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MG TD TF 1500 - New Member: TF 6860

Greetings. Please allow me to introduce myself:

1954 MG Series TF
Car No. HDA46 6860
Body No. Type TF 17400
Engine No. XPAG / TF / 6860

This 1954 MGTF 1250 has been in my family since 1968 (I believe we are the second owners). The latest frame-off restoration (including rebuilt engine) was completed @1990. All mechanical components are in working order except for the clock within the instrument cluster. I drove the car into the garage for a tad bit of upgrading in 2006 (primarily a stainless steel exhaust system). Everything was fully functional when parked for upgrade. Unfortunately, I allowed project scope expansion to creep in (you know how it goes, “Hey, as long as I’m already here I should change, add or replace this, too!” (e.g. floorboards, NOS wiring harnesses, generator, master cylinder, etc). Then the inevitable sidetracks, delays & other priorities crept in. Although steadily improved, yet sporadically worked upon, the car has basically remained in the garage for the past decade.

Still a positive ground car. A new, complete NOS Moss wiring harness was installed. All wire connections are soldered to Lucas bullet terminals. Terminals are cleaned & packed into Lucas plug connectors with dielectric grease. New stainless steel exhaust system installed with main pipe wrapped with Heat Tec header wrap to keep engine compartment/passenger footwell temperature more pleasant. New floorboards installed (original-spec marine grade plywood) using the originals as templates. New rear deck wood installed. Deck & Floorboards are sealed & painted black. All wooden components are in excellent condition; no deterioration whatsoever.

All numbers match. Engine compartment components are superb. My late father, a professional mechanic specializing in foreign cars, rebuilt the motor at .040 oversize. Crank & camshaft done by M & G Vintage Auto Co. in 1988. Dual SU 1.5” HS4 carbs professionally rebuilt by Apple Hydraulics. A stainless-steel heatshield I fabricated protects carbs & intake from exhaust heat. Stainless steel braided fuel lines. Original aftermarket Stellings-Hellings low profile air filters. New generator, new tachometer reduction gear drive. New spark plugs, plugwires, distrib cap & rotor. I have an electronic ignition available to install if I choose. New radiator hoses. The radiator is original & in excellent condition. This car has a Bosch inline heater powered by a 2-speed fan to blast the chill away during evening or autumn drives. New steering wheel, shaft coupling bushings & felt. Most rubber components are new or relatively new and pliable.

Suspension components are in very good condition. OEM shocks & springs. Polyurethane bushings on front control arms. New rebound buffers are ready to be installed next.

Transmission is in excellent condition. My father overhauled it during the original 1970’s restoration. Driveshaft is balanced. U-joints are new. The rear end pinion gearing demonstrates some lash, but not yet to a point of intervention (although I often contemplate changing over to MGA pinion gearing).

Dual fuel pumps are installed inline to prevent any fuel interruption or starvation. One pump mounted on front firewall is original SU. Main pump located near fuel tank is Facet solid state to ensure no surprises. Years of British motoring experience led us to purposely design redundancy into critical systems with the intent of making this car as reliable as possible out on the road.

Brakeshoes & drums are in excellent condition. New master cylinder installed. New brake hoses installed this summer. Ready for new brake fluid to be bled.

Frame is solid with no rust. Body sheetmetal is solid with no rust. Bodywork was done to this car during original restoration; replacing bad metal (primarily rocker panels, rear inner fenders) with new metal bolted, welded or riveted in place & filler used judiciously to skimcoat seams (however, the door threshold finishes are not to my liking). The paint looks fabulous from 3 feet away, but blemishes & minor chipping are present upon closer inspection because of normal driving conditions & paintjob was done in home garage under less than pristine circumstances. Metallic Martin Senour paints with hardener were used to produce a classy two tone bronze on brass finish. Some of the metal panels housing the engine compartment are not currently aligned to my liking. It is noticeable upon close scrutiny, but of no functional handicap; just aesthetic. I will eventually get to it. I am missing the front splash apron panel.

The car is shod with tubed 165 R15 86S steel belted radials on original spoke rims. Rear passenger rim has one spoke broken near rim attach-point that I need to replace.

