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MG TD TF 1500 - Side Screen Door Socket Fastening


I have attempted to search for this information to no avail -

The side-screen socket which fits into the rear of the top of the door, is fixed how?

My latest acquisition has a broken socket sitting loosely in the hole in the door top on the LH side. (RH side is firm)

Before I remove the interior door trim, what do I need to know about securing the socket?

Thanks,

Maurie P

R M Prior

Hi Maurie

Don't know if it is right but mine are threaded straight into wood with nothing on the other side, in fact they barely show through the wood on the inside of the door.

Barry
B Bridgens

Maurie,

They do screw directly into the wood. To make the process a little easier, grease the threads before winding it into the wood.

They originally were chrome plated brass. The repros are usually made out of an aluminium type material. Be warned that they can snap in half !
Also, the hex head depth is greater compared to the originals.

Both the originals and the repros. have a deliberate eccentric hole for the door sidescreen peg. This rotational feature allows you to have some adjustment when attempting to get a neat fit of the sidescreen !

Chegrs
Rob Grantham





Rob Grantham

Maurie,

If the left hand socket is loose in the wood, obviously the hole in the door wood hole is probably too large in diameter. The top wood in this part of the door is rarely rotted out, at least in Australia ! You may have to use a wood dowel of suitable size glued in the errant hole. Careful drilling of the new hole to correctly accomodate the socket diameter, should result in a firm fit of the socket.

Cheers
Rob Grantham
Rob Grantham

I wonder if you could also use some sort of wood filler to fill the gap since there is no tension on these.

Get everything where you need it and then for the final side curtain fitting pack the sides of the socket and insert with filler, install, turn to the right place and let it sit overnight.

You would essentially be gluing it in place with thick (wood filler) glue.
Christopher Couper


The socket has been forced so much, that it had snapped, and two thirds of it is still in the timber. I am going to try an easi-out tool first, if that doesn't work, then I will use a fine jigsaw blade and cut it on opposite sides and remove that section.

I have ordered two new ones and will make sure that the hole is reamed out to suit the new socket.

What really gets to me though, is that the previous owner, knew about this and kept it hidden from me, along with quite a few other deceitful things. Image of the top, broken section attached

Maurie P



R M Prior

"What really gets to me though, is that the previous owner, knew about this and kept it hidden from me, along with quite a few other deceitful things."

I think this is the definition of a prior car owner. :-)
Christopher Couper

Maurie,

Good to ensure that you actually are able to move/rotate the socket located within the door wood in the future ! On many cars.the position
of the side screens can alter slightly through use and the small amounts of
adjustment in this area can improve the overall fit of side screens.

I do not subscribe to ever 'fixing' the socket in one position.

The socket you depicted may well be a repro.

Cheers
Rob Grantham
TF3719("Aramis"),TF9177("Athos").
Rob Grantham


Success! I managed to extract the broken sidescreen socket with a tool I made up from an old Makita jigsaw blade and a very small set of vice grip pliers. Secret is to really, really tighten the grip as much as possible, to stop it moving.

The socket is of chrome plated brass, and it cut easily with lots of care.

Maurie Prior, Australia

Image attached.

R M Prior

First quality replacements, chrome plated brass with an eccentric hole to allow for adjustment are available from Sport & Vintage, Shropshire.

They are also used on MMM MGs.
Ian Bowers

"Success! I managed to extract the broken sidescreen socket with a tool I made up from an old Makita jigsaw blade and a very small set of vice grip pliers. Secret is to really, really tighten the grip as much as possible, to stop it moving." A prerequisite of any MG is lateral thinking. Well done it's becoming "your car"
JK Mazgaj

Thanks Ian. I was always unhappy with those repros that I purchased from Moss. I'll order a pair from Sport and Vintage and bin those that came from Moss. If anyone wants them before I toss them, they're available for the cost of the postage. Great to know that someone else is supplying original gear! Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir


Hi Peter,

Ouch!! you caught my attention a few days late.

I just ordered a pair of these Moss repros through an Ozzie supplier. So now given you are giving yours away, that may be four of 'em that we need to get rid of for free!

Maurie P
R M Prior

I made mine out of 304 SS.
The thread on the OD is 9/16-18. I just confirmed this again by measuring an original?
That is s UNF pitch. not BSF or BSW or Metric, although the thread form might be BS 55 degrees. I cant tell that.

You may need to retap the threads in your wood to allow the new socket to properly thread in. (Don't ream out the threads).
If so, I suggest that you could turn one of your unwanted new sockets into a cleaning out tap by filing, with a 60 degree file , a sharp vertical edge into the threads with a long 60 degree lead.
This should last for two holes in the wood.

I used a UNF tap I had.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin


Got my reproduction sockets today, and the quality on these look okay.

Did a test hole into some radiata pine (a medium soft plantation pine)with a well used 13mm speed bore and with a little grease, the socket screwed in firmly without binding.

I will try it in the door frame tomorrow and report back.

Maurie P
R M Prior

This thread was discussed between 07/03/2020 and 18/03/2020

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