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James,
Yeah the little girls were out there watching me. They were pretty impressed when I made it to the top of the hill and disappeared!
Rich
LOL
Rich, I just noticed something as I was admiring your TD. Your headlight mounts. They are like the real deal mounts rather than the Fiberfab metal straps. I have thought of replacing mine with ones like yours. Did you switch or were they on the TD already? I love them. They really look great. I keep running your trip in my mind and visualizing your TD zooming down the road without snow and the kids with noses to the window
. Thanks for the posting, got me all rev’d up. I posted a link to some videos for a warm-up for spring cruising in another topic area. I already got my Beach Boys MP3’s and 50’s rock ready to play some tunes on the highway 
. I sent Mel (Luvmytd)the video links since he has to wait until June to get behind the TD wheel in Florida.
His baby is a beautiful red also. Hang in there Mel!James
PS I had polished my headlight mounts with the German polish and they turned into bright chrome within seconds. Sweet!
James,
Thanks for the enthusiasm. The whole idea is to work like crazy on these cars and then have lots of fun with them!
And yes, the headlight mounts are original 1952 MG TD. The original owner and builder (Bob) told me that he didn’t like the FiberFab mounts and also didn’t like the fact that the wires went down through holes in the fenders. So he bought original designs, ran the wires through them (they’re hollow), patched and gel coated over the holes, and painted them the same color as the car. I also think it’s a nice touch.
Enjoy the weekend!
Rich
RichBelfay39921.3022453704
All,
Today’s the day. Little Red is now registered and insured. Weather is great, and I have time to clean, polish and ride this week. Life is indeed Good!
Rich
Rich,
Ain’t it great! I put over 100 miles on the Duchess yesterday. It’s supposed to rain here the rest of the week, so I’ll do some more work on her before next weekend. My advice is to polish a little, drive a lot, polish a little more, drive a lot more, repeat as required…….
Have fun,
RingoAll,
Wow, what a day. Put on a lot of miles, Had it up to 75 on the highway and smooth as glass. Could’ve done 90 but I would’ve lost my hat
. The starter seems to have “healed”. Must be temp. is a factor.Got some electrical problems to debug (lights seem to have taken on a life of their own) but other than that it is running GREAT. Directionals stopped working, right front dir light now stays on all the time (as well as the little green directional indicator). Had to disconnect the battery. Any clues or short cuts will be greatly appreciated. I have to get it to pass inspection w/in 7 days.
Thanks,
Rich
I bought the Meguiars Marine one step compound and between rides have been wearing myself out buffing. She’s looking really good.
RichBelfay39930.8354398148
All,
Electrical problems fixed, passed inspection. If you’re in Massachusetts and you see a fast moving red UFO, that’ll be me
Rich
Rich,
Way to go!
You must have a magic touch with the electrical system to get it figured out so quickly.
Stay under the radar!
Ringo
James, FAREOH is selling a set of OEM TD headlight mounts in our classified area…along with a grille shell.
Rich…I’ll bet there are bugs on your teeth from the smile on your face while you cruised. Happy Trails!
Ringo,
Yup, that’s me, the magic touch. I used the multimeter to make sure I had power from the on/off switch and to test and eliminate the suspected foot switch. Then I found the low beam wire under the dash and used my patented “Trace and Jiggle” technique until the lights went on.
One bad splice, now repaired. True genius!Mark, we are having an early spring and the bugs have come along with it. We have mayflies the size of small helicopters and they leave big splats all over the place. Those little side view mirrors seem to catch an awful lot of them.
Very hot today (close to 90), but supposed to get back down to 20 tonight!
All the Best!
Rich
Mark,
I did see those brackets, thanks. I think I’ll wait to see how much longer I have a job. Tough times, but you gotta have some rain to get a rainbow.
James
All,
Well things were just goin’ too good I guess. I went out to get a bottle of wine to go with dinner and never got there. The clutch cable let go at a stop sign about 4 miles from home. There I sat, forlorn, forgot my cell phone, ready to start walking and I remembered, Hey, you don’t need no stinkin’ clutch! Just start ‘er up in first and decelerate to shift. Worked like a charm. Now I just have to get under there again and figure out which end let go. (hopefully not the middle)
I did notice that the clutch was getting increasingly difficult to disengage. Maybe other issues. Let’s hope not.
