Reference
Technical Library
Articles on history and identification, engines, coachwork, electrics and restoration, search or filter by model, engine, topic, category and difficulty.
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Reference and identification
The standing reference pages: what each engine and chassis number means, what a correct car should have, and how each model changed through production.
- EngineThe XPAG engineRead →
History, specifications, the XPEG development and the problems owners meet most.
- EngineThe engines comparedRead →
MPJG, XPAG and XPEG side by side: what the sources agree on, and where the published record contradicts itself.
- IdentificationChassis and engine numbersRead →
How to read the numbers on a TA to TF, where to find them, and how to date a car.
- CoachworkThe ash frameRead →
Construction, where rot starts, how to inspect it and what repair really involves.
- IdentificationIdentifying a genuine TF1500Read →
Numbers, originality and the evidence that separates a real 1500 from a converted TF.
- Production changesMG TC production changesRead →
EXU exports, running changes and dating evidence across 1945–1949.
- Production changesMG TD production changesRead →
The TD2, the Mark II and the detail changes through 1950–1953.
- Production changesMG TF production changesRead →
TF 1250 to TF 1500, the changes and the numbers, 1953–1955.
- OriginalityMG TC originalityRead →
What a correct TC should have, component by component, and what to check on each.
- OriginalityMG TD originalityRead →
Engine, wheels, brightwork, dashboard, trim and factory colours on a correct TD.
- OriginalityMG TF 1500 originalityRead →
The XPEG car in detail, from numbers and badging to trim and instruments.
- From the workshopTF1500 health-check: overcharging and rich runningRead →
A case study working through a charging fault and a rich mixture on one TF 1500.
- InteriorLeather, upholstery and dashboard careRead →
Cleaning and feeding original trim, and reviving a tired dashboard without harm.
Search & Filter
- Engine & MechanicalBeginner
Before a Long Run, and After: A T-Series Checklist
A practical pre-trip and post-trip checklist for the MG T-Series, the fluids, tyres, brakes and electrics to check before a long drive or show weekend, the T-Type quirks to watch, the spares to carry, and the return check that catches small faults early.
Electrics - History & IdentificationBeginnerTCTDTF
Buying Guide: TC vs TD vs TF, Which T-Type Is Right for You?
The three main post-war T-Types, the TC, TD and TF, look like cousins but drive and feel quite different. This guide compares them on character, drivability, rarity and value, so you can work out which one suits how you actually want to use it.
Values & Paperwork - ElectricsAdvancedTDTF
Calibrating the Lucas Voltage Regulator: Setting the RB106/2 with a Multimeter
A step-by-step guide to setting the Lucas RB106/2 control box on the MG TD and TF, the open-circuit method, the correct temperature-corrected voltage figures, the cut-out setting, and when to stop and fit solid-state instead.
Electrics - Engine & MechanicalBeginner
Chassis Lubrication: The Grease Points and the Schedule
Nothing keeps a T-Series steering sweet and its running gear tight like regular greasing. The car was built to be greased often, at a couple of dozen points around the chassis, the cheapest, most valuable half-hour of maintenance you can give it. Here is the how, the what and the how-often.
Ignition - 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.
- ElectricsIntermediate
Fitting a Solid-State Regulator Inside the Lucas Control Box
How to replace the worn-out mechanical internals of a Lucas RB106/2 with a modern solid-state regulator hidden inside the original case, choosing the right unit for a positive-earth car, fitting it, and what to expect afterwards.
Electrics - ElectricsIntermediateTFXPEG
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 & MechanicalIntermediateTFXPAGXPEG
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 & MechanicalIntermediateTDTF
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 & IdentificationBeginnerTB
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 & IdentificationIntermediateTDTFXPAG
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 & MechanicalIntermediateTFXPAGXPEG
MG T-Type Misfire & Rough Running: Finding the Cause
Misfires on the XPAG and XPEG are diagnosed by pattern: at idle, under load, at high revs, or a permanently dead cylinder. An interactive flowchart and plug-reading tables narrow each one to a short list of causes.
- Engine & MechanicalBeginner
MG T-Type Won't Start? A Step-by-Step Diagnosis
A symptom-led diagnosis for an MG T-Series that will not start, with an interactive flowchart: read how the engine refuses, then split the fault between electrical supply, spark and fuel before touching a spanner.
Electrics - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateTDTF
MG TD & TF Modern Upgrades: Front Disc Brakes and Telescopic Dampers
A look at the two mainstream conversions that modernise a TD or TF's stopping and ride: bolt-on front disc brake kits to replace the standard drums, and telescopic dampers in place of the original lever-arm units, with verified kit specifics, what's involved, and where UK MOT rules stand.
