Best sources for TC interior kits

[bimmrr]

Hello all,
Looking for who is recommended for interior kits for a recently purchased 48 TC. Have owned two in the past, a 49 and a 47 and used Moss for those interiors but was wondering if anyone else is recommended as been about 10 years since I've been a TC owner.
Thanks,
Mike

[Ray White]

I recently took delivery of a complete bespoke TC interior by these people. They also supply standard kits. The quality of workmanship is second to none. Not cheap!

https://www.pjm-motors.com

[Steve Simmons]

Welcome back! You obviously have fine taste in automobiles.

If you want the best, Tom Wilson of Kimber Creek (and a member of this forum) makes top quality, original upholstery. I don't know if he's currently doing them because he's restoring something like 12 pre-war cars at the moment but perhaps he'll chime in.

I have a Moss kit in my TC, and the fit is just fine, quality is certainly acceptable, but the look is not really accurate. The pleats are very flat, whereas the originals i believe were individually stitched and stuffed, and sat more proud and round,. The price was right at the time though. If it's a show car or you care greatly about originality, I'd pony up for Tom's product. If you plan to drive tons of miles and wear out the seats then the Moss stuff might work for you and save some money in the short term.

I have no personal experience with any of the other suppliers out there but I'm sure others will chime in.

Here are the Moss kits after probably 15K miles.

[SteveW]

I recently took delivery of a complete bespoke TC interior by these people. They also supply standard kits. The quality of workmanship is second to none. Not cheap!

You might think that they are not cheap, but it depends on what you're buying. Their seat foam is a fraction of the price of that from NTG

[Ray White]

I recently took delivery of a complete bespoke TC interior by these people. They also supply standard kits. The quality of workmanship is second to none. Not cheap!

You might think that they are not cheap, but it depends on what you're buying. Their seat foam is a fraction of the price of that from NTG

Yes, I said "not cheap" thinking about the overall cost but I can't say they were not good value. Sandra took personal responsibility and paid attention to my request that the pleats were nicely profiled. I know it's not what purists would consider to be "correct" but I didn't want ANY vinyl in the car and chose my own quality leather called "Mountbatten Sand'. The whole job - including enough leather to cover the dashboard - took four hides.!

It looks, feels and smells...lovely!

[bimmrr]

Thanks y'all for the quick replies. Checked out PJM and with the current pound/dollar conversion rate their price is less than Moss and even with the usual Moss sale every year, should still be less. Depends on their shipping costs and checking on that.
Merry Christmas,
Mike

[Ray White]

I can't imagine there are many brand new seats commissioned in a year. I had the early version in my TC when I got it... and that would have been fine if I could get just a new seat back ...but I could only get a complete new seat made at considerable expense.

The consequence is I have two rather nice early type seat bases finished in red vinyl that are looking for a new home. Any reasonable offer considered.

Just one point that I must emphasize. As I had a new TC body tub made I took advice from someone who had used PJM and requested they send me the plywood backing boards to be sure they fitted. I am glad I did, because the boards did not match up to my new body or doors. I started from scratch and made my own boards from 3.6mm plywood and returned them to PJM.

[bloodysalmon]

i think what you have shown Ray, is the fact that there is no 'one fit all' and that new body tubs, new doors then mixed with old doors and old bodies all contribute to a variety of possible fittings. Generally you can always cut down a door card to make it smaller and to map the shape of your door, but you cant add wood ... so always try to make sure they are oversized.
I've got most interior panel parts from 2-3 complete original TC's ... and none of them are the same, especially around the top front of the door card, around the wheel arch and back panels. They arent far off, say 1/2" inch max in places.
Getting your supplier to cover your own shaped and fitting boards is probably the safest way, so yourve done the right thing knowing you have a new body it was going to be inevitable.

Collingburn's in Richmond, Yorkshire was the best place to go for most pre-war and post-war MG's for upholstery and interiors and I managed to get the last 2 sets made by James Collingburn for my TC's. He has packed up doing T-type's and only does a reducing amount of pre-war MG's stuff now.

[Ray White]

Good to hear from you again Chris. Talking about pre War MGs, I was very impressed with the photo of your D Type Salonette in the Bulletin. That car is really neat and a credit to you!

[Duncan M]

Clausager's book "Original MG T Series" notes correctly that there was an interior color change for the late TC's and early TD's. Very few of the upholstery makers today seem to be aware or care. I can only speak to the very vibrant green leather and vinyl trim (and dash Rexine) used in TC9866 (October 1949) which is obviously a quite different color from the standard TC (darker) green.

Noted here on page 7/10 http://www.mg-tabc.org/special-files/mg ... s-v2.1.pdf

[Tom Wilson]

Duncan, I have parts of a green interior from a TC, chassis number in the TC10xxx range. The green color (seat base and one panel) are the exact same color green as I've found on early TCs, and all the way back to J2s. That's not to say a different color green could've been used, but I haven't seen it.

Sadly, I've turned away 20+ orders for interiors this year to make space for building my cars. I don't advertise, but this indicates there is still a good market for high quality authentic detail interiors for our cars.

Tom Wilson
Kimber Creek Ltd.
Zionsville IN USA
TC0273, 0279, 2040
VA1509
Four J2s, L1, four PAs, two PBs.
And now TC1352, TD4227, TF7212 that need to find homes

[Duncan M]

Tom-
It seems unlikely that Clausager would just make it up. My known original late TC seats are quite a different color of green compared to the standard green. I still have the original seat in storage, and all in good condition. Maybe the special green was only used late in production in combination with certain colors like my black TC, or only in some EXU's? My father got the TC when it was just 2 years old in 1952, and the interior is untouched (except for my storage of the original seats).

I don't have any good pics handy, but I will look in the next few days and post if I find any.

Here is an example of the standard green on a TC:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/CA0814-196373/1948-mg-tc/

Here is an example of the different green seats quite similar to what I am talking about:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/CA0815-21973 ... -roadster/

This different green pops up occasionally on a restored TC, and is not too unusual to see on a restored TD, although Clausager says it was only used through 1951. Someone is making upholstery sets in this different green. It is a more interesting color than the standard. Probably lighter blue primary mixed with a brighter yellow. Connaught green vs Shires green?

[bimmrr]

Hey y'all,
Do have a quick question for you - the red used by Moss is a more "burgundy" red than the red offered by PJM in UK which to me looks like the Jaguar red, they call it "poppy red". Which is actually correct for a TC ? I also have an Austin Healey 100M and the red I used on it is closer to the Jag red from Skinner in UK. Did not care for the Moss red which is same as what they make for the TC.
Thanks
Mike

[bloodysalmon]

thanks for your kind words about my D-type Salonette Ray, you'll have to pop over and see it some time

[Ray White]

thanks for your kind words about my D-type Salonette Ray, you'll have to pop over and see it some time

I would like that. Please email me your address.

[bimmrr]

Anyone know when Moss usually has their once a year sale of interior bits ?

[Duncan M]

Here is yet another example of the "other" green interior in some 1949 TC's. This car has the "other" green seats, and they appear that they could be original. Note the rest of the interior was re-done incorrectly in the common (dark) green.
https://www.britcars.com/images/cars/19 ... terior.JPG

[Tom Wilson]

Hi Duncan -
Those green seats look like "faded to yellowish green" Connolly Celstra leather that was used by MG from 1932 through late TD production..
I have an original set in the shop now, TC1351, the same. Early TC seat design, seatback to the floor and the early seat bottoms.
Tom Wilson

[Duncan M]

Not rocket science, Tom. My father was an expert on green MG interiors (and exu TC's) since he bought the late '49 TC in 1952. The standard TC green leather has its own look when it is old and faded, and the light green also has its own look when old. Pretty hard to confuse the two distinctly different colors of green, faded or not. You are probably looking at a car's leather that was replaced with the light green in the 70's, and the owner is simply clueless as to its (lack of) originality.

I recall going to car gatherings in the late 60's with my father, when you could still find many original interiors on TC's. The only MG's with the original light green leather back then were Pre-War MG's or the occasional '49 TC. If a TC had a new interior, it was pretty obvious. Apparently the light green was also used on some early TD's, but I was not paying much attention to TD's back then. Clausager says the light green came back to life sometime in 1949 and was also used in "early" TD's. He was right about that.

What I recall from the car gatherings in the 70's was a whole lot more "restored" TC's (all years) showing up with the lighter green leather. It is after all a fabulous color, rooted in pre-war MG History. By the 80's there were so many "old" restorations showing up that it was hard to figure much anything about factory original versus restoration.

Nowadays, occasionally, you will see the light green interior on some very high end TC restorations, with matching light green (real) Rexine trim -- and the whole nine yards. I have also seen it on TD's and some driver TC restorations. Someone has been making leather seat kits in the lighter green, and it has always been popular.

The factory lighter green found on some '49 TC' interiors used to be common knowledge among TC owners.

Here is a link to an MMM discussion where Collingburn shows off the two pre-war green interiors he had just finished. The third dark green seat is a special non-original color he did for someone. The green pictured first is the same light green that was put to some '49 TC's by the factory.
https://www.triple-mregister.org/forums ... C_ID=14033

[Tom Wilson]

Duncan there's no questioning a green MG interior expert; I'm sure your time with him was special for many many years.
While Mike Collingburn did extraordinary work for years, much of his detailed knowledge was sadly not passed on to his son James, who only occasionally now will do an MMM interior. I'd be very careful in citing info from him as authoritative relative to originality.
TCTom