News and views

Let’s hope the co-vid thing has started to recede and we can get back to some normality. A few dates have already been fixed for later in the year: MGCC have again booked for MG Live at Silverstone on the 11th and 12th June, no doubt the Triple M Register will have a presence there but sadly I suspect no Triple M racing much like the last few years before lockdown. Watch out however for dates for the Triple M Racing meetings at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Donnington for this year.

From our point of view the premier event must be PreWar Prescott, already set for July 16th and entries have been open for sometime with an increasing number of takers! Organiser Ian Grace has promised another impressive flypast some time during the day.

A few gatherings managed to happen last year though in between lockdowns. Notably this group of Morris (car) enthusiasts, who hold a quarterly meeting and this was from their December one for Christmas lunch at the Royal Automobile Club premises at Woodcote Park in Surrey after a very wet rally on Epsom Downs.

The caption read ‘drying out’ as John Emmett had arrived in D0430 (that’s him in the fur cap behind the car) after travelling through pouring rain!

Our next picture is from September last and shows Norbert Welter’s supercharged D0321 to C Type spec. now in the hands of daughter Nadia Mangen and being driven by her up Mount Ventoux (South of France):

The occasion was a one week tour of MMM cars in the Luberon area. That’s Nadia’s son in the passenger seat no doubt enjoying the ride if not the views!

Now for a couple interesting but sad pictures of a non-survivor. This is D0310 pictured on discovery in a Forest of Dean quarry in Gloucestershire back in the early seventies.

A few items were rescued but otherwise, as can be seen, much too far gone!

Thinking ahead, next year sees the 100th anniversary of MG production which began in 1923. Most of the smaller and foreign MG Clubs recognise this date but for sometime now the MGCC and the Chinese owners of the brand have been working to 1924 but rumour has it they are coming round. 2023 will also mark the 20th anniversary of the D Group. Hopefully Covid will be long gone by then and we can look forward to some first class celebrations – the D Group has it’s thinking cap on, watch this space!

Bits and Pieces

Here’s a useful tip; ever wondered how you get a new dust excluder rubber over your existing brake cable end?
Well, here’s one answer which may help – use a ‘sheep tail docking tool’ (don’t ask!) – search on this description on Amazon (no doubt available on other sites) prices range from about £7 to £27.

Essentially they are a special pair of pliers that expand 4 prongs.

Using copious amounts of French chalk powder or even talcum powder this tool makes short work of opening the end out of the rubber enabling the end of the brake cable to slip through. No doubt similar uses can be found for this tool once in your workshop!

An undoubted weak spot on the early Ds was the fixing of the dashboard particularly as it held the steering column support bracket. Just 3 angle iron brackets were used, one in the centre top and one each side, all screwed from the back so no screw heads showed on the front. It seems later models used a wooden block mounted on the side panels and the dash was screwed from the front using 2 screws each side.

Interestingly this Service Information Sheet No.18 was issued by the factory in January 1932 for the F Magna (same Dash setup as the D) and would roughly co-inside with the start of production of the later, 2 inch longer D’s 351 onwards, as this appears to be what was used in production of those.

Being the same body tub as the F it was probably an oversight that the Service Information sheet didn’t include the D Type.

During the restoration of D0494 Tom Goodyear has found these brackets on his original dash which enabled the dash to be fixed from behind so showing no screws and the other end screwed into the scuttle uprights.

Definitely not original we think but another way of securing the dash board with an easy in and out option!

By the way there were 15 Service Information sheets issued specifically for the D (although others were issued which covered several models including the D).

Period Accessory?

Probably more common on Morris cars this dipstick cleaner is no doubt useful on a D and would certainly qualify as an accessory of the early thirties. Haydon Edwards has faithfully reproduced some from an original as seen here.

It attaches to the radiator tie rod and the centre is a felt pad, with a cut in it, through which the dip stick is pushed to clean it. Haydon can offer the two bare castings for £25 ready for completing as shown here:

Or the completed item for £29.50 which would also include the hanging strap for the radiator tie rod. Post and packing for either is £3.50.

If there is sufficient demand another batch will be produced; contact Haydon on: haydon.s.edwards@gmail.com if interested.