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Hello all, this Thursday I should be joining the ranks of those owning a
Chevy based MGTD replicar from British Coach Works. It’s a Schweppes
Special Edition and I plan to drive it home to North Alabama from Georgia
Thursday afternoon.
The brakes felt pretty spongy on the test drive today, anyone got a good
quick fix that will give me confidence coming over the mountains back home
or do I rely on downshifting until I get back to my place?
Any other known quirks that you give me a quick heads up on? I really didn’t
think the fellow would accept my offer so I haven’t done my due
diligence…I’ll be playing catch up on this forum for a while.
Welcome Roadie.
If your brakes seem/are spongy, I’d do a brake bleed to be on the safe side. Where in GA did you get her and where in AL will you be taking her? Also when you get her home don’t forget to visit the TD Registry and give us the particulars. I think you’re the 1st from Alabama.
newkitman40784.8355902778Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackShe’ll be coming to Fort Payne, AL in the north east mountains of Alabama
from Cumming, GA. I think she also needs that drive shaft carrier that
centers the shaft replaced, looked pretty worn out to me when I was crawling
around. Not to many miles on the odometer, seems like under 18K or so if I
remember, but light use implies a lot of dry rot…shocks were sketchy, too,
but after 26 years the gas could just be exhausted. Could be an exciting 125
miles 🙂
Enkoy the ride and the whole adventure. I’m still building mine. Hope to have her on the road in time for Carlisle, PA next year.
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackWelcome Ed.
Those Schweppes cars are nice. All professionally built. You found a good one!
Hope the first drive, and all the future drives, are safe ones!
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)
Hi and welcome to the forum!! Sounds like you’ve found a real prize. The BCW is a quality repilca and being one of the Schweppes cars is something special. The advice on bleeding the brakes is something I would do for sure.You don’t want to lose this one on the way home.
Have a safe trip and be sure to post pictures when you can.
Roadie,
The only other advice I’d give is if you think it’s really unsafe to drive, there’s alway a UHaul Trailer rental for your prized possession.Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackI’m happy with my Lafer and not really in the market for another project, but could someone tell me what a “Schweppes car” is?
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engineThe soda/mixer company Schweppes comissioned BCW to build a bunch of TD teplicas for a contest promotion in 1985.
Some info: http://chicagolandreplicar.tripod.com/steve&.htm
Here is another forum member’s car: https://tdreplica.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1351& get=last
PMOSSBERG40785.5697106481
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)
Hey, those both look very nice! Were all 50 of them the same color?
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engineBill, I can’t say for sure,but all the ones that I have seen with the Schweppes badges were yellow with tan tops. Come to think of it ,every BCW that I can remember had a tan top and interior.
I like tan. When the time came to redo my Lafer’s interior, my wife picked out a butterscotch leatherlike vinyl that really sets off the black exterior. Couldn’t be happier. Went with a black top, though.
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engineI believe all the Schweppes cars were the same color combo.
Larry…I went through the registry. And it looked like you were right! All our BCWs have tan tops and interiors…except one. Neil Flaherty’s (Profile57) BCW has a black top.
PMOSSBERG40785.9418981482
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)
When I drove mine home the first time I had to pump the brakes too. I made sure the emergency brake worked though. Just in case the others failed..
Was a fun ride, had to feather the gas and hold the brake at stops to keep it running (old gas). I didn’t have but about 30 miles to go, wife was following and taking pictures.
I’m taking the easy way out with a friend, his truck and a Uhaul car hauler.
Just don’t want to tempt brake failure on those 6~8% grades on the first date
When you pick her up, remember to talk to her nice and remind her that you’re going to make her well again. She’ll take care of you then. You can tell that to your wife to if ya want!
newkitman40786.9647222222
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackA friend is a good thing to have!! A friend with a truck who is willing to help you is a great thing to have!!. You are doing good . Better to haul it home and then fix what you find needs attention than to lose your investment ,a rare car and possibly your life by taking chances when you know that there are problems before you begin the trip.
Looking forward to seeing pictures when you get it home,Better yet, make pictures as you bring it along. Afterall,you’re making history.
That my new friend, sounds like an excellent decision. Definitely not worth the risk, the stress, the possible BAD outcome of driving a hand built car with bad brakes!
I’m a firm believer that the vast majority of us don’t need to own a truck…but we all need a friend that does!
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)
Of course in this summer of drought with no rain forecast it rained a
deluge on the way over and more rain on the way back. Serves me right
for thinking I could buy a rag top 🙂 I learned the top and side curtain
PDQ when it came time to roll off the carrier (best $60 investment ever).
Rained all the way home, everything is drying in my woodshop now.
British Coach Works car #222. Registered as an 1985 but surely with that
number it is an earlier build. Zero build/life documentation from the PO
so it’ll be all fluids replaced immediately and sometime on a lift to inspect
the undercarriage although I believe (or would like to) that an 18,000 mile
chassis won’t need much other than routine maintenance.
Brakes better than my original impression, rear springs/shocks are
terrible, I bottomed out all the way home. If the carrier bearing is the
rubber isolated fastener at the end of the tranny I need one, this one is
shot and bolt head is over an inch proud of the frame. Probably what all
that clunking is when downshifting.
I’ll be searching the forum for tips and threads about things I don’t know
so any advice is welcome 🙂
Pictures when it stops raining!
Ed, Glad you got it home safely. Now the fun begins for real.!!
Check in the photo gallery at the top right. Look in Pink MG’s gallery for pics of a BCW trans mount with the engine and trans out of the car.
Look at Chevette trans under Chevy/Ford kits section for a detailed explanation of how to remove the trans and rework the mount.
Ed,
Is the carrier bearing you are referring to a rubber block with a bolt through it under the rear end of the transmission? That’s a transmission mount. They wear out over time. Available at Pep Boys. Could that noise be the bottoming out you referred to?
Don’t confuse springs with shocks. Springs hold the car up. Shocks dampen rebound. Without them a car would dribble down the road like a basketball.
Peter
Larry Murphy wrote:? Ed, Glad you got it home safely. Now the fun
begins for real.!!
?Check in the photo gallery at the top right. Look in Pink MG’s gallery for
pics of a BCW trans mount with the engine and trans out of the car.
?Look at Chevette trans under Chevy/Ford kits section for a detailed
explanation of how to remove the trans and rework the mount.
Couldn’t find either one of those and I really wanted to look, too. Maybe I
don’t know how to search this forum correctly.
Dan
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