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MG TD TF 1500 - 1st Place for the Little TD

Today was the show day of the Texas All British Car Days event. My little TD took first place in the MG T series category. Feels very nice!

BobbyG


Bobby Galvez

Good show...
Tom Maine (TD8105)

Yes, it's great when others see your mg td as you do: A first place and first class 'T'.

Congrats -- John
John Brickell

Bobby,

I live in Ft. Worth and really wanted to go to the show but had to work. Did you take any other pictures?

Rob

Also. you car looks great.
Rob Welborne

Hi Rob,

No other pictures - the day went by in a whirl.

Arrival at 10, getting settled in and then walking the rows to vote on the entries in some 37 categories (!) - there were 187 entries in the show.

You know how it goes, as you walk around and look things over there are folks to meet and conversations to be had, it was 1:00 p.m. before I knew it and votes were due.

A bit of lunch, awards ceremony, and cars started leaving at around 2:00. It was almost a desert by 3:15.

I never got the cameras out. I was prepared for stills and video.

It was a very enjoyable gathering, my first as a participant and I look forward to more.

Next up for me will be the GoF in Kerrville. Will probably take my MGB for that, unless I can find some nice back roads where I can keep the TD at 50 mph and under. Tailgaters can be a pain on some of the other roads.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Bobby,

Nice job.

A stock TD with a rear end of 5.125:1 will turn approximately 4167 RPM at 60 mph, which is very comfortable for the engine. I routinely cruise there, and push up to 4500 RPM when needed (I run a 4.3:1 and with my tires I do about 70 mph at 4200 RPM). If you are worried you aren't broken in yet, simply do a few hard accelerations from about 25 mph to 60 mph in top gear to help seat the rings. If you are still worried about being broken in, vary the speed between 3800 RPM and 4200 RPM which is 55-60 mph with a stock rear end until you have 500 miles on the engine.

You can also find nice four lane road and let them go around you in the left lane; or pull over on two lane and let the road hogs go by you.

Use a GPS to determine your speed and your cruising RPM can be calculated pretty easily. Believe me, these engines are made to run hard and fast.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Dave, thanks for the comments. I have been reluctant to run for extended periods at over 4,000 RPM - just stuff I've read about it wearing the engine out fairly quickly.

I must get the wheels balanced, though. I know that it will build my confidence and comfort level to stop feling that shimmy come on at about 55 MPH.

I have the stock 5.125 rear end and don't foresee changing that.

As for dealing with the others on the road, your advice is well taken. Run at my speed and give them the road as and when I can.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Bobby,

I drive my car about 5,000 miles a year. At this rate, assuming driving it hard will require a rebuild in 50,000 miles, I'll hit rebuild in about 7 more years. My last rebuild cost me about $3,500 dollars, so I'm driving my TD for $350 a year in engine reserve. The added bonus is that the rebuild was fun. Secondly, I'm not sure I buy the 'extra wear' argument. A good quality oil and careful attention to clearances on building the engine seems to mitigage much of the issues. If cam wear, tappets and pushrods become a problem, that can be dealt with separately from a rebuild.

I still say, drive 'em hard.

The 4.3 rear end made first gear usable because you can stay in it longer. I think acceleration times improved because the additional acceleration in first that wasn't really possible before, but I'm not sure because I rebuilt the engine at the same time. But I certainly enjoyed my car for years with the 5.125, I just didn't drive it as much.

With respect to wheel balance, it isn't unusual for the wheels to be slightly bent. It is getting harder to find someone to straighten the soft metal to true them. I have found that balancing them off the lugs (lug centric) results in a completely different balance than balancing off the hub. ergo, they HAVE to be balanced with an adjustable set of lug holders. It is worth finding a shop that can do this type of work.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Dave, thanks again for the benefit of your experience. Advice well taken.

I will be taking it to Discount Tire where they have done the lug centric balancing on my MGB's Rostyle wheels. They should be able to do the TD.

I will be looking for who can work with the rims if needed.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

This thread was discussed between 26/09/2011 and 27/09/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

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