British-Cars.org

Welcome to the DMR Site for British Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - TF Luggage Rack Maker

I almost threw away this rack as it was so beat up. On closer examination, I became convinced it was worth saving. It appears to have been hit at some time with resulting bent rods and the right hand mount bent out of line. The mount is chrome plated bronze. Someone had reassembled it using undersized bolts so it rattled and beat up the spare tire MG medal.
Photo is how it looked when I got the car.
I have decided to restore this thing as it fits my criteria for a TF rack. My chrome guy has it now for straightening and rechrome.
What kind of rack is this? Who made it?

Dick Lambert

Dick
Who's your chrome guy?...I'm going to need him this Winter....
Is it "Chrome-It"?
Edward
E.B. Wesson

No, I found a guy in Decatur that does stellar work called Pro Plating. Garry Michael is the owner, a real character, but first class polishing and chrome.

404-298-0989
620 Valley Brook Rd
Decatur GA


Come on guys, who made is rack?
Dick Lambert

Looking at it , I believe there might be some missing pieces..On most racks, there are 2 "struts", one on each side, that are a dual finction, One, they hold the rack in an upright position,(so it doesn't beat up your spare) and two, they hold it in a horizontal position when it is in use...

SPW
STEVE WINCZE

Looking a bit closer, mabey the bracket where the rack swivels is supposed to keep it either in the verticl or horizontal position,, If it does hit the spare, another thought is that it was made for a TD and not a TF????
STEVE WINCZE

Steve, you are correct that the rack is positioned by the cutouts on the mount pivot point. I will replace the mickey mouse 1/4" pivot bolts that were not tightened with proper 3/8" bolts snugged down for a friction fit. It should fit away from the spare with the right bolts. If not, I would guess it is a TD rack.
I wouldn't trust much weight on the rack without a Dave Braun support.
Dick Lambert

Or this one that I made out of Mahogany,,,


STEVE WINCZE

Wooops, Sorry Steve I didn't realize you were the originator of the support beam. A great, logical idea. Any comments on using 3/4 birch plywood rather than mahogany - I'm concerned with possibly splitting even though I love the mahogany look. Also, Dave B reinforced his velcro with fabric, did you do that as well?
I just had a call that my rack is ready to be picked up, can't wait to see how it came out.
Dick Lambert

Dick,
I do use velcro to hold it in place on the the rack and bumper. One added benifit, it acts as a stableizer wing when we are using the 5 speed to its fullest extent!!!!!!!!
I'm sure you could use plywood, but I would think that over time, it might start to split, especially where the velcro is screwed into the grain. Oak should be inexpensive and would look good...

SPW

STEVE WINCZE

Dick
thanks for the info....Will come in real handy.
Edward
E.B. Wesson

SW,

What is that little wheel at the stern? A wheelie wheel? Would love to see that, my 5 speed would never do that.

Regards,
Jim
James Neel TD28423

Edward Wesson, Contact me via email.

dlamb11 at mac.com

I think I saw that you were not too far away.

Dick Lambert

Jim,
Not wheelie wheels,,, They are caster wheels that I put on the "Rubbermaid" waterproof luggage, swivel on one end and stationary on the other. When we get to the hotel, I can just take it off of the rack, attach the bungie cords to it and roll it into the room.
.
.
.

SPW

STEVE WINCZE

My luggage rack is back from the plater all straight and shiny.
I still have no idea who made this thing.
It fits the TF perfectly and is pretty robust. I will make up a support bracket eventually. I wanted a low rider, easy operation and clears the spare well.

Dick Lambert

This is the key part of how it works, just folds back and forth in this cut pivot point. The brass nut is just a temporary - I'll use an elastic lock nut. All bolts, nut and washers are stainless.

Dick Lambert

Since I did like the idea of moving the carrying part down every time I should use, and then having to make some support from the bumper and up, I made another construction. I always leave the rack up, but add this little thing to hold the weight of a suitcase.

Raymond Wardenaer

Since I did not like the idea...
That is what I meant to write.
Raymond Wardenaer

Dick:
Love your rack. It looks perfect. It is so simple, as a good design should be, and it addresses all the normal rack problems. Just what I have been seeking for years!

Is the bracket cast as a single piece or did it appear to be fabricated?

Also would you be willing to send me a tracing of the left and right brackets and dimensions of the rack? I think that this design would be very easy for me to reproduce since there would probably be zero chance of finding one.

Godspeed in Safety Fast
Jc
John Crawley

JC, I'm glad you like the rack. I almost heaved it in the trash - cost me some bucks to fix, but it turned out far better than I expected.
My prior owner says it was on the car when he bought it in 1960 in Houston TX.
Since the rack is back on the car, getting accurate measurements will be dicey. I'll photograph it in detail for you with as accurate dims as possible.
Since the brackets are cast bronze there surely were a lot of them made, but who and where. I've seen a similar rack that was welded brackets, but looks a little light weight.

Dick Lambert

Thanks Dick:

That would be good of you. No matter what I produce it will not take away from the exclusiveness of your rack as it will always be original and whatever I do will be only a repro.

A shot of each part with a tape measure in the Pix would do it just fine. Send them to my e-mail if you wish.

Bronze casting is not as expensive as one would think once the pattern is made and patterns are primarily wood work. My thought is that a nice MG logo on the outside of the bracket with the tightening knob on the inside would look pretty good. Somewhere on the net I found a supplier of knobs that came in all sizes and finishes from chrome to plastic. If I remember right there was a chrome one with knurled edges and with screw attached.

Thanks
Jc
John Crawley

This thread was discussed between 17/07/2011 and 29/07/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join this live forum now