Somehow the Whitworth tool thread turned into the MG thread. Well, it was fun, and I really do appreciate all the kind words. Okay, so now I’m going to bring this back to tools. As many of you know, back in the day, a lot of car manufacturers included a tool kit with their cars. MG was one of many. The kits mostly consisted of tools that would be potentially handy in a situation where the car broke down on the road. For the most part, the tools were not necessarily of the highest quality, but they got the job done.
When I bought the MG from my uncle last summer, he included several tools with the deal. Once I sorted through everything, I managed to identify those tools that I thought were original MG factory supplied tools. The first photo below is a detailed list taken from the owner’s manual specifically laying out the tools included with the car. Well, if you take a look at the second picture, you’ll see the factory supplied tools that my uncle still had after sixty years. While many of the tools were missing, I still had a good core group to build on. The jack and handle assembly were complete, and the air pump was present. Notice the medium sized DOE wrench is cut in half. According to my uncle there are some tight spots under the hood and he couldn’t service the car with a full sized wrench. Consequently, he cut the wrench years ago in order to turn a couple bolt heads behind the carburetor. He went on to say that he didn’t want to cut a good wrench, so he cut the cheaply made stamped steel factory wrench. I’m sure he wasn’t thinking how expensive and hard to find those original wrenches would be decades later.
Anyway, from the moment I bought the car and figured out what I had and didn’t have, I started my quest to complete the set with ORIGINAL factory supplied tools. When the tools left the factory, the smaller items were packed in a canvas roll that seemed to be coated in a black tar-like substance. I’ve seen some original rolls and they were in rough shape. I opted for a nice reproduction. So much for my all original tool kit. I can say that everything else I tracked down is the real deal. After searching eBay regularly and going to swap meets, I was able to acquire several more tools that I was missing. I found a few that were in England. Shipping costs were steep. I’m still missing a couple “tube spanners” which are represented by the two wooden dowels. I was also able to find a replacement wrench for the one my uncle cut in half. The fourth photo depicts the additional tools I’ve found so far. The fifth picture illustrates all the factory tools (except the two tube spanners) that were supplied with the MG in the order they were listed in the owner’s manual (left to right). Only two more tools to find. The quest continues!
Jim C.
