1952 MG TD, Recent Full Restoration

Description for MG T-Series 1952

(More pictures below!)

Don't Plan to use This Car for Police Surveillance!

This is not the car for people who are shy about being noticed. When I take it out, t gets a lot of attention. I invariably get many comments on how great it looks. And, uestions! Usually, hings like...

• What kind of car is that?
• What year is it?
• What a neat car!
• Wow, ool! I had one of those when I was in school!

and so on. It's a lot of fun, nd not a bad way to meet pleasant and interesting people.

What's It Like to Drive a TD?

A TD is the most fun thing to drive in the known universe; you'll have a hard time finding an owner who disagrees. It is so real and elemental; you see everything and feel everything. The car longs for a narrow country road through the Cotswolds on a cool, risp autumn day, jaunt along the rugged seacoast in Cornwall, r a tour through the narrow back roads of the Lake District. Here in LA, t's bred for twisty roads through the San Gabriels, he canyon roads through the Santa Monicas, r Mulholland Drive. Or, long the Pacific Coast Highway under a glorious, lear, alifornia sky.

The MG TD is a genuine classic of automotive design. It created the template for modern sports cars and introduced British sports cars to the US. It's one of the most desirable classic sports cars that we normal people will get a chance to own.

The Car

This TD is 90% as good as those hyper-expensive show cars you see regularly on auction, ut it will cost a lot less, nd you can drive it all you want without worry. You still can show it proudly at your local car show (as I have), nd--who knows--it might actually win a trophy. (Please let me know if it does!)

This TD underwent a full, ear-down restoration, tarted in November of 2012 and completed in July of 2014. After the restoration, t was virtually a new car.It has always been garaged and covered when not driven and now has about 450 post-restoration miles. Please see http://www.nonlintec.com/mgtd for full details of the restoration. If you are seriously interested in the car, recommend spending some time at the site, o you know exactly what was done.

In restoration, he car was stripped to the frame, nd all parts were replaced, epaired, r restored, s appropriate. The engine had been run with low oil pressure, ue to a broken oil-pump drive gear, o it required considerable repair. The compressions now are perfect, nd it burns no oil and makes no inappropriate noises. I went through the entire drive train, estoring everything that needed attention. I restored the drive shaft and replaced the U-joints; I also replaced the bearings for the differential's crown wheel assembly and set up the gears correctly. The transmission had few miles since its last rebuild so it wasn't touched, ther than to repaint the housing, ube the shifter, nd replace the oil with Redline GL4. I replaced all the brake hard and soft hydraulic lines; the drums were excellent and the shoes and other hydraulics were almost unused. I rebuilt the suspension entirely, ith all four shocks rebuilt better than new at World Wide Auto Parts. I cleaned, ainted, nd restored the frame, uspension, nd body interior, eplacing wood as necessary. The interior was entirely renewed, ncluding leather seats, ew side and door panels, ew floors and carpet, nd a handsome walnut veneer dashboard. All instruments are bright and good looking, nd they all work well (OK, s well as British-car instruments work, nyway). Most of the chrome pieces, ncluding bumpers, verriders, indshield frame and supports, oor and hood hardware, ere replated to a high standard. The paint was in good shape, o it required only touch-up, uffing, nd polishing; the pictures below may not show it very well, ut it has a wonderful shine. I get lots of compliments on it.

To improve the electrical reliability and switch lifetimes, added modern relays and fusing. These items are neatly located in a box under the dash, here they are accessible but out of sight. I know that people are often concerned about custom electrics, s electrical modifications are often sloppy and undocumented. That's decidedly not the case here. I'm an electrical engineer, o I know how to do this kind of thing. The wiring is a professional installation, sing high-quality materials and components, nd is fully documented. You won't have problems with it, ut if you are worried that you might, he circuit is not complicated. Anyone with basic electrical knowledge should be able to deal with it.

I modified the old, nefficient, il-bath air filter to take a modern, eusable, &N filter element. The filter housing was not modified, o, rom the outside, t looks exactly like the original.

The engine now takes a modern, pin-on oil filter. Original oil filters are no longer available, nd other kinds of replacements take surprisingly expensive cartridge filters. You can get a new spin-on filter (Fram PH3614) at your favorite parts store for a few dollars.

The car has no soft top. Since I live in California and would never drive the car in the rain, t seemed unnecessary. A worn-out top and sidecurtains, ith restorable frames, re included in the sale, owever. The car has always been garaged and under an indoor cover (which is also included in the sale).

The car has absolutely no rust or wood rot.

