Guy down the street blew the motor in his MGTD and wants to dump the car and the hobby. I'm not really into the tea and tweed scene, but its been a long time since I've run accross a deal this good. Any body ever see one of these things rodded? Engine swaps? Pix? Ideas? Thanks
Not exactly a traditional rod, but hey if you could slap some small V8 in it, it sure would be fast as hell! -Dean
My gramps had a friend with one that had a fuckin' big block in it! Jesus that thing was bad ass. Orange with chrome wire wheels, bigs n' littles and a narrowed 9 inch. King of burnouts....I'll never forget it.
It's not the 32 3 window I' ve been waiting to fall in my lap for 30 years, but it is a 30's style roadster and hes put a ton of cash into the car and I can get it for less than the garnish moldings on that 32. I've got a 215 Buick with a 3spd stick, the gears in my head are spinning. I just don't know if I can inject enough attitude into it to avoid punching out everyone who greets me with tallyho.
How about insted of a hot rod, make it into an old competition car? Cut-down windshield, hoop roll bar, V8 with open headers... I saw some Mg's and Austin Healys done up that way at Limerock a while back and they were pretty damn cool. -Dean
Growing up, the guy who owned the Gulf station at the corner owned a TD with a flathead in it. Ran good - quick too. Mutt
I just sold mine. It is the Body off an old Drag Racer. Do a search for the Thread, there are some Pics of MG TD Altered Drag Cars on it... You can find some more pics of MG TDs at the Gasser Wars Site.
miata 4 banger and a 5spd will help the car sell for much more then an overweight v8 plus the miata motor was styled to look like an old british lotus motor. The conversion has been done many times and i think a company sells all the mounts to do it. I have to find the name of the company.
What he said. They handle shitty with a heavier than stock engine. If you cna't fix the original, (how "blown" is it?) swap in a inline four-banger Miata, Toyota, Nissan, MGB, Morris Minor (that's whats in it now) Ferguson tractor even!
Nope, you are confused with the MG Midget. They had the same family of Engines as the Frogeye Sprite, Morris Minor and the original Mini. The Engines in the TDs were known as the XPEG, I believe...
Yea, (guess I fuzz-brained out again) different, but similar...Same family, just cousins and would look semi-normal in the engine bay. At least it's not a Rootes or a Standard engine at any rate... The problem with "hotrodding" an otherwise "restored" MG is most of the Saturday night at the diner hotrodding crowd won't accept it and smile graciously upon you for building it and the restorers will want to draw and quarter you for "destroying" it and the only real satisfaction would be as a gasser drag racer and there are lots easier and cheaper cars to do that with. How much can I buy it for? (Park it next to my MGB GT)
I had one in the mid 70's that had been raced in the late fifities. It had a V8-60 in it with aluminum heads. It was very cool! Take a look at http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_racing.htm for some other racing TD's. I've seen several restored fifites MG race cars with everything from Offys to flatheads. How about this TD that is currently raced. Or maybe do it up like this TC.
I think the original engine could be saved, I just don't have any interest in a 1250cc powered 4 wheel vehicle. The 215 is only about 300lbs and I do have an extra flathead... The Miata swap would probably produce a sweet little ride but I'm allergic to rice and its a little too new tech for me. I guess I need to google up some pix of racing "specials" from the 50's for inspiration.
Saw one a few years ago with the Buick "Pinhead" aluminum V-8...!!! Isn't there a lot of wood to deal with...?
You should see the speed equipment the made for those back inthe day! My dad raced TC's etc...Sold his racing TC in Ireland to get the money to come over here. Nicson made some kick ass stuff for those cars, all kinds of finned goodies, side plates & valve covers, intakes & headers. There are a few in vintage racing that run fulll bore MG motors with no hood sides etc... More hot rod than tea-bag , they really move! Buy it and keep us posted!! Oh yeah check out this site for some cool speed parts;;; http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_accessories_superchargers.htm
This is "The U.S. Mule II" class winner in AA/MSP at the US Nationals in 1965, ET was 141.50, only eight other cars were faster that year. Don Prudomme won Top Fuel with a 204.54. The chassis is stretched to fit the blown 392 Hemi, I'll get to the restoration someday.
My uncle told me recently that he is planning to sell his TC that be bought used in '58 or '59 and which has only about 60,000 original miles on it, and the spare is actually one of the originals. I don't remember his price, but it didn't seem like a lot of money for an almost completely original survivor from the 50's. My dad loves to tell the story of outrunning that MG going up German Town Road, a steep twisty road on the west side of Portland. My dad was driving a '54 Lincoln convertable with a tri-power and a bunch of passengers. I've seen these cars with a Ford flathead, SBC and a Volvo four. 30 years ago I felt like I had to own one, but they don't do anything for me now. Sure wish my dad had kept that Lincoln though.
I always wanted to hot rod one.The swoopy early 30's style fenders are cool. We had an altered that ran a 301 Chevy. They got too pricey for us hot rodders. There isn't a big demand for cars to restore now-a-days so the prices are coming back down.
There was a TD with a 327 SBC on Ebay a year or so ago. It was resale red, and fetched over $20,000 I believe...
Didn't they have WOOD frames? Can't imagine that it'd be too safe to swap in a big motor without doing pretty much a complete chasis, if that's the case.
That particular TD is getting a 440 and a 4 speed hydro. At least that's what I've heard through the grapevine. I suppose that there are any number of light engines you could throw in one if you wanted to keep the stock chassis and still be able to drive it. Aluminum Buick/olds. Cosworth or Offy. Iron Duke? I don't recall any streeters in my travels although they got good lines and don't weigh much. When I was little there used to be a guy in Oakland that had a TD bodied altered (or maybe a gasser?) with a blown olds that came to my dad's shop once in awhile for induction work. Funny the things you can remember from when you're a little kid isn't it?
The chassis wasn't wood, the frame work for the body was wood. Like a '30s Ford. The Morgans were still using wood framed bodies up into the '60s.
Doc, It must be nice liveing on the coast. I didn't know they were still importing Morgans. Now if ya gotta have a sports car those are the ones. I really like the old 4/4. Very classic lines.
the 215 weighs 318 lbs ready to run, which is lighter than a stock MGB engine which is often swapped into them, and also about the same weight as a Miata engine, which makes it barely heavier than the stock engine it would have had. Besides, all of it sits behind the front axle centerline so it wouldn't be nose heavy at all, and it woudn't handle worse than stock. You couldn't use the stock hood sides, but no issues. Since the 215 is the basis for the Rover 3.5 liter V8 that Brits use to hot rod everything, it's still acceptable by sports car enthusiasts that aren't restorers (which there aren't as many of) and the weekend cruise crowd would still enjoy it. And there's a HUGE community of grassroots motorsports enthusiasts that would love seeing a car like that (we're the kind of sports car types that put Ford smallblocks in Mazda RX7s, for slalom racing). Really, there isn't much downside to the 215 swap. With a little work, and a good eye for style, you couold make it a hot rod MG that pretty much any group can identify with.
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