On original,right hand drive TFs I have restored in Australia,the original rear upholstery panel/wood screw holes was indicative of the handle being on the passenger,near side of the car. The reasoning of the Factory was perhaps that the Driver could extract the handle more safely from the CURB side without his 'bottom' being wiped off by passing traffic!!

Cheers
Rob Grantham
TF3719("Aramis"),TF9177("Athos").
R GRANTHAM

All the Aussie TF's seem to have them on the left, bit I think the USA cars do too? Anyone over there confirm?
The original intent was probably to have them on the near side but if they were being fitted at the body factory instead of Abingdon then there may have been nothing to reveal if the tub was intended for a RHD or LHD chassis before it left the bodyworks, so maybe they never bothered with the RHD-LHD thing.

Matthew.
M Magilton

On my TD I matched the locations for the handle clips in the new backboard I made from the holes in the old backboard. The results are as shown.

Warmly,
dave

Dave Braun

My US spec TF has the handle on the passenger (right) side.
Jack Long

Here is the famous TF9052


Christopher Couper

I don't have a crank handle or the clips, could anyone give me the dimensions of the TF handle so I can make one.


Regards

George
G Mills

My LHD TF 1500, HDA 46/8986 has the handle on the left side (behind the driver) near side! as you in Oz do
Don H.
Don Harmer

This picture showing the wood member that the fuel tank strap bolts is symmetrical so it is conceivable that the handle could have been done either way. On cars with the handle on the left hand side the end of the crank protrudes into the recess where on the other side the handle does.

It may certainly be as Matthew pointed out that the intent may have been to flip it for LHD/RHD that was never executed or it was just a symmetry thing and there was no intent or logic other what was easiest/cheapest to produce.

Its funny how we sometimes try to create a reason for something when originally there may not have been one or certainly not what we think today.

Reminds me of an old story of a woman who always cut the tips of her roasts off before cooking them. When asked why she did that later by her mother she stated she was just doing what her mother did and her roasts were so good she did not want to alter the recipe. The mother replied that the reason she cut the ends off was because her oven was too small :-)

So do any unmolested RHD cars have their handle on the right side or vice versa for LHD?
Christopher Couper

Whoop. Forgot to attach the picture


Christopher Couper

Here you go...

Exploded view of a RHD TD.

Jasper

JL Nederhoed TD3966

And on my RHD TD3966.

Hope this helps...

Jasper

JL Nederhoed TD3966

Hi George,

The dimensions are starting at LHS outside of bends

5 1/2" (handle) there is a rotatable brass sleeve over this length 3 1/2" long

8" vertical

23" horizontal (to extreme end see next dimension

1" spigot at end that fits into stater dog 5/8" dia

Main shaft is 3/4" diameter

Clips are 1" x 1" x 7/8"


Note for Chris - the factory cut out two scallops in the rail but the back board is a simple rectangle.


Jan T



J Targosz

What a bummer. The tub is getting some attention at my retired body man, father-in-law's house so I can't look at it but I'm pretty sure the replaced wood does not have the cutouts for the handle. I guess that's just another hazard of picking up a project that someone else started. Expletive deleted.
JE Carroll

Happily I was wrong. The flat black paint on it made it hard to see. :-)
JE Carroll

Thank you Jan, much appreciated

Regards


george
G Mills

Looks like TD's seem to have the same handle orientation for LHD and RHD.


Christopher Couper

This thread was discussed between 25/11/2014 and 29/11/2014

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