I just think it’s cool to own something so unique.  You own a “real” MG TD, people look at it and say “Wow, what is that?,” and the owner says, “Well, it’s a 1952 MG TD!”  And they say “cool” and they move on, because what more can you say?  But when you own an MG TDr, people look at it and say, “Wow, what is that?” and you say, “Well, it’s a 19…[Read more]

Well, I too bought my TDr through eBay sight unseen, although I was the only bidder and didn’t pay that much. In fact, the car turned out to be quite nice for what I paid, and all it really “needed” was a set of new tires. I could have just polished it up and used it as-is, but the seat was too high and too close to the wheel for my comfort,…[Read more]

My MG TDr was very similar, finished by the seller’s father and then left in storage for several years.  Even looked to be the same condition as this car.  The price here certainly seems reasonable, but the purchase price is deceptive.  “Inexpensive restoration” you say?  Thus far I have spent four times on mechanical stuff what I paid for the car…[Read more]

Paul, the problem with the lowered seat bases was that the heater pipe would have had to make a double 90 degree angle and then be pinched down to about an inch and a half. Considering the heater already wasn’t producing heat, I canned the idea. This also let me get rid of the heater controls off the e-brake (which is between my seats), so I…[Read more]

Ironically the satellite receiver does not need to be exposed like that. It could go anywhere under the fiberglass since the fiberglass won’t block the signal. And that gas cap looks weird in that position.

LRH, I have found that EVERYTHING on my car has to be totally custom fitted.  The original builder of my car didn’t follow the instructions, and now I’m kind of doing the seat my own way.

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Your carb/filter looks identical to mine. They came as a set.

How do you like the Weber Progressive carb? I have that carb and it smokes on hard acceleration. Mechanic says this is normal. It’s not oil smoke because it’s black and I have good compression. Personally I think it just needs more adjustment.Also wondered how your Weber fits under the engine cover. My car is also FiberFab and the Weber sits…[Read more]

I had a Porsche Cayman that I bought new and kept in the garage, and all 4 tires dry-rotted within 4 years. The rot was noticeable because the tires started losing adhesion in cornering, then when removed you could see cracking between each row of tread. Replacing them made a world of difference. Get new tires. They are much, much cheaper than…[Read more]

How can you be sure it’s a replica at all? No nubs for wipers, the wheels look like real TD wheels, folding windshield, and the bodywork has wrinkles in it (ahead of the cowl and the rear fender) that are not consistent with fiberglass. In a third world country, it would not be surprising if they fabricated a new grille if the original was…[Read more]

I don’t see any turbo in the pictures. The exhaust is on the left and th intake is on the right. I don’t see any tube leading into the intake from a turbo, and I don’t see a turbo on the exhaust line, although it might theoretically be lower than what the photo shows. If I was selling a turbo, I’d have a real clear photo of it, which is missing here.

You can buy an engine-turned appliqué in whatever size you want off eBay. I think I paid under $10 for a sheet that is 2′ x 2′ (far bigger than I needed but I wanted extra for screw ups). I took a repro TD instrument panel, modified it, then covered it in this material and applied several coats of gloss clear coat. This is good stuff. The…[Read more]

Nevada DMV has a form for this purpose. You need the form anyway to be exempt from smog testing. Google Nevada DMV Form VP-64. Part II, Page 2, applies directly to you. I’d send it but I’m out of town for 10 more days and you can just download the PDFs from the DMV.

George Fisher says you can’t push start a car with an alternator.   Beg to differ. A year ago my battery went dead in my Porsche Cayman and I roll-started it. Neither a generator nor an alternator produces electricity until the car is running, so that is irrelevant. When you push or roll-start a car, you are just using the transmission to ro…[Read more]

My car is exactly like Al’s and Spike’s.

My car was purchased in 1983 from Fiberfab, the steering wheel said “FF” and “FF” is molded into the firewall.  However, there are a number of differences from what is listed in the description above that I don’t think are completely accounted for just by the original builder’s whims:

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“… I do plan to hide the radio to reduce that temptation …”

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I can’t see anyone stealing a TDR.  What would you do with it?  It’s not like there’s a big chop shop operation looking for parts, and where can you drive such an obvious rare (but not terribly valuable) automobile?

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“a lot less expensive to maintain”

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Having just re-done my own dash … I would recommend AGAINST it unless you are ready for a long and difficult journey.  There is no way I would ever make the new dash first before taking off the old one, and there is no way your car will be out of commission for a “short time.”  After going through this, I’ve concluded that to do this right, y…[Read more]