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MG TD TF 1500 - TF Bumper Installation

Should I assemble the TF front and rear bumpers, and then install them to the frame?

Or, assemble the bumper outwards from the brackets?

thanks,
Tyler
C.T. Irwin

If you assemble them first you will probably need two people to mount them to the car. It really does not matter either way. Even if you assemble them first I would not tighten everything down until they are installed on the car and you can shift everything around a bit to get it to fit and look balanced.
Christopher Couper

My
TD rear brackets were a bit bent. I played around a bit and found that If I loosely attached them to the frame and then put the bumpers on I could get the task done.
I needed to use "C" clamps with wooden blocks to pull the brackets into alignment.

There is not much room to put the nuts on.

Don't forget the curved spacers between the bumper and the brackets or you will distort the bumper.

It all depends on how good your brackets line up.
Try a test fit. If it looks good assemble the brackets to the bumper fist. If not you have some prying and clamping to do.

Jim B.

JA Benjamin

Installed new bumper chrome head bolts on the MGB when I restored it, got them from Moss and they were too short to put the proper washers on them. The old bolts were about 1/8th inch longer. Another issue to contend with on these Chinese parts! PJ
Paul S Jennings

Purists please look away but I have replaced every nut and bolt associated with the bumpers on my TF with stainles metric. M10 stainless coach bolts are ideal for the domed headed bolts but I did reprofile them slightly in my lathe. They cost pence. The captive nuts in the overriders tapped out to M10 easilly and again hex headed bolts were very cheap. The large bolts that fit into the chassis are M14 and if you buy original ones they are quite expensive. I also used stainless washers. All the fastners were bought on eBay. The only issue concerned the large bolts that fit into the chassis legs. I bought the metric equivalent of the sizes shown in varoius T Series supplier cataloges. I have a badge bar, also made from stainless, and I needed extra long bolts to fit throught the bar brackets.

I found it best to build everthing up on the bench but leave all nuts loose. If you put a piece of carpet on the floor to stop the chromium plating scratching you can rest one side of the bumper assembly on the floor and start the long bolt, at the other side, into the chassis leg. It is then quite easy to lift the loose end and bolt this up.

Jan T
J Targosz

I did something similar to what Jan T di.
I had purchased bolts on E-Bay, guaranteed to fit the TD. They were also too short.
I used UNC SS carriage bolts, wit the head reformed on the lathe, but I used Whitworth nuts. Thus the BSF wrenches fit and if you trim the length properly you cannot tell the threads.

I had ordered the curved washers from Abingdon. They were aluminum. The originals were cast zinc.

I was concerned about the electrochemical corrosion between Aluminum and the back of the bumper.
I made news ones out of steel and painted them rust proof black and used anti-seize between the washer and the bumper.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Just a small point of assembly. When you have a multiple assembly of parts and fasteners, always assemble as many as possible with all the pieces followed by whatever alignment is necessary. Then tighten all the fasteners gradually until all are tight.
Jim Merz

thanks to all,
Please see my new post about bumper mounting bolts.
thanks,
Tyler

Tyler Irwin

This thread was discussed between 12/12/2014 and 13/12/2014

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