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MG TD TF 1500 - Dave DuBois TD is for sale

Posted here for Liz. Car is located in the Seattle Washington area.


FOR SALE

Dave DuBois' 1953 MG TD owned since 1974

TD/24910/EXL/NA with replacement engine XPAG/TD2/27677

Wood replaced in 1987 and still in excellent condition. Doors close as they should and the fit of the top and side curtains is excellent. No signs of any rust. Always garaged. Interior in good shape but the carpet is a bit worn. Top and side curtains are in good shape, though the interior of the side curtains is a bit stained from the car being driven in the rainy Northwest. All gauges working with the exception of the clock which has been removed from the car but is included in the sale. Oil pressure at idle 45-50, 60 at 3000 rpm, 57-60 when fully warmed up.

Owner modifications include an in line auxiliary fuel pump, brake light switch relay, tapered front wheel bearings, 3rd brake light mounted to the luggage rack, seat belts and a Dave Clark 4.3 rear end gear conversion.

Sale includes a tonneau cover, car cover, work shop manual, log book , an assortment of spare/used parts and a number of related MG books. This was Dave's daily driver until his passing in early 2019. It has seen limited use since that time.

Car is sold as is, there is no warranty. The description is to the best of my knowledge. Viewing may be made by appointment only. Only interested buyers please. Buyers responsible for any shipping costs. Pictures available upon request.

$15,000.00 ONO

Contact Liz at ddubois@sinclair.net







L E D LaVerne

I have asked for a few more pictures to post.





L E D LaVerne

Very sad. I hope the current market will bring a decent price.
Steve Simmons

I have no idea what the canisters are by the battery





L E D LaVerne

It is sad but Liz is continuing to drive the MGB. She needs to find a good home for the TD.





L E D LaVerne

It was and is a great car! No doubt. I'm absolutely sure that it is a car that any of the regulars here on this forum could recommend. Sight unseen... Of that we can all be assured. $15,000 US is a great buy for someone! Eliminating the PDO factor is a HUGE plus when buying one of these little gems. Thirty five grand AU landed here would also be a smart buy. The only issue for us in Oz is the LHD. Someone over there will no doubt get a real bargain... Shame that the Aussie isn't $1.07 against the buck, like it was a few years ago when I bought all that rubbish from Moss, otherwise I'd dig into my super and buy it myself. I can however place an ad in the TTORC magazine which is due out on or about the 15th, which I will most certainly do. It would be a privilege to own a car that had the attention that Dave bestowed on it; and it would be a crime if it were to be sold to someone who didn't appreciate either the car or the man. His contributions here allow those of us who had never met him to both understand and appreciate what Dave had done for the marque. If you can, buy it! I know you won't regret it. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter: Does AU still have the high import tax on classic cars? Back in the 70's I was working at a place where there was an AU guy who would disassemble classic cars and ship the cars as parts over and then reassemble them again whole. I am sure that was totally against the law but ...
Christopher Couper

There are some improvements on the TD that were not mentioned. Dave was of course an expert on our fuel system, most particularly fuel pumps, so this TD has a solid state SU fuel pump. Also, Dave did two other improvements: the rear of the top is not permanently fastened to the rear top panel so it can be easily lifted to allow for easy access to items behind the seats (still weather proof) and Dave did a modification to the side curtain storage box making it much more user friendly.

Larry
LD Kanaster

Chris

When importing a car into Australia, there is a customs Duty (not sure how much), then Good & Services Tax (10%), and it has to be spotless and with a certificate saying it doesn't contain asbestos. Plus shipping etc.

FYI, current prices of 8 TDs one of the main Classic Car sales website vary from AU$20K, $30, 31, 32, 40, 45 & $50K. Dave B's car would be in the upper bracket.