Half the fun is fixin’ em, half the fun is drivin’ em and the other half is talkin’ about them.
Rich
Oh no
! Glad it worked out. Man, too bad you didn’t already have the wine. That would have been needed when you got back home. Fortunately, I have never had a cable break. My roadster has a hydraulic clutch and has served me well. My replica has the cable. I better check it out. I love the challenge of figuring out what has gone wrong with old cars. Just seems to be a lot of challenges. I can’t deal with the new cars……way too much stuff under the hood and confusing. Give me a good old car and that makes my day. My 52 Chevy, I could get under the hood to work standing next to the engine. Of course that car could go from 0-60 in 3.4 days, but it was fun. You got it dead right in your statement above about the fun. I would like to have that on a tee shirt! Great one! Good luck on the cable. Keep us posted.
James
All,
Good news, the clevis connection at the Trans. disintegrated. It was one that I had to fabricate on my own. Apparently the steel was not strong enough. This time I used heavy gage Stainless. Pain in the butt to do, but 3 hours in and she’s roadworthy again. Cost? $000!
Rich (On the Road Again!)
GOOD SHOW! Since I have the Ford system 4 spd also, but in a smaller engine, I’ll check the condition of mine. Glad to hear it was simple. Thanks for the info.
VROOM VROOM!
James
Wow Rich,
I never noticed the previous owner hinged the hood of your car opposite of most. It is truly “one of a kind”.
I just finished cleaning out the garage and making room for mine.
The company contracted to ship my car put off pickup until Mon night, and won’t deliver until May11-May14.
Hopefully I can occupy myself until then. So far it’s not looking hopeful though, aside from cleaning the garage and making a “home” for the MG, I have gone through every reciept, work order, pamphlet, picture etc… that has to do with the car.I am a incomplete person until it’s arrival. But it definitely helps to see everyone elses progress/adventures/stories on this site. Post more pics!!
Geoff
Geoff,
Yeah, isn’t the hood mount wierd? When I first started working on it, I figured there was some logical reason for it. Not so. It is just a dumb feature to an otherwise very well put together car.
Also, regarding the delivery, all I can say is be patient (easy to say when your car is sitting in the driveway)
. You’ll have lots of time for fun and travel. I think the fact that your Dad built the car is a special treat for you. It would certainly make a big difference to me. There’s a legacy there that I’m sure you will treasure in the years to come. There are memories that I bet will go through your mind every time you drive the car. Look forward to it and enjoy the time with the car when it arrives, even if everything is not perfect. (It probably won’t be, it’s the nature of mechanical and electrical systems).All the Best
Rich
Prologue,
Well, in spite of terrible weather (rain, rain and more rain) I have logged about 2200 miles since early June. This car runs great, plenty of power, very good handling. I’d like to give the brakes a work over but other than that, it’s much more fun to drive than I ever expected (and I expected a lot!).
Today I get to see if it runs as well on a sunny day!
Hope you’re all having as much fun as I am.Rich
Rich,
Sounds like you made it up that hill and over a lot of times. Glad you’re having a great time, don’t forget the sunscreen
. Must have gotten the clutch working well, good job!James
All,
Beautiful day today. I took my dad (84 years old) for his first ride today. Made his whole day!, Mine too! He’s not in the best of health so I don’t know how many more opportunities like this are left. His memory fails him most of the time, but he swears he’ll remember that ride forever
Rich
Rich I wish you many more rides with your Dad. Even if he doesn’t, you will always remember the time spent in you TD with him.
Update:
Just turned 4000 Miles since registering the car in June. It only had 12000 Miles on it and it took the original owner 9 years to do that. I’ve done 1/3 of that since June!!! 16000 miles….and, loving it!
Need to plan some longer trips for the fall. Maybe up to the White Mountains. Hey Rob, I might be passing through Moultonboro in the not too distant future!
Rich
Hi Rich,
Sounds like you are really enjoying the ride!
You need to put the Carlisle Import/Kit Car Show on your Calendar. May 21-23, 2010. Judging by the miles you’ve been putting on, this drive would be nothing.
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)
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