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MG TD TF 1500 - What MG TD Spare Parts To Carry

My TD is in pretty good condition. I basically drive it in about a 100 mile radius from home. What spare parts should I carry around in the car and why. For instance, why would I want spark plugs, coil, fuel pump, etc? Are they that unreliable?
Mike
TD15250
Mike I

Nothing is all that unreliable. It's just a matter of if and when the unexpected happens, do you want to fix it or tow home. I usually carry a complete distributor with wires, gapped, timed and ready to install. A fuel pump isn't a bad idea. Also a coil, plugs, upper radiator hose, few smaller hoses, a bit of wire, some oil, small bottle of brake fluid and a basic tool kit. Most of the parts I carry are used because I know they work.
Steve Simmons

and obviously a reasonable set of spanners and screwdrivers!
Ian Bowers

tow rope, piece of wire and a pair of pliers, roll of tape and a mobile phone
William Revit

AAA card, phone most important. Minimal tools, spare points, fuel pump, maybe one spare plug. I had the points rubbing block break off once, and before rebuild fouled a plug or two. Fuel pump has failed also, although cleaning points and/or whacking it got it working again. Best to inspect and keep car well serviced. The only two times since 1972 my car was towed was with a broken crank and axle shaft. George
George Butz III

I carry spare parts because you pretty much know that Murphy's law says you will NOT need whatever parts you are carrying, which is fine with me. A fuel pump usually responds to a knock or cleaning the ponts, same with a distributor or points. Plugs only go bad if you never clean/replace them. Hoses, on the other hand, do indeed start to leak without warning, as do water pumps.

So being proactive and checking over the car regularly, is really the best way to avoid breaking down, and teaches you so much about your particular car, as well.

Tom Lange
MGT Reopair
t lange

I echo Tom Lange's comment, if you have a spare part, that particular part will not fail. Based on 34 years experience as a Flight Engineer in the military and civilian role it was extremely rare for the spare I had along would be used. I did spend a day or two here and there waiting for a spare to be shipped in though.

I have added a backup fuel pump, low pressure thing that is in series with the existing pump. On a TF the fuel pump is tough to access so a backup in place makes sense.

Points, condenser, wrenches, screwdrivers, piece of wire with alligator clips on either end, test lamp, AAA card and phone are what I hope to get by with.

If I was to engage in a longer trip I would consider more, like plugs maybe, I have just changed the radiator hoses so I think I am good with them.

Peter
P G Gilvarry

I plan on pulling my second TD behind my first one as a spare parts emporium. It's really the only way to ensure you have the right part at the right time.

Tim
Tim Burchfield

Leather man, gray duct tape and a hammer.
G D

We don't take many long jaunts in the our TD anymore - at nearly 75, our back sides get very tired in the TD. That said, we used to take the TD everywhere, including several trips through the western states without any trauma. On one trip, we had one spark plug foul - a 15 minute job to correct. My one concession is an inline back up fuel pump (after having to crawl under the car to change out a fuel pump on the side of the road in our MGB). A cheap Facet pump in line, somewhere under the car and a hidden double pole, double throw, center off switch so that you can select the main pump, backup pump or both pumps off.

Normal maintenance (adjusting the points, changing plugs, checking fluid levels, etc.) is all I ever do and we have not had any problems. Cheers - Dave
DW DuBois

I've also had the rubbing block on the points break causing immediate and complete shutdown. I always carry an extra points plate EXCEPT ON THAT TRIP! Fortunately it happened about 4 miles from home after a 150 mile drive. A friend was behind me in my MGA so we drove to the garage, picked up the points plate and installed it just a dark happened. I promise, a points plate is now in the box. I attribute the break to my failure to grease the dizzy shaft which I now do regularly.

Jud
J. K. Chapin

My last breakdown was in a TD that had been stored for many years, and I was re-commissioning. The points were new, so I cleaned and re-installed them. Big mistake. The points spring had lost its temper, and I had a bad miss, only barely limping home. New points and all is well.

A full points plate is always a good thing to carry, as it has an attached condenser and points.
Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Search for "spare parts" in the archives. Lots of good suggestions there.
efh Haskell

Thanks for all your advice. Nothing like getting info from those who have experience driving your car. I guess I'm going to wade through all of your inputs to formulate a list of my own based on how far I want to go when something happens. Everything from a AAA Card to towing a spare TD behind, quite a list! I'll check back and if I have any further questions I'll post them.
Thanks again to all you guys,
Mike
TD15250
Mike I

This is the list of spares that I carry, and where they are located,, Most of these have been used to repair other T Types that we are raveling with.
Sin ed getting a flat in Maine GOF, i have added tire irons to the list

Steve



SPW Wincze

Also added two tubes,, as one will get pinched when putting it in !!!
SPW Wincze

It also depends on what you plan to do with the car. For driving around town, it isn't a big deal to tow it home. We take our TC on multi-thousand mile trips, often in the middle of nowhere with no support. In that case I like to be prepared for anything that could happen to a 70 year old car and be able to fix it on the spot. I usually unload about 10 pounds of tools and spares when we don't have any big trips coming up, because I'm not going to do something like change a head gasket on the side of the road when I'm only 10 minutes from home. But when you're out here, far away from any cell phone towers, you'd better be prepared...



