1950 MG TD Restoration

Not all vintage cars that arrive at K&T Vintage Sports Cars
are hulks of rust and horror.

The owner's first car.
1950 MG-TD, lovingly cared for this car since he became
its owner in 1962.

Upon closer inspection of these images you can see that all the love
in the world can't stop the corruption of an MG's life.

This MG beauty is to be a total restoration.

We're a few steps into this restoration already.
After you remove everything this is what is left, a frame.

Frame is straighten, sand blasted removing all rust and dirt . . .
This is the result after the frame is primed and painted.

With the disassembly complete the body is cleaned down to the metal.
Here you see the restoration of the rear.

The wheel wells are hand crafted.
Here you see the inside of the wheel well that is all new metal work.
The wheel well is welded and shaped around a wooden frame.

The exterior of the wheel well shows all new metal and welded.
The form is an exact replica of the original TD design.

The firewall has been totally restored, holes filled and cleaned and sealed.
This is ready for the next step.

The trial fit to the frame.
First the "cab" has to be flush with the line of the frame.
Once this assured the rest of the trial fit can continue.

Part of keeping this restoration, true and accurate, is making sure the rest of the body fits the frame without distortion or any signs of racking.

Making this perfect match is just one of many efforts in the attention to detail that will make this TD a joy to see as well as ride.

As you can see above, the test fit for the body, the frame itself is pristine clean.
The metal body has no primer or paint, and is ready for the painting process.

This starts with a primer coat.

In all metal work the metal must be free of any grease, oil, and rust.
The "tub" of this TD is primed and now ready for the paint booth where many coats of paint are applied.

This is the next step in the progression of rebuilding this TD.
Using the image of the frame above (3rd image down) as a reference, you will notice here the suspension, wheel spindles, and the front shock absorbers have been reattached. The white bar you see up front is part of the attachment to the rack the frame rests on while being restored. The halo around the frame is for better visability.

Every piece of this TD's undercarraige is being brought back to OEM specifications.

Back to the Top

This is the where it begins to be rebuilt. The 1st image is the left side of the engine, 2nd image is the dash, 3rd image the right side of the image and the 4th image the rear of the TD. The "tub" and the engine is married to the chasis. As you can see the metal has been painted as is the engine.

The dash is a special artistic touch in this resoration as the attention to detail and finish is made.
The manifold, the engine struts, the rear license plate holder, all restored to original or better than original condition.
This is where the care in the restoration pays off.

As the progression of this TD continues, the rest of the suspension
is calibrated and the tires are mounted.
The rag top and glass are installed and checked for fit and finish.

The rear view of this TD shows the tire mount and the lights and lenses are in place.
The windshield is set and doors adjused.

The interior, now in place, matches the rear liners and the workmanship shows in the detail.
The carpet is also down since that goes in first before the seats.

The steering wheel is missing, but this image is larger for a better look at the details of this restoration.
This image doesn't quite capture how exacting the fit of all of the components in this TD.