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MG TD TF 1500 - TD Wire Wheels Again

Not to dig into old wounds (OK I love to) but here we go. I think no one at this time believes that MG ever offered wire wheels on TD's during its production but there are disputes that the factory was ever involved in providing wire wheels for the TD. I am still waiting to get my hands on the document that talks about the wire wheel spare carrier as a part number (ACG 5162), I found this little tidbit in a pack of Road & Track Magazines from 1954.

This ad from Gough Industries, the Los Angeles importer of MG during the 40's and 50's and the organization responsible for Al Moss's TC, ran an ad for a factory genuine parts conversion kit.

http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/Pictures/Advertisements/gough_td_wire_wheels.jpg


Christopher Couper

Interesting Chris. It says at the top "as used by the MG "TF", so it would seem that TF parts were provided.
Bruce Cunha

Yes Bruce. They basically were selling you the same parts as the TF. In fact note that it is for the TD and TF, for those TF owners who may have purchased a car that had disc wheels.

Note also they wanted your old disc wheels as a trade in. If you followed my comments on the Processing of MG's earlier you will note that Gough was not just an importer.

I suspect that Gough basically "owned" the MG Car company in terms of influence at the time. Another article I read stated that the factory would do just about anything they requested and when you looked at margins and salaries of employees etc., MG was way down the food chain compared to Gough Industries.
Christopher Couper

And the Alfins for $32.50 ea!
Paul S Jennings

Paul, that's the bit that made my jaw drop...
Geoffrey M Baker

Chris,

While not factory offered, here is how most some TDs got wire wheels. I have a set of painted steel ones on my '53

A Peddicord

"I think no one at this time believes that MG ever offered wire wheels on TD's during its production"

I agree, however, this ad is clearly AFTER TD production ended as it talks about factory wires for the TF. As the TF had wires as factory supplied spare parts, this was an obvious way Gough could so offer them.

No magic or dispute here.
LD Palmer

The real smoking gun is the document of the part number for the spare wheel carrier. There is a date on it and that tells us for sure what the earliest the 'kit' was offered.

Carl Cederstrand, who is rumored to have the document: 'Having said that this is what we know "Mr. Neal also advised that the part number was taken out on November 4, 1953 which Carl points out was almost 2 months after TD production ended.'

So given the lead times for Gough to put the kits together and for R&T to publish it, early 1954 is the earliest we could expect it to be available.

So yes, not during the production. But also not just a 'dealer' option. It was MG's major importer.
Christopher Couper

This thread was discussed between 28/01/2015 and 29/01/2015

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