Is hopping up a MG TD off or on topic?

I have a real itch for a MG TD. I figure it can corner and stop decently. How can I get such a little motor have more pep? Is there a British Leyland engine that fits? How much more power can the transmission and rear end take? Or what can you do with 1500cc's?



Thanks in advance,

Matt

 

I don't think that it is entirely off-topic, but you might have better luck with answers at an MG board.

a cosworth vega motor in there would make more power

 

I always kind of defined "hot rodding" as making a car handle and perform better than it was delivered from the factory.

I have zero idea what kind of abuse the rear end, trans, etc. will take...but, I would think a '57 Chevy rear end would handle anything you'd throw at it, plus it has posi. A good header, lots of head work, raise the compression, add a cam...you know, HOT ROD STUFF!

It's from the era, I think it'd be on-topic.

-Brad

OH! I just happened to think: Iron Duke 4-cylinder! Or a Pinto engine. Weren't those used in the small sportsman roundy-round classes? Put a little American muscle under that bonnet.

 

If done in a Trad way, On Topic, in my opinion.

I have seen some Custom TD's in the old Little Books,
There were V8 powered Gassers,
And there were plenty of MG TD's that were hopped up with period pieces ( but kept their 4 Cyls)

Unless you are going to drop a Honda 16 Valve engine in it, then no, its Off Topic...

Edit.

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_accessories_superchargers.htm

 

My dad had an MG TD before I was born, that he had stuffed an early '50s Cadillac overhead valve engine into. The engine came out of a wrecked Caddy from the junkyard. It had pipes coming out the side of the hood like on a Deusenberg that fed back down through the fenders to some dual exhausts. He said it was pretty fast and the front would pull up in the air when he stomped on the gas. He twisted the rear axles twice over the period of a few years. The rear end gears held up, but the axles couldn't hack it. He sold it when I was born in 1959 and that was the end of his hot rodding days. He has an article about it from a car magazine from around 1958, but no pictures. It looked pretty cool. It was gold with wire wheels and he had painted the grill red and white checkerboard. It was last seen in the Philadelphia, PA area about 47 years ago!

 

Please do not cut up another MG TD. There are plenty that have already been converted to V8 power, please leave the decent originals in peace.

Best place I can suggest for info is www.britishcarforum.com.

A period-correct supercharger is the best option; just about anything else will make the MG purists despise you. Trust me on this one. A performance rebuild can do well too but will cost a pretty penny. Moss Motors sells some great stuff to make these cars go but it is PRICEY.

 

Not off topic at all, unless you ignore the research done by Dave & Cliff Ziems of northwestern Ohio in the late 1950s when they stuffed a 265-283 SBC into one and went to the drags.

They found out that the combo could go like the proverbial STINK, but the chassis couldn't keep up.

You wanna rebuild the underpinnings, or you wanna live? Choose one.

 

all MG's are ghey.

TD's are gheyer.

Anyone who wants to owns an MG is flaming ass pirate.

(btw. TD's all came w/ XPAG engines 1275 cc, The later TF's came with the XPEG engine 1500 cc)

so that being said, i am working on my TD which i am going to tweak into a period 50's road racer. basically I am going to pinch most of the specs from a TD/C. The tranny's and the rear ends are bulletproof. The entire car is way over enginered for what the engine produces (even hopped up)

If you are going to build a hot TD, start with a stock one, then modify it. I want to immediately started hot rodding mine, someone wiser and older told me to take my time and start at the basics before I went apeshit. I was pleased to find that it is a very wonderful little car to drive (other than it is slow by todays standards).

I can post some of the TD/C specs later.

here is mine TD 2176 (early 1950):

 

I'd be interested, assuming you didn't hack it up too much. A period-correct road racer sounds cool.

EDIT: Just saw the picture, she looks great. Most MG guys will like it if it has been modified to improve the experience without completely bastardizing it.

Every other week there's a link to an eBay auction of an old drag car TC or TD on the Brit forums labled "Look what these barbarians did to this poor car!"

 

Re: Is hopping up a MG TD off or on topic?

Seeing how Ryan has a feature story on a 50s sports car on the Journal and this pic is from a 1961 HRM, I would say quite on topic.

 

Years Ago a friend had one that he ran at the drags. It was a real pitty, so under powered. Hilborn injected 401 nailhead, 4 speed. Ran in the street Roadster class.

He did it in such a way that it was bought by a guy who restored it back to a Gay vehicle.

 

If they can build hot rods out of Anglias, Prefects, Austin A40's and other small Engish cars of the 30's to 50's, why not an MG TD? Go for it!

A mate over here put a SBF (289) in an MGA in the 60's. Went like the clappers, but it kept tearing the centres right out of the factory wire wheels, so I'd say definitely go for a builder car with the original steelies like in the photo.

MGB's were actually built with V8's in them toward the end of production. (rubber bumper and GT models) It was the alloy Buick 3.5 litre, which you'll also find in wrecked Land Rover and Rangerover V8's up until about 1995, so that would be a 'traditional' swap in my books. They make plenty of grunt stock, soup up really well, and are also nice and light, probably lighter than the 1500cc cast iron engine that's in the car now.

