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MG MG Y Type - Door Check Straps

Hi guys

I am about to have new under door sills fabricated and fitted to my Y/T and have had to remove all non metals parts (ie floorboards and upholstery) from around the doors and the running boards

My Y/T doors have leather check straps (as per photo), whereas LTBYs pg 136 states the doors had metal checks. NTG list them as being "currently unavailable" and has no photos of them.

Are the Y type Door Checks similar to the T Types (Moss 405-500)?

If similar to the T Type, then the holes in the body and the doors have been filled in by a PO.

Can someone please take a photo of their car's open door showing the Door Check. Or does someone have a photo of a door check they can share.

Also does anyone know of a source for Y type Door Checks (new or good used ones).

cheers
Stuart

Stuart Duncan

Hi Stuart

Um how to say this politely? Yah no, they are wrong and terrible!

The Y/YB and YT check straps are like no other car's check straps. They are though similar to each other.

The Y/YB ones are the same front and rear and the YT ones follow the same basic design but to allow rear seat access are much longer and a slightly different angle.

Back in the day David Pelham used to have some chap he knew (under the East Grinstead Small Works Team that we called EGSTW) make them up from sheet metal from time to time - the strap part that is. There was then the whole issue of a cup washer, a rubber absorbing buffer, and a metal stop piece that held everything in place. I had a lot of these latter pieces cut but without the rest of the parts that make it up they are so much scrap metal.

No one currently remakes these as a) there is so little demand for them and b)costs of custom one offs is so expensive. Also, if the small retainer pin receivers on the B pillar are not there, then all of the above is of no use to you either.

Do you B pillars have what looks like two small loops of metal on them that a small cotter pin could sit in?

I will see if I can get to some pictures of the ones on my Y later - at least the visible parts and I may possibly have an odd check strap lying around (for Y/YB) but dont hold your breath.

Any one else able to upload pictures before I get to them please go ahead.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Hi Stuart,
I have a spare YT door that I can loan to you that still has the check strap mounting points. I also have a B-Pillar from a saloon you can borrow to copy the retainer. I also have a container of strap parts for the small parts, and we can remove a door check strap from my YT and you can do a tracing to make new ones.

Send me a photo of the inside of your door and B-post so I can see what you are missing.

Dave & Laurel are visiting on Saturday, so I could send some bits to you with them. They won't be able to take the door, but room for the small parts & pattern.

Now, have you booked your accommodation for the 70th rally in June ?.

Cheers

Tony
A L SLATTERY

Hi Paul & Tony
Many thanks for your replies.

Tony, I will be down at my shed this afternoon and after taking the door trim off I will take some photos and post tonight. Thank you for the offer of parts, much appreciated. I will also talk with Dave today or tomorrow and let him know what is happening.

Concerning the 70th Anniversary Rally. That weekend is my wife's birthday and as she is not interested in cars other than as a means of transport, I am not sure if I will be attending. If I don't attend, Dave can take my YT up to the 70th Rally.

cheers
Stuart

Stuart Duncan

Hi guys again
As promised, over the next 2 posts are photos of what I have found in relation to the original door stops

Using an Inspection camera I found a slotted bracket inside the Left hand door ( I didn't have time and it was toooo hot (35°c +) to remove all of the trim) and a nut welded to the body skin. The hole in the door in which the door check would slide has been filled on the outside with bog, but I don't think the whole timber is filled.


See next post for Right hand door

Stuart

Stuart Duncan

Right hand door

B pillar has been blanked off.
Where the Door check hole was, been filled with Bog and the timber frame in the lower rear corner (including the slotted (bent) bracket) has been covered with fibreglass. Some of which I broke off to take the photo.

See photos.

Again any photos of original set up would be appreciated.

I spoke with Dave and he is looking forward to driving his TA up to you. Can you post some photos of the 3 TAs together.

cheers
Stuart

Stuart Duncan

OK Stuart, It appears that what you have is salvageable at least.

I will take some photos tomorrow & go through my "check straps" parts box & see what's there.

A photo of the 3 TA's together will have to wait till the Pre-War Rally in Yamba in October - only Dave's is mobile at the moment. We can get two photos of Dave's TA with each TA though !. Have to post on the TA list - this one is for Y-Types !......

Cheers

Tony
A L SLATTERY

Stuart, here is a photo of inside the door - without the check strap installed (from YT2888).

E.J. Ward

... and here is a photo of the checkstrap from the outside the door (from YT4825). Regerds, Ewan

E.J. Ward

Ewan, thank you for the photos. The one of the inside of the door confirms that what I have is correct.

Both door trims are now removed and so is the fibre-glass, which was being used to strengthen the lower rear corner of the door. As can be seen on the attached photo some attempts have previously been made at strengthening timber joins. I will remove these, make rebates in the timber and drill countersunk indents before replacing them.

I also intend to make angle brackets which will extend over the hinge bolts to give extra strength to the hinges etc

Now I await parts and samples from Tony so I can fabricate new door checks / stops.

Stuart

Stuart Duncan

close up photo of righthand inside door checkstrap bracket

Stuart Duncan

Stuart, Your parts are on the Coast now.
Cheers
Tony
A L SLATTERY

Hi Stuart, The straps I have sent are the only size I have in my spares. I suspect that tourers have longer straps than saloons due to the timber door frames.

I simply don't have the time at the moment to strip the lining off my YT doors to measure the length. Can anyone access a YT door strap and supply the overall length ?.

Once we can confirm lengths, I will provide a drawing to Paul for the website.

The rubber buffers are available here in Australia - part number is 236.028 (I think) - just need to find a current source. The shop I bought mine in 2008 has closed down.

