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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 - Rear Suspension for TF

After 49 years of ownership, its time to replace the rear springs, bushes, shackles, etc. on my TF.

Research has shown that new rear springs from Moss or other, are in my opinion, excessive on a retiree budget, especially since they are heavy and I expect shipping will be high; plus I have to add duty, taxes,etc, making them too rich for my blood.

A local spring shop will make a new pair for me for about $150 CAD which seems reasonable when compared to a landed price of over $350 for Moss, etc.

However it is incumbent on me to supply the spring specs.

A) Does anyone know the rear spring specs for a TF? Or know where they can be obtained?

B) Alternately, does anyone have accurate numbers for weight distribution?

C) As a wild 3rd option, is there any guru out there that could offer some info about composite-material springs?

I will be going to the International MG Show and Spares Day at Stonleigh on Feb. 16th, and I'm hoping to get more info then.

Whatever info I get, will be shared.

Regards,


Gordon A. Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
CANADA
gordclark@securenet.net
A. Clark

Hi, I remember seeing a December 2002 posting on TF rear spring specifications. Hopefully this will be all you need.
Good Luck!
Dennis
D F Sexton

Regarding C.) Can't seem to locate my safron robe, but here goes anyway: A couple of years ago, Doug Jackson of British Automotive(mgbmga.com), indicated that he had provided a set of composites for one of his customers, but at that time he hadn't gotten any feedback on the installation. Probably worth pursuing except from the large bite it will remove from your retirement fund.
George B.

Dear George,

Thanks for your input. I will try to chase it up, but you have induced a case of "wallet syndrome", a disease I am already fully familiar with.

Regards,

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
A. Clark

Gordon:
If memory serves me, the Blower M - TF workshop bible, had spring diagrams and specs for most all the models.

Safety Fast

Paul
Paul

Dear George,

I checked with the Doug Jackson site, and it seems that most of the work with composite springs has been done for the MGB, but I was immediatly discouraged of taking it any further. It reeks of $$$$!

By skimming the rest of his site, it looks like everything is custom-engineered, and is almost certainly beyond my retirement budget, as I am in fact, retired. My TF is supposed to be fun, not an on-going engineering project.

My quest is for better reliability without destroying the original appearance, or giving the impression of being a hot rod.

Regards,

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
A. Clark

Thanks Paul for your input, too.

I have books by Smith, Thornly, McComb and others, and I think I have a copy of Blower ... somewhere.

Section I of the factory Workshop Manual is excellent, but still lacks spring specs for the TF, and I am still under the impression that the springs for the TF and the TD are not the same; to wit the Moss catalogue.

I shall continue my search.

Again,

Thanks,

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
gordclark@securenet.net
A. Clark

Gord, on page 21 of the TD/TF Workshop Manual, it shows the specs for a TF rear spring. You are correct in your assumption that the TF springs are different than those for a TD as shown on page 6. With this information, any good spring shop should be able to refurbish your springs to their original spec. If the spring leaves are not broken, you should be able to retemper them to as new condition for a lot less than other alternatives. If you dont have the Manual, I will send you the specifics via email.
Jim Merz

Check the archives, as this was discussed just last Nov Sept ,,,, the specs of the TD and TF springs were given,,,, I can't remember the exact title of the thread though.... but it's there,,,
steve

Hello again. Following is the December 2002 archive posting by Jay Dyck which I referred to in my earlier posting.

The MG midget Series TD and TF Workshop Manual AKD580A
MG TF SPRING SPECS
Type Half-elliptic
Length 42 in (107.95 cm.)
Width 1 1/2in. (3.81 cm.)
Number Seven
Thickness of leaves 7/32 (5.56 mm.)
Camber (free) 2.85 in. (7.24 cm)
Working load 397lbs. at nil camber.
D F Sexton

If your springs are just riding low and are still in a none broken state you can have a spring company re arch your springs back to factory specs. The weight of your car has sagged your springs but probably hasn’t changed the composition of the material. They can work harden and break but usually one can get many many more years out of them by just re arching them. Take the specs. that are listed above to the shop and they should be able to fix you right up. I have on occasion taken the spring leaves to a school shop and have ran them though the pinch rolls myself ,but take it slow because it doesn’t really take much to put them right back where they belong.
Jay Dyck
55 TF 1500 #8631
{8^{
Jay Dyck

Merely wondering... are the 2 springs identical and switchable?


Just noticed the rear end looking a bit more saggy on RHS, thinking perhaps what-if I could be troubled into switching the springs around.
Will

There is no difference between the left or right rear springs of a TD or TF.
Blake


To all those that have added their input:

I am grateful for your valuable ideas.

I have an copy of issue 5 of the original Workshop Manual entitled "The MG Midget (Seried TD) and (Series TF). It appears to be BMC part nbr. AKD580A, 32225-7/55.

The spring specs in that, are for a TD and it appears there is some indecision that the TD and the TF are similar if not identical - my reservation being that Moss show them as 2 separate and different part numbers and nobody has been able to explain this to this point and Jim Metz seems to think there IS some difference. Abingdon and Anglo show them as the same.

When mine are off, I intend to measure and spec them out carefully.

I think I am sufficiently satisfied to make a plan of action that now does not call for new springs, and I thank you all for your input. But it would be a nice close to this chapter, if there could be a definitive determination if TD/TF springs are/are not identical/similar/different!

As an aside, in my enquiry about composite springs, I was led to a site (mgbmga.com) for composite springs. I didn't pursue it, but it appears that he (Doug Jackson) produces composite springs for MGBs and may have done so for the MGA, and I can't help but think that TD/TD springs wouldn't be that much different, but I expect, wickedly dear!

Regards,

Gord Clark #100
Rockburn, Qué.
Gord Clark #100

Gord, perhaps we have been confusing things by not printing the specs for both the TF and TD so they both follow. My Workshop Manual is a reprint and these show on pages 21 and 6.I also checked my catalogs for Moss and Abingdon Spares and found different part numbers for each.
Best of luck.
Dennis

MG TF SPRING SPECS
Type Half-elliptic
Length 42 ½ in (107.95 cm.)
Width 1 1/2in. (3.81 cm.)
Number Seven
Thickness of leaves 7/32 (5.56 mm.)
Camber (free) 2.85 in. (7.24 cm)
Working load 397lbs. at nil camber.

MG TD SPRING SPECS
Type Half elliptic
Length 42 in (106.7 cm.)
Width 1 1/2 in (3.81 cm.)
Number seven
Thickness of leaves 7/32 (5.56 cm.)
Camber (free) 4.1 in (10.4 cm)
Working load 500 lbs at 1/2 positive camber
(226.8 kg at 12.7 mm positive camber)
D F Sexton

B&G have in their parts list two types of spring, they state that the TD handling is improved with the fitting of TF type springs.
Tatty

This thread was discussed between 26/01/2003 and 29/01/2003

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.