Restoration Slowly Begins

[PAUL161]

And the fun begins. Started to pull the TF apart. It'll be a long process and learning experience, as I'm up on MGBs, but the T series is another thing. Thank goodness for expert help on various sites, especially the,(if I'm permitted), "MG Enthusiasts"/(BBS), which leans heavily on the T series cars and a lot of input from friends here and in various countries. PJ

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Paul, that looks like a pretty good car to start with. Nice find !

 

[PAUL161]

Thanks Hap, the engine is supposed to be rebuilt with about ten hours on it. It runs great, very snappy. The front crank seal weeps, but I'll fix that. I asked the fella who rebuilt it if he put an aggressive cam in it and he said the cam was sold to him as a stock one. It has a faint lope at idle which won't go away and being so snappy is why I asked him that question. I think it's a crane cam. The woods good and doesn't need replacing and the drive train seems to be in good condition. All the numbers on the car match, which I'm sure you know is very important in a T series car. So, the 5 year, (I'm being an optimist), project begins. PJ

 

[PAUL161]

Well, things are moving along. Only found two pieces of wood that needs replacing. The wood panel in front of the gas tank, as it has a split in it and the trunk floor, as it has no access to the rear housing as the original one did. Even though it will all be removed, the undercoating that was sprayed on early in it's life was annoying at first, but after seeing how well it has protected the body from rust and wood rot over the years, I'm very happy it was put there. Other than the back panel, the wood in the car is almost flawless, very hard and solid! More to come later. PJ

 

[vagt6]

Paul, looks like you got a nice example to restore. Thanks for posting pics, not too many T-series stuff here and it's great to see the work in progress.

Beautiful cars, the real driving experience.

 

[PAUL161]

Restoration Slowly Begins & Continues.

Well, things are moving along. Pulling it apart to see how much wood I have to order. Only found two pieces, the back panel and the piece under it. All the rest of the wood is hard and dry. I don't have a bench big enough to set the tub on and I don't like working on the floor, so it'll stay on the chassis until this wood is replaced. Much more to pull apart on the tub, but that will come later. The chassis is next. A couple shots of progress.

 

[PAUL161]

More pics! Looks like a fairly new pump and someone has painted the chassis under the floor boards, which helped in the preservation. It'll all get blasted and redone though. PJ

 

[PAUL161]

Well, the new wood is in place, the new floor boards are done and temporarily installed with original type hardware. They come back out to store until the tub is done. 15 months to restore the B to show condition, this thing will be at least 3 years and I think that's pushing it a bit. Funny how such a simple designed car can take twice as long to restore. It's fun though! PJ

 

[PAUL161]

Just took the tub off and exposed the chassis. Gotta power wash it before anything else is done. Too oily and dusty. I don't want to get my hands dirty!

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Paul

Your making great progress! I know I already asked but have forgotten, you going back with what color?

Marv

 

[PAUL161]

Paul

Your making great progress! I know I already asked but have forgotten, you going back with what color?

Marv

It's going to be red Marvin, as per number. The color will be "MG Red"! Now, that said, there's a dozen variations of "MG Red". Supposedly since the 80s, paint chemistry changes, or so I've been told, have pretty much made the old paint numbers fairly useless, so I'm going to have it computer matched. The color comes out to be kinda dark, which I like. Something like this, but a little more reddish. Does that make sense? PJ

 

[Marvin Gruber]

It will look good, I try to go back original color most times. You said you would take it down all the way. I believe it. Did you ever get the Heritage certificate on it. I'm curious to hear details on it.

Marv

 

[PAUL161]

No Marv, I haven't done that yet, but will later. I'm curious my self of what they have to say. PJ

 

[PAUL161]

Well, when I took the tub off, I found out that the chassis had a twist in it. I took the twist out and now it's perfectly straight! After stripping everything off of it, it'll be off to the sand blaster. PJ

 

[PAUL161]

A little more progress.

 

[PAUL161]

Gotta check with getting the front shocks restored. Their both lacking oil, so they both must leak. Oil doesn't evaporate! More $$ PJ

And people wonder why these T series cars demand a high price. Restore one and you'll know.

 

[PAUL161]

Ready for the sand blaster!