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MG TD TF 1500 - TD vs. TD

I have two TD’s: 1951 (TD9735) and 1952 (TD16744) that I purchased in a package deal a year or so ago. My dilemma is, I am “on the fence” on which one to restore. Unfortunately I can’t restore both.

Briefly:

1951 (TD9735) – Numbers matching car. Lots of rust but frame is good. Frame, body parts needed to be sandblasted. Engine not frozen (0.034" over).


1952 (TD16744) – Not a numbers matching car. Restoration started by previous owner but he passed away. Chassis, body parts sandblasted. Engine not frozen (0.008" over).


My questions are – what body parts & mechanical parts are interchangeable? What body parts are not interchangeable?

I know of some of the differences between the two below:

•Girling vs Armstrong shocks (front fender clearance)

•7¼” vs 8” clutch

•Differences on the dashboard (temperature gauge etc.)


Any comments/suggestions are welcome!



Best regards,

Michael O'Brien
Michael O'Brien

Body: everything is the same exc. bumps for front shocks in later Armstrong equipped cars. The later instruments are in my opinion vastly better than the clicky chronometric types. However I would use whatever goes with the car. My TD has the later instruments and panel light rheostat, but had no temp gauge originally. At restoration I converted to the later dual gauge. I have driven cars with both clutches and could tell no difference at all. Perforated metal/ rust is very expensive to repair. The body wood is crucial- it is very time consuming, difficult, and expensive to replace in my opinion. Make sure the frame is straight without accident damage. Pictures? George
George Butz

Hi George,

Thank you for your response.

When you say "Body: everything is the same exc. bumps for front shocks in later Armstrong equipped cars" - Can I install the bumps for the Girling shocks?
I think they became standard eventually. I will post pictures.
Michael
Michael O'Brien

Yes you can use the later fenders with the Armstrong clearance bumps on the Girling equipped cars, But if you do that you might as well put the later Armstrong or even the MGB units on it so that parts are easier to obtain Just my opinion for what its worth ( about $.02)
W. A. Chasser Jr

The Rubric is that 3 out of the 5 key elements must be from the car matching the original paperwork used to identify the car.

The five elements are chassis and its number, engine with its number, gearbox, rear axle and bodywork. In the case of the latter three items they should be period correct in every detail and consistent with the chassis and paperwork date.

It is quite possible to create a thoroughly enjoyable bitsa car but selling it to anyone with a knowledge of the car marque will be complex and the value may well be below an authentic model.
Ian Bowers

In my mind, if all TD parts are used then it's an authentic model. Unless it's a concourse example then having 'matching' numbers doesn't make much difference...and those can be counterfeited anyway.
Gene Gillam

I agree with Gene, so long as the car isn't faked up in some way, and is all TD parts then I call it authentic.
Geoffrey M Baker

This thread was discussed between 19/10/2014 and 20/10/2014

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