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MG TD TF 1500 - Al Moss's Y-type Sells

I realize this is not primarily a Y-type forum, but Al Moss's former Y-type just sold for $17,000 on Bring A Trailer (plus commission, I assume). It is a car to lust after, if one is so inclined, and was bought by the good men at Abingdon Spares! I can think of no more appropriate place (other than my house...) If they paid my expenses I would slap on tires, re-do the brakes (IT HAS SILICONE FLUID), replace all suspension and sway-bar bushings with poly, and drive the thing across the country for them!

In many ways it is the apotheosis of T-type touring: it is a quintessential MG with octagonal instruments and a factory sunroof, but Al upgraded it with an MGA diff (4.3?) and wire wheels all around, fitted a Shorrock blower to a +.040" over engine, and a sway-bar to better control the handling. All that is exactly what my dream Y-type would have, plus a 5-speed. Al turned it into the car he wanted; it was a fast and comfortable highway cruiser. Al sold it to Skip Kelsey in 1986 for $14,000, and it passed down through Skip's family until now. It has been little driven in the past few years, I think; the tires are pre-2000 dates. It comes with much paperwork on the car for both Al and Skip, including repairs, fuel, etc.

It's a great sale (and I mean a real bargain) to a great bunch of guys, of a great and very practical car.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

A few years ago Moss posted a video of the car being driven on the roads Al drove it on. It's probably still on their web site.
Ed
efh Haskell

I wonder if all the packing peanuts are out of the car. Al was a big practical joker! Jim Bigler got him back at a San Diego Gof West. Al hadn't locked the sunroof and they filled the car to the roof with packing peanuts. It was the funniest sight. Al was really pissed that someone got him back. There were peanuts dropping out of various places over the years. Al would do things like running a pencil along the insulator on a spark plug so the car had a missfire. That's why Al's TC has locks on the bonnet so people couldn't get to his engine.

Butch
R Taras

I remember that car. We filled it with styrofoam peanuts at a GOF in San Diego. I also remember Al got a gift of personalized CA License Plates at that GOF. They said BAKORDR.

Nice to know it went to a good home, but the price is a bit concerning.

It is getting to where it will not be worth rebuilding our cars. Not that we don't do it for the love of the brand.
Bruce Cunha

Tom,
Are you concerned about the silicone brake fluid? I would have thought that was a good thing. Just curious.
Gene
Gene Gillam

Gene - sorry if I was unclear - yes, it IS a good thing, and suggests that the brakes will need very little work to be just fine.

The use of DOT5 is the kind of information that can get lost, and I was just highlighting it for the new owners. Mixing DOT3/4 with DOT5 is awful...

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Thanks Tom...

Gene
Gene Gillam

There is another similar car lurking out there, In fact, I think its in your back yard, Tom; and I'm referring to the YA of Steve Neal. He has (had?) a blown XPEG with his own 5-pseed and could cruise comfortably at 75 all day.

Here's another I saw at a show in Florida about 15 years ago (see pic). It too is a YA but with a blown 1960 MGB engine and a 5 speed and full MGB running gear including a complete rear axle and 16" wire wheels (The Y-Type came with 16" wheels) and disk brakes.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.


Gord Clark

I remember the car from when Skip had it. I was never a fan of wire wheels on Y-Types but I have to say that the 16" wheels look much better than the 15". I think the price was fair, considering what Y-Types have been going for the past couple decades. I sadly sold mine about 15 years ago and didn't get anywhere near that much, although it didn't have a supercharger or the Moss / Kelsey ownership behind it. But it was a very original car.
Steve Simmons

Tom Lange, there is another Y type not far from your back yard as well. I recently became the owner of a 49 YT. The car needs to be restored, but it is all there. I have done a TD in the past and was happy to see how the running gear is all very familiar.

One interesting thing about this car, it is one of four that were ordered by the dealer in Toronto and has a TD style dash, unlike the TC style in the others.

Cheers.

Joe Hine
Fredericton, NB
J.D. Hine

Joe Hine,

If memory serves me correctly, your YT came from Brian Walker, who also has 2 TCs. One of the TCs came from my neighbour when I was living in Montreal.

Check your rear suspension. A YT was recently restored by a chap in the next village to me. It had a most unusual cantilever mounting of the shocks, in which the shock is in a horizontal position and operated by a lever bolted to the side rail. A picture is shown.


Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gord Clark

This thread was discussed between 11/08/2020 and 13/08/2020

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