New Project Excitement—At Any Age!
T o hot rodders of all ilk there’s nothing as exciting as embarking on a new project. It seems space is the only limi- tation to how many ‘new’ projects rodders enjoy taking on. While cruising through a local online auction I spotted an item that spurred me to sign up and get set to bid online for the first time. The item was a ‘54 MG TF two-seat roadster, and the bid was $250 with no action for days. No other information was available, but a photo showed it was complete with no visible damage. It seemed like a great buy and ever since meeting my wife she’s been quick to point out her love of a ‘30s “roadster with cut- down doors.” I think she watches too many Italian love stories twisting through seaside mountains, lovers side-by-side in an exotic, swooping sports car. The MG is far from that exotic sports car in performance, but a major facelift for the first year of the TF in 1953 did take its design out of the ‘30s and transformed it into a very striking roadster. As the final day of the online auction began winding down the bidding had creeped up to $2,250 and I was winning. The excitement of win- ning, getting it running, and giving it to my wife for our 20th wedding anniversary had me rethink- ing what I might be willing to pay for it as the bids started pouring in, keeping the auction on this car active for half an hour after closing. The good news is after the buyer’s premium her anniversary present cost $600 less than my maximum and another project was born. Space wasn’t an issue since the diminutive size of a ’54 MG allowed us to roll it onto our patio, and we had fun cleaning, polishing and learning about all the controls after its 39-year hibernation. The title arrived several weeks later and with 29k on the odometer, a new battery and some fuel vapor sprayed into the twin SU carbs, it coughed and wanted to run. Compared to several other projects in my shop I decided getting the MG running would be a quick one with the promise of a fun cruise, albeit around the neighborhood. Our library had a copy of “Factory-Original MG T-Series” so we quickly learned a lot of history and obtained a copy of Moss Motors catalog where every single nut, bolt and washer is called out in illustrations, most avail- able today. The electric fuel pump wasn’t working and the fuel line had crumbled into dust under-
neath the braided stainless cover. Banjo-style fit- tings make replacement expensive and limited, so the hot rodder in me started coming out and it felt good. Not wanting to spend too much money before finding out if it even runs and how the dri- vetrain works, I decided to drill and tap small alu- minum blocks with fittings to accept a ‘parts store rubber hose with a clamp’ to replace the banjo fit- tings on the SU carbs. I was back on the mill and lathe making a mess in my clean shop, challenging myself with a project that wouldn’t drag out for three or four years. I’ve learned a lot about British auto manufactur- ing from the early ‘50s and when it comes to engi- neering, fasteners and fittings, the name Rube Goldberg comes to mind. By 1954 car manufactur- ers hadn’t used a wood framework covered with sheetmetal for their bodies for decades, but MG was still using the old technique and even includ- ed a hand crank for the engine as standard equip- ment. With elegant headlights stamped into the flowing front fenders (late ‘30s Ford style), a laid- back all-chrome grille and that long hood, the ’53- 55 MG TF was the companies last design effort before removing the fenders altogether on the newly designed MGA. In Britain these roadsters are lovingly called “oily rags,” and evidence shows that may be true, but my wife and I are falling in love with it as we get closer to cruising in the ‘roadster with the cut- down doors.’ Tom Vogele tomvogele@verizon.net
8 NOVEMBER 2025
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