Newer black looped interior carpeting is in excellent condition. The transmission tunnel & floorboards are lined with reflective insulated padding for the occupants' comfort. The black leather bucket seats are not original to this TF. They came from an early-60s Sprite model (functionally I like these better because of overall adjustability & the occupants can better access the entire passenger compartment). The original seats were unfortunately maligned beyond repair by previous owner’s children. The black interior door panels & crashpad came with the car. I reupholstered all the other interior trim & kick panels with a premium grade black naugahyde. Doors are decently aligned & close properly. There are no seatbelts. This car has an underdash panel. The passenger footwell has the optional metal footramp in excellent condition. The original Smiths instruments were all professionally refurbished in 1989 by West Valley Instrument Specialists (Van Nuys, CA) & are fully functional with the exception of the previously mentioned clock. I refurbished the instrument panel & its component wiring a couple years ago. It is ready to reinstall. Horn & turn signals work as intended. I have also installed a reverse light with transmission-mounted switch.

The car has a relatively new full-length white tonneau cover that zips down the middle. Sidescreens (circa 1965 or earlier) are in good condition with a few cool vintage-period rally decals. White convertible top is in very good condition. No holes. All chrome components are in nice to excellent condition. The car has one each of optional reproduction SFT 576 fog & driving lights on front badge bar. The optional MGTC-style side mirror is mounted to the driver's windshield frame pillar. During the original restoration, we opted to replace the obsolete & cantankerous ignition key & starter-switch setup with a period Jaguar-style starter solenoid (with push-button) & MGB-style Lucas ignition key switch as a performance reliability upgrade. The front fenders sport period Hella streamlined turn signals instead of the original Lucas lights. I have the original style Lucas wing lights in storage but have not yet chosen to replace them.

The car has always been regularly maintained regarding all fluids, lube points & tire pressures. It has always been stored inside & was driven during Summer & Fall months. It has only been caught in a true rainstorm “deluge” once (at the Watkins Glen vintage races). The top & windshield wipers held their ground admirably. We regularly attended the yearly Watkins Glen vintage car gatherings. The mileage on the rebuilt engine is only a few thousand. I'd need to check the records for an exact figure. Oil pressures & compression are to spec. All British cars leak oil to some extent; this is no exception. Dripping is minimal & normal. This car has been driven to and not trailered to events. All work on this car (except previously mentioned) has been performed by my father & myself. I have all receipts & maintenance records from our ownership.

I made a big push to have the car back on the road for the summer of 2014 (the car’s 60th anniversary). MG was also the marque being celebrated at the Watkins Glen Vintage Races. Life events intervened & I fell short.

I've joined the BBS to use its postings & members' similar activities to reinvigorate myself to all-things MG-T. My goal is to be road ready for the 2017 driving season. I am looking forward to it.


T.A. Sirp

Welcome T.A. Sirp (do you have a first name btw?).
My father bought our TF from the first owner in 1973. I think its great when I see these cars staying in the family.
Look forwards to more posts from you.

Cheers,
Matthew Magilton,
Melbourne, Australia.
TF9097


M Magilton

Congratulations you have inherited a great example of the breed, the modifications made will have improved on the original design.

Look forward to hearing your progress, plenty of good advice is available here.

Graeme
G Evans

TA, Welcome to the world of MGs! It's great to know of another TF is being tenderly cared for and preserved for future generations. Hope to hear more about your car in the future. PJ
Paul161

Hello T.A.

Welcome to the forum and thank you again for your first post on the side curtain trims. Having discovered what I should have I have now sourced the missing pieces.

Your car sounds like an enviably well cared for damage free example. Like you I have bucket seats from another British sportscar and prefer them. Each to their own.

Michael C
TF 1500
M R Calvert

G Evans
NEW SOUTH WALES.
CAN YOU PLEASE CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL.
I sold an item to a man in Duns Creek
I need either his email or telephone number
Sandy Sanders
esane@msn.com
Sandy Saunders

Hard to believe you did all that you have done and not been here before. Welcome
Bruce Cunha

Thanks for the kind responses, All!

The front suspension rebound buffers were removed today. Guess which one is the old one (no younger than mid-1960s)? Gads!

