New Triