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- History & IdentificationBeginner
Coachbuilt T-Types: The Tickford, the Airline and the Arnolt-MG
Not every T-Type was an open two-seater. A few hundred wore coachbuilt bodies: the elegant Tickford drophead coupé by Salmons & Sons, a handful of Art Deco Airline coupés, and — a decade later — the Italian-bodied Arnolt-MG. All are rare, all are desirable, and all are frequently misunderstood.
- ElectricsIntermediateXPEG
From the Workshop: A TF1500 Health-Check — Overcharging & a Rich Mixture
A post-purchase health-check on an MG TF1500 reveals a mixture running far too rich, debris in the carburettors despite a new fuel filter, and a charging system spiking past 17V — what each finding means and how to fix it.
CarburettorsElectrics - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateXPAG
Ignition and Charging on the T-Series: Where Most XPAG Trouble Really Lives
Most XPAG running and overheating trouble traces back to the ignition — a worn Lucas distributor, tired points or wrong timing will make a good engine run badly. These are positive-earth cars with a dynamo and control box; getting ignition, timing and charging right transforms how the car runs.
IgnitionCoolingElectrics - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateXPAGXPEG
Keeping the MG T-Series Cool: A Practical Guide to Cooling & Overheating
The XPAG/XPEG engine was designed for a cool British climate, so its standard cooling can struggle in heat, at low speed or in traffic. Overheating is almost always curable: get the ignition timing and tune right first, then address the radiator, the fan and manifold heat-soak. This guide covers each in turn.
IgnitionCooling - Engine & MechanicalAdvancedXPAG
Keeping the Oil In: The XPAG Rear Seal
The XPAG's rear main 'oil seal' is not a seal — it's an Archimedes scroll machined into the crankshaft, designed to pump oil back into the engine rather than seal it in. Understanding that, and the crankcase pressure that defeats it, is the first step to keeping your XPAG dry.
- Body & CoachworkIntermediate
Keeping the Running Gear Sweet: Chassis, Steering, Dampers and Brakes
T-Series handling and safety depend on regular chassis lubrication and a handful of wear items — kingpins, lever-arm dampers, steering joints and brake cylinders. Keep the many grease points served, watch for leaks and perished bushes, and these cars stay sweet to drive.
Ignition - Engine & MechanicalIntermediate
MG T-Series 5-speed gearbox conversion — Ford Type 9
A practical look at fitting a Ford Type 9 five-speed gearbox to an MG TD or TF: the two mainstream UK kits from Hi-Gear and Vitesse, what really changes at motorway speeds, what the installation involves, and where UK MOT 'substantial change' rules sit.
Values & Paperwork - Body & CoachworkIntermediate
MG T-Series Bodywork: Ash Frame, Steel Panels and How to Keep Them Together
The MG T-Series is a body-on-frame car: a strong steel ladder chassis carries a traditional coachbuilt body of an ash timber frame clad in hand-formed steel panels. This composite construction is beautiful but vulnerable — the enemy is rot, not rust — so keeping the body dry is the single most important thing an owner can do.
Bodywork - History & IdentificationIntermediate
MG T-Series Chassis & Engine Number Identification: The Complete Guide
Every MG T-Series carries a chassis (car) number and an engine number that together identify exactly what it is. The chassis number is stamped on the near-side dumb-iron and repeated on a plate under the bonnet; the engine number, on a plate on the flywheel housing or block, reveals the engine type by its prefix. This guide decodes both.
Chassis & Numbers - RestorationBeginner
MG T-Series Interiors: Leather, Upholstery and Dashboard
Caring for a T-Type interior: cleaning and feeding leather, seats and upholstery, carpets, the painted dashboard and instruments, and the weather equipment — with a checklist and FAQ.
Bodywork - History & IdentificationBeginner
MG T-Series Production & Survivor Numbers
MG built roughly 52,600 T-Series cars between 1936 and 1955. Counting how many survive is harder than it looks — this article sets out the production totals by model, explains why survivor data is so patchy, and presents the one rigorous public study (John James on the TB).
History - History & IdentificationIntermediateXPAG
MG T-Series vs MG Y-Type: The Shared DNA
How the MG Y-Type saloon shaped the TD and TF — shared chassis rails, independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and the XPAG engine.
- Engine & MechanicalIntermediateXPAGXPEGSU
MG XPAG Tuning: Stage 1, Stage 2 and Engine Specs
A practical guide to tuning the MG XPAG (and XPEG) engine fitted to the TB, TC, TD and TF: engine specifications, Stage 1 bolt-on road tune, Stage 2 head-cam-carb package, twin SU balancing, ignition timing, and the works history that makes the engine so tuneable.
IgnitionCarburettorsTune-upHistory - Engine & MechanicalBeginner
No Fuel Gauge? Measuring Petrol in an MG T-Series
MG T-Series cars were built without a fuel gauge — a deliberate period feature. Instead the driver relies on a low-fuel warning light (and a reserve tap on early cars), trip-mileage discipline, and a simple dipstick. This guide explains how T-Series fuel measurement works and includes a make-your-own dipstick chart calibrated for each model.
