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MG TD TF 1500 - How do they build the ship in the bottle?

Am I having fun yet?

I'm doing the assembly of my TD's body tub in preparation for final bodywork and paint. Wow, it is a test of patience!

It seems the panels I did the most work on seem to fit over the new wood fine, but the panels that needed the least work don't want to go over the original wood! There is a lesson in there somewhere!

I'm starting to think it would have been easier to build the damn thing from scratch, rather than trying to massage this old metal.

Oh well, I just needed to vent. I'm going to have an OSH and get away from it for a few hours. I'll be back at it tomorrow with a fresh attitude. Getting it right will make the ride much sweeter in the end....

Here's a link to pics from yesterday: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/eford321/album?.tok=phbR9KBBjxz.CDsj&.dir=/959c&.src=ph I'll put more up when I make more progress.

Safety Slow! Evan
Evan Ford - TD 27621

Evan,
Sure looks to me as though you are doing an exceptionally fine job!!!! Take it easy on yourself; the guys in Abingdon didn't always do a PERFECT job, and they knew all the tricks to get perfection!
Carl

Evan... it is looking great... well done. Keep the photos updated.
g.b.lawson

WOW. My hats off to you. What an undertaking. You must have some high frustration level, but what an achievement. When they say rebuilt from the ground up, you take it very literally. Please keep the pictures coming.

Great job
BEC Cunha

Evan
What a super job. The photos will make a good reference file. Have I gone round the bend or can I see a TF dashboard behind the steering wheel?
John
John James

Evan,

I had to trim the wood in many places before the steel panels would fit. Ignoring all the advice I was given, I bedded the panels in poleurethane automotive sealant / adhesive. Now that it has set the tub is rock rigid and the doors literally 'clunk' when I close them. The sealant is the stuff used to glue door skins on modern cars and I hope it has sufficeint flexibility not to crack when I eventually drive the car. I found the adhesive especially useful for attaching the scuttle top to the front quarter panels.


Cheers


jan T
Jan Targosz

Thanks guys!

I'm ready to get back at it today. I just needed to get away from it for a few hours. Now I know why they don't build cars from wood anymore! (I guess I forgot about Morgan...)

So far all of the panels have been test fit in place. If I can get the right rear quarter to cooperate, I can finally get the panels nailed on.

John, it's the inner dash panel. Now that you mention it, it does look a little like a TF.

Jan, good advice on the panel adhesive. I hadn't thought about using it on the scuttle top. I was planning to use it on the fender/wing backing plates. (Where the headlight bracket bolts to the fender.) I would help keep water out of the scuttle.

I'll update the pictures when I get things to fit.

Thanks again...

Evan Ford - TD 27621

Success at last!

I sorted the panels yesterday. With a little persuasion things finally went together. I wasn't happy with the gaps between the front and rear panels, so I welded extentions on the rear panels and re-cut the edge. Now they are very tight.

I posted a couple of pics, including this butt-joint.

I got one panel fully nailed on. I had to leave the others off until the rust proof paint dries on the inside of the panels. I should have all four panels securely in place today.

I'll post new pics next week when I get back at it.
Evan Ford - TD 27621

Evan; Just one quick question. Did you fit the door to the opening before finalizing the rear panel fit? I have been there and done that. You have a beautiful project and no doubt everybody is waiting to see it finished. /
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

Sandy,

I should have snapped a picture with the doors mounted. I'm trying to error on the side of being too careful with the door gaps. So far, so good. I test fit them frequently. I might have to fine tune them a bit to get the shape perfect with the tub, but the gaps look about right.

Thanks for the kind remarks! It's finally starting to look like something!
Evan Ford - TD 27621

Slow and Steady progress continues!

I now have the tub skinned on all 4 quarters, the scuttle is in place, and the firewall is nearly complete. I have the doors in place, but need to re-mount the drivers side door. I'm not happy with the gaps.

I decided to test fit the bonnet tops today. I'm glad I did it before I began bolting up the firewall, the gaps were way off. I was able to adjust most of the gaps out by bending the tub/scuttle before drilling and bolting the firewall in place. The remaining adjustment will have to be done with the radiator stays. (I hope there is a fair amount of adjustment available there!)

I'm still amazed how many highs and lows there are in doing this tub! I would rather rebuild an engine or a transmission any time!

I posted aditional pictures at the same link....
Evan Ford - TD 27621

Beautiful, Evan. While it's exposed, you might want to consider putting (stamping) the Body Number onto the left bottom main side rail where the factory put it. Take a look at http://home.earthlink.net/~budkrueger/BodyPlate.html
Bud Krueger

Evan . A quality job. What are you using for metal prep? I like the fit on the WHITE-RIGHT door. Please identify what the pink ball with the spider web is.Can we assume that it will be ready for the 4 July parade.
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

Good idea Bud. I'll add that today. Thanks for the link.

Sandy, you found my son's spiderman ball! My boys (not to mention the wife) aren't happy about giving up the garage while I finish this project.

For the prep, I sand blasted all of the metal then treated it with Picklex 20. It's a treatment that converts minor surface rust and protects bare metal as long as you keep it dry. You mist it on, and then work it in with a paintbrush. You can prime directly after rubbing down with a scotchbrite pad. (Mostly where you see the white areas on the metal.)
On the inside of the panels and hidden areas I used a product called Zero-rust. (It's a POR15 type product.)

Here's info on each product: http://www.picklex.com/ and http://www.zerorust.com/

Both of these products are available here: http://www.autobodystore.com/index.htm

I've got all of the bare metal stored in the guest bedroom until it's ready for paint. I also have a de-humidifier running in the garage to keep the tub metal dry.

If I get the firewall finished today, I'll test fit the wings, and get the holes drilled for mounting the running boards. After that, I'll remove the tub to complete the final bodywork and prime/paint.

If you notice in the pictures, the car is sitting inside the frame of my homemade sandblast/paint booth. I want to have all of the metal ready before I put up new clean plastic for painting.

I hadn't thought about the 4th of July. My goal has been the Central GOF on July 12th. It's only about 15 miles away from here!

I'll post new pics when I pull the tub.

Thanks again for the encouragement!
Evan
Evan Ford - TD 27621

This thread was discussed between 27/05/2004 and 04/06/2004

MG TD TF 1500 index

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