I love it when they fix themselves.

Could have been some sticky grease in the cables, etc that prevented the springs from pulling back on the lever.

A couple of the TCMG guys have them installed because of the Shorrock also. I'll see if I can find out what type they used. I'm pretty sure at least one or two other guys have the stock fan installed with a Shorrock so it does work somehow. And back in the day of course they didn't have electric fans.

Here's the hand brake assembly from TC 7018 (after much scrubbing and painting). The part Duncan mentioned is the black piece with two bolts in it on the left. Or in Rob's photo on the right.

You're right, Rob! I read it as the brake not engaging. So the question is... does the button move when you depress it? In my experience the most common reason for the lock not holding is that the brake is set too loose. Try tightening the wing nut in front of the handle (under the vinyl boot). The ...

First make sure the wing nut adjuster on the lever didn't unscrew itself, then check the adjusters on each cable under the car. Also make sure the cables haven't jammed. Look for a bunch of slack where they come out of the outer housings and connect to the lever cross member. If both went out at onc...

The springs on my car are original factory springs, so nice and worn in. They sit pretty flat when the car is fully weighted.

I broke a main leaf a couple years ago and put another original on.

Congrats! Missing bolts on the rear axle are a real concern. There's a lot of stress on those towers. I would inspect them carefully for any stress cracks and address if necessary.

A lot of new springs are too stiff and eventually settle in, although it can take a while. Lowering blocks would work but my only concern is that the towers have a tendency to crack and break from torsional stresses after so many years and a spacer would increase the leverage on them. I would carefu...

The original fuses have a different rating than modern American fuses. They are "slow blow" so a 35 amp fuse is actually 17 amps continuous but will withstand spike up to 35 amps. Someone correct me if I'm remembering incorrectly but I think the 50 amp Lucas fuse is 35 amp continuous, 50 max. I have...

There's an MG-TABC facebook page?!?

To add a photo here, just drag it into the reply box. If it's a huge file size then you may need to shrink it first, otherwise it should drop right in.

Generally speaking, one weaker gear in an assembly is there to protect all the others in the case something jams. In your case the plastic gear may have just been old. They weren't meant to last 80 years! I would try West Valley Instruments in Reseda, California for parts. Also Nisonger in New York....

My Shorrock is in shambles so I don't have any personal experience running one on my own car. The car pictured is just one I inspected recently. I believe it does have a spacer but it's hard to see for sure int he photos. There's something silver behind the fan so probably an aluminum spacer.

I don't like the idea of bolting a disc brake caliper to the backing plate. I suppose it works but it certainly isn't ideal. The conversion also looks terrible. If I were going to do something like that (which I wouldn't) then I would at least try to hide it behind a fake drum or something. The cali...

As I recall, handles were mostly dealer-installed. I can't remember for sure on the MMM cars though.

I just use a bit of lubricant and slide them over. It's a pain but they do go on.

A photo is worth 1000 words. The pulley does get close to the radiator and bonnet, but I haven't seen a need to cut them yet. Maybe John's engine was a bit high, or radiator a bit low?

Looks like it may have been a hardware store find! A nice heavy drawer pull or similar. They don't make things so heavy duty anymore, that's for sure. Even the newer MG crested handles are hollowed out on the back to save material, at the expense of strength and comfort.

I checked with a friend who restored his TA from the ground up and he doesn't recognize the part. That combined with having only one side and not finding it in any catalog, I'd say it's likely aftermarket / home brew.

What about the little bracket that was attached to it?

I don't recognize it, but I'm not a TA expert. Could it be from under the dash area perhaps? Or someone's idea of an inner door stiffener? Do the holes line up with the door hinges at all? The curve also looks a bit like the rear arch curve, so maybe a brace from the arch and the small piece is supp...

That symptom is most likely a weak coil.