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MG TD TF 1500 - Radiator Mounting Bracket measurement

I note that there has been much discussion on this subject over the years, but could anyone please assist with an accurate measurement of the front-to-back offset of the two radiator mount holes in the cross member bracket.

Distances varying between 0.5" to 1.0" have been quoted in previous threads.

This measurement will determine whether I should go to the trouble of reversing the bracket, only to find that the bottom of the hood panels are then too long (currently too short by about 0.6").

Your help would be most appreciated.

David
David Padgett

David I cannot answer your question directly. I presume your inquiry is for a TD. The correct orientation of the radiator support is the scalloped flange faces forward. Two reasons for this. First, it places the radiator in the correct position. Second, it better aligns the two holes in the mount for the crank handle to engage pawl on the crankshaft. Note that replacement front motor mounts may require shimming to raise the crankshaft’s plane for proper engagement if the crank handle. Hope this helps.

Bill Chasser
TD-4834
W A Chasser

My car was in an accident many years ago and an attempt was made to fix it, but while doing so the previous owner installed the rad support bracket backwards and I didn't know the difference as in the first photo and painted everything. I couldn't get the bonnet and side panels to fit properly and was told to turn it around, as in the second photo showing the scalloped crank hole and everything fit as it should, with adjustments of course. PJ

PJ Jennings

With bracket turned around to a proper position.


PJ Jennings

I am also wondering if some of the cooling issues people have had could have been caused by the radiator bracket being installed wrong. It would put the fans in a different place relative to the radiator and that could affect the draw of air over the fins.
Christopher Couper

on my TD if you put the bracket on round-a-bout, the fan will not fit.

Jim B

JA Benjamin

One thing I never thought of was checking the angle of the crank hole in relation to the top of the plate. Is it level or on a slight angle? My crank works ok but a little stiff. My bumper appears to have a very slight droop in the crank hole, which might be the cause. Could probably rotate the brackets a bit, but too lazy to do it, need warmer weather! Grin. PJ
PJ Jennings

Thank you all for your excellent contributions.

From the amount of information presented over the years on this topic, it is interesting that many variations from the 'standard' factory design have been discovered.

In my case (it is a TD), there are no signs of any modification work having been done in the radiator area, except for the cross member being mounted in the reverse position. In fact, I may have done that accidentally when I was refurbishing/cleaning/repainting the car nearly 20 years ago, but I am certain that no other changes/modifications had been carried out.

Fortunately, even though the mount is reversed, the alignment for the crank handle from front bumper right through to the crankshaft pulley is almost perfect.

Also, the distance between the fan blades (an original fan) and the radiator fins is close to 2". This seems to match with photos (see D.Braun's site). So, even if the radiator was moved back an inch, there would still be adequate space between it and the fan.

I have never experienced overheating problems and suspect the fan really only serves its purpose when stuck in heavy traffic for some time on a hot day. In normal road running conditions, the amount of air forced through the radiator seems fine for adequate cooling.

Perhaps this is just more evidence that the factory's attention to accuracy was possibly fairly loose in comparison with today's standards!

So, given that the overlap of my hood panels-to-radiator shell are only approx half an inch out at the bottom, I think I'll leave it as it is. My car is for driving enjoyment, rather than for concours perfection!

Thanks again.

David
David Padgett

This thread was discussed between 15/12/2019 and 16/12/2019

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