Each MG was provided by the factory with a well stocked toolkit. Today most VA's lack the factory supplied tools. In most cases owners try to complete their toolkit by visiting autojumbles or buy through Ebay etc. One of the biggest problems is to get the right tools. "What is the right tool" you may ask. There are several "right" possibilities as MG used several tool suppliers. There are also some definite wrong tools as they look ok but can be easily determined as post war, so not right for the toolkit of a VA. King Dick, Shelley, Dunlop all supplied tools to MG. Tools for VA's are supposed to be kept in neat rubber trays. Tourer tools are kept in the scuttle mounted toolbox. Saloon & Tickford tools are kept under a flap in the bootlid.
T=TA V=VA W=WA
CARRIED ONLY IN TOOLTRAY SALOON & TICKFORD (see drawing) MG PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION 1P330/103 ADJUSTABLE SPANNER, USUALLY MARKED "SHELLEY" OR SOMETIMES "KING DICK" AND ÄBINGDON" AND "NO 2" LENGTH: 15 CM or 6 inches T-V-W
2 P330/104 PLIERS, SOMETIMES MARKED "SHELLEY" LENGTH: 16,3 CM WIDTH: 4,8 CM T-V-W
3 MG735/256 STARTING HANDLE. USUALLY HAS A BRASS SLEEVE WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HAND. WELDED ON BUSH FOR SUPPORT IN FRONT BUMPER. OVERALL LENGTH 27 ½ INCH
4 S78/19 TYRE PUMP. EARLY TYPE HAS 2 CAST FOOTRESTS MARKED "SHELLEY’. LATER TYPE HAS ONE WIRE TYPE FOOTREST. COLOUR OF PUMP IS BLACK. HOSE HAS TYPICAL ANGLED CONNECTION TO FOOT OF PUMP. PUMP DIAMETER: 3,5 CM. LENGTH OF HOSE, MEASURED INCL CLAMPS = 685MM OVERALL LENGTH OF PUMP INCL FOOTRESTS BUT EXCL PISTON ROD: 54 CM. NIPPLE EITHER BRASS AND MARKED "SHELLEY" AND "PATENTED" OR ZAMAC AND MARKED: "PATENT NO 61930". V-W
5 S78/21 SPANNER FOR HEAD NUTS. THIS IS A 7/16 HEXAGON BAR WHICH IS BEND AT 90 DEGREES WITHOUT A SOCKET. BAR MEASURES 9,5 X 22,5 CM (MIGHT BE 4 ¼ X 9 ¼ INCH,BUT THIS DEPENDS) THE SOCKET IS A SEPARATE PART WHICH HAS ITS OWN PLACE IN THE TRAY. ON THE PHOTO IN THE PARTS CATALOGUE THE TWO ARE FITTED TOGETHER. V-W
6 PLACE FOR HEAD NUT SOCKET, ONE END HEXAGON HOLE 7/16 OTHER END 5/16 WW (15MM) KING DICK SUPPLIED THOSE, 24,5MM DIAM AND 22,3 MM HIGH. ONLY MARKED "5/16" + KNURLED BAND.
7 P330/126 SPOON TYRE LEVERS. USUALLY MARKED "MADE IN ENGLAND" AND THEN "DUNLOP", LENGTH: EACH 22,5 CM. NOTE: SOME LEVERS HAVE "MADE IN ENGLAND" BELOW "DUNLOP". THESE ARE POSTWAR! T-V-W
10 A1074 GREASE GUN, MARKED "ENOTS" MADE OF BRASS. AFTER VA 1794 THE PARTNO CHANGED TO A1121, MARKED "TECALEMIT". HAS BRASS SREW CAP. OVERALL LENGTH 23 CM. DIAM 38 MM. LATE VA’S MAY HAVE AN ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT GREASE GUN.