Steve Simmons

Steve W, with your list you could probably restore a car from the ground up! ;)

I've experienced the same, that when we caravan with others, most of the spares I carry end up on someone elses car.
Steve Simmons

I pinched the first tube of Steves in Maine. Of the dozens of tires I have mounted, this is the only one I pinched. I couldn't believe it until we removed the tube and I saw it. I still don't know how it happened.
D. Sander

DAVE,
The circumstances involved probably had a lot to do with it,,, it was Sunday morning,, almost every one else had already left, and we were in a bit of a hurry to fix it as we had a full day of driving to get home,,
Pinching the tube was just another good lesson that some spares should be doubled!!!

Thanks,
Steve
See you in Lebanon !!


SPW Wincze

I have traveled all over the US in my TD. I carry a set of points, a condenser and a rubber plug for the gas filler neck with a center tube, a length of hose and a blood pressure cuff pump. That is it. I wonder how many who advocate an extensive spare parts inventory actually take their cars much past the end of their driveway.

Get a AAA membership..they haul you home even beyond your 100 mile radius... a set of whitworth wrenches and sockets and enjoy the open road.

Regards, Tom
tm peterson

I only drive in front of Steve Wincze.
Mort Resnicoff

Nobody carries a couple of quarts of oil? I'm impressed !
L E D LaVerne

As noted in my first post, I do carry some oil. Always one bottle, and on extended tours I carry two. No need to carry more than that, as you are never that far from an auto parts store. And if you need more than two quarts to get to an auto parts store then you should probably tow it anyway.

On the mention of inner tubes, I carry one on short tours (less than 1000 miles) and two on longer tours. Not that I expect to get that many flats, but because I sometimes end up giving one away to someone who didn't take my advice. You can't buy tubes for a TC anywhere except a specialty supplier, and even "normal" size tubes like on a TD aren't that easy to find locally anymore. In a TD/TF one should always be enough, especially on steel wheel cars where you can run tubeless if needed.
Steve Simmons

I'm the original and only owner of my TF. I estimate I have over 325,000 miles on it (but not sure because I've rebuilt the speedo several times and lost count), Driven it to all 4 corners of US/Canada. But I did carry some spares including a half-shaft, But it was heavy, took up space. So now it has sat in my spares cache for 35 years, At 85, I don't go more than a few hundred miles - my kids won't let me.

But I still carry a distributor with cap & wires, 1 of each type of rocker, serviceable tappet and push-rod, some fuses, a coil, upper hose, a used head gasket and a btl of STP Zinc - all small and compact. Fits in the tool box.

I've only had one serious break-down, and that was in my TD in the heart of New York City in 1953 when the oil feed to my supercharger let go. It was graciously fixed whilst I waited, by the late Charles E. Stitch, who spent 3½ hrs and charged me nothing. I'll never forget that!

But the things I worry most about are the bearings in the diff and gearbox. Some have been replaced, but not all. I suppose I could limp home if they started to get noisy.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gord Clark

Sorry Steve, missed that.

For long distance trips I carry a small box with some electrical wire, pliers, needle nose vice grips, Spark plug wrench, set new plugs, points plate with condensor, rotor, bag of carb gaskets and screws, crescent wrench, couple of wire leads with alligator clips, electrical tape, some stainless wire, several screw drivers, test light, light with head strap, 4 box end open end wrenches that are needed to change out a super charger belt, JB Weld, some fuel line and assorted hose clamps and some other bits that escape me now.
I also carry a couple of quarts of oil, florescent safety vest, distributor cap, rags, bungie cords, factory stamped tools, jack, lead hammer, a new inner tube, fan belt and supercharger belt.

I added the tube after I had two flats in Reno in less that an hour and then spent the rest of the day searching for a tire shop that would would handle a wire wheel. Of course he didn't have any tubes and had to drive across town to get some. I used to carry a carb float after having one fail in Oregon but since I have replaced the brass float with a nytrophyl one I took the spare out of the box. Also have carried a couple of gallons of pre mix anti freeze on the cross country jogs along with a cell phone, GPS, small cooler with some snacks and some water. Took the car cover on the big first trip but no longer.



L E D LaVerne

Should add that I plumbed in a second fuel pump after this incident in Illinois . I was lucky to have been traveling with friends.


L E D LaVerne

LaVerne,
Two in my boot storage.
One next to the battery.
Mort


Mort Resnicoff

Should also add that I carry a small first aid kit as well.
L E D LaVerne

I have Green Flag recovery as part of the insurance for the TF. I also have good friends and a mobile phone if I break down locally. The only tools in the bulkhead box are a jack and wheel brace. I did have some spanners in there but they rattled.

Jan T
J Targosz

This thread was discussed between 10/02/2018 and 12/02/2018

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