1951 MG TD
This classic MG has been brought back to life [ABOVE] and is as bright and shiny and new as a copper penny. The car was driven from Alaska to the Lehigh Valley nearly 40 years ago ... then put in storage as a future restoration project. BELOW is the car when it came to us, as it sat in the sun for the first time in a long while. We are amazed at how good she still looked, but sitting in a barn for that length of time took a toll on almost every aspect of the car. The owner wanted to bring this car back to its original grandure and then some, and did quite a bit of the work himself.
Vintage in every way ... even the dirt is old. Now with the restoration complete, it's hard to believe it is the same car.
The restoration process began by stripping EVERYTHING off the car, a project that the owner undertook himself in our garage. Care was taken to bag and label every part that could be refurbished and reused, and to make a list of other parts that would need to be replaced, such as anything made of rubber.
Down to the bare bones: The chassis was totally stripped, and all rust problems identified. Any part that had exhausted its usefulness was eliminated and either replaced with a purchased part of refabricated in our shop.
A brace was applied to the frame to keep the alignment true. This is an extremely important procedure because every component that will be returned to this frame will have fit perfectly. If the frame is true, all will go well, and the car will go back together straight and strong.
Our full-time body expert Eddie Cuevas works over the body tub. As you see, an MG TD is not just metal – there are wooden components that require the exacting work of a craftsman.
The basic body components have been restored, and the chassis checked for any warping or rust-through problems. This is the critical "dry fit" stage, just to make sure these two structures fit together perfectly. Once we are satisfied with the fit, the frame will be separated from the body again.
Since we are confident that all parts fit, we continue on to the next step. The body has been now separated from the chassis again so the newly refurbished doors, bonnet, radiator housing, wood components , and fenders all fit the way they were originally intended. At right, you can see the wooden frame of the dashboard is in place.
It's so rewarding when the body is painted and all the freshly restored or new parts start going back in. How about this snazzy color? This is one MG TD that is sure to be seen when it rolls down the street.
Starting to come together and look like a car again, with most of the body panels back in place.