The radiator grille is one of the most visually prominent differences between the TD and TF, and one of the defining elements of each model's character. The TD has an upright chrome radiator case with vertical chrome slats, a traditional MG design dating back to the pre-war cars, while the TF has a raked radiator case that was the centrepiece of the 1953 facelift, with a separate primed grille and a simulated external filler cap. The grille slat finish on the TD is also a significant originality point, as it changed during production for the Mark II.
TD Radiator Case & Grille
The TD radiator case is an upright chrome surround supplied with a separate chrome false nose, the grille slats being chrome-plated steel, twelve per car, available individually or as a complete set, fitted vertically into the case, with a chrome dummy filler cap on top completing the front-end appearance and the actual radiator filler cap mounted under the bonnet on the header tank. On the standard TD, the radiator slats were painted to match the upholstery colour, a detail many restorers overlook, so a car trimmed in red upholstery had red-painted slats, green trim had green slats, and beige trim had beige slats, this colour-matching being part of the original factory specification and significant for concours judging. The exception was the TD Mark II from December 1952, which received chrome-plated radiator slats as part of a special trim package, making the late Mark II visually distinguishable from the standard TD at a glance, and the chrome-slat specification was also continued on all TFs.
TF Radiator Case & Grille
The TF radiator case is a raked design tilted rearward at the top, supplied as a chrome case with a separate chrome false nose, the grille supplied primed for the owner to paint to match body colour or in a contrasting finish, and the TF filler cap is a chrome external cap on the top of the case with its own seal, reflecting the pressurised cooling system. Two chrome headlamp mounting brackets bolt to the case and tie bracket, supporting the faired-headlamp arrangement, with mounting hardware catalogued individually and screws securing the case to the radiator.
Medallions & Beading
A chrome MG medallion is fitted centrally on the radiator case of both models, the TD taking a brown-finished medallion with the MG octagon in cream on a brown background, and the TF taking a black-finished medallion with the octagon in white on a black background, also fitted to the MGA, these being the principal marque-identification badges on the front of the car and not interchangeable between the two specifications. The beading between the radiator case and the front wings is noticeably fatter on the TF than the ordinary wing beading used on the TD and elsewhere on the TF body, a small detail but one that affects the correct beading profile to order, so it should be specified separately when ordering.
Mounting & Ordering
The radiator case and its mounting hardware differ between the TD and TF, the cases not being interchangeable due to the upright versus raked geometry, and the headlamp brackets, false nose castings, and grille components are all model-specific, the TF's raked grille pushing the case top significantly further rearward than the TD's upright case, affecting valance depth and grille-to-wing alignment. For the TD, the principal items are the chrome radiator case, false nose, brown MG medallion, twelve-slat grille set, and dummy filler cap, the slats supplied chrome-plated so that owners restoring a standard TD will paint them in the upholstery-matching colour while late Mark II or Mark II-tribute restorations leave them chrome. For the TF, the principal items are the chrome case, false nose, black MG medallion, primed grille, chrome filler cap with seal, and two headlamp mounting brackets, with the fatter chrome beading ordered separately and all mounting fasteners catalogued individually.