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MG TD TF 1500 - What went in the holes in the Windshield

Looking to document what the factory put in the extra holes in the windshield for a 50 TD.

Chris Cooper has a few pictures, but none that are really clear. Chris's car (later TD) has a chromed phillips machine screw. It has what I think is either a rounded or a cheese head screw.

He also reports the nut is much thicker than normal nuts.

So far, I have not found the suppliers to have a specific screw for these holes.
Bruce Cunha

Bruce I’ll check the windshield on the TD/c we brought home I also have 6 other windshields and I’ll look at them as well. Given that you have an early car I’m leaning toward an oval flat head screw.
W A Chasser

Here is a couple of photos of the nuts on the TD 1250 Bruce. In spite of there appearance they were originally chromed.




L E D LaVerne

The screws were either posi drive or phillips and originally chromed on the 1250. I replaced these with some stainless pieces form the hardware store which I polished to look like chrome.




L E D LaVerne

I'm afraid I do not have any close up images of those.

L E D LaVerne

I'm not sure which holes you're asking about. Are you referring to the holes that the wire for the wiper motor go through? Jud
J K Chapin

HI Jud. No. On the top of the windshield, there are 4 holes that do not have anything to do with the wipers. 2 are the left hand side, where the idler arm for the wipers go. These would have been used for the wiper motor for the right hand drive TD. The two in the top of the windscreen don't seem to have a purpose on the TD. They were just filled with a screw.

LaVern. Your picture does confirm that the nut used was like 1 1/2 times the thickness of the standard nut. That is what Chris was thinking, a thick nut.

Those appear to be 2BA size round head machine screws. It does bring up the question on the use of cross head screws. Do you have any information if TD 1250 was ever restored before you did it? I wonder if the windshield was ever replaced and these screws were changed.
Bruce Cunha

I believe the center holes are for clips for the wiper wire to cross over for RHD cars. Posidrives were not original. Google says they were patented in 1963. George
George Butz III

Thanks George. I have two more examples from potentially original windshields from two 4 digit TDs. One in the 1500 and one in the 6000. Both have an X head round screw.

With LaVern's, that is three with X head. Not an overwhelming number, but interesting. There are few round head machine screws on the TD, so those may be unique.






Bruce Cunha

George: Good point about the RHD cars needing the clips. I am not exposed to that much and I forgot MG only had 1 cowl and 1 top frame, regardless of the market.



Christopher Couper

Bruce, I assume you are referring to the four unused holes on the flat top surface of the windscreen frame and I would agree that they serve no purpose on the TD.

In fact, I'd even suggest that they were never filled with screws at all. On my windscreen, the holes do not show any indication, mark or scratch, that screws were ever used.

Also, as the holes are not countersunk, as others are at each end of the frame, a suitable screw would need to be oval, round-headed, or similar, so as to minimize any impact on the 'optimum' fitting (ha-ha) of the top (hood) rail to the windscreen frame.

So why bother?
David Padgett

David: Can you attach a picture of the 4 unused holes on the top flat part of your windscreen frame? Unless I am confused by your description you should not have 4 additional holes (the other 4 being used to hold the posts in place).

The holes this thread is discussing are the holes on the face of the top frame that house the windshield wiper motor and clips depending on market and year.
Christopher Couper

Chris, After now looking at many pictures of the top of TD windscreen frames, I'm thinking you are correct.

My guess is they were drilled out by a PO for a sunshade perhaps, given their location with respect to the RH driver position.

Just one of those things that I never stopped to question before!

cheers,
David




David Padgett

David: I agree on your assessment that these were used for sunshades. Interestingly they usually just have screws to pinch the windshield but I bet the PO did not think they held sufficiently so went the extra mile and drilled all the way through.

BTW one of the aforementioned screws is next to the idler in front of the circled set of your "custom" screw holes.
Christopher Couper

My TD (4139) has those holes in the top edge also. Sunscreen is what I thought. I should have had them filled in when the frame went out for chroming, but forgot to tell the chromer to fill them in.
Bruce Cunha

Good day all:

I haven't availed my self to this Forum for some time as I'm not that knowledgeable you see.

However; this is the windscreen of TD3191 with two, surplus, unexplainable holes in the top rail of the frame.

The car had no extraneous appendages (1951 photo) such as sunshade or wind wings, etc., but that's not to say what may have transpired between then and my acquiring it (1970). So your guess is as good as mine as to what purpose they served.

Cheers then: from the "Sunshine Coast" of British Columbia.
Jack Emdall





Jack Emdall

Hello Bruce,
Its a long shot but the YT had a rear view mirror mounted at the top with the mounting screws going thru the top, could this have been done?
Kim
W K herford

Jack: Those screw positions are fine. Someone has put some washers under the screws or maybe swapped them for a different size. Can't tell in the picture.

All the front facing screws (4 in all) should be the same.
Christopher Couper

And they are slotted.

As for the YT mirror, the holes for the mirror are more to the center. I am sure these were for when the motor is put on the left side (RHD) for the wiper wire clip.
Bruce Cunha

This thread was discussed between 21/05/2023 and 30/05/2023

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