What a great idea! I never thought of getting one of those SUV “tire steps” to use as a luggage rack!
An original MG TD style attaches with four bolts through the rear cover. Regardless of how I brace them under the fiberglass, I’ve always been concerned about stress cracks in the fiberglass.
The Duchess spare tire mount bolts to the steel tubes…[Read more]

Looks great. Nice Ebay find!

Great shots! Thanks!

Good idea!But until we hear from FrankieD…I hope you take the time to cruise through the member photo galleries.Many of us have posted pics of our cars.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

OK, a dollar for every time I’ve been asked, “Is that a real car?” My answer, “Sure is! If I wanted to fix it, I’d restore an original. I prefer to drive it, so I built a reproduction.”The “original” crowds are funny. Some will graciously accept a replica. Some (as you might expect) will turn their noses up. I’ve never taken my Duchess to…[Read more]

Hate to say it…but I saw a spun crank bearing once.It was in a Mopar small block in my neighbors Dodge van. The crank was “frozen.” One half of one of the bearings had somehow come loose and rotated with the crank for about 90 degrees, until it jammed into place.That said…your approach to a diagnosis seems right on target.

Hi Dan,Welcome aboard.You wrote the gelcoat “was” a horror story. If you have to back to where you want…great! If you’re not satisfied yet, take a look at Meguiars line of boat polishes and waxes. Gelcoat is usually a thicker than paint and can stand a lot of polishing.

NJ won’t be the same in NJ without you Mark!

In addition to my Duchess, I have a 65 Plymouth Satellite convertible.
I bought it in Santa Monica CA. I live in New Providence NJ. Had it shipped.
I no longer fear death because now I know what eternity feels like. 🙂
Hang on; your car will come.PMOSSBERG39930.9867013889

Congrats for passing 100 posts Rich.
There are only four TD Replica Studs!
But Ringo will soon join us!PMOSSBERG39927.5137384259

Hi John,
Welcome aboard.
Would you be able to post some pics of the car and chassis? That should help us help you id the car and start on the “diagnosis”.
The manuals for a Chevette based CMC replica are avaiable in the Download Manuals section. Perhaps not the manufacturer of your kit. But the chassis diagrams in that manual might help you…[Read more]

I’m away from home, but when I return  will photograph the front license bracket on my Duchess. It’s basically a piece of flat steel welded to a steel tube that fits between the front bumper springs. A threaded rod runs through the bumper springs and the tube and is held on with two acorn nuts.
Very easy and cheap to fabricate.PMOSSBERG39918.7584259259

Twice the fun! Thanks for the pics Larry

Hey newbie Monti,
Welcome aboard.
Please post your “centers” and  “fuel sender unit” in two new posts, with topics that match the content.
You’ll have a far greater chance of getting a reply. And future forum searches will have a far greater chance of finding your topics, if they are searching for something similar.
To all…it bears…[Read more]

Prototype Research (a Canadian company) still makes a VW based TD replica. But they are very expensive. $20k plus
http://www.prototyperesearch.com/
Here is more info on the MG TF replica that Mark mentioned. Alternative Cars from New Zealand. I’ve seen their car at the Carlisle show. Nice piece! Not sure of…[Read more]

I pulled together all the companies from my and Mark’s notes below. I mentioned a few, then Mark mentioned two more. Then I added contact info. It was all getting hard to follow. So here is the list in one place:American Collectors: http://www.americancollectorsins.com/
Grundy http://www.grundy.com
JC Taylor http://www.jctaylor.com
Heacock…[Read more]

A clarification…ALL of the companies I included above are insurance agencies or brokers that specialize in classic cars (and other specialty risks).They each have at least one insurance company with whom they place the insurance.There are no direct writers that specialize in classic cars (a direct writer is a company like GEICO that does…[Read more]

Mark,I was hoping your first ride story would include the explanation of your “pinkmg” screen name!For all of you in love with TDs since childhood and even those who were smitten later in life, I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of “The Red Car” by Don Stanford, first published in 1954. It’s a great story of one young man’s introduction to an…[Read more]

I agree with all of the above.
A good friend is in the middle of an original MG TD restoration. “In the middle” is being kind. After a few years, the frame is pretty clean, the engine is “over there” in the corner of the garage, the body parts are “up there” in the rafters of the garage. You get the picture!
In 1981-1982, I was about to buy a Fiat…[Read more]