MG
The Classic Marque

In general the handling, safety, ride and everything about bias ply is terrible compared to radials. Unless you are showing in AACA or something radials would be vastly better. Unless of course someone found or duplicated the original Dunlap molds, etc. George

Jan, see http://www.ttalk.info/Oil_filter.htm for my approach. Bud

I had to resort to using a short bar and a windy chisel to get mine out. The TF is not an easy car to work on space wise.
Somebody years ago on this BBS said that the factory put the TF water pump on the line and built the car around it!.
Ray TF 2884

I presume you have the horizontal filter attached to the pump (late TD /TF). If the pump is off the car and the casting is clean, apply heat to the casting around the fitting. It may be enough to break the fitting loose(?) also the use of a piece of hard wood, or soft metal placed against the end of the fitting. Then by striking it with a heavy hammer to shock threads may also break the fitting ...

Has anyone got tips about unscrewing the central boss in the oil filter prior to fitting a spin off conversion. I bent a tommy bar and then at Declan's suggestion used an allen key through the cross hole with a long tube for leverage. I still couldn't budge it and not having a ramp cannot use a longer leaver.

Jan T

Blockley also has suitable bias ply / crossply tyres as well as radials. blockleytyre.com
On the other forum, see "12 minutes of pure magic" - the car is running on bias ply / cross ply tyres.
Dave H

Mine were steel with surface rust. They were very simple construction so I made up new ones from stainless steel but aluminium would probably do. If you retain the original ones electro plating is the only treatment that will not scratch off. No one does cadmium any more and I had the bonnet catches zinc plated about three year ago. They are still perfect.

Jan T

We do it the same way Guy, slacken off the 4 rocker studs only and we do not retorque the untouched other head studs. We do this more frequently on MGBs when we are changing a cam in situ. Never lost a head gasket in 32 years!

I was looking on line to see if there were Original Bias ply tires still out there for the TD (trying to do my restoration as close as I can to factory).

These came up through Summit Racing. They are Coker tires but with Summit the cost is less and the shipping is free.

I know radial tires ride better and give better performance, but any significant negatives to running bias ply...

Interesting on the headlight support. From pictures, we know the grill was put on the car prior to the body being installed.

So this indicates that small parts such as headlight supports had to be painted in the paint shop. Would they have taken the time to paint the bolt body color?

It is possible these were included in the support and the paint shop just sprayed a batch of them...