Kregg Hunsberger
About Us
Kregg Writes:
1948 MG TC
Build Date 1947 ½
Ford Flathead V8 60 (cir. 1937)
Edelbrock Heads and Intake Manifold
Dual Stromberg 97 Carburetors
Studebaker Rear End
16 inch Wheels Custom Built by Pico Wire and Wheel
The TC was purchased by my dad in 1948 and he installed the V8 60 in 1950. The V8 60 was setup to produce 120 HP at 6000 RPM (Stock was 60 at 4000 RPM). These engines were the hot ticket in the day for midget race cars. Originally he used the MG rear end and broke so many axles that Al Moss (originator of Moss Motors) refused to sell him any more axles. He then made the Studebaker rear end swap and had the 16 inch wheels built using the original 19 inch wheel hubs with Pico Wire and Wheel forming the rims and lacing the wheels.
The TC was my mother's daily driver and would be driven on the freeway at 70+ MPH. Knowing the capability of the brakes I don't dare do that. For the high speed stuff I have my 1997 BMW M3 setup for the track.
I grew up riding in the back of the car with my sister. This was before anyone used seat belts (and both of us are still here to talk about it). When I was 12, I learned to drive in this car. The clutch movement is about 1.5 inches and to disengage the clutch you have to press on it with about 60 lbs of force.
In 1950 my dad and his buddy Smitty drove from Southern California to and from the Indianapolis 500 speed week in this car. They would tape closed the passenger side to reduce the amount of rain that poured in. The driver had to suffer with side curtains and door sucking in the water to be able to get in and out of the car. Being right hand steering, when trying to pass cars, the passenger had to act as the lookout for oncoming traffic.
Due to the horsepower (120 vs. 50 of the MG engine) and my dad wanting to show off, there was many a time he sheered the axle at a stop light. He and Smitty could change an axle out in less than 10 min. He also would put a scribe line along the axle to indicate when to change axles. When the scribe line went 360 degrees around the axle it was time to replace.
TCs Owned:
TC 3779 – Ford V8-60
- Color (Ext / Int): Yellow / Tan & Black
- Build Date: 10 October 1947
- Original Engine: XPAG4499
The TC was purchased by my father (Harold Hunsberger) in 1948. He did the engine conversion to the V8 60 Midget race engine in 1950 and converted the differential to a Studebaker center section 4.11:1 ratio (Dana 29) circa 1951. 9.5:1 compression ratio Eddelbrock heads, Eddelbrock 180 dual carburator intake with Stromberg 97 carburators. Clay Smith M3 Midget race CAM. He Raced the TC in SCCA events between 1948 to 1955. Recently the transmission was converter to a T9 5 Speed. The car was repaired following an accident using the frame and several parts from TC7018. Still registered as TC3778 despite the replacement frame, with the original mangled frame being stored for posterity. Original engine for TC 3779 was XPAG 4499.
TC 7018 – XPAG 7828
- Build Date: 4 November 1948
- Original Engine: XPAG7828
Owned by Suzanne Galko of Bakersfield, CA who drove it to college in Austin, Texas. Sold in 1979 to Robert Cooper of Austin, Texas who drove the car for a while before disassembling for restoration, then moved to Santa Cruz, CA. Sold as a basket case in 2021 to Steve & Linda Simmons in So Cal. Sold in 2023 to Kregg Hunsberger of Simi Valley, CA who used the chassis to repair TC3779 which had suffered a fatal accident. Frame from 7018 is now on 3779. XPAG 7828 still resides with Simmons.
