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MG TD TF 1500 - Anyone near TD12524

I'm having trouble reading the body number on my car (wear and tear on the wood). If your car is close to TD12524 could you post your body plate information. It might help me figure out the numbers on my car. I'd just like to be accurate. I know the body number is really not that important. However, I do wonder why MG went to all the time and expense of stamping and affixing a plate with the body ID and number if they didn't think it was useful. Too bad there isn't a list somewhere listing the chassis number and the corresponding body number.
Thanks

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

Tim, a few years ago the late Gordon Lawson did a study of body numbers vs. Car No. and showed that there was no apparent correlation. Very few of us have cars where the Body No. stamping is visible. See http://www.ttalk.info/Tech/BodyPlate.htm for info on mine, TD10855. You might be able to find Gordon's posting in the archives. A few years ago when I re-made 'the53' I had to replace the bottom main side piece. I did not restamp the number into the new timber. Bud
Bud Krueger

I'm not surprised there's no correlation. It's the same with Triumph cars, too - their body numbers have absolutely no relation to their chassis numbers, either.
Kevin McLemore

TD12789
Body # 12161

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Between the body works and Abingdon, the bodies got a little mixed up in much the same way as the engines were. Same situation for TF bodies.

Matthew.
M Magilton

Thanks everyone. I was hoping a body number close to mine would at least give me a general idea of what my number should be.

Jim, I'll look again and see if I can come up with a body number that is at least in the ball park with yours. The number is do degraded that I see an "A" in it. But it looks like alpha characters were not included.

Can someone tell me if the two numbers on the second line of the body plate ID are the actual body numbers? If not, where does the second number come from?
Thanks again.

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

Jim, see http://www.ttalk.info/Tech/BodyPlate.htm again. the number on the second line, after the slash, is the number stamped into my bottom main side piece. Don't you have the Body ID plate on your firewall? Bud
Bud Krueger

Bud, no, there was no body ID plate or chassis ID plate on the body or in the boxes I received with the car. If you look up basket case you'll see my car. Thanks for ref. It looks like there were alpha characters included but not used on the plate. Do you know where the number before the slash comes from?

The number I can make out is A81776. Do you think it is possible that my car, TD12524 built on 12/19/1951 could have a body number 4165 higher than TD10855 built on 10/09/1951?
Tim
TW Burchfield

Jim B, is that number before or after the slash on the second line?

Tim
TW Burchfield

I just found this info on the web:
Chassis #13271
Body Type: 22381
Body No.:12643/82584

So my assumed body number 81776 (chassis number 12524) fits in with this numbering sequence. Now I just need to find out where the number before the slash comes from.

Tim

PS I know it looks like I'm obsessed with body numbers but with after 30 years in law enforcement I hate not knowing the facts. :-)
TW Burchfield

Before the slash.
See attached picture

Jim B.

JA Benjamin

Jim B. I believe, based on this site http://www.ttalk.info/Tech/BodyPlate.htm that your actual body number is 81888. That would put my number 81776 in the ballpark considering how close our chassis numbers are. Thanks.

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

I have collected some numbers in trying to determine some of my own missing info. In my list I show car #12587 with body #s 12059/81509. Hopefully this will help you.
I am trying to complete this info for my car #16175 with body #s ?????/85240. Anybody have any ideas?

BillM
TD16175
B Mooney

Bill, based on a suggestion from Chris Couper I've determined that the first number on the second line of the body plate ID, before the slash, is an average of 603 less than the chassis number, at least for the cars I've checked. I did this by subtracting the numbers in question from the chassis numbers of 7 cars with complete body ID plates. For example chassis number 12587 minus the number before the body number, 12059, is 528 I know this doesn't give an exact number but at least you can come up with one that is not outside the realm of possibility. Thanks for supplying the numbers.

Tim
TD12524

TW Burchfield

Tim, Thanks for your input.
I would like to see some more car versus body numbers near my TD16175. I have TD16169 info which is close on the early side . The closest info I have on the later side is TD16325.

BillM
B Mooney

Hi Tim: Just picked up this thread. I have a car close to yours. Late 1951 TD no. 12498. The body plate info reads: Body Type 22381 / Body No. 11869/81891... Your minus 603 guesstimate for Body numbers would make 11895 -- so my actual 11869 is not far off & suggests you are in the ball park. My engine no. matches the vehicle no. properly according to MG records & I'm pretty sure the body plate etc are all original. (Wish I could put all this on George Merson's list, but he hasn't managed to add "Olive" to his list, for some reason.) I've never seen my body number on the actual body... as I've not pulled the front floorboards (yet...) Cheers, Peter
Peter Pope

Peter, thanks for the information. The largest number I used from the difference between chassis number and the first body number was 670. Using your difference of 629 and several others I have found, brings the average to 627. Another, probably useless, thing I found is that the difference between the first and second number on the second line of the body plate is, on average, 71,000. I wonder if any of the companies that made the tub for MG Ts are still in existence and if they or MG stamped the body number. Also, who came up with the first number on the second line?

Tim
TD12524

TW Burchfield

Peter, I forwarded your message to George. I would expect that you'll show up in the next issue. But, it'll be awhile. Bud
Bud Krueger

This thread was discussed between 12/09/2015 and 15/09/2015

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