In this section I attempt to deal with those items that commonly appear on
MGTDs that really aren't supposed to be on an original car. Not that there
is anything wrong with accessories, my car has a number of them, but to
make sure that we have a starting point on what was original to the car.
You can then decide if you like a particular change to suit your
personality, life-style, or aesthetics.
Radiator Grill Color
One of the most often noticed mistakes that unknowing MGTD owners make
is to have their grill slats chrome plated. It seems a natural thing to
do after viewing numerous cars such as Packards and Duesenburgs as well
as the sister MGTF that have chrome grill slates. From a practical
standpoint it makes perfect sense. No more rock chips to have to worry
about. The truth is that only the very late MGTD Mark II's had chrome
grill slats.
The other misconception is the color of painted grill slats. Generally
you follow the interior color but there were exceptions. For green and
red cars with tan interiors, the body color could be used as the grill
color instead of tan. See the section on
finishes form more information.
Black Interior
In the past black interiors were much more prevalent on restored cars.
This was because of the lack of high quality interior kits from the
parts suppliers and a general acceptance of black interiors on current
production sports cars. The truth is that MGTDs were not offered with
black interiors originally.
Black Top and Tonneau Covers
Original Tops and Tonneaus were tan canvas. Black vinyl is a common
mistake.
Vinyl Tops (Hoods)
Vinyl was not available when the MGTD was produced. The hoods and
tonneau covers were made out of a canvas like material, always in tan.
Today the most popular top material is a softer, more water proof cotton
material. Stick with the tan cover for originality although it is
offered in other colors as well.
Trimmed Carpeting
The carpeting on the Original MGTD was not
trimmed. The same is true with putting carpeting back behind the seat.
This was not done originally. When I show the car I pull it out. It then
makes a great display mat for your tools, manuals, and other MG related
stuff.
Full Tonneau Cover
Everyone has one. It makes perfect sense and the factory should have
provided one. It may be that in England you either had the hood up or
you were top down. Interestingly the original half tonneau cover had a
slot in it that accommodated the rear side curtains. This was to allow
motoring with the side curtains in place but the hood down. Sort of like
those folks who drive modern convertibles with the top down, windows up,
and the heater going full blast.
Chrome Headlights
This one's a lot tougher because in some cases it is correct and in
others its not. Also there is no definitive date that I am aware of
where the production of the MGTD switched from chrome to painted
headlamps. On top of that the factory reinstated chrome headlamps again
in later 1953 cars. Clearly if you have a 1949 to early 1951 TD you
should go chrome. If you have a very late 1951 through mid 1953 TD then
painted headlamps are for you. Somewhere in the middle is your guess.
Until we can find more definitive information either way would be OK. If
you have large round rivets on the base plate of your headlamps they
should be chrome too. This started somewhere around car 25000 but no
definitive number is established.
The chrome headlamps are certainly easier to maintain. The biggest fault
with the MGTD in my opinion is the fact that if you are not extremely
careful you will scratch the painted headlamps when opening the hood. On
the other hand chrome can be quite a glare hazard when the sun shines
just right and could cause safety problems. Many race cars today sport
black components where their street brethren have chrome. Others have
cited the lack of chromium during the Korean war as a reason but I have
a hard time buying that. There are plenty of other places on the MGTD
where they could have saved on chrome and did not do so. Most likely the
headlamp suppliers orders for chrome headlamp buckets dwindled and MG
had to go along with it.
Exterior Piping Color
Here is one of the most often made mistakes. Some of it is due to the
fact that the piping available from most parts houses is limited. The
cars always had the color of the piping match the exterior color. It was
not painted afterward. You may need to have some custom made to match
your car color. Don't forget to make the front splash piping a size
smaller than the rest of the body piping.
Wire Wheels
Clearly the most controversial item that is faced in the restoration of
many a MGTD. Were wire wheels available as a factory option or not? The
truth is that they were not available during the production of the MGTD
from the factory. The factory was constantly bombarded by requests to
offer wire wheels on the MGTD but never did during the production years.
Later when the MGTF came out with wire wheels the factory may have
offered an upgrade kit that basically provided the MGTF drums and wheels
to be used on the MGTD. An adapter was also rumored to be a part of the
kit for the spare tire. To date I have found no evidence of this kit or
the adapter.
Wooden Dashboards
Yes the MGTD has a wooden dash but it was never uncovered. It always
sported the same covering used in the rest of the interior made of
Rexine. Wooden dashes were, and continue to be, a very popular
accessory. My car has a
custom made quartersawn mahogany dash, steering wheel, and gearshift knob.
Non XPAG Engines
Quite simply the answer is NO. To be original you must sport the correct
engine type. You can even identify if your engine is correct by cross
matching the engine serial number on the block and ID tag with the
builders plate on the firewall.
During the heyday of the TD people were always trying to get it to go
faster. Some even resorted to swapping out the engine. More than one
article was written to tell you how to replace the weak little 4
cylinder engine with a V-8. Another popular engine swap was to use a
Volvo engine. I would say if you want this type of performance you
should consider the MGTF 1500 or perhaps one of the reproduction MGTDs
available. Save the original car for the purists.
By the way. Having an original type of engine in your MGTD is generally
a prerequisite to membership in most MG car clubs and organizations.
A very common mistake is to mount the rear license plate lamp upside
down. The license plate lamp is on the top, not shining from underneath.
The license plate bracket can be used either way depending on the size
of your license plate. It was generally used with the license attachment
slots at the bottom.
Chrome Door Hinges and Door Checks
The door hinges were painted the body color. It is easiest to paint the
door with the hinges in place and then secure this assembly to the body
bucket when dry. The door checks were either black or more likely the
body color. Since the door checks get rubbed a lot on opening and
closing the doors, many like to plate these. They also do not show much
so this is very acceptable in my opinion.
Missing Door Checks
Many times I see cars restored without the door checks. This is not only
incorrect but very dangerous to the door. If the door is allowed
unchecked freedom it can easily open into the rear fender and cause
serious damage to both the door and fender.
Handbrake Lever Bolts on Wrong Side
When re-assembling your handbrake after restoration ensure that your
bolts are on the
correct side. The bolts are on the right hand side of the car and the nuts and
washers on the left.
Brass ID Plates
While the ID plates were made of brass, this was not the standard
finish. They were all nickel plated. See the
finishes pages for details.
Left and Right Float Bowl Lids
The regular MGTD only had right handed float bowl lids. The MGTD Mk II
and also the MGTF with 1 ½" carburetors had both right and
left float bowl lids. See the
manuals pages for
the MGTD SU manual.
MG Car Company Threshold Plates
These look beautiful but they were not original to the MGTD, but were
for the MGTA. The TD had
plain threshold plates.