I truly believe these were the sole crappiest straggling remnants remaining on the TF. Gone now.

I think the new ones were purchased from NOSLocators. No probs fitting up once I step-drilled the two stud holes to the next size up.

...BTW, I researched the Archives & applied the info to easily remove the old rebounds. Thanks!


T.A. Sirp

Pic of new driver-side Rebound installed:

T.A. Sirp

I’ve been re-discovering long forgotten bits & odds while on my current personal “Clean up the Property” campaign.

I've created an MGTF travel bag from a rediscovered MG patch & a black vinyl/cordura duffle bag. Both were in nice shape. The bag will come in very handy.


T.A. Sirp

This picture kinda illustrates how the bag will look when placed behind the seats upon the side curtain storage box top.


T.A. Sirp

Frame-off restoration, eh?

I've heard of 'frame-up, and 'body-off'.

Someday, somebody's going to have to tell me how to do a 'frame-off' restoration, without first removing the body.

Irrespective of which is right or not right, welcome, T.A. If you live in the Great North East, why not consider joining the New England MG T Series Register?

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gord Clark

Hi,

Great to see someone pleased and proud of the work they have done on their car.

Have you listed the wrong engine number? They were never the same as the chassis number and are normally between about 30000 to 37000. My 1954 car's engine number is 35959 and the body number is 16733. Not too far away from yours. The "A" in your chassis number shows the car's original colour to be black.

Looking at the picture of the car (your house in the background is impressive) there appears to be some studs across the top of the windscreen frame. Have you modified the front hood fixing?

My car also has a Facet pump fitted. The original was at the rear, near the tank, and worked some days and on others didn't. The Facet is in the same place but the continuous ticking is driving me mad. When I have some spare cash I may fit electronic switch to the old SU.

Keep the postings coming in. It's great to open up the site in the morning, in the UK, and see what you guys in the States have been posting during our night.

Jan T
J Targosz

Gord, Frame Off is a very common term south of the border (well, your border).

Frame-Off Restoration
- This is a restoration in which the entire vehicle is completely disassembled and all parts cleaned, rebuilt or replaced as necessary in order to meet the original factory specifications.

Frame-Up Restoration
- This type of restoration is not as detailed as a frame-off, but usually involves restoring the paint, chrome, interior and mechanicals without completely dissembling the car.

http://classiccars.about.com/od/owningaclassic/a/glossary.htm

No big deal. I'm just wasting time waiting for paint to dry.

Regards

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

I guess that's Ivory Tim? Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

The "frame off" term makes no sense to me either, but it is common. :-)
Christopher Couper

Peter, I wish I was that far along. I am putting the body on for a test fit and a test drive before painting. We are having a family crisis on the color. Some want the color of the sample you sent, some want Autum Red and I'm leaning toward black. Perhaps a three tone job would solve the problem.

Regards

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

@ J Targosz: The engine number is 36430. Its listing was displayed correctly two days ago. I had a moderator perform a text edit to this thread’s Title (replacing Engine Number with Car Number). The find/replace edit inadvertently also changed this ID number listing you mention.

The items appearing as “studs across the top of the windscreen frame” are actually the wind-wing style mounting hardware for two sunvisors.

PS: the impressive house is actually a stately old winery building…one of my favorite locations for taking pictures of cars.
T.A. Sirp

Today was one of the last warm days to take advantage of any outdoor painting. Among the jobs performed were:

The last of the side curtain frames...

T.A. Sirp

...and the Valve Cover.

T.A. Sirp

Tappet Cover & Thermostat Housing Elbow were painted today to match the Valve Cover & brighten up the engine compartment a bit.

T.A. Sirp

Welcome to the cult of the TF. We own 1954 TF 6688 which has been, "in the family" since since 1955. Car has never been restored or changed since it as built. Presently it is going thru an engine rebuild as the result of a hole in a piston @ 45,000 miles. A fine example of original preservation.
Pix of car in touring trim


colin stafford

Hi Tim,
IMHO Autumn Red is the way to go. Red cars always go faster.Three tone is very rare here and I doubt if I have ever seen one.
My car as you know is painted ivory however red was my next choice.
John...Sydney
John Walton

TA,
Sure hope you are going to use one of Tom Langes silicone valve cover gaskets to keep the oil from leaking in the engine !!

