Nails for T Series Body Tub

Aloha All,

I'm gathering fastners for the rebuild on my TF body tub. Does anyone have a source for the nails used to attach the metal skin to the ash frame? The size is 15 gauge nails with a common head and 1" long. Thanks.

Dave, Go here and ask your question, <span style="text-decoration: underline">you will get an answer! </span>Join the site, it's free, you'll be glad you did. Best T series on the net, with a gathering of the most T series owners anywhere. PJ

https://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?r...t&subject=8 site on the Net!

Aloha Paul,

Thanks I'll ask there. I am a member there also and have read gotten alot of good information from it.

Please let us know what you find out. A friend is putting together a Morgan body and has been told to use stainless steel nails?? Thank-you. Eric

Abingdon Spares used to sell them by the pound, may still do. The ones I got were basically nothing more than a flat head type tack about 5/8" long. I'd say you should be able to get something like that locally, and I would use stainless for moisture protection.

Aloha,

I followed Paul's suggestion and posted the question at MGCARS.org and received several good suggestions. I discovered I had been looking in the wrong section of hardware stores. These short nails or brads are generally sold in small packages of about 2 oz. At my local Ace Hardware store I found a 1.5 oz. pack of 15 x 3/4" nickel plated steel nails. This is about 100 nails for about $2.50. I think the nickel plating should offer some corrosion protection.

Most of the nails I have removed from the body tub are rusted but are still intact. Considering they are over fifty years old and had little or no corrosion protection the steel nails lasted well. The car was my daily driver from '76 until about 2004, was not often garaged because I didn't have one so a tonneau cover was usually the weather protection. I think the new nickel plated nails will serve well for the next fifty years.

Dave, when in England in the 60's getting ready to send my '37 back to the States, I knew I had some rotten wood and talked with a few MG owners to get a idea what needed to be done. Yes, the short one inch nail, but soak them in a soap solution of oxydol (SP), this not only helped the nail slide into a drilled hole but made then rust so they wouldn't pull out. These bodies do move around and one other thing, put a oil soaked gaze in between any wood pieces, before you screw them together. Keeps them from squeaking, you will see some when you take yours apart, and now you know what and why.

Wayne

PS You should buy a handful of small drills, you will break a lot, just go slow and straight in, at a bit of an angle it will break.

I have not done any wood framed MG restorations, but I have restored several wood framed Model A Ford bodies. They use a nail that has a twisted shank. I predrilled the nail holes and they work great. I got them from Bert's Model A Ford Store in Denver. On the web at www.modelastore.com. They seem to be fairly hard, not a typical soft wire nail.
Bruce

My TF nails had a slightly domed head, not flat. PJ