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MG TD TF 1500 - TD Black Patent Plate Background
I have been pouring over items people sent me for the last 5 years getting them posted on the websites and found car number 0268 that Matthew sent me a few pictures of. It has a nickel background patent plate. Up to this point I thought they were all black. So now I need some help figuring out when the factory cut over to black patent plates. I decided to take a stab at the same time the scuttle tube stiffener went in but that's just a wild guess. I need people with nickel backed patent plates to post their car numbers here and hopefully we can pin the date down better. http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_production.htm#Feature ![]() |
Chris Couper |
If the tube stiffener is the "Dash stiffener assembly" in the Service Parts List, then these started at chassis 0351. Matthew. |
M Magilton |
'52 MG TD 12947 had a nickle plate Patrick |
Patrick Earles |
Right or wrong Chris, my TD came to me with these...both brass and any signs of plating was long gone.
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L E D LaVerne |
Easier to read here
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L E D LaVerne |
Again correct or not I can't say but the body tag is copper...no signs of plating when it came to me.
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L E D LaVerne |
Chris, Sorry to say I think mine was chromed by the DPO. All the info is embossed into the plate though. But can't state which configuration it originally was. Rod ![]() |
R D Jones |
Mine appears to be brass. Jud ![]() |
J K Chapin |
4139 Had nickle. I polished it off prior to knowing I should have left it on. |
Bruce Cunha |
Bruce: Can you attach a picture? Even though Lavernes is all brass now, its a black one. Rods and Juds are also black. Maybe I should have been different in how I described the plates. If you have a sunken background its black. It you have sunken letters its nickel. Or simpler the nickel one has a line around the patents where the black one is a panel with the patents within the sunken panel. All the plates were originally nickel plated, but it the background I attributed to being black vs nickel with a black border. |
Chris Couper |
Here you go Chris. The plate is flat with the letters and the line around the edge sunken. PS. Going to be out your way the 23-30 visiting my family in Diamond Springs. Do you still have your shop? If so, would love to stop in and say hi. ![]() |
Bruce Cunha |
Bruce: You win. You have a non black one. I will update the production page and bring it up close to your number until someone finds me a later one. You are thinking of Lawrie Alexander. And he no longer has his shop. He lives about 5 miles from me a bit closer to Diamond Springs. You might want to send him an email. He is at lawrie@britcars.com But you are welcome to come by my house and help put my car back together :-) |
Chris Couper |
Here is TD20759.![]() |
Dean E |
Chris TD0460 has a nickel plate Richard |
R A B Wilson |
Chris Love to. Drop me a phone number at Bruce dot Cunha at charter.net and I will give you a call when I get out there. I seen to remember a shop down in the Shingle Springs area. Thought it was yours. |
Bruce Cunha |
So far car 4139 is the latest. Anyone later with just a line around their patent plate versus the sunken background? |
Chris Couper |
This thread was discussed between 11/09/2013 and 14/09/2013
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