The Mighty Gentleman
May 18, 2015
Purchased in Woburn MA, this 1952 MG TD is a Volkswagen Kit Car. Once a yellow 1974 VW Super Beetle, Jay purchased it with the intention to transform it into an MG and trailered it home. The MG slowly got worked on for two years following the purchase, including sealing the chassis with Bondo and painting both the undercarriage and floorboards with POR 15. Rear structural brackets were added, and the MG body panels had begun to be installed.
July 7, 2018 - March 3, 2019
Work on the MG picked up with the hopes of making an episode and getting the car on the roads. This included installing the rest of the body panels, cleaning and installing a front bumper, removing old tail lights, plumbing and installing a gas tank, replacing the master cylinder, fitting the grill, repairing and installing the pedal assembly + linkage, battery, windshield, headlights, dashboard, switches, wiring, building the seats, replacing oil filter and oil, rugs, horns and new tires.
Most repairs can be seen in Burnout Episode 3.
April 19, 2019
The MG went for its first drive down the road. With no insurance, no registration, no inspection and no plates on the car, Jay drove the kit car hitting three out of four original VW transmission gears.
The first ride can be found in Burnout Episode 3.
June 5, 2019
This was the ultimate test for The Mighty Gentleman thus far. In just one day, the MG traveled over 300 miles to kick off the road trip in Episode 3. With no issues except a cracked license plate bracket, this windy, ear piercing, lane shifting fiberglass MG made it all the way to Millinocket Maine.
This trip can be seen in Burnout Episode 3.
April 2, 2020
After finding out that interior color changing lights were essentially useless in the car- Jay installed a 2.1 desktop speaker system made for a computer using a cigarette DC car plug and the correct wiring. A bluetooth receiver was also installed for a wireless system. Although, the subwoofer gets out of control when blended with the rumble of the engine; the small 2.1 system is just loud enough for others to hear Jay’s crappy music as he rolls 10 miles per hour through an outdoor shopping plaza.
September 14, 2020 + September 21, 2020
Pulling into the driveway from a quick test ride, the steering shaft broke free about half way down the ‘74 beetle original steering shaft. A week later, Jay fixed the “mesh” part of the shaft and strengthened it using an old pre-cut bed frame.
Repairing the steering shaft can be found in this Burnout Extra.
July 4, 2022
The 1952 MG TD Kit Car made it into the 75th Annual Forth of July Parade in Wakefield Massachusetts. The MG was entered into the classic car section of the parade, riding with style, blasting music, turning heads and looking better than ever.