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MG TD TF 1500 - Steering wheel hub & medallion

I finally found a medallion and center hub for a period correct steering wheel on ebay and bought it. It's cleaning up nicely, but what I don't understand is how the white plastic disk with the MG logo in the center is held in the hub. There was all kinds of rock hard gray stuff which could have been epoxy surrounding the disk. How does one attach it to the hub so that it stays in? It is very loose!

Thanks for the help! (Still waiting on the steering wheel itself, have a bid on one going right now).
Geoff Baker

Here is a picture of the rear of the medallion. There is a metal piece that has splines on one side which obviously was meant to sit solidly in the plastic. It must have come loose at some time (there is a crack running across the plastic where it is supposed to seat) and that is probably why it got epoxied in.

How do you suggest I reseat this metal piece?

How did the medallion tighten into a standard wheel?
Help appreciated!


Geoff Baker

geoff, i may be wrong, but if this was advertised as a complete hub center it looks to me like you were ripped off. the stud that appears cut off flush in your picture is actually a boss that is bored horizontally to accept a screw that comes in from the side of your steering wheel hub. you should be able to salvage this by machining/drilling and tapping a new stud/boss to insert in the location on this center hub. ...or you might want to watch ebay for another piece. regards, tom
tom peterson

Tom, what it appears to be is a steering wheel hub for a later wheel. It has a hub, with a brass ring with many holes in it; it looks to the one Dave Braun has on his website. So the medallion is original, but the hub I have isn't. Which isn't too bad as I will be getting what I believe is a correct spoked steering wheel which has the central hub but no medallion. Unless I'm mistaken, and I often am, my medallion should fit into that central hub. I think you are right, somebody cut off the central stud/boss/screw because there was no way of tightening it on the different steering wheel hub they used.
This means I'll end up with an extra hub piece, I believe. If anyone has a source for the stud/boss/screw for this piece please let me know!
Geoff Baker

Could somebody possibly supply me with a photo of the boss/stud in the medallion in good condition? I may need to have a picture if I want to send the item back and get a refund, to show them what is wrong with it. (And if I keep it, I'd like a picture so I can build another one).
Geoff Baker

The hub attaches with the screw through the steering wheel hub and the medallion is a press fit


gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

Thanks Gordon, just what I needed!
Geoff Baker

OK, here is the medallion cleaned up. Notice the crack on the side in the lower photo. While I dont think its a structural problem (if I can find or make a new boss for it) it's definitely a cosmetic flaw.

Has anybody ever tried to paint or repair these kinds of cracks in plastic? I'm thinking of just getting a matching acrylic paint and doing a tiny touch up.

If I can make it look a little better, I think its useable. And it will cost me three times as much to buy a new one from Abingdon and I doubt the quality of a new one is as good as the originals anyway...

suggestions and thoughts appreciated!


Geoff Baker

Geoff,

It may not be original, but I have one that is painted the same bronze color as the instrument panel and it looks vey good on the wheel.

Regards,
Jim
James Neel TD28423

I just last fall bought a hub from AS. It was frightfully expensive but it is correct and the Medallion in the center doesn't look like it will "craze" like the one I got a few years ago from Moss.

I guess it's a case of "You get what you pay for".
Cheers,
Bob
Bob Jeffers

geoff, i think you could use a glue with an MEK base with the crack as is or carve a "v" groove along the crack and use JB weld.
the bezel around the center MG medalion just pops out with either very strong finger nails or VERY careful use of a box cutter blade. mask off the center medalion if it does not fall out...do the crack repair..clean, sand, clean and prime..sand and paint.

if you had some laying around or if a friend has some left over, i think steering wheel repair kits would do a very nice job on that crack.

regards, tom
tom peterson

Well, personally I like the ivory color of this medallion. I have no idea what the original choices were, it seems like people are painting them. tom, I've disassembled the bezel and it cleaned up nicely.

I'll see if I can just touch up the crack with a little ivory matching paint. The crack itself I don't think will get any worse, and the reason it is so black is, I think, because somebody did manage to get some epoxy into it (as well as pretty much all over everything else, it took me hours to get the rest of it off.)

Does anyone have an ivory colored medallion? Just curious. I didn't remove any paint, I just cleaned it up with a citrus based cleaner and then polished it.

Here's a pic of what it looked like originally.


Geoff Baker

I think I would try to soak the creak in house hold bleach, to see if that will lighted it.

Once the dark is gone you could use a clear sealer to keep it clean and not effect the color.
G D

Thanks GD, but been there, done that. It soaked for two days in bleach, the crack color didn't change. It's got hardened dark gray epoxy in it is why.
Geoff Baker

This is the center piece from my TD when I purchased the car in 2003. It is Chrome (worn) and has a flatter profile.

Working on cleaning out the spare / unknown parts.



RG Taylor

rg, i believe yours is the center piece from an aftermarket wheel. i have one just like it on the shelf..only mine was painted to match the instrument cluster.
geoff, why not just repaint the center piece (not the mg medalion in the center...just the rest)
regards, tom
tom peterson

All the TF medallion surrounds were painted to match the steering wheel hub and the instrument panel. I think TD's were done the same?

Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

The centre hub on the MG was painted to match the wheel hub...I think on Morris' and Austin's they were left the dark brown.
I have a chrome one with a flatter profile on the Brooklands, a white one from a Jowett. I have one with a horn push instead of the medallion....
Seems they were made in the brown and white plastic (?) ...haven't seen any other colour....?
I did polish up the clear plastic of the medallion one time and careful use of 2000 grit, 0000 steel wool and a polishing wheel got it back to almost perfect....



gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

There's a center piece on ebay as we speak. PJ
Paul J

Gordon you said "The centre hub on the MG was painted to match the wheel hub" ...

so what were the wheel hubs painted originally? I thought all the wheels were a dull silver?
Geoff Baker

I've removed all sorts of colours from the wheel hubs and usually the centre hub matched that.... I always thought they matched the colour of the dash panel...that gold/bronze colour?
gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

On this website under the Original MGTD section the color of the wheels is listed as Silver. I have never seen a wheel that was painted the bronze color. I am not that knowledgeable but all I have ever seen are sorta silver in color, not flashy but dull like.
Tom Maine (TD8105)

I still might polish my center hub, not sure though, but they do look nice! PJ
Paul J

Tom....on that web site, he lists Steering Wheels as:

Steering wheel center, steering wheel cap, and instrument panel Bronze
gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

i thought you were talking about the steel wheels, not the steering wheeel. sorry
Tom Maine (TD8105)

After reading all this I went out to the shop and pulled my hub out of the cabinet. It's worn painted bronze and I'm at the point of redoing it. So I proceeded to disassemble it. I've never done this or read how, so I proceeded carefully hoping not to destroy any of the parts. First thing I carefully inserted a razor between the edge of the center medallion chrome ring and hub doing this all the way around. Gently I worked the ring up a bit. See picture (I only know how to post one picture at a time so I'll be reposting).
Mike


Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

Then with a very small screwdriver I inserted the edge into the slots and worked out the ring.
Mike


Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

Once the ring was out I gently pushed the center piece out through the two holes at an angle on the inside. I had to be careful and push on the rubber seal so as not to scratch the inside paint. The center piece is stuck from sitting in there for at least 38 years that I know.
The center piece on mine was not glued or sealed in.
Mike


Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

Here are the four pieces ready to clean, polish, paint and re-chrome as needed. The thick seal is still inside the center. The bronze paint is inside the recess so either someone before me went to all the trouble to disassemble and paint or it came from the factory this way. Mike


Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

OK, if I'm understanding this correctly, there was a fair amount of variation but a 51MG TD medallion would most likely be the same color as the steering wheel hub which was also most likely the bronze color of the central dash panel. (Mine is just steel colored now, no paint).

What's the best paint to match that color? Is there anything on the market that people are using?

Obviously painting, for me, is the easy way out, it will fix the crack I have. Too bad, I liked the ivory color though.
Geoff Baker

Well I have mine cleaned, painted baked and back together.
Mike


Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

Picture of my car showing factory paint on the dash, instument panel and wheel hub and a resprayed medallion surround. Some of the lustre will have been lost.

Matthew.


Matthew Magilton

Mike mentioned something important...pushing the medallion out using those little holes and a screwdriver...you can scratch off the inside of the paint easily ... although it can be touched up, be careful....

(what a great thread....30 some odd postings on the centre hub).... great fun!
gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

here's another unrestored TF dash and wheel.
JB


J K Barter

My original wheel when I bought the car.....


gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

Mike Hart, you say painted and "baked"... please explain?
Geoff Baker

Geoff, I used a high heat paint (up to 1200 degree). Same paint I used on my oil filter. Cured in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour. My understanding is that it creates a harder and tougher surface. It's Rustoleum ultra in the can.
Mike
Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

Thanks for the info Mike. I'm sure it is tougher I was wondering if it gave you a smoother better surface? I guess the plastic took the heat OK?

Gordon, now I'm fascinated by the two levers on the far left of your dash (above what looks like a cigarette lighter).

They look like controls for a pneumatic snowplow! :)
Geoff Baker

Probably far from original...but I do like it.

Jasper



Jasper L Nederhoed

They are actually aftermarket Lucas Rally Toggles (thats my story and i'm sticking to it)....

The top two are my driving/spot lights, the bottom one (its the same) are the turn signals....


gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

Gordon, I had such a good visual imagining a snowplow bolted on the front of your MG! :)
Geoff Baker

Gordon, you posted the picture showing the boss/stud whatsit on the back of the medallion. Do you have one you could measure for me? I need to know the diameter and the height of it from the base. I posted this to another thread but you might have missed it. If not, no problem; when my wheel arrives I can probably cut it down to the right size by trial and error.
But if you have one handy, I'd sure appreciate it!
Geoff Baker

Geoff, are you still looking for this boss/stud/screw? Today I found back my old medallion (I installed a new one) and close inspection learned that there are tiny cracks too, but less dramatic than yours. The boss/stud/screw is still ok and it should not be a problem to send it over. Let me know if and what you need. Greetings, Huib
Huib Bruijstens

Huib,

Thank you for your kind offer. I made one up on my mini-lathe and epoxied it into the rear of the hub. Works great... so keep yours as a spare if your new one cracks!

Thanks again!
Geoff Baker

I came across a lovely hub/medallion at the Ancaster Flea market two weeks ago and have it on eBay.... ends tomorrow....

item # 180657548255
gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

This thread was discussed between 24/03/2011 and 28/04/2011

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