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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 - Radiator Cap Wrench (oops, spanner)

OK, yes, I'm too cheap to pop for the $27 radiator wrench (and, based on what I recently paid for a couple of unobtainium part I probably stand justly accused of being penny wise and pound foolish) so, loving to saw wood, I headed for the shop. the cap needs about a 3 inch span so I cut the wrench just shy of that and then snuck up on a good fit. Because I was working with scrap soft wood I needed something to keep the span from splitting apart - a bit of 1/4" ply and lots of yellow glue did the trick. A bit of sanding and - Wallah!! (sp??)

Anyway, it works great.

Jud

J K Chapin

Other side

J K Chapin

Put some rubber on it and you can play ping pong...or whatever you call it over there.
D J Walker

Rubber band attached to a ball and maybe sell it to Whammo
J K Chapin

Good job J K... Sharpen the end and ya got yerself an ice scraper...of course I doubt ya git to much of that in your area, so with a mini whisk broom ya got yeself a little dust pan. Drill four 3/4" holes in and stick yer fingers through em and ya got yerself a calculater. A tool with a thousand uses...as seen on TV. :-)
L E D LaVerne

Actually it's a beta version of a slingshot - needs further development
J K Chapin

Excellent. A few years ago I made one too. Except I made mine as a box end since I have a motometer mounted in the cap. It works on both the TD and the TA. Simple to make. Took about 20 minutes and a piece of scrap 3/8 plywood. After lightly sanding and a coat of polyurethane, it should last for many years. I should probably make another so each car will have one in the toolbox.
John Masters

Yup, clear poly and enjoy the look and texture of wood - great stuff, wood, what all cars should be made of, as all T-series-ers know
J K Chapin

"Actually it's a beta version of a slingshot"
I was going to say that looks like a slingshot that I made many years ago - it is still in my workshop. Let me suggest that if you are going to make that double as a sling shot, cut a hole in the plywood or you will continually get yourself on the rebound ;-) Cheers -Dave
David DuBois

Dang!! I knew I'd forgotten something. Although the way it is is less effective at killing giants, it does allow you to re-use ammo several times :-)
J K Chapin

When I disassembled my TF radiator shell for chrome I found that at some point someone had applied a wrench to the false cap!
J E Carroll

Another reason why TDs rule! :-)
J K Chapin

Honestly I never tighten mine all that tight to need a wrench. I've never had a problem. with the rubber oring, good and snug does the trick. It's not like it's holding pressure. I just line up the flat so it's symmetrical, going on 4 years now. :). Should I be cinching it down a lot tighter for some reason?
L Rutt

I don't think more than hand tight is necessary either. Mine was spitting a bit of coolant until I replaced the very chewed up O-ring. Now nary a drop. Even hand tight though it does seem to get tighter and harder to turn, particularly when hot after a run, so the slingshot is helpful but not essential. And it was kind of fun to make on a cold rainy evening.

Jud
J K Chapin

"Even hand tight though it does seem to get tighter and harder to turn"
I use one of those round rubber sheets that used to be sold for getting lids off of various jars in the kitchen. The biggest problem I had in removing the radiator cap was trying to get a decent purchase on it, the rubber sheet corrected that (and your spanner will definitely cure that). Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This has been fun. Thanks every one for the compliment and giggles. Happy Thanksgiving, Gobble Gobble Gobble and Safety Fast!

Jud
J K Chapin

One last thought...

Start with 3/4" ply, make the hole through and through to clear the "Widge" or "Moto-Meter", then

start with a "V" and a little French, and "Voila'"

Hope all have a Thank-ful day!
Bob;


RwB Brown

Got the spanner out this afternoon. It measures about 8 1/2" long, diameter of the round is 4 1/2", and the octagon hole is 3". Using the spanner, especially on a hot radiator, is a lot easier on the fingers. Aligning the edge of the cap so the bonnet does not contact it when opening is easier too. The wood will not mar the chrome cap. Special tools are always interesting. I made a second one for my son out of 1/2" plywood. Plenty thick enough. The edge of the radiator cap is rather thin. Voila!

John Masters

I was going to say the same. Mine is never so tight it needs a spanner, but when if's hot after boiling after a summer drive using bare hands is not a good idea. Leathef work gloves help a lot, though.
I still like the looks of it;-)

Mike
Mike Fritsch

From the west side of the pond: "open-end" (my radiator wrench; "box wrench" John's radiator wrench. On the east side of the pond is a spanner an open end wrench and something else a box wrench or are they all spanners or something else?
Jud
J K Chapin

Jud,

Any spanner is a wrench on this (US)side of the pond.

A ring spanner - open ended spanner - even a ratchet spanner - or swivel head spanner - you would recognize with ease and call a wrench.

The box spanner refers to a tube with a hex shape on the end of it (sometimes different hex sizes on each end) that fits a particular size nut or bolt head. They come in varying length of tube and size of hex. as well.
Not to be confused with a long socket which has to fits a square drive.

All box spanners have a holes in them (sometimes two sets off set by 90 degrees)for a bar which provides the driving force to turn the thing.
Sometimes - like with wheel nuts - the bar can be long/large through necessity.

Hope this helps.... :)

Rod
R D Jones

"All box spanners have a holes in them (sometimes two sets off set by 90 degrees)for a bar which provides the driving force to turn the thing. "

Which, I believe, is called a Tommy bar. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Thanks. Jud
J K Chapin

It's true that here we do not use the term Wrench as it is easily confused with the word Wench.

An Act of Parliament prohibited the term following the Abingdon riots of 1950 when it is said fighting started between two friends in a pub.

Apparently one man asked another if he could borrow his adjustable wench and a fight unused over the misunderstanding.

Over several days the fighting continued and peaked on the third night when one man shouted that Charlie up the road had an open ended wench.

You will never hear the wrench word being uttered in Britain because it's illegal.

Readers may also be interested to know the origin of the word spanner.

It is of course Latin from the words "Spannare buggerit Spannarum"

Which of means to apply force then slip and smash ones knuckles into a sharp object.
Ray Coyte

This thread was discussed between 27/11/2013 and 01/12/2013

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