Hey Montie,No, not like what is in the download manuals section.I have actual schematics for a Classic Roadsters VW based Duchess.

Montie,I have the schematics for my Duchess, but it is a VW based car. regardless, if you think they will help, I’ll scan them and email them to you.

Hi Chuck,Yup. Get used to the noise! It’s a fiberglass, open car. Go out for a really long drive…and I mean really long. I drove my Duchess to Cincinnati one year, then to Indianapolis the next (from NJ). Once you do drives like that you become somewhat immune to the car noise. LOL.If the front body assembly really does seem loose, you probably…[Read more]

Montie,
Car looks great! Are those A/C vents under the dash?
Re the electrical problems. Odd, because they all would seem to be on different circuits. But if you are certain about the fuses, I would start with loose or bad grounds.
The harness for my Duchess had a main ground line that handled anything going to the dash. No idea how your’s is…[Read more]

Long arms!
Actually, it’s pretty easy. Here are a two approaches.
If you have an electricians “fish line”, the stiff wire that they use to pull wiring, just run it into the tunnel through the front access panel, atttach it to the shift rod and pull the rod out.
If you don’t have that, a long broom stick will work. Just slide it in, attach it with…[Read more]

Ed, I think the shortened shift rod is still too long to pull it through the inspection plate. The center tunnel is not high enough to get you the clearance you need to tilt the shift rod.I’m relying on memory, so it’s worth a shot. But I don’t think it will work.

Hi chuckles,
What manufacturer TD do you have?
On my Duchess, the grill attaches to the front of the bodywork and comes no where near touching the axle.
Also…when you get a chance, please click the link inmy signature to go to the registry thread and post your owner and car info! Thanks
 

Like Dale, I made dinner reservations with the speedster club.
Now I gotta get the brakes done on my Duchess. I started having trouble at the end of last summer. But put ‘er away for the winter without tending to the problems. Spring is around the corner…back to work!

Wow. Scary story Larry. Glad it ended well!

Hey Al,
OK, major “duh” on my part. I see it now (after your comments!).
Those latches have nothing to do with whether or not the main latch holds. But if it does pop, them form a block to keep the door from flying open.

ED,
I’m not sure I see the value in Mr. Harthof’s product.
If you door is going to pop open, it will not be because the spring loaded latch moved. The male portion of the latch will simply pop out of the femail portion beucase of vibration.
The only thing the extra latch might do is keep you from acidently pulling back on the lever. Although from…[Read more]

Hmmm…
Chuckles, tell your fiancee to try again!
Way back in 1989, my wife and I used my Duchess as our “Wedding Car”.
Nov 24 1989, the Friday after Thanksgiving. It snowed a half a foot on Thanksgiving day in New Jersey, first Thanksgiving snow in 50 years. My wife’s gown had a low cut back…meaning her back against the cold vinyl.
We had a blast!
 

That TC based race car is Sweet witha capital “S”! Thanks Ed.
I have one of those brass Abingdon ID plates. Bought it years ago at Carlisle Import/Kit Car show. Never got it engraved with my VIN. I should dig it out!

Ed,
My most “VW-expert” friend says to just remove the old switch and quickly screw in the replacement. No air will get in.PMOSSBERG40247.371099537

Don,
The wiring from the battery is the same, regardless of where the battery is located.
The cable from the negative battery terminal is usually grounded to the chassis, not to the engine block.
 

Yes. And it’s not a dumb question. If you haven’t seen a proper assembly, it’s reasonable to ask.The spring loaded dowel on the latch is supposed to be seated in the hole when the door is fully closed. The “notch” is just a secondary safety stop, in case the door pops.

Hi guys,The adjustable beam is used to RAISE the ride height.When you do this right, you remove leaves from the torsion tubes, softening the front suspension for a better ride.The softer suspension, with the same weight on it, will result in the front end settling down a bit. The adjustable beam is used to bring the ride height back to where it should be.

Good luck Greg. It’ll be intersting to see your results.That said, I’ve been driving my Duchess since 1983, with the original style TD latches and have NEVER had a door pop open.

Hi Don,From a good friend in PA who has built or restored literally dozens of kit cars:You need to go through a MV 426B vehicle inspection process at a PennDot Enhanced Inspection location. i.e. a private garage. This involves having receipts and a donor title in hand ….. best to have just bill of sale stating that the vehicle was purchased by…[Read more]

Heck, anyone that could buy a $60,000 TD Replica should just pony up and buy an entire replica company!Yes that’s right folks. For just a few bucks more, well $95,000 total to be exact, you can own TG Sports, the New Zealand based manufacturer of an MG TF replica. I have seen these cars and they are beautiful.
The kit builds up on Mazda MX5 Miata…[Read more]