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MG TD TF 1500 - TD turn signal relay box location?

Hi all,
I have a 53 TD (28388). Can someone tell me where the turn signal relay box and the flasher were originally mounted?
Thanks.
Charlie O

Relay is about center on the back side of the tool box (under the scuttle). The Flasher is near the relay. Cheers, Dave
David DuBois

Here's the location of the relay box on 'the53' Bud



Bud Krueger

The flasher was located on the firewall, below the fuel pump, by the horn: Bud


Bud Krueger

Gentlemen,

This may be an other example of hand made one of a kind cars. Both of my 1953 TDs, one owned in the late 50's and my current car had/have the flasher on the left near the voltage regulator. The relay boxes were/are mounted in the center of the footwell below the battery but in a horizontal position vs. the vertical mount shown in the above photo. Current car shows no bolt holes in the vertical position FWIW.

Regards,

Jim Haskins

1953 TD
J. M. Haskins

Interesting, my flasher is located on the exact opposite side of the car adjacent to the tool box. (late 53 TD) Of course a DPO could have moved it but I have had the car for 40 years and that't where it has always been. Different flasher however with the L bracket to bolt it to the firewall.
James Neel TD28423

This particular 53 (TD23618) was made on 12/31/52 and taken off of the road in 1972. It showed no sign of replacement of the wiring harness. I've noted a number of differences in later 53s. Bud
Bud Krueger

Well guys it looks like the factory made dozens, maybe hundreds of minor changes that no one thought were worthy of noting in the production records. I bet few if any of the men on the line thought they were building treasures that would be the subject of so much interest six decades later. IMHO these mysteries and puzzles are a wonderful part of owning a "T" series car.

Warm regards,

Jim Haskins

1953 TD
J. M. Haskins

Also interesting, when I installed a new wire harness about 35 years ago all the ends and bits ended up in the correct positions. This included the flasher, just had to connect and all worked according to Hoyle. Is a puzzlement (as the king said).

Regards,
Jim
James Neel TD28423

Picture of late 53 TD. The harness is positively original, with two cloth-bound bundles sticking through the grommet. The L-bracket mounting bolt head is not original, so likely the flasher was changed at some point years ago. Location as original due to wire length, etc. Could have been on the left later, like a TF? George


George Butz

PS- TD#27489
George Butz

Wow. I just joined this list, and didn't know what to expect. I thought maybe someone would eventually respond, never dreamed that there would be so many people with so much information to share. Thanks!!

The descriptions and pictures are great, I spend a bunch of time looking for just that before asking here, and couldn't find anything. Again, thanks.

So now I know a lot more than I did last night. But I still can't figure out where to put a relay box. My car doesn't have holes in the spot where Bud's relay box is mounted. Nothing at all on the back of the tool box other than four empty holes on the far left-- the same empty holes that show in Bud's photo. (Any ideas why are they there??)

I do have some holes in the bottom of the battery box, (where I think Jim is suggesting) but they don't look right, four holes on a diagonal line, irregularly spaced, looking like they were drilled a bit randomly- I suspect for a aftermarket heater that is now gone.

So I still can't find plausibly original mounting holes for a relay box.

Is it possible that this car never had a relay box? That is, that it didn't have turn signals? The dash has a hole in the right place for the indicator light, but it had a chrome plug in it, a plausible enough looking thing, but I have no reason to suppose (or to doubt) that it was originally there. There is a bracket for the turn signal switch. The ID plate is marked EXL (not EXL/NA).

Would the relay box mounting holes have been added to a die and punched along with other holes, thus present in all cars after some date? Or maybe drilled only when needed? (and potentially variable in location?)

Were the turn signals added for the American market, thus potentially omitted if the car was not coming here? (Canada??) Or once they were being installed were they installed on all cars?

Is the switch bracket strong evidence that there was a switch? That is, might cars that never had turn signals installed still have had the stitch bracket installed?

Can any of this be unraveled at this point? Does it matter???

So many questions....

I'll be delighted if anyone has any more to offer on this.






Charlie O

This thread was discussed between 22/02/2012 and 23/02/2012

MG TD TF 1500 index

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