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MG TD TF 1500 - TD Bracket

Can anyone tell what this bracket is?
On my 1953 TD there is an "L" shaped bracket located on the engine side cover behind the breather down pipe and about one inch lower that the last bolt hole. It has a 1/8 inch hole in the round end of the bracket. There is nothing connected to it?
What should be?

Tom
T. L. Manion

Sounds to me like you are talking about the bracket that the oil pressure pipe, coming up from the banjo bolt and going in through the bulkhead, gets clipped to. There should be a clip around the pipe (which may have slipped down or be missing) that bolts to this bracket.
Bob Simpson

People who don't know the TD's very well will tell you that this bracket is not used for this car, but this part is used on other cars that use the same tappet cover.

People like me who really know the TD have this to say:

This bracket is connected to a special engine govenor that interfaces to part number 112-Z988-11A. Late 1953 models only. It is supported by the two bolts on the valve cover that normally don't have anything attached to them. :-)

Chris
Chris Couper

Chris; By any chance do you have a picture of that govenor and also what purpose on the TD did it serve.
sandy sanders

Chris is only partly right.

In fact it supports not only the governor but also a device consisting of a double reciprocating phoo-phoo valve and semi hemispherical tangential sprocket with integrated lubricant slurper. The sprocket had a small chain attached to it which, under the influence of the phoo-phoo valve, opened the slurper positioned beneath the hole in the bottom of the clutch housing, allowing a large accumulation of oil to drain onto the newly tarmacadamed drive way of people's houses whom you disliked.

It was conceived to be operated by hand from the cockpit of the car, in order the dumping could be positioned with great accuracy. Flower beds were an excellent depository if the car could not be stopped in time on the drive.

This device was designed by an unknown person in the Abingdon drawing office, and was intended to prevent constant drips of oil from the bottom of the clutch housing. It didn't work, the man was fired and the cars still leak oil. I have heard it rumoured that the designer also envisaged the operation being computer controlled, in much the same way as the lights, doors locks, radio, exhaust emissions, engine, interior opera lights, airconditioning and God knows what else on my Pontiac Bonneville are, but following sample surveys taken from MG drivers, this was considered impractible as the computer hadn't been invented in 1953.

As far as I know, there are no pictures available for this item, as the factory was too embarrased to keep any records, but it was painted black.
Geoff Love

Geoff: Thanks for that bit of unknown history. I think I will add it the the MGTD Faqs pages. Maybe one of our readers has one of these phoo-phoo valves in a parts drawer and just doesn't know about it.

Chris
Chris Couper

People who don't TD's very well will tell you that it has some purpose.

People like me who instead know what they are talking about will tell you that it has no purpose whatsoever and that there is no point in asking what it is there for.

Denis Baggi

P.S. I use it to tie the time to panel thermometers you can buy as added-on items. Very useful!
Denis L. Baggi

Geoff, I think Babbage was developing the computer for the MG range, Bit heavy though.
Tatty

This thread was discussed between 21/08/2002 and 12/09/2002

MG TD TF 1500 index

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