Fuel - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateXPAGXPEG
Oil Pressure on the XPAG and XPEG: The Best Single Gauge of Engine Health
Oil pressure is the best single indicator of a T-Series engine's condition. A rough guide is at least 10 psi per 1,000 rpm with strong pressure once warm. Low or fluctuating pressure points to bearings, oil pump or relief valve wear and precedes expensive damage.
Ignition - History & IdentificationBeginner
Original Factory Paint Colours & British Racing Green
A reference to the original nitrocellulose paint colours offered on the MG TA, TB, TC, TD and TF at Abingdon, and where "British Racing Green" fits into that story — the specific Abingdon greens (Apple, Almond, Woodland, Sherwood) versus the generic BRG label used today.
- RestorationIntermediate
Storing Your MG T-Series
For an MG T-Series the enemy in storage is moisture, not cold — and it matters more than for most classics, because the coachbuilt body has an ash timber frame that rots when damp. The goal is to keep relative humidity low (ideally below about 55%) and stop condensation forming. This guide covers winter and summer storage, heating and dehumidifying, portable garages and their base, and airflow bubble systems.
Bodywork - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateSU
SU Type H Carburettors: The Complete Tuning & Servicing Guide
The SU Type H is a variable-venturi, constant-vacuum carburettor: simple, reliable and once correctly set, staying set. This complete guide covers tuning, servicing, needles and jets, float level, damper oil and fault-finding for twin H-type SUs on the MG T-Series — verify every setting against your workshop manual.
CarburettorsTune-up - Body & CoachworkAdvanced
The Ash Frame: The Most Expensive Thing Your T-Type Can Hide
Every MG T-Type has a steel chassis and an ash-framed body tub. The tub rots invisibly behind the panels, and putting it right is the single largest bill these cars can present — here is how to assess, plan and manage it.
Bodywork - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateXPAGXPEGSU
The Complete MG T-Series Tune-Up: A Step-by-Step Guide
The definitive step-by-step MG T-Series tune-up for the XPAG and XPEG engines: compression and valve clearances first, then ignition, then SU carburettors — with spec tables, the rule of nines, static Colortune timing and the correct SU sequence.
IgnitionCarburettorsTune-up - ElectricsIntermediate
The Lucas Control Box: Voltage Regulator on the MG TD & TF
How the Lucas RB106/2 mechanical voltage regulator works on the MG TD and TF, how to fault-find it, and how to calibrate it — including the correct open-circuit voltage settings and how to cure overcharging.
Electrics - History & IdentificationBeginnerXPEG
The MG T-Series Story: From Abingdon to America
The flagship narrative history of the MG T-Series — from Abingdon in 1936, through wartime tanks and Tempest spars, to Watkins Glen and the American sports-car boom, and finally to the last TF 1500 of 1955.
History - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateSU
The SU Electric Fuel Pump: Ticks, Silences, and the Roadside Fix
The SU pump's reassuring tick means it is working. When it goes silent, the points have usually stuck — a gentle tap frees them enough to get you home, but the real fix is cleaning the points, renewing perished fuel line, and fitting a correct low-pressure pump.
IgnitionFuelCarburettorsElectricsBodywork - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateSU
The SU Fuel Pump: Why It Stopped, and What to Do at the Roadside
The SU electric pump has the most famous failure mode in British classic motoring — the silence where the tick used to be. It is almost always fixable at the roadside if you know where the pump lives, how to free stuck points, and how to rule out a blocked fuel-cap vent first.
IgnitionFuelCarburettorsElectricsValues & Paperwork - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateSU
Tuning the Twin SUs: Why the Carbs Are Almost Never the Problem
The SU is a beautifully simple carburettor with only three moving parts, and once correctly set it stays set. On a rough-running T-Type, tune the ignition and check compression first — the carbs are rarely the real fault. Then balance airflow and set mixture methodically.
IgnitionCarburettorsChassis & NumbersTune-up - RestorationBeginner
UK Registration, Tax & MOT for Your MG T-Series
A practical DVLA paperwork guide for MG T-Type owners in the UK: historic tax class, MOT exemption and the substantial-change test, reclaiming an original number under the V765 scheme, age-related marks, returning imports and evidence you actually need.
Values & Paperwork - Engine & MechanicalBeginner
Why Professional Tuning Is Worth It — And What a Proper Tune-Up Actually Involves
A classic runs on the settings a human being gives it, not a computer. A proper professional tune-up transforms starting, smoothness, throttle response, economy and running temperature — often for less than the cost of the parts owners buy chasing the problem instead.
Tune-up - ElectricsIntermediate
Why Your Distributor Matters: The Hidden Cost of Cheap Ignition Parts
A distributor is not a generic part. Its advance curve is engineered for one specific engine, and a low-grade, uncalibrated reproduction with the wrong curve will make a healthy car overheat, run poorly and lose power while every other component tests fine. Fitting a properly rebuilt, correctly calibrated Lucas distributor transforms the car.
IgnitionCoolingElectricsHistory