I don't think you can get a lot of power out of the original 4 banger. They went to 1800cc in the B series and bore out to about 1920cc, but a seriously souped up one hasn't got a lot of advantage over a stocker. The head's the major problem I believe. A 2 litre Pinto OHC engine and gearbox would be a good swap, and the Pinto diff would probably be narrow enough to fit too.

If you want to go exotic, try to find a 2.5 litre Daimler V8 engine. They're a 'hemi' with cast iron block and alloy heads. An awesome looking litle engine, but hard to find these days. I('m cursing myself for mising out on a comlete rebuilder for $30 last week!)

Good luck, sounds like fun and something that will have the 'purists' tearing their hair out!

Cheers, Glen.

 

Mazda rotary power! FTW!!

 

Actually, it was 1973-1975, and they made 2,591 of them. They were chrome (and some early rubber bumper) GTs (the coupe). Only one was ever legally imported into the US, I know for a fact that there are at least two now. You are right in the assumption that the alloy V-8 is lighter. Put the Buick 300 heads and crank in and you have an aluminum 5 liter 'Vette killer that weighs next to nothing.

Please do not cut up an MG TD. There are plenty of MGBs just waiting for someone to stuff the Rover V8 in there. These cars (early postwar models) were designed to take corners fast, and not much else. Cutting it up and stuffing a V8 in there defeats the entire purpose.

Thank God, I can sleep now. No offense, but I wouldn't trust you guys around my sisters, let alone my MGs.

 

i am thinking a VTEC honda, purple metal flake, and some daytons

I had to get the car running in short notice as I lost storage on it. But first I have to pay some foxy bills, then I can get to work on it.

probably going to build a TD/C stage 3 head. I may even copy the original TD headers just for period effect. 1 1/2" SU's (but I have the remains of a Judson supercharger for it). Then i'll scoot on down to either Dema Elgin or Senor Crower and get a cam ground for it. (nothing to hot, just a little bit of this and smidge of that) Maybe up the compression to a whopping 9:1

I found a real live TD/C, this one was lowered 2" in the front atleast, but the lower A arms are in the stock location and parrallel to the ground like a stock un'...how they did it I dont know. The rear was also dropped 2". It still had the extra Andrex shocks all the way around...I would love to find some of those (or atleast one to make some copy's of)

give it a nice paint job (old english white, red under fenders and running boards, and a matte black tank)

 

Sweet! Those Judson blowers can actually be overdriven about 25%. Which 1 1/2" SUs are you planning on running? HS4? HIF4?

 

most likely the one's that came on the MG B's...as they are so common. Though I did find half of an old Algon fuelie set up for a v8, hmmm

oh...remember boys and girls that an MG TD/C held LSR records at Bonneville in the 50's (it was the push car for ex-179, so while it was there they used it to set a few more records)

 

The MGB used the HS4s up until 1971 I believe, and then the HIF4s until 1974 1/2. Go with the HS4s if you can.

 

There was a TD with a V8-60 in it that was in competition in California in the early 50's and may still be for all I know. Supposedly it did not handle as well as the stock one's but had more power. The TD XPAG engine is rated at around 54 hp but I have heard that if you put one on a rear wheels dyno it will one show around 26 hp or so. I have one that drives me crazy most of the time but I still love the darned thing better than anything else I have. Check out the MG Vintage Racers website for pictures of race prepared TD's. Be aware they can really get into your blood and you hotrod pals will think you are weird.

 

A fellow HAMB'r once told me that we in wierd cars, but that I was into cars that were really odd by any normal HAMB standards...or something like that.

You forgot that the other problem w/ the v8 60 was that it spent alot of time boiling.

going to check out that site right now!

 

When I was a teenager In Florida,a common and simple
swap was installing a B series Volvo engine.I don't think that I would want to retrofit a nice original TD though.It's funny how this thread came up today,as I was just thinking about the same thing myself.

 

What the hell, let's just go whole hog on this MG orgy. Check out You Tube and find a video "Jeff Brown 1950 MGTD #514 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix". Vintage racing looks like a lot of fun in one of these.

 

You have no idea the unmitigated joy that brings to my hot rodder heart....

I think a V8-60 would look cool as hell in one of those.

 

Or you could go with an MG TC...although there's 1-1/2" SU's on this now, when I'm finished it'll be running an Eaton M45 supercharger.

 

T-Bone, you are in my prayers. May your mortal soul burn in hell for all of eternity.

 

I wondered when you were going to jump in here Damnfingers.

 

now I am jealous, when I was 10, I got a chance to ride in a TC all over Carmel by the Sea and 17 mile drive. I was never the same since then. So what have you done to the TC? inquiring minds must know.

 

i think you are going to fit right in here. my dream has always been to drop in an Offy midget motor mated to the TD tranny. would be nice and sneaky, and even traditional.

 

Shorrock Supercharger. Alfin brakes. Wilson pre-selector trans. Boranni wire wheels. Brooklands screens.

Yep....

 

Buy a Morgan plus 8 and be done with it.