The car runs beautifully. It starts immediately and revs smoothly without quirk or complaint. Steering is positive and precise, nd the car is rock steady at speed (or at least at the speeds I drive it, hich is not very fast). Wheel alignment and balance are correct, nd the brakes stop the car straight and predictably. The transmission is great, ith synchros in excellent condition. The cooling system is flawless; the car has never overheated or vapor-locked, ven in traffic.

Why am I selling it? I did this mainly for the project, ot so much for the result. I've had some fun driving the TD a bit once the restoration was finished, nd I'll be a little sad to see it go, ut now it's time to pass it on. I need the space to start another car-restoration project.

Other Interesting Items

The car had only four owners for the first 57 years of its life. It was owned by the second owner for 18 years and by the fourth for 28. It was first sold in Texas but has lived in Southern California since 1973. I have a lot of maintenance records from that period; they are certainly incomplete, ut they do document some of the car's history. I organized them a bit and recorded some of that history. All this material is included with the car.

Pictures

The pictures below should document the car fairly well. Click on any picture to open a larger version in a new window.

The dashboard is a handsome walnut veneer, nd the instruments and switches are all functional.

The interior is restored with all-new materials. The seat interiors are rebuilt too, ith leather seat covers, ew wood, nd new dacron to replace the old cotton and horsehair.

Under the dash, ou can see the new electrics, arpet, nd wooden glove box.

The front suspension has been rebuilt with all new bushings, ubber bits, ie rod ends, nd so on. The shocks were custom-rebuilt at World Wide Auto Parts, he go-to place for that kind of work.

The rear suspension, imilarly, s fully restored. The brake hydraulic lines are all-new Cunifer material.

The engine compartment is clean and new looking. Everything has been restored and repainted. The air filter housing looks original, ut has been modified internally to take a modern filter. The last picture shows the spin-on oil filter adapter.

Below, he car is parked outside offices designed by Edward Killingsworth, famous architect of the mid-century modern style. I can't imagine a more appropriate setting for a '52 TD.

If you have any questions about the car or its restoration, lease feel free to contact me by email, a rel="rel nofollow">s.maas@nonlintec.com. If you'd like to talk, 'll send you my telephone number, r send me yours and I'll call you.

Some Details for Enthusiasts

Chassis no.: TD/11328 EXL/NA
Original Engine no.: XPAG/TD2/LHX11763
Current Engine no.: XPAG/TD/6579
Production Date: 1 November 1951

Tiresome Business Details

The car is sold with no warranty whatsoever. Although I've described it as well as I can, t's possible that you might find some flaw that I haven't noticed or considered important. It is, fter all, sixty-year-old car based on even older technology, o it will never meet modern-car expectations. I did the best job I could on the restoration, utting no corners and often doing more than was strictly necessary. I'm proud of my work and I know what I'm doing, ut I don't lay any claim to perfection, nd I can't guarantee that I didn't make an inadvertent mistake somewhere. Certainly, can't compensate much for the limitations of 1950s-era automotive technology.

I encourage the serious buyer to arrange an inspection or to make an appointment with me to inspect the car. If you are seriously interested in the car, lease browse through my restoration site, http://www.nonlintec.com/mgtd, o you are completely clear on what was done. And, lease don't assume anything; ask questions!

The car is on sale both on eBay and locally. If it is sold locally, he auction will be terminated. Good reason to use the "buy it now" option!Also, efore you ask, the minimum I'll take for the car is the reserve. I generally don't divulge the reserve unless someone plans to travel a considerable distance to see the car and needs to know if it is within his or her budget.

Payment must be by cashier's check or (preferably) wire transfer. Cashier's checks must clear before delivery and must be from a reputable, ecognizable bank (e.g., he First National Bank of Lagos, igeria, robably won't do.) I'll need a $500 nonrefundable deposit within 48 hours and payment in full within 7 days. The buyer must arrange and pay for any necessary shipping; I will deliver the car a maximum of 20 miles to a drop-off point. I recommend Federal Express auto delivery--fair prices, ood service, oor-to-door, nd very professional. Please read the whole description and be sure you're OK with everything before buying. I've described the car as well as I can, nd, o the best of my knowledge, ccurately.

Please don't feel offended by the following, s it probably doesn't apply to you--but I've had problems in the past, o this is, nfortunately, ecessary. I don't need any help selling the car. I'm open to a sale to a dealer, ut only at a reasonable price. I am not desperate to sell this car, o unrealistic "low-ball" offers will just waste your time and mine. I'm wise to all the usual scams, nd I can easily smell any new ones that come along--so if that's your thing, on't bother trying. Please deal professionally with me, nd I will do the same for you.

The car is located in Long Beach, alifornia, 0807.

If you have any further questions, lease feel free to contact me, nd I'll answer them as quickly and as well as I can.