A T-Type''s cabin is part of its character — leather, wood-rimmed wheel, octagonal instruments and the smell of an old sports car. It also sits on an ash frame that hates damp, so looking after the trim protects the car beneath it. This guide covers cleaning and feeding leather, seats and upholstery, carpets, the painted dashboard and instruments, and the weather equipment — how to maintain them, and when to repair rather than replace.
Leather
Most T-Types were trimmed in leather (traditionally Vaumol/Connolly hides). Cared for, it lasts generations; neglected, it dries, cracks and splits.
Cleaning. Use a dedicated pH-neutral leather cleaner and a soft cloth, working gently. Avoid household cleaners, all-purpose sprays and excess water, and be wary of saddle soap on fine automotive hide. Test any product on a hidden area first.
Feeding. A good hide food or leather conditioner keeps the leather supple and slows cracking. Clean first, then feed sparingly — roughly twice a year is plenty for a used car; over-feeding leaves a sticky, dust-attracting film. Keep leather out of prolonged direct sun, which bakes and fades it.
Cracks and wear. Light surface crazing can be cleaned, fed and, if wanted, recoloured. Deeper cracks and splits need professional recolouring or, where a panel has perished, reskinning. Think hard before recovering a complete, sound original interior — honest patina is part of the car''s value, and a sympathetic clean-and-feed usually beats a full retrim.
Seats and upholstery
Under the covers sit foam or traditional padding on webbing and springs. Sagging, a collapsed seat base or a "hammocking" backrest usually means tired webbing or broken springs rather than just worn foam. Recovering is a skilled trimmer''s job — matching hide, grain, piping and stitch is what separates a good retrim from an obvious one. If your covers are sound, concentrate on cleaning, feeding and supporting the structure beneath.
Carpets and mats
T-Types use wool carpet with rubber or Hardura floor coverings. The enemy is damp: wet carpet holds water against the floors and, crucially, against the ash frame, inviting corrosion and rot. Lift carpets to check and dry the floors, treat any moth, and make sure mats are not trapping water. Correct-colour wool carpet sets are available and transform a tired cabin. For the frame beneath, see the pillar article on ash frame, steel panels and how to keep them together.
Headlining, door cards and trim panels
Interior panels are typically trim material over a board backing. Board warps and delaminates if it gets damp, so a panel that has gone wavy has usually been wet — find the leak as well as replacing the panel. Re-covering panels in the correct material is a satisfying job that lifts the whole interior.
The dashboard and instruments
Unlike many British classics, the T-Type does not have a wood-veneer dash: the TD and TF carry a painted metal facia (often body-coloured) with the octagonal MG instrument theme. Care is therefore paint care — gentle cleaning and an occasional wax — rather than veneer restoration. The instruments themselves (speedometer, rev counter, oil and the rest) can be restored by a specialist: bezels re-chromed, faces re-silvered or re-printed, and mechanisms serviced. Keep the wood-rimmed steering wheel lightly oiled and out of the sun.
Weather equipment
The hood, sidescreens and tonneau are part of the interior experience. Clean fabric gently, re-proof as needed, and always store the hood and sidescreens dry — folding damp weather gear away is how mildew and window crazing start. A hood that no longer seals lets water into the cabin and, again, onto that ash frame. For winter lay-up, see Storing Your MG T-Series.
The interior''s three enemies
Damp, ultraviolet and pests. Damp rots trim board and carpet and threatens the frame and floors; UV bakes leather and fades fabric; moth and mice destroy wool and padding. The defence is simple: fix leaks, ventilate, keep the car dry and covered, and check regularly.
Do it yourself, or use a trimmer?
Cleaning, feeding, re-proofing and fitting a carpet set are well within a careful owner''s reach. Seat recovering, panel retrimming and hood fitting are specialist skills — a good classic trimmer is worth every penny. Local to Yorkshire, the Classic & Sportscar Centre at Malton runs its own trim shop (Malton Coachworks), the kind of in-house facility that does this work to a high standard.
Interior care checklist
Maintenance
- Clean leather with a pH-neutral cleaner; feed sparingly about twice a year
- Keep leather and the wood-rimmed wheel out of prolonged direct sun
- Lift carpets periodically to check and dry the floors and frame
- Re-proof and always store the hood and sidescreens dry
- Treat any sign of moth in wool carpet or trim promptly
Inspecting an interior when buying
- Is the leather sound, or dried and split? Surface wear is fine; splits mean recolouring or reskinning
- Do the seats sit level, or has webbing/spring support collapsed?
- Are trim panels flat, or warped from past damp (a leak clue)?
- Are the floors and ash frame dry beneath the carpets?
- Do the hood and sidescreens fit and seal, and are they stored dry?
- Are the instruments complete and working, the facia paint sound?
For the wider buying picture, see the buying guide hub and the shared what-to-check checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I feed the leather in my MG?
For a car in regular use, clean it and feed it lightly about twice a year. Always clean first, then apply a good hide food sparingly — over-feeding leaves a sticky film that attracts dust. Leather kept out of strong sunlight and fed occasionally will stay supple for decades.
Can cracked leather be repaired, or must it be replaced?
Light surface crazing can be cleaned, fed and recoloured to look much better. Deeper cracks can be professionally recoloured, but leather that has genuinely split or perished needs that panel reskinning. A specialist can advise whether your seats are savable or due for recovering.
Should I recover a complete original interior?
Usually not, if it is sound. Honest original leather with a little patina is desirable and often worth more than a fresh retrim. Clean and feed it, support the seat structure, and only recover when the leather has genuinely perished.
My T-Type''s interior smells damp — what should I do?
Damp almost always means water is getting in. Lift the carpets, dry the floors, and check the hood, sidescreens and screen seals for leaks. Because the body sits on an ash frame, trapped damp is not just a smell — it threatens the frame and floors, so trace and cure the source.
Does the MG T-Type have a wooden dashboard?
No. The TD and TF use a painted metal facia (often body-coloured) with the octagonal MG instrument theme, not a wood veneer. So dash care is paint care — gentle cleaning and occasional waxing — while the instruments themselves can be restored by a specialist.
What leather did MG use, and can I still get it?
T-Types were traditionally trimmed in Vaumol/Connolly-type hides. Correct-specification leather, wool carpet sets and trim materials are still available through marque and trim suppliers, so a sympathetic restoration to original spec is entirely possible.
Can I retrim the interior myself?
Some of it, yes. Cleaning, feeding, re-proofing weather gear and fitting a carpet set are within a careful owner''s reach. Seat recovering, panel retrimming and hood fitting are skilled trimmer''s work — for those, a good classic trimmer will give a far better and longer-lasting result.
General guidance for maintaining and restoring a classic interior; always test products on a hidden area first and consult a specialist trimmer for major work.