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MG TD TF 1500 - Crazy Price of the Week

This TD just came up for sale in Hemmings. Price would indicate a very fine car, but "rough" may not even be accurate enough considering the ask. It appears to be a very early TD with the solid disc wheels.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/mg/td/1726454.html

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

What are you thinking, Bobby - it's "MINT!"

I particularly like the safety feature of the padded dash, the bucket seats and lovely fitted carpet, the TC valve cover with the MGA carbs, and the perfect contours of the left front fender. If only the license plate were not attached to the bumper with cable ties, I would go for it!

LOL

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Little pricey isn't it? I wouldn't pay near that for it. Their not early carbs. Wonder what's missing aside from the original air cleaner? Valve cover on backwards? Doesn't look right. But, I don't know TDs either. PJ
Paul S Jennings

That is kinda like my TD when I bought it... padded dash and all. But mine had TD parts on the engine. So little did I know mine was "MINT" as well. So if you have at least 50K to spend, that one could be a lovely example of an early RH TD.... maybe.
.... CR
C.R. Tyrell

Wonder what the options are? Bondo sound deadening on the bonnet (apparently you had to request this from your local dealer) ? Bucket seats from ? Again I'm sure it's just one of the many options.

Not for sale for 45 years or not on the road for 45 years?

Gives new meaning to the word "mint" for sure.
MG LaVerne

I tried to source the chassis number, but no luck.
Paul S Jennings

It must be a mark two! It's got bucket seats and larger carbs!
Just kidding, of course.
David
D. Sander

What the heck is happening to that steering wheel? And the exhaust manifold appears to be wrapped in bubble wrap...
But hey, it tells me what my car is *theoretically* worth, as mine is in better overall shape!
Geoffrey M Baker

Spoiler Alert!! This is Blatant Hi-Jack:
Our club was contacted by a potential buyer about 800 miles away regarding a different TD being offered on Hemmings: http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/mg/td/1707551.html

The car is relatively nearby and, if it ever stops raining, I'll go over in my TD and take a look. As some of you know, I'm a driver, not a mechanic so I'd appreciate any comments/criticisms that you may have on this car and also any suggestions for what I should look for/at. Thanks for keeping me from looking foolish. Jud
J K Chapin

"...with the solid disc wheels."
Yes, but I am not sure that those are the original artillery wheels. Look more like something that are much newer. Somewhere I have a picture of the original, non vented TD wheels, but I can 't find it just now.

"And the exhaust manifold appears to be wrapped in bubble wrap..."
Looks like it was finished with about 15 coats of wrinkle finish paint. Cheers - Dave

D W DuBois

Jud - looks like a decent car. A few small things not right, but all in all, quite decent. I am always less than inspired by "AACA" or "Pebble Beach" showing, as the standards have changed a great deal over the years, and a winner then is not a winner now.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

A slight deviation from this thread. I know of 5 early TD wheels i.e. without holes if anyone needs them for originality


Jan T
J Targosz

Jud that looks like a very nice TD. It's almost identical to mine and less than 2 months older - it has a July 1, 1952 production date and numbers match.
Overall it looks right - but for some reason the top of the tool box is painted black.
It certainly doesn't look like it will disappoint and appears from what they are showing that it's worth the ask.
Sporting a national prize winner badge is noteworthy, a claim few cars can make. It shows well still - it has been cared for.
One worry for me is that in 30 years it has been driven less than 1100 miles. That's less than 40 miles per year.
For starters a critical look inside the gas tank is prudent. Condensation on a car that sits can cause problems out of sight.
I'd ask what has been done with all of the rubber lines and hoses as well as seals. All of that might well be dried and cracked.
Let us know how it looks first hand if you do go.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Jud,
Not a bad looking car. Better in some respects than mine but unknown mechanical condition where mine is ready for any trip. A friend and LBC enthusiast has right of first refusal when I have to pass mine along at half the price. Maybe $15K for this one IMHO.

Jim Haskins 1953 TD
J. M. Haskins

Thanks all. I'll take a flashlight and give the gas tank a good look. I think the buyer is, like me, looking for a car that he can drive out of the box so a test drive (or at last a test ride) is probably the decision maker. Mon - Wed look sunny so hopefully I can look ad report soon. Jud
J K Chapin

Jud - flashlight and a small swivel head telescoping inspection mirror. Helps to see a bunch of little crannies.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

By the look of the pattern, it looks like the bucket seats came from an MG Y-type, so they are MG seats!
Probably lowered to fit the TD?
Willem van der Veer

Y'all were kind enough to give me some guidance so I thought I'd share the results o my "inspection":
I spent about an hour looking at and driving the MG-TD. I didn’t take any additional pictures because there was nothing not already in the Hemmings ad for me to photograph. I crawled under the car and found no rust and a very clean underside. The paint, trim and finish on the car are excellent. The canvas top is in very good condition and the side curtains (they were in the storage space at the back of the boot) appear to be also in good condition. The tires have good tread but are 15 years old and need to be replaced due to age. The seller has owned the car for 52 years (he also has a ’52 Porsche 356B cabriolet that is in excellent condition). He allowed me to drive the TD. It started immediately (he told me that he had started it yesterday) and idled smoothly. The oil pressure was steady at 45+psi (about where it should be). I drove around the neighborhood (top speed ~ 40 mph) and went through all the gears a couple of times. The engine felt steady and responsive and the transmission felt smooth. I believe the car is every bit as good as it is being advertised. I’ll be glad to answer any other questions you may have. Jud
J K Chapin

This thread was discussed between 14/03/2015 and 15/03/2015

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