Tony
A L SLATTERY

They are indeed longer Tony and a different radius too to those used on a Saloon.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Here are 2 photos of Y saloon Door Check and bump stops.

The photo with this post is of a Cadmium plated check bar and a whole bump stop.

I will draw an image of the bar and pass to Paul for inclusion on the website.

Concerning the difference in length and shape between the Saloon and Tourer Door check bars, as per Tony's suggestion, I will just increase the length (to account for wood pillar) in front of the adjustment slots. Unless someone can provide a photo of the YT door check bar.

I am chasing up a source for the rubber bump stops. They may be the same as used in the A40 Devon / Dorset.

Cheers
Stuart

Stuart Duncan

2nd photo showing an old rusted cut Saloon Check bar, broken rubber stop and the piece which fits through the door pillar and into the saloon body.

The door pillar section is made of 2 thin metal strips welded together in the middle and widening out at the ends to accommodate the check bar and pins.

The bar is approx 1/2" (13mm) wide and just less than 3mm thick.

The old stops I have (provided by Tony), have a dia of 24mm/1” for about 17mm (to fit into recess in door frame), then widens out to about 35mm dia (circular) x 30mm (flat sides) with a 24mm/1” dia indent about 5mm deep (into which the metal adjustment ring fits). Total length is 24mm/1” long; the oblong hole down the centre is about 14mm x 4mm and parallel with the flat sides. All measurements are rough as the rubber stops I am measuring are very old and hard.

I have added these photos and dimensions for reference for future restorers who need to make the door checks, like I will.

Stuart

Stuart Duncan

Stuart

Agree with Paul, they are longer and radius is more sweeping and not as straight as saloon.

Richard
R E Knight

Here is a photo of my YT drivers door strap from above. The door is open 950mm, measured from latch to latch.

A L SLATTERY

And here is the passenger side - they might be different ?. This door opens 1100mm, which is far enough, as the strap is near to touching the body !. The next time I have the door cards off, I will adjust both stop straps to open the doors between 950 to 1000mm.
Given the passenger strap is not in the middle of the opening, it might be prudent to look at this soon !. We can then have the dimensions for the strap that Stuart needs.

Cheers

Tony

A L SLATTERY

Tony
thank you for the photos. Your photo is similar to what Ewan posted on 13 Jan of Steve Brompton's YT. (I forgot he had posted it, when I asked you for photos)

As Paul and Richard have stated, the YT door checks have a larger radius. Your's and Ewan's photos confirm it. From the photos and using the end of your (borrowed) Saloon door checks, I should be able to fabricate a door check.

The door check rubbers should arrive on Monday. I have ordered A40 Devon ones, as I believe they are the same. I will confirm on arrival.

My next question.
How/ What do the door pillar sections (ie welded together metal strips) attach to inside the body. I take it they are rigid and fit through a slot in the body.

cheers
Stuart
Stuart Duncan

Stuart, Here is a pic of inside the body from Y2888. From what I can feel, the tabs are welded to the inside of the reinforcing section (note the picture is from the top looking down). This has very restricted access - so I am not sure how MG did this in production or how they can be repaired! I will see if I can get a better pic with an inspection camera. Regards, Ewan

E.J. Ward

Update ... I checked with the inspection camera and took some pics but they are not very clear. The check strap attachments appear to be 2 metal strips with the piece inside the bodybeing a 90 deg return spot welded to the inside of the door pillar. The return seems to be about 3/4 in long. So there is a tab that faces up and another that faces down with a gap in the middle which is the gap on the outside that takes the check strap attached to the door.
Regards, Ewan
E.J. Ward

Ewan, thank you for the photo. The attached image is of a broken rusted inner door check piece which Tony has loaned me. Yes, it is made from 2 metal strips joined in the middle. I will attempt some photos into the body, to see what is left in my car.

This morning I was in the shed fabricating a test door check. Nearly complete, just need to reduce its width to 1/2". Lawn mowing & gardening will take priority this afternoon.

cheers Stuart

Stuart Duncan

As far as I can determine the image in my previous post is not for a Y/T door.

As Ewan confirmed, the Y/T brackets are 2 x "L" shaped pieces of metal welded to the inside of the door pillar and protrude through a slot in the body so the door check bar/strap can be attached.

A check of the inside of my Y/T body of both door pillars confirmed that the L shaped brackets have broken and the pillar slot was filled with bog, now removed.

I am now making new larger brackets to fit inside the body and protrude through the pillar. I will post photos when finished.

Stuart
Stuart Duncan

Re-activating thread

Over New Year period I bought some Y Tourer door check straps from NTG (# C176Y), but now I am home from overseas, I went to fit them and found the covis pin hole to be larger than on the Y Saloon metal straps and the pins I have.

Can a YT owner please check and advise what the diameter of the pin and hole in the metal check strap should be?

Stuart
Stuart Duncan

The MGCC Y Reg shop have the carpet strips manufactured and we supply them as YA/YB set or YT set. We sell to all Y owners including NTG. £55
WE also sell carpet sets through Coverdale UK Ltd a specialist auto carpet manufacturer.
Peter Vielvoye

Peter, You posted your reply on the wrong thread. Stuart
Stuart Duncan

Last weekend, I worked hard on sorting out all the interior for the doors, and was just finishing up when the front driver door swung open, came off its mount and caved in the bottom of the door.
Deep breath, try not to swear in front of the neighbours.
I think that those leather check straps are a great idea, and I'll be making up my own for Gertie.
A J R Felthouse

This thread was discussed between 11/01/2017 and 23/03/2020

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