In 1964 my 1938 Morgan 4/4 was showing its age, as it had cable brakes, heavy steering and lacked performance from the little Coventry Climax engine. I was impressed with a friend’s recently acquired 1938 MG TB. Although it was the same age as the Morgan it seemed to be a superior car with stronger brakes and more positive steering. I was very interested when I heard that the local garage had a 1953 MG TD for sale, on the assumption that the newer TD would be even better than TB and I was proved not to be disappointed. The TD had suffered accident damage and had been repaired by the garage who were selling the car, after having bought the salvage from the owner involved in the accident. The damage had been to the front apron and the chassis, which they had successfully straightened. A colleague, an insurance motor engineer, confirmed the repairs had been done well, so I went ahead and bought LGB 434 just before Christmas 1964. The car was black, with black and white chequered radiator slats, green seats and trim and a grey hood. The recently resprayed front wings and bonnet gleamed and it was a pity to have to take it out in the worst of the winter weather.

  Although the TD was only eleven years old it had been superseded by a number of newer models, the latest at the time being the successful MGB. Therefore I found that parts were not always readily available off the shelf at the local BMC dealers. Independent motor factors were an alternative but many trade counters did not encourage sales to DIY enthusiasts, in comparison to how things are today. A market did exist in used spares sourced from ads in Exchange and Mart. I sometimes travelled to Archway Engineering in Manchester who specialised in reconditioned parts and I remember purchasing from them the steering rack from a YB saloon, which I was able to adapt to fit the TD. Not much was needed by way of spares during the first year or so of ownership, other than the usual consumables such as hoses, speedometer cables and petrol pumps (nothing much has changed there). That was until travelling down a country lane one evening in summer I met a local farmer taking a bend on the wrong side and we hit each other head on. Fortunately no one was injured and the TD survived the impact far better than the farmer’s Austin 1100. However, the resulting damage almost repeated the accident damage it had sustained when I bought the car and I had to suffer the embarrassment of taking it back to the garage (who knew the car) and ask them to repair the same damage a second time. The front chassis members had to be jig straightened and the chrome radiator surround beaten out yet again. My insurers quibbled at the cost of £80 (and a long wait for a supply) for a replacement chrome radiator surround and although the repairers did a good job it was left with one or two slight wrinkles.

  A holiday in Cornwall had to be curtailed when a noise developed from the rear axle. The local main dealers in Plymouth diagnosed the crown wheel assembly within the axle was loose and repair was likely to be expensive. I set off on the 340 miles for home not knowing if the differential would hold together for even the next mile. The journey at a gentle speed took me over twelve hours. Once home the axle was stripped down only to find it in perfect condition with minimum wear. Despite everyone who examined the car agreeing that the noise was apparently coming from the rear I eventually traced the problem to be a front wheel bearing, which was swiftly replaced and the problem cured.

  Many miles and two years later the main engine bearings failed during a motorway journey. It was then I found the engine had three oversize pistons (+.040″) from a previous rebore and owing to a cracked cylinder, one smaller one, in a liner, The liner was definitely not MG ( I think it was originally identified as belonging to an Opel) and it protruded beneath the cylinder but obviously did not foul the con rod. As the engine had run well with this arrangement I had little choice other than replace the piston together with new bearings and reground crankshaft we were on the road again. I still have one of the old pistons I replaced as a souvenir paper weight.

A few Rallies and Driving Tests organised by the MG Car Club (no MG Owners’ Club in those bygone days) and Morecombe Car Club were attempted but without any significant successes. However the TD easily handled the ‘three ply’ roads of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales taking them in its stride without the need of a sump guard regarded as a necessary accessory by the Mini Coopers in those days. The twin Lucas spot lights were angled to illuminate the bends on those twisting roads and another lamp was also used as an essential reversing light.

After five years of pleasurable ownership the usual family requirement led to the TD being sold. I had contacted a Major in the American Airforce, based at Menwith Hill near Harrogate in Yorkshire, who was keen to buy MGs. On visiting the base I saw a number of TCs already there. He explained to me that on returning home the service would freight his cars and other possessions for free. As his family were from San Francisco he was aware of the interest in such cars in California and knew that he would have no trouble selling the car when he wished to do so. Although his family and the TD were shortly to be repatriated to the USA his next duty was in Vietnam. That was the last I saw of LGB 434 and I would like to believe the major returned home to enjoy many US miles in the car and who knows, with many re-imported cars over the years it may have found its way back to the UK.

About the time I sold the TD, Malcolm, who is a friend of mine acquired a brand new MGB GT registered CUK 405J from Bradburn and Wedge in Wolverhampton. He chose Blue Royale for the colour, with black interior, wire wheels and an overdrive gearbox. He continued to run it for 18 years and 128,000 miles as his everyday car until 1988 when he bought a modern family saloon.

 Being an acquaintance, I was aware of him having the car and could remember travelling in it on at least one occasion when I first met him during the early 80s. It came up in conversation one day that he still had the car locked away in his garage. He had kept it for sentimental reasons and had no particular intention of selling, hoping that one day he would find the time to put it back on the road. However he decided that as he did not have time to spend on the car himself, the next best thing was to allow me to persuade him to part with it, on the basis that as I lived locally he would have the pleasure of seeing it on the road again.

I therefore became an MG Owner again in May 1996 and as a first priority I joined the MG Owners’ Club. there was a pleasant familiarity in my reaquaintance with an MG. In addition, I was pleased to find that the availability of spares and accessories not to mention the cost, had vastly improved since my experiences with the TD all those years ago.

Although it had been stored in a garage for eight years, nothing on particular had been done when laying up the car. Surprisingly the tyres inflated and with a bit of coaxing the engine fired up but had to be turned off quickly owing to oil spurting from a split oil cooler. The car was still very original in every way and a programme of restoration was required. My first tasks were to replace the oil cooler, clean the gunged up engine, change all the oils and fluids and replace some of the body panels. New batteries, door locks, hoses petrol tank, door glass and sundry other items followed. An MoT was acquired after some further welding and a fresh windscreen being fitted. The car was on the road again in November 1996 but the engine lacked power and was burning oil. Resetting the timing and cleaning a re-tuning the carburettors resulted in some improvement but I realised that with the mileage the car had covered and knowing that Malcolm had not had any major work done on the engine it was probably going to require some intensive care before long. This was confirmed by compression readings of 95, 100, 120 and 130 lb sq” from cylinders 1 – 4.

 Putting off the evil day with regard to the engine rebuild, I continued with replacement of the original seats and carpets and swapped the old static belts for inertia ones. The Blue Royale paint is mostly original, having only been resprayed on the replaced lower panels and after a few hours with some cutting compound and a clean and polish I was well pleased with the result. After a further 2000 miles and despite careful use, the engine finally blew a head gasket. Suspecting the possibility of a cracked head in addition to other faults and also aware that the bearings were now beginning to rattle, I decided it would be an opportune time to fit a replacement engine with an unleaded head. Maybe the bad experience with the TD was in the back of my mind as I opted for a replacement engine rather than attempting to recondition the original. Much more work still remains to be done on the rest of the car but MG owners know all about that.

At least another MG is back on the road again and I am know enjoying MG motoring once more and hope to continue for many more years than with my first. Ideally another TD as a stablemate for the MGB would be nice and who knows, LGB 434 may still be out there somewhere, but could I afford to buy it second time? I am sure that the asking price would now be considerably more than the £250 I paid in 1966.

Les Sugden