Stuart
Stuart Duncan

Thanks Larry.... I added the auxillary fuel pump and the relay on the brake switch and the tapered front bearings to the write up as I knew he had done that. I forgot about the rear top snaps and side curtain storage. I have no idea what the canisters are by the battery.
L E D LaVerne

Hi Chris. Stuart's response sounds right. No idea about any other impost. A guy in the M.G. Car Club of Sydney imported a TC from the States when the Aussie was at $1.07 US. This was pre the 10% GST. It must have been worth the trouble he went to. As an original LHD it probably should stay in the States though. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

This will be a great car for a lucky someone! With regard to those canisters by the battery I think one or both could be part of a coolant recovery system.

Safety Fast at Home,
Jim
James Auer

Not sure if it is still the case, you used to be able to import car parts and not pay duty. Fella I know was purchasing Chevy Cameros in the States dismantling into bits, importing, paying no duty, reassembling, converting to RH drive and selling for a monza profit.

Not a viable proposition for a TD.

This is one reason GST was placed on imported items.


Graeme
G Evans

You can't get away with that any more Graham, they're right onto Vin numbers now--
But
you guys need to keep up with the times
There hasn't been an import duty on vintage cars for years, not this century anyway
The rules at the moment are for a non heavily modified car more than 30 years old (actually 89 model) there is no duty fee just a straight GST of 10%and that will be on the freight cost as well, so
Dave's TD-
$15000 US + AU $22000+ $3500 shipping (approx)
So $25000 and allow another $1000 for US freight to a wharf and stuff=== $26000
PLUS as Stuart mentioned ,the asbestos thing
IF, you're lucky, depending on where it's landing it will have to have the brake shoes off and if you're not so lucky it's clutch out, heat shields, anything with asbestos, I've even heard of wiring loom covers, manifold gaskets and stuff having to go, and THEY do it at your cost
Best to have a receipt for a non asbestos clutch being fitted before it gets shipped or get the engine pulled and the clutch plate removed
It could end up a $30000 car real easy but then it's still left hand drive, ok to get registered lhd (over 30) but why would you bother when you can buy a rhd one here ready to go without all the drama
William Revit

plus 10% gst on that $26000===$28600 so it'll be close to $30000 for sure
William Revit

Graeme and I are living in the old days. :-)

Same scenario. The guy I was working with was doing the same with Corvettes.
Christopher Couper

The old days were probably more fun- maybe
Lost count of how many Chev v8s that landed at my door as scrap metal back then, actually not all that long ago
A complete small block chev will fit in a scrappies 44 gallon drum with a bit of a push--no duty on scrap as you say
William Revit

Chris
My best mate here may possibly be the Corvette man you mention, he used to travel to the States quite often back around then and send heaps of stuff back
Corvettes were a bit of a specialty and the earlier mentioned drums of scrap
I can remember Corvettes coming with different fronts,doors,seats and boot lids and no motor then magically next week in the next box there'd be another car with mismatching parts but they would all swap around to make three or four perfect cars eventually--strange that-ha ha ha
Got caught in the end though and got the BIG fine-
You wouldn't get away with it now though, they're right onto it---------------
William Revit

William: Ask him if he worked out of Fullerton, CA or you can email me for more details so we don't bore the rest of the crowd.
Christopher Couper

This will be a great TD to own for the buyer - and with solid provenance. I don't need another TD, but if I had $ 15,000 to spare I would be very, very tempted. Dave kept this car in tip top shape.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

I thought all TC s were right hand drive, according to Anders Ditlev Clausager
Geoff
G BARLOW

I shipped a motorcycle to Australia about 10 years ago. I had to drain every fluid and take out the brakes. It could not be shipped with the battery.

Not sure if cars are the same or if these are still what is required
Bruce Cunha

Just thought I would let everyone know that Liz emailed me yesterday and Dave's car is finally going to a new home.
L E D LaVerne

LED: Super news. Make sure she knows to point the new owner to this BBS so we can support them if needed.
Christopher Couper

Re: tanks by the battery...I think they are for retention of the coolant from expansion in the radiator.

Jim
James Auer

This thread was discussed between 30/05/2020 and 05/09/2020

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