Values & Paperwork - Engine & MechanicalIntermediateTBTCTDTFXPAGXPEGSU
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 & MechanicalIntermediate
Oil and Fluid Leaks on the MG T-Series: What Is Dripping, and From Where
A T-Type carries seven or eight separate fluids and most of them can find their way onto the garage floor. This is how to work out which one you are looking at, where it came from, and whether it matters.
- Engine & MechanicalIntermediateTFXPAGXPEG
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 & IdentificationBeginnerTATBTCTDTF
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.
- ElectricsIntermediateTDTF
Replacing the Lucas Control Box: A Step-by-Step Voltage Regulator Swap
Fitting a replacement voltage regulator to a TD or TF is one of the most satisfying jobs you can do in an afternoon, a handful of screws and five wires. This guide covers choosing the right unit, transferring the wiring without mistakes, re-polarising the dynamo and confirming it charges.
Electrics - RestorationBeginner
Rodents and a Stored Classic: What Works, What Does Not, and the Insurance Question
Mice and rats do more expensive damage to a laid-up classic than damp does, and most of the popular remedies have nothing behind them. What actually keeps them out, what the evidence says about the folklore, and where you stand if they have already been in.
Values & Paperwork - Engine & MechanicalIntermediate
Starting in Extreme Heat: The Hot-Start Problem and How to Beat It
Come back to a T-Series after a hot-day stop and it can crank and crank without firing. It is not the car falling apart, it is the petrol boiling before it reaches the cylinders. With modern fuel and hotter summers this is an increasingly common story, and a very manageable one once you understand it.
Fuel - Engine & MechanicalIntermediate
Storing an MG T-Series Over Winter: Damp, the Ash Frame and Fuel
Laying an MG T-Type up for the salted months, why dry storage matters most for an ash-framed, steel-panelled car, and the full checklist for putting it away and waking it in spring.
Bodywork - 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 & MechanicalIntermediateTFXPAGXPEGSU
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 - Engine & MechanicalIntermediate
The Gearbox: Synchromesh, Faults and the Right Oil
The T-Series four-speed gearbox is a tough, long-lived unit, but it has its quirks, a crash first gear, synchromesh that wears, and a very particular appetite when it comes to oil. Here is how it works, what goes wrong, and the one mistake that quietly damages it.
Bodywork - ElectricsIntermediateTDTF
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 & IdentificationBeginnerTFXPEG
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 & MechanicalIntermediate
The Rear Axle & Differential: Oil, Leaks, Whine and Wear
The rear axle is one of the T-Series' more durable assemblies, but not maintenance-free, and when it complains, it is usually one of three things: an oil leak onto the brakes, a whine on the move, or bearing wear. Here is how it works, the oil it wants (which is not the gearbox oil), and how to read the symptoms.
- 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 & MechanicalIntermediateTCTDTF
The T-Series Brakes: Drums, Adjustment and Common Faults
The T-Series braking system is simple, effective drum braking, and, kept in good order, perfectly adequate. But it is old technology that relies on regular adjustment and fresh fluid, and it has a handful of familiar faults. Here is how it works across the TC, TD and TF, and how to keep it safe.
- Engine & MechanicalIntermediate
The T-Series Clutch: Slip, Drag, Judder and How to Cure Them
The T-Series clutch is a simple, robust single dry-plate design with three classic complaints, slip, drag and judder. Each has its own tell and its own cure, and knowing which is which can save you from pulling the gearbox when an adjustment or a bleed would have done.
Bodywork - 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 - RestorationBeginner
Weather Equipment: The Hood, Sidescreens and Tonneau
The T-Series hood, sidescreens and tonneau explained, how the weather gear fits and folds, what wears out, why a poor fit lets water into the very places that rot, and how to care for and source it.
- Body & CoachworkIntermediateTATCTDTFMPJG
Wheels & Tyres: Wire vs Bolt-On Disc, Splines, Truing and Tyre Choice
The T-Series wore two genuinely different wheel systems across its life, centre-lock wire wheels on splined hubs for the TA through TC, bolt-on steel discs (with wire as an option) for the TD and TF. What each size and pattern actually is, how to keep splines and spokes healthy, when to call a wire-wheel specialist, and how to choose a tyre.
- 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 - ElectricsBeginner
Wiggling the Key: Curing an Intermittent Ignition Switch
You turn the key and nothing happens, wiggle it, try again, and the car wakes up. It is one of the most common electrical niggles on an older MG, and usually one of the cheapest to cure. This guide shows how to diagnose the fault properly and put it right, from cleaning the connections to replacing the switch.
IgnitionElectrics