11 S78/10 OILCAN. SHOULD HAVE BRASS CAP AT THE END OF THE SPROUT, OVERALL HEIGHT INCL SPROUT 7 5/8, WIDE 2 ¾, DEPTH 7/8 INCH. V-W
12 S78/3 TAPPET FEELER GAUGE SIZE? (015 AND 010) T-V-W
13 DETACHABLE WOODEN PUMP HANDLE, LENGTH: 16,3 CM PAINTED BLACK
14 P330/141BOX SPANNER 3/16 X ¼ LENGTH: 10,2 CM SOMETIMES MARKED: "KING DICK" T-V-W
15 P330/140BOX SPANNER 5/16 X 3/8 LENGTH: 12 CM SOMETIMES MARKED "KING DICK" T-V-W 16 S78/23BOX SPANNER FOR SPARK PLUGS SOMETIMES MARKED "KING DICK" LENGTH: 15,2 CM V-W 17 S78/5BOX SPANNER 7/16 X ½ LENGTH: 19 CM SOMETIMES MARKED: "KING DICK " T-V-W 18 P330/130HAMMER LENGTH: 23 CM ? WIDTH: 9,5 CM ? MARKED: "SHELLEY" T-V-W 19 S78/9SCREWDRIVER, USUALLY MARKED ‘SHELLEY’ AND "BRITISH MADE" LENGTH 25 CM T-V-W 20 S78/13WRENCH FOR LOCKHEED BLEEDER SCREW 5 X 8 CM ? T-V-W 21 S78/6DOUBLE OPEN ENDED SPANNER 3/16 X ¼ (11,8 CM) THESE SPANNERS ARE CHEAP STAMPINGS, MADE OUT OF FLAT PLATE. THE SPACE FOR THE NUT SHOULD BE WITHOUT HEXAGON FORM AS THOSE ARE POST WAR! T-V-W 22 S78/7DOUBLE OPEN ENDED SPANNER 5/16 X 3/8 (16,4 CM) T-V-W 23 S78/8DOUBLE OPEN ENDED SPANNER 7/16 X ½ (22,5 CM) T-V-W 24 S78/11TYRE VALVE TOOL, BRASS LENGTH: ? T-V-W 25 S78/20TYRE PRESSURE GAUGE APPROX. 10,7 CM MARKED "DUNLOP". V-W 26 S78/15RUBBER TUBE AND BLEEDING NIPPLE FOR LOCKHEED SYSTEM (IN ROUND TIN) T-V-W 27 S78/12DISTRIBUTOR SCREWDRIVER ONLY MARKED "LUCAS" INCL. FEELER GAUGE T-V-W
OTHER TOOLS SUPPLIED WITH A SALOON & TICKFORD BUT NOT ACCOMMODATED IN RUBBER TRAY:
MG PART NUMBER:DESCRIPTION: P330/117 SQUARE HEADED COPPER HAMMER, FITTED IN 2 CLIPS. SIZE: ? T-V-W A1075 JACK (MARK "SHELLY") FITTED IN "RETAINER" IN SALOON/TICKFORD T-V NO SEPARATE PARTS NUMBER JACK METAL HANDLE IN 2 PIECES, FITTED IN 1 LARGE & 1 SMALL CLIP S44/114 RETAINER FOR MANUAL JACK MG 751/111 (A)A. HANDLEBAR FOR HYDRAULIC "JACKALL" SYSTEM (OPTIONAL FROM CHASSISNO………, FITTED IN 2 CLIPS OR B. MANUAL JACK WOODEN HANDLE
On a VA tourer the situation is different, as it has two tool trays like the MG TA (Parts numbers for trays TA & VA are similar: S68/23 & S68/24 ) and the following things are according the Service Parts List not fitted in the tray but with clips: Manual jack 1 clip, manual jack metal handle 1 large & 1 small clip, hydraulic jack or manual jack wooden handle 2 clips, copper hammer 2 clips, tyre pump 2 large clips& 1 small clip, tyre pump handle 1 clip, starting handle 2 large clips & 1 small clip, Lockheed wrench 1 clip, grease gun 3 clips
This is how a well filled set of Tourer tool trays looks
Some tools for a tourer will not fit the trays nor are clips mentioned in the Service Parts List. As it is unlikely that these "loose" tools were meant to be wandering around the car, it can be assumed that these tools which were supplied according the Service Parts List to a tourer in fact were not supplied at all and that the TA tool (part number 2368.being a flat steel tool instead of the cast/pressed post war one)was supplied instead for the head nut spanner (same size nut TA, TB & VA). The 3 box spanners fit inside each other, so one space in the Tourer Tool Tray is sufficient; a box spanner for the plugs not separately supplied with a tourer, as one of the other box spanners fits the spark plugs.