June MG of the Month!
The 1953 MG TD of Bob O'Neil of Marshall, Texas
Here is the story behind the car, in Bob's words.
I came home from Vietnam in November, 1965 to Whittier, California. Because I had my hazardous duty and leave pay, my brother took me car shopping. I found this 1953 MGTD on a used car lot in Whittier and paid $550.00 for it. It was in good enough condition that I was able to drive it to work each day.
I actually met my future wife and took her on our first date in it. She didn't like riding in it because there were no side curtains and her 60's hairdo was messed up.
By the early 70's it needed the valves and carburetors rebuilt. About that time my neighbor and I painted it silver with black fenders. I also had appropriate parts rechromed. My wife and I continued driving it, and after having a couple of children, placed one in the back and one on a pillow over the emergency brake. They called it "the noisy car."
Then in 1979 we moved from California to Marshall, TX, with strict instructions to the movers that the MG had to be included in the moving van with protective blankets around it. We continued driving the MG, even in the winter with the top down.
In 1997, our first daughter was married and she and her husband used it as a getaway car from the church. It took quite awhile to remove all the rice though.
Then, when our youngest daughter was in high school, the MG was used as a backdrop for her prom pictures. Overall, it has been frequently driven by all of our family.
After I retired from truck driving, I decided to do a complete frame off, nut and bolt restoration and had the frame and suspension parts powder coated. My good friend, John Lawrence, who has a paint booth in his shop, helped me repaint my MG with the original color-silver streak grey, which I ordered from TCP Global in California.
The only part that wasn't replaced or restored were the original seats.
Thank you to Ed and Martin at Abingdon Spares for their patience in answering all my technical questions and for their efficiency in supplying all my needed parts.
It has been a six year project and now I'm finally able to drive it again.