Steve
Steve Wincze

Colin,

Great to hear from you - I think its been a while.

Like you, I too have an original TF as I have been the only owner. Your TF continues to be gorgeous and I envy you. However I suspect you have quite a few less miles on it than mine. Your paint seems to be lovely and you retain the original 48-spoke wheels.

I have driven my TF to every corner of Canada and the US including BC and Newfoundland, Florida, California, Washington State, Road America and most recently to Gatlinburg TN; and many many times through all the New England states. Its still my vehicle of choice in the summer and I continue to put on lottsa miles!

For the first time in its life, the clutch let go in Sept. whilst on a club tour, ending 62 years of absolute reliable motoring.

I'm on my 5th engine (+.040), 2nd gearbox, 5th set of tires, and 3rd set of wire wheels. But the paint is original and in dreadful condition, and I guess, I going to finally, have to paint 'er; and yes, it'll be Autumn Red again.

I estimate the mileage to be at least 325,000.

So Colin, keep your TF on the road. Again,
I envy you.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué
Gord Clark

Colin,

Great photo of your very original TF. Confirms yet again the original
body paint as a magnificent Dark Red. However not the Autumn Red look. Very close to the Glasurit (Line 22 formula) I have ready for our TF1500.

The original red colour on TFs seemed to fade on many of the cars. The resultant look then gave off an erroneous brownish hue.

Denny Hulme, the great NZ race car driver, once stated (pretty sure he owned a TF) "the MG Red colour on TFs could be described as human red blood mixed with lake water !"

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

That number is really close to mine! I'm 6800 for a 55TF1500. Not sure though why mine is a 55 with a lower number than yours. Welcome all the same.

Alex
Alex Waugh

Alex, your build date was September 1954, the 1955 probably comes from the registration date.
Don TF 4887 "Figaro" TC 1736 "Sibelius"
Don Walker

@ Steve Wincze: Regarding the silicone valve cover gaskets...

I have a surplus cork set awaiting, but am definitely contemplating the silicone set.
T.A. Sirp

@ Alex Waugh: Regarding 6800 for a 55TF1500...I've always attributed factory aberrations to a Monday or Friday build-date. Maybe Abingdon was the same?

But, yes, mine is 6860. Unfortunately, Abingdon must've realized their "error" and resumed installation of 1250 engines until inventory was exhausted. I certainly wouldn't have minded ending up with a 1500 engine myself!

T.A. Sirp

I removed the starter because it was painted green.

T.A. Sirp

I inspected, thoroughly cleaned & then repainted the starter black with silver trim.

T.A. Sirp

While the starter was out, I cleaned the grime off the engine block. I then reinstalled the starter.

T.A. Sirp

The currently mounted starter is a Lucas M35G 8 64.

I may eventually replace it with this 8 54 (...after it gets repainted).

T.A. Sirp

Or you could repaint your car like this:


Christopher Couper

T.A., welcome to the MG BBS. You posted about M&G Vintage Auto Inc. Do you still reside there? I lived in Monroe, NY for 18 years. That was some 5 houses and 1 wife ago. I would visit M&G on occasion to look at their inventory.

About "frame off restoration". It makes as much sense as driving on a parkway and parking in a driveway (LOL)

Again, welcome and keep up the good posts.

Cheers

Gary
79 MGB
gary hansen

I did a complete disassembly, every part, nut, bolt, screw,wires and then a complete re-assembly! Sound better?? When someone says a frame off, to me it means the same thing, I see no big deal over that. Around here where we live, deciphering ones meaning in a statement is an every day experience. LOL! PJ
Paul Jennings

@ Christopher Couper: LOL! A paint scheme similar to my old Mercedes. That MG must've been captured at Dunkirk.

If I choose to keep my car long-term, I would consider going back to the original color similar to this one.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C217415

Interestingly, during the original resto I never saw a speck of black paint on the car...red, powder blue, primer, but no black at all.

Evidently the previous owner (or wife) made several attempts to find a more personally appealing color, including the changeover to black interior.




T.A. Sirp

@ Christopher Couper: LOL! A paint scheme similar to my old Mercedes. That MG must've been captured at Dunkirk.

