T-Series 1952 MG TD barn find....

[vickxxx]

I found this 1952 MGTD here on the island of Moloka'i, HI. Owner claims to have purchased this off the showroom floor. It's been up on jack stands in an open garage for 10+ years. Thank heavens no rats or mice got into it. It's about 95% complete, missing only the air cleaner assy, floor jack, crank handle. Body has lots of surface rust, but no holes. Interior cleaned up really well, no tears in the seats or panels. All the wood is in good shape...no rotting. Top is shot, but the side panels look like they've never been out of the back compartment. Carpet is shot. Except for the generator and fuel pump, all the electrics work fine. 2nd day I had it, new battery installed and I prepped the engine for start up. Fuel pump is dead so I filled the float bowls with fuel. It fired up immediately and purred with no miss or smoke, 45psi oil pressure. I ran it for about 10sec and shut it down. I was amazed. Spent the rest of the weekend putting a parts list together to get this back on the road...new generator, fuel pump, new coolant hoses, t-stat and housing, new brake shoes,wheel cylinders, brake master, brake hoses and all new pipes. I should have them before the end of the week.
It will be a work in progress for sure, but retiring here in the islands gives me all the time I need to play with this little guy.

 

[JPSmit]

amazing! I would be truly tempted to get it running and leave it exactly as is. There are many restored but it is only original once - amazing patina!

 

[vickxxx]

amazing! I would be truly tempted to get it running and leave it exactly as is. There are many restored but it is only original once - amazing patina!

That's exactly what my wife said!!

 

[David_DuBois]

See the article, SU Fuel Pump Restoration in the SU Fuel Pump Articles section of my Homepage, linked in the signature block below as an alternative to purchasing a new fuel pump.
Cheers,

 

[vickxxx]

Thanx for the info Dave. My SU pump wasn't working after applying 12v so I opened it up to check the points. I cleaned the points and got it to move after applying 12v to it. Pushing on the diaphragm got it going for a couple of beats but always stopped. After reading your article on "SU Pumps 101", it seems like a new diaphragm and points are in order. I'll be getting a new set for this old pump to keep as a spare for sure.

 

[Jim B.]

Please;
Before you do almost anything else, take pictures of everything.
Finding out the way things cam from the factory is important. There seems to be variations and "Original" can only be that way once.

 

[vickxxx]

Please;
Before you do almost anything else, take pictures of everything.
Finding out the way things cam from the factory is important. There seems to be variations and "Original" can only be that way once.

Thank you Jim. This never crossed my mind. I've only taken the seats out to clean and remove the carpeting. But I will photo everything from this point on before I repair and replace anything.

 

[drooartz]

Very cool find! Should be a fun car to play with.