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MG TD TF 1500 - Bonnet rest tape

What was original for the material that goes in the radiator surround and acts as a buffer for the hood?

Moss and AS have rubber strap. NTG/MGbits has one that does not appear to be rubber.

http://www.mgbits.com/contents/en-uk/p9281_Bonnet-Rest-Tape---Front.html
Bruce Cunha

Hi Bruce,


TFs originally had the rubber.

Cheers
Rob G.
Rob Grantham

My 53TD has rubber.

Jim
James Neel

NTG does show rubber for the TF, but the other material for the TD They have been providing TD parts for many years, interesting to see differences between them and US suppliers.

I was ordering piping from them for my new green paint job. Their color matches well. But they do not have a different size piping for the front valance. They say it is the same size.

The more we dig, the more questions come up.
Bruce Cunha

The Moss stuff is way to thick. I have been using the 1/16" and cutting it in half.

http://www.rubbersheetroll.com/rubber-strips.html

Even better, and more original, was a 1/16" that was textured. Can't seem to find that anymore.
Christopher Couper

Chris. Did you look at the NTG link? Is that the textured material you were referring to?

Bruce Cunha

Bruce: No it's not. The ones I have seen are still rubber but have a sort of pebble texture, not smooth.

The NTG stuff looks like what was on very early TA,TB, TCs IIRC.
Christopher Couper

So it gets more confusing. I asked Doug at FTFU. He says he researched this some years back and the TC and TD had rubber.

But in looking at Clausager's original TD book on page 69 is a TD with the textured material like NTG sells. In his new updated TD book, on page 89, it is clearly the textured material. But on page 113, it looks like they used rubber.

I blew up some of my factory photos, but can't make a clear picture. In one, there does appear to be texture, but it is not clear enough to be definitive. It does not look smooth like rubber would be.

I guess this will be just another item where it can vary.





Bruce Cunha

Must be a UK thing. NTG, B&G and Angloparts list the fabric webbing.




Bruce Cunha

That Anglo Autoparts looks right. Is that still cloth? It looks like the textured rubber.

If you find out it's textured rubber I'll take one too.
Christopher Couper

I believe it was much more common for pre-war cars to use woven fabric as a buffer strip, not T0-series.

Original cars I remember looking at have plain rubber on the radiator shell, but, of course, may have been replaced.

Also, caution must be used with Clausager's book for precise authenticity, valuable as it is, because he illustrates and focuses on so many restored cars.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

I told Mark that the rubber in the kit from Moss was too thick. He contacted Abingdon and they said they had something else which he purchased. It's out in the shop in a box but I haven't really looked at it. As a side note. I have an original piece of welting from the front valance out in the shop. Even though it was painted over when they shot the car black, it is the same size as the rest of the welting and not smaller. Just for information...at least on this car.
L E D LaVerne

In my world of recycle, repurpose, and make do I'll probably cut up a strip of old bicycle tube but not sure how durable it would be over time.
John Quilter (TD8986)

I have an order going out to NTG tomorrow and plan on calling them to assure I have everything I need. They sell a rubber strip for the TF. I will see if they know why the TD has the different strip. I probably will order the TF rubber strip. I will let you all know how/if it works.

Thanks La Vern for the piping. From other web posts, it looks like the moss and Abington kits all contain the same size piping.

Can you measure the size of the inner material used for the piping?
Bruce Cunha

I can do that Bruce.
L E D LaVerne

Ok Bruce....the original piping hollow core black rubber is 5/16" od. It is the same on both the body and this front valance piece. I have kept this one piece in the shop for a reference as to how the ends were folded over. I doubt that I can duplicate it as cleanly as the new vinyl is thicker than the original rexine/vinyde type material.

The Moss supplied body piping with a white poly(nylon? ) core is smaller at 9/32" od.
L E D LaVerne

I ordered the NTG piping (from their sample, the color is a good match for my paint). As there is some controversy on this, I can always resew the piping for the front to a smaller size if I can't come up with a consensus.

If the UK stores are selling the rope-like radiator webing, that could be why the Clausager pictures show it. If that is what is available in the UK, it is reasonable that we would see it on restored cars there.

NTG sells a rubber surround for the TF. That is the one I ordered.
Bruce Cunha

I asked on the MG Octagon club web page/facebook page and got both as "original"

I will add this to the book that will go with the car documenting why I made specific decisions.
Bruce Cunha

This thread was discussed between 20/03/2021 and 22/03/2021

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