If I choose to keep my car long-term, I would consider going back to the original color similar to this one.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/ C217415

Interestingly, during the original resto I never saw a speck of black paint on the car...red, powder blue, primer, but no black at all.

Evidently the previous owner (or wife) made several attempts to find a more personally appealing color, including the changeover to black interior.




T.A. Sirp

T. A.,
Where are you in NY ?? Corning ??

STEVE
Steve Wincze

Tom Lange has the Roadster gasket and IMHO they are the best, mine have been on my car for well over 10 years and still no leaks and I have had the head off more times than I car to admit. last time was in 2007 and they still dont leak. They may not be correct but damn they work.
TRM Maine

I am keeping that gasket kit in mind, but am currently utilizing the stock cork set I have on hand.

I received some new bits yesterday including tappet cover nuts/washers, valve cover nut washers, oil feed banjo bolt washers, water outlet gasket & hose clamp set.

The valve cover gasket has been set. I've decided to clear coat the covers before they get installed.

I've stripped it of old red paint, but I'll also break out the tubing bender to further pretty-up the copper oil feed line.

T.A. Sirp

I also thoroughly cleaned up & repainted the front fuel pump exterior yesterday; giving it a 12V red stripe & black housing cover.

The housing cover is 180 degrees off, but I'm not disturbing it until time comes for servicing.

T.A. Sirp

The venerable old protective cover will help keep the housing paint fresh.

T.A. Sirp

Fuel Pump mounted. Fuel feed line will be reconfigured.

...Yes, I know the mounting bracket is upside down. Done on purpose.

This pic also provides a good view of the starter solenoid I'm utilizing. Currently loose fit, it will be mounted using two of the three original starter switch-related holes.

T.A. Sirp

Have had my eyes on these lamp covers for a few years. Finally got a set for the car.

T.A. Sirp

The covers will complement the car's white tonneau, top & spare tire cover.

T.A. Sirp

T.A.

Congratulations on your zest for your TF ! They are a magnificent 'machine'.

I noticed in your notes above reference to the Front Splash Apron
not being fitted. It is quite an important part of the car when fitted up as it stabilises the the Front Wings/Guards and helps to prevent cracking around the headlamp light nacelle. They are available.

Interestingly,the early TFs had the front edge of this triangular apron rolled over a wire for the edge whereas the later TFs had a simpler
'open' roll edge. My guess is the Factory worked out it was cheaper to have the panel produced with the more easily formed 'open' edge.

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

T.A.
Any chance that you will make it to The CT MG Club's BRITISH BY THE SEA GATHERING June 4th here in Waterford Ct ??
Steve

SPW Wincze

The event is Waterford sounds like fun, would not bring may car, but 7 hour drive, it could be a fun day out.

Peter
P G Gilvarry

Rob, my zest pales in comparison to yours...you have two TFs!

RE: front splash apron...I do plan on adding this panel. I will eventually create a "Wanted" thread to first see if any member has a surplus panel they can part with.

I vaguely remember(as a child)inspecting my car's panel. It was in a jumble box associated to the car, and the triangular shape attracted my attention (I may have been in my boomerang or flying wing enamor stage?). I recall it was rather beat up & in need of some love.

I don't know whatever happened to it afterward(whether misplaced in storage or accidentally tossed). I do know that my father is blameless in its disappearance. He kept everything.

There is always a chance it is still awaiting discovery, but I've gone through most of the dark recesses of the property to no avail.
T.A. Sirp

Steve, I would love to come out to CT for the Gathering, but I will be down South that weekend. I would also love to take advantage of its proximity to visit & perhaps bring along a longtime family friend residing near Voluntown who I know would thoroughly enjoy the event.

...I would also LOVE to have the TF road-ready to make the June trip. My current goal is to reassemble, run & sort out any issues so I can first successfully make it up & back from a much less lengthy ride out to Watkins Glen!

T.A. Sirp

T.A,,

A company in Ballarat,Australia produces MG Body Panels-Kilmartin
Sheet Metal Pty. Ltd.. Part No. TF106. (No financial interest).

Many of the original front splash panels have been compromised by part crushing with front end 'touches' and/or POs drilling extra holes across this panel.

As well as the four(4) holes four the bolts attaching the panel to the
lower flange of the front wings,two(2) rubber grommets also are attached to the front splash apron where Phillips Head set screws go up into caged nuts located in the panel between the radiator shell and radiator.
Quite often these two(2) caged nuts are missing.

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

Hi-
You mention "All wire connections are soldered to Lucas bullet terminals." Have you soldered the wires to the voltage regulator, where they attach? Or, what have you done for the wires there?
D mckellar

Wow, deja-vu!!
G Gilly

RE: voltage regulator wiring connections

Bottom line: Tin the wire ends or tin and solder on the type of terminal connectors that will mate with those of the voltage regulator.

My TF utilises a later model VR with male spade terminals. I soldered "Lucar" connectors to the corresponding wire ends & then shrink-tube protected them (see pic).

The car's original VR wore out or was misplaced & my father replaced it with what he had handy at the time. My backup VR is also this same (MGA-era) style. If the OE VR was repairable, my father would have repaired it. Perhaps it is still around somewhere awaiting rediscovery..?

The OE VR for the TF has screw terminals. I don't have one handy for a detailed check, but if it is a "screw-down" style, just tin the wire ends, insert them in the terminal slot & tighten down the screw. Other screw terminal configurations may require the soldering of forked or eyelet terminals of corresponding size to the wire ends to make the connection.

I'm sure other members can confirm details of the screw terminal style.

Regardless, ALWAYS solder. DO NOT use the quick & dirty "crimp only" style connectors.



T.A. Sirp

@ gary hansen re: M&G Vintage Auto Repair

Hi Gary, I resided about 4 hours from their Tuxedo, NY location. We did a lot of engine restoration business with them during the mid to late 1980s (...probably around your one wife & 5 houses timeframe ago).

We used to drive down to enjoyable Summer gatherings there during the early 1990s. I need to exhume & compile my photographs of these excursions.

It's nice to know they are still in business servicing these cars.
T.A. Sirp

My lengthy Quest for the elusive tripmeter reset cable was fulfilled by Abingdon Spares.

T.A. Sirp

The instrument panel is now ready for re-installation.

T.A. Sirp

The Bosch heater has been painted a hammertone bronze.

T.A. Sirp

It is also ready for re-installation when its time comes.

T.A. Sirp

..Added an enameled Sacred Octagon to the ashtray lid.

T.A. Sirp

..It helps brighten up an otherwise dark cockpit.

T.A. Sirp

Another orphaned Octagon embroidery has been recently paired with a surplus heavy black vinyl attache/laptop bag to now serve as home to my mobile MG library.

"Reference Fast!"

T.A. Sirp

Re Gary Hansen's post, the TD makes a great Kubelwagen. I've always wondered what it was for, apart from filling the gap between the TC and the TF....

Sorry, guys, just kidding.

David
D A Provan

David Provan,
Kindly don't use my thread as a message board for an irrelevant post.

Instead, please start your own thread regarding the subject matter of your commentary.

Also, please focus on accuracy when doing so. I believe Chris Couper, not Gary Hansen, provided the picture of the "kubelwagened" TD that compelled your commentary.

Thanks.
T.A. Sirp

T.A., You're quite right. Apologies. Are you now going to shout at Chris for irrelevancy?

David
D A Provan

I give up....what is a "kubelwagen"?

Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

Apology accepted.

Re: Chris..he was being irreverent regarding my green starters, "frame-off" restoration &, perhaps, deviation from factory originality (I've noticed a current streak of passive aggressiveness flowing thru this website during my short time here...has it always existed?).

As a new member, I wouldn't expect it from someone so instrumental to this website, but everyone has their reasons for doing whatever they do.

I'm only here for a value-added attempt to learn & exchange info & ideas. Nothing more.

T.A. Sirp

@ Tom Norby: Hi Tom, A kubelwagen was a WW2 German light military field vehicle made by VW. A contemporary to the US Jeep, but nowhere near as versatile.
T.A. Sirp

T.A. Serious question - your photo of the new rebound rubber (2 Nov) appears to show a missing split pin in the castellated nut. Is this photo just part way through a task? If so, sorry I mentioned it. But it's not something you'd want to lose.

A suggestion in the same area. Depending on your views on originality, a front sway bar makes the ride much more comfortable for passengers, apart from improving handling. My wife swears by it.

David
D A Provan

looks like a correctly fitted split pin at 12 o'clock.
Cut short not to catch and spread to retain.
Ray TF 2884.
Ray Lee

David, Thank you for your safety-conscious alert. I had rediscovered & consolidated a split-pin collection back around that time, & was replacing every grotty pin I came across with a nice NOS one. I definitely remembered that I had replaced the passenger side, but not so sure regarding the driver side...

...then Ray's ensuing comment really got me wondering because I could interpret that picture either way. A trip to the garage was required.

Long story short. The new replacement pin was indeed NOT installed yet. I appreciate your reminder.

RE: Sway bar. A front sway bar has been on my "Wish List" for quite a long time. I've reviewed alot of info in the Archives & elsewhere to help finalize in my mind the parts I want to use. It's just a matter of seriously going after the parts.

I've a great many roads perfect for spirited drives. I know the TF (and passenger) can benefit from the additional feeling of stability when attacking these roads.

Cheers.
T.A. Sirp

Added a new heater H2O control valve to the engine block today.

T.A. Sirp

Its compact design takes up little space.

T.A. Sirp

Its design goes well with the vintage of the vehicle.

T.A. Sirp

I am also taking advantage of a spurt of record high temperatures to do some previously deferred outdoor painting. The top bows are returning to original-style color.

T.A. Sirp

I've been quite pleased with the performance of this paint. It has better than usual solids content & sprays extremely well with has an adjustable nozzle.

T.A. Sirp

Pretty durable paint. I've previously used it on the side curtain frames. Somewhere within the car's history, both the top & side curtain frames were painted black. Removing the black paint exposed the original tan paint. This paint is a close-enough match to that original color.

T.A. Sirp

Another painting job I've been itching to do is the visible surface of the under-scuttle between the crash pad & dash board. Going from primer red to satin black. I removed the dash board, grab handle, etc. & masked off the area for painting.

T.A. Sirp

Made decent progress over the past few days...

The under-scuttle has been painted satin black. Several coats, a light sanding after drying, then a finish coat gave good results.

I'll also take this opportunity to replace the old windshield bracket to Cowl screws. Access to them will never be easier.

T.A. Sirp

The Convertible Top Frame has been painted & tuned up where required. The copper header rail sockets have been wire wheeled & clear coated. Fabric surrounding the header rail corners has been further tidied up.

I've been waiting a very long time to address this assembly. It looks so much better than before. I'm looking forward to its reinstallation.

T.A. Sirp

Speed bleeders have been installed in all four corners. These items had been setting in the bulkhead toolbox for at least five years. The old bleed screws were cleaned up & stored.

TF6860 is now ready for brake fluid.

...the castellated nut has its fresh cotter pin. ;)

T.A. Sirp

The Radiator Top has been repainted in satin black. This is another cosmetic item that has been on the "TO-DO" list for a very long time, and contributes greatly to a more visually attractive engine compartment.

The upper radiator hose & elbow can now be reinstalled.

T.A. Sirp

Reinstalled the upper radiator hose & elbow...

T.A. Sirp

...using original-style hose & clamps.

T.A. Sirp

The temperature has dropped 55 degrees from just a few days ago. Much too cold for painting, but not for removing paint.

Completed another small, backlogged task. Stripped body-colored paint off the fuel-cap lever.


T.A. Sirp

Can see the Octagon much better now.

T.A. Sirp

Refurbished the TF's gloveboxes. Both the interior & exterior of the metal portion were black vinyl fabric covered decades ago & were looking a bit natty.

Replaced a couple loosened rivets, then removed the exterior vinyl, reattached any loosening interior vinyl & trimmed what needed trimming.

T.A. Sirp

Then removed any adhesive residue, prepped, primed & repainted the exterior in satin black.

T.A. Sirp

Also standardized the nuts used for reattaching boxes to dashboard. Pretty happy with results.

T.A. Sirp

This thread was discussed between 01/11/2016 and 10/03/2017

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