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TC8975 Steve Simmons

Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 7:55 am
by Steve Simmons
TC8975 is a home market car. I don't know anything of its early history but one original license plate remains (KTF 791) and tells us that it was first registered in Lancashire. In 1970, Jack Benson of New York, USA was traveling through Europe and spotted the car for sale. He drove it there for a while before continuing his journey to the Middle East and returning home. The car waited some time in the UK before he finally shipped it to New York. From there it moved with him to Colorado in the late 1980's where a restoration was performed and eventually he gave it to his son, Michael, in Los Angeles in 1995. Here it sat unused in an outdoor carport until we found it in 2005.

The car had deteriorated and was missing a lot of correct parts, but I was able to bring it back from the dead with a lot of elbow grease and parts hunting. Since then it has covered tens of thousands of miles around the West Coast of the USA. Most systems have now been rebuilt to a higher standard including the engine. More history and photos can be found at http://www.mgnuts.com/mgtc/
tc-lake.jpg
tc-lake.jpg (233.25 KiB) Viewed 6197 times
Some modifications for safety, reliability and use on modern roads include:

Suspension, Steering and Brakes:
Oversized front spindles
Tapered rear axles with tapered hubs
Sealed rear hub bearings
4.875 rear end gearing
Polyurethane front spring bushes
Front panhard rod
Datsun steering box
Sealed U-joints
Alfin brake drums
Semi-metallic brake shoes

Engine:
Engine bored to +30
High top pistons
Sealed water pump bearing with tapered shaft
Roller cam
Moss rear main seal kit
Rubber front seal
Runbaken oil coil
1.75" custom exhaust (stock manifold)

Electrical:
Integral turn signals (EXU switch on dash)
PF770 Tripod headlamps in original buckets
Halogen headlamp bulbs

Interior:
Jaeger water temperature gauge on dash
Pre-war style grab handle on dash
Seat belts (lap belt only)
Brooklands Steering Wheel (original home market wheel awaiting restoration)

Re: TC8975 Steve Simmons

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:47 pm
by olson_gene
Nice pictures. With the engine improvements- whose car climbs the grapevine faster? :)
gene olson
TC 3353
(not so pretty)

Re: TC8975 Steve Simmons

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:04 pm
by Steve Simmons
Yours. But mine doesn't have any bailing wire holding parts on. :D