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well i just purchased a FF 52 mgtd on a 69 vw chassis, its a mess but i hope to redo it this winter, the question is when im in the drivers seat the wheel is almost in my chest! is this normal? it has two seperate seats on the bottom and one solid piece backrest. can they be moved to the rear further?
Hey Joe,
As far as moving the seats back, you are probably already there. The seat back mounts almost flush with the cockpit rear bulkhead. If you move the seat bottoms rearward, then you gain nothing but less seat bottom. With a butt like mine, that’s a no-no.
Your room will probably come from moving the steering column toward the dash.
Sounds like shortening the “spliced in” part of your steering column is in order. How close is the blinker stalk/wheel to the dashboard. You’ll need to leave knuckle room and room for the blinker stalk.
The plane of the steering wheel should also sit parallel to the plane of the dash board…in other words the same slope/tilt or angle. That’s how the real TD’s are.
Post some pics of the progress too
thanks for the info, since i don’t know your name ill just call you pink! lol. im working on getting some pics soon, just draged it into the garage and now that im looking at it closer im starting to get the shakes! Just going to start at the bottom and work up i guess! Thanks again, Ill keep you updated. Are you located on the east coast? Im out on long island in NY. So this is what retirement is all about huh?
Hi Joe,
Pink’s name is Mark. Good guy and very knowledgeable.
Mark is in NJ. I am too.
And it’s not just what retirement’s all about. I built my Classic Roadsters Duchess in 1982. I was 24! And it’s still running great, 26 years later.
I second Mark’s comments re the column. Most of the TD replicas you see were “adjusted” to the original owner by how close to the dash the wheel is and how far the peddle cluster was moved back from the original VW location. I’ve seen a couple with adjustable seats, but as Mark points out, most adults need the seat back as far back against the lower chassis bulkhead as we can get it.
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Wow Paul…you’re an old fart now! Have you been getting AARP stuff in the mail yet? Seriously, thanks for compliments.
Joe, most retired age people need more “clearance”, so join the club. My first TD was made to fit me and no one else could see over the dashboard. I’m not retired yet, but wish I was.
I’m at the NJ Shore, just south of Sandy Hook/Sea Bright area in Monmouth County. Paul is farther north, off I-78 in New Providence…where in LI are you?
If your TD’s body and interior are in good shape, you are just working on a VW Beetle. How many lug nut are on your wheels? This will tell us what series your donor was. I am going to suggested a VW manual by Robert Bentley, but depending on the series you have, the books are different. One is the “Red Book” and the other is “Blue Book”.
4 lug wheels are 1968 and up with Independent Rear Suspension (IRS). They are all 12 volt and 1600cc engines single or dual port. The front end has ball joints.
“wide-5” lugs are swing axle rear suspension and king-pin front end. Most were 6 volt cars, except for the 1967 Beetle, it being the first 12 volt Beetle. Engines could be 1200-1500cc’s all single port.
Some FiberFab/CMC TD kits were based on the VW Super Beetle. They required a special adapter bulkhead to put the “regular” Beetle twin beam axle on the floor pan. Super Beetle based cars are all IRS rear suspension. Hopefully the builders used a ball joint front beam too.
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