The Villages - September 2019 - 58

Behind the Wheel

D AV E

&

S U N N Y

H E S T E R

F U L LY R E S T O R E D
1952 MG TD MIDGET
STORY BY MARK ANDERSON | PHOTOS BY ROB WILKERSON
WHEN VILLAGE OF LIBERTY PARK
RESIDENTS DAVE AND SUNNY
HESTER TAKE A DRIVE IN THEIR
1952 MG TD MIDGET, THEY
TEND TO TURN HEADS.
With swooping sides, a crimson
grille and seats, shiny chrome accents
and a spare tire mounted on the back,
the 67-year-old car evokes memories
of an age gone by.
Dave has owned the car since April
1969, when he purchased it while on leave
from the Army. Originally listed for $800,
Dave told the dealer he only had $600, which
he would need to borrow from his grandmother.
"I talked to my grandmother and told her it would be a
good investment," Dave said. "She lent me the $600, which
at the time, for a private in the Army, was half a year's pay -
so that was a lot of money to me."
Dave drove the car for a few days before he shipped out
overseas with the Army for two years. Upon returning, he
got the car road-ready again and took his grandmother for a
drive in the car - and he even received an offer of $10,000
for the car shortly after, but declined.
When he rejoined the Army, he took the car with him as
he traveled the country - and the car went back into storage
while he again went overseas for another three years. When
he finally retired from the Army in 1995, he decided it was
time to fully restore the car from top to bottom.
Dave did a frame-off restoration - taking the car down to
its nuts and bolts to restore and replace any weathered parts.
He budgeted the restoration as a monthly "car payment" -
he only did things he could afford with each payment, and
then for the bigger projects he saved for a while to purchase
any needed materials.
Dave and his oldest son did almost all of the restoration
work - with the exception of the paint - themselves,
giving Dave an intimate understanding of the car and
forging a bond between man and machine over a span of
about seven years.

58

SEPTEMBER 2019

"I think it's pretty cool that he can say he's
touched every nut and bolt in that vehicle,"
Sunny said.
Through the restoration process,
Dave and his son learned a lot about
the inner workings of the car, and
Dave and Sunny say it had a positive
effect on their son - he went on to a
career as a mechanical engineer.
"He ended up working for Land
Rover, BMW - he went to England
and helped design the new Mini," Dave
said.
Unlike many other classic cars, Dave and
Sunny say that TD parts are relatively cheap and easy
to find for sale due to manufacturers making replica parts
that work just as well as the originals.
Though the engine may not be as big or as powerful as a
Mustang, Corvette or Camaro, sometimes it is not about how
fast a car is, but rather how much fun it is to drive. And Dave
and Sunny have plenty of fun with the TD.
The Villages - September 2019

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