I think it's TA

[Martin Johnson]

Hello:
Beverly Hills Car Club has a "T" series car listed as a 1947 TC, but it's on trunnions, has a pre-war firewall, and it is adorned with pre-war miscellaneous bits and pieces like the steering wheel and electrical bits. The spare wheel looks like a side laced item, the rest are TC wheels, I think. It has a later BMC engine in it, probably the transmission as well, but you can only get a peek at it as the cover and tunnel are displaced. You can view it on Hemmings using a MG TC search. BHCC is typically overpriced, and this vehicle is needing everything. The front wings have been "bobbed" and there are no running boards. Sadly maybe another car whose restoration will leave one underwater considerably by the time the finish line is reached. Maybe someone is interested? I'm not overly market-savvy, but if someone wants a pre-war car to make a special because of the chassis, this might be a good starting point, FWIW.

[Steve Simmons]

They usually have pretty nice cars, at typical dealer prices. But that one seems to be an exception. It could be on consignment. I don't see it on their dealer website.

"An original California car with tremendous potential for a full restoration."

The term "California Car" usually describes a rust-free original example. This is hardly original, not even the engine. Probably not a bad price for a TA in that condition, but it would have to come with an MPJG or XPAG. This seems like an $8K USD car to me as it sits, and only if it's truly pre-war. As a TC, more like $6K without the original engine.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/de ... 43805.html

[Franz]

I think the price is not realistic, I mean the value is maximum 5000. But when someone restores it you don’t have a original car. Wrong engine and maybe other parts.

Sorry to say but I think it is useless

Franz

[Duncan M]

A genuine Heinz 57

[Tom Lange, MGT Repair]

The "TA" part of the Guarantee plate has been overstamped "TC", but the engine part of the plate is still stamped MPJG, either 1530 or 1536; the image was poor. Very definitely a TA.

TA's generally are worth more in the UK, where they are eligible for pre-war racing classes that don't really exist over here. I agree that this is less than a $10,000 vehicle as it stands, but it fits in perfectly with BHCC's "ready for restoration with great potential" junker category.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair.

[Tom Lange, MGT Repair]

BHCC has changed the listing to show it is a TA, even though it still says TC in the description. Still optimistically priced...

Tom Lange
MGT Repair

[Rob Reilly]

New member, first post.
I am the new owner of this car. It was delivered 5 days ago.
It is TA1271, MPJG1530, build date 04/05/1937.
The engine and gearbox currently in it are from an early MGA and seem to be in pretty good shape.
The rust on the body is not too bad, restore-able anyway. I do my own restoration, early Jaguars up to now.
First thing on the agenda is disassembly, redi-strip the body and chassis, and it will need all new wood work.

[Steve Simmons]

Hi Rob, welcome and congrats! I'm really glad to see this car getting restored. To me this car looks like it went through the 50's being loved and modified by its owner. The bobbed fenders, replacement engine, etc all scream period mods to me. It's unusual to see a B-Series powered T-Series, and even more rare to see a pre-war car with one. Today, you rarely see a TA that isn't restored, and they are most often either 100% stock or converted into a Q Special. What are your plans for it? Did you find any history on the car? Did it stay in CA or get shipped elsewhere?

[Rob Reilly]

Thank you for the kind welcome. It is now in Illinois. There is no history at all, unfortunately, but it has very old American tires, Allstate, Atlas and Co-Op brands, all long gone names, so I imagine it has been here and off the road a long time. I actually like the bobbed fenders, which is what attracted me to the car. What with that and the non-original engine, I wouldn't think it would have much chance in concours, but it might go pretty fast. I may look around for an XPAG engine later on, but there are plenty of other things to work on first. The plan for now is to restore it in red as a driver. I've wanted a T series ever since I read "The Red Car" in high school, and this one seemed to want me in return.

[Steve Simmons]

Ah yes. Many a life has been ruined by that book.

I would vote to find either an MPJG or XPAG for the true vintage motoring experience. Yes it will be lower on power, but it will sound, feel and look right.

The bobbed wings may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they weren't entirely uncommon back in the day. Here's a TC in our local area that had the same treatment in the early 50's, and still retains them. The whole car is a time capsule from the So Cal hot rod days.

[Rob Reilly]

Yes, that book ruined me into 6 Jaguars, but I never forgot the TC.
Good to know there is at least one more around with bobbed fenders, so I won't feel so self-conscious.
He appears to have the 16" wheel option.
I have learned that center laced wheels began with the TA, but later than mine. My rim laced spare has rust holes, perhaps that's why the others are gone, but I have found a center laced wheel.

<The "TA" part of the Guarantee plate has been overstamped "TC", but the engine part of the plate is still stamped MPJG,>

Yes, that's a strange thing. It appears to have been done a very long time ago.
I can think of only two reasons why someone would do such a thing. Someone pulling a fraud, or someone had genuinely never heard of a TA and thought it was a TC.
Anyway the Illinois DMV doesn't need to see that plate; they only care about the title.
The title says the VIN is TA1271.
I'm wondering how I can remove those letters, any ideas?

[Steve Simmons]

Well, the car above isn't just a matter of bobbed wings and 16" wheels. He also has a flathead V8. Ordinarily the thought of doing that to a TC would make me vomit, but his father did the conversion in 1950, when the car was only one year old. So I reluctantly give him a pass on that one. There are other modifications also, to handle the extra weight. The wheels were undoubtedly to help with that also. The originals probably wouldn't have held up very well under the strain of trying to turn that nose heavy beast!

I don't think you have a chance of getting those stamped letters off the plate, unfortunately. If it bothers you or creates any legal issues, you could just hang that one on the wall and get a reproduction.

[Kregg Hunsberger]

Steve, Rob,
The TC which was purchased in 1948 (build date October 1947). It was converted to the V8 60 in 1950. At the time there was nothing like torque. The engine is setup in the tune as that was run in Midget race cars of the 40's and 50's. The block is cir. 1938. It has the Clay Smith M3 cam and 9.5:1 compression ratio Edelbrock heads with dual Stromberg 97 carbs on a 180 degree Edelbrock intake. The interesting point is that with the V8 60 the car it is actually lighter than the with the original XPAG engine. My dad ran the MG rear end for a while until Al Moss black listed him for using up all the axels in the US. He converted the rear end to a Dana 29 (Studebaker) to handle the toque. 4.11 ratio gives you about 20 MPH/1000 RPM in 4th. The racers ran the 600/16 wheels/tire combination to effectively double the rubber contact patch on the road. Also of note he competed in SCCA events against another V8 60 TC, "2jr". The 2jr car was at times driven by Phil Hill.

My dad also made a fiberglass hard top that he ran on the car from the 1950's up into the 1980s. In the late 1980s he put the rag top back on, which I run today. I still have the hard top in the garage.

Have fun
Kregg

[Steve Simmons]

I guess I forgot which engine that was. Even so I'm surprised it's lighter but I stand corrected! It's still a cool piece of history.