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MG TD TF 1500 - TF - tonneau and seats

Both seats on my 1955 mgtf 1500 have two 'lift the dot' type pegs opposite each other mid-way down the seat backs, which I presume are for pinning the tonneau cover.

Any advice on whether these were standard or for what purpose? My tonneau cover doesn't have any clips for them.

Thanks in advance,

Clayton
Clayton Neilson

Clayton,
Just a guess...do they line up with your lift the dots on tonneau if you push the cover back into the storage space? Maybe someone was trying to keep it from flapping in the breeze but leave the storage space useable....or perhaps there used to be a half-tonneau for the car? They were probley not standard...standard would be the tonneau "bars" across the seat back tops.
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500
David Sheward

David,

Thanks. My seats also have the tonneau bars across the seat tops. The pegs are about 15cm below the bars on each side.

I am thinking they must have been for the original half tonneau, if they are original at all.

Regards,

Clayton
Clayton

The tonneau for the TC folds over the tonneau bars at the back of the seat and are clipped lower down the seat back. If not original, someone probably thought it was a good idea.
Looked in "Original MG T Series"; no mention was made of this for the TD or TF.

Ian

Ian Fry

This was standard on the TF. The half-tonneau had elastic strips that pulled the front of the tonneau down over the seat-back bars and held it tight.
Moss's half tonneau has these elastic strips with "lift-the-dot" fastners on the ends.
Don Harmer

Don,
Interesting...very interesting..first I ever heard about these. I have just aquired a set of the seat-back bars...actually they are not here yet. Anybody out there that can tell me what correct measurements for install would be for these? In as much as ones I purchased are orginal...I should endevor to install correctly along with lift the dot pegs! I have looked at several "site" pics....but seems to be some differances in location. I wish whoever put the wing mirriors on my car would have paid a little more attention to "detail"....then I would be able to see the turn indacators! You guys are increadable!
Thanks,
David 55 TF1500
David Sheward

While on topic, what colour should the tonneau rails on the seat backs be for the TF1500? "Original MG T Series" seems to suggest the rails were black on all T-series, but they were body colour red on mine.

Thanks again,

Clayton
Clayton Neilson

Clay
I agree with Don, my 53 TF has the lift-a-dot pegs on the seat backs which work perfectly with the half tonneau purchased from Moss. Four elastic straps tie down the leading edge. The seat back bars on my car were red (same as body color) but chips in the paint showed a tan finnish similar to the hood and side curtain frames. I stripped them and repainted with Moss tan for side curtain frames. Is it correct? not sure but happy with the appearance.
Dave will gladly snap some digital photos of the position of pegs and bars on seat back in my TF. Let me know
Cheers Jeff
jeff payne

Clay, I had the same question. Now it makes sense.
While redoing my TF seats, I discovered each seat back had three holes on either side, two for the tonneau bar mounting and one for (appearently) a lift the dot peg. I thought at first some previous owner had the tonneau bars in the wrong position. I too had to purchase new bars since mine were gone. I used the old seat back as a template and this is what I found. If I line up the holes in the seat back and the mounting holes in the tonneau bar, the top of the bar sits pretty much even with the top piping at the rear of the seats. The third hole for the lift the dot peg is an inch and a half directly below the bottom mounting screw for the tonneau.
Also I had to do some bending of the new bars to sit properly where they attach and match the contour of the seat back.
Hope this helps.
Dan Hanson

The Tonneau bars were the same tan as the top frame.
However, mine are chrome plated (???)
I'll check Jim Holcombe' original TF ( it still had the original antifreeze tag on the radiator when he got it)
Don Harmer

Tonneau bars on our 1954TF are chrome. They are instqlled in the orig. position, as are the dot fasteners for the half tonneau. These seats have never been disassembled and are fully original. The dot fastener is located directley below the bottom of the tonneau bar 1.50" from the center of the lower bar screw to center of the dot fastener.
Chrome bars look much better than those tan painted ones. If you use 1/2 tonneau, you can't see them anyway.
colin stafford

I hate to disagree with Colin, but in my opinion it is highly unlikely that the seatback tonneau bars came chromed from the factory. I had a '55 TF 1500 when I was in high school. My Dad and I bought it from the original owner in the summer of 1960. Those tonneau bars were seat color: red in that case.

A few years ago, I acquired a '54 TF 1250 with 34,000 original miles on the clock. Two previous owners. Those tonneau bars were also painted seat color: in this case green. There was no chrome underneath the green paint. The second owner, from whom I bought the car, had kept a little notebook in which he detailed EVERY little thing he did to the car: every gas fill-up, oil change, fender mirror addition, tonneau replacement, top replacement, etc. He doesn't mention repainting the tonneau bars green, so if they didn't come from the factory that way, then either the selling dealer or the first owner (who only kept the car 6 months) must have painted the tonneau bars seat color.

Personally, I think the factory probably painted them beige like the top bows and sidecurtain frames, then the dealers or first owners painted the ugly things seat color at the first opportunity. All I'm certain of is: they didn't come chromed from the factory; at least not on a standard basis.
Reed Yates

My TF experts tell me that the tonneau bars should be seat color. Thats green, red or tan. There have been some reports of dealers, especially in Europe, who chrome plated them before delivery.
Chris Couper

I own an unrestored TF 1500, chassis# 9097. I am the third owner (my father was the second owner). I have been seeking out and studying the few remaining unrestored TF's over here. I suspect that Australian TF's were less prone to the mild 'customizing' they received in other countries. So far I have found a dozen TF's which have had little or no restoration. I am consistently finding that the interiour is all one colour, wether it be red, green, or biscuit. This includes the paintwork on the tonneau rails, s/screen box hinges, dashboard, and the exposed under-scuttle area (touching the top of the dash). I have not found any different colours or chrome plating. I doubt that the firm who supplied Abingdon with the hood bows had anything to do with painting the tonneau rails.
Questions on TF details are most welcome.
Octagonally, Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

Reed.....did'nt say that the chrome bars were "original", only that they came that way on the car when it was shipped from Germany in 1955. Only tried to clarify the loaction of the dot fasteners relative to the bar screw locations.
I still like the chrome bars better than that "tan" paint.
colin stafford

This thread was discussed between 30/01/2002 and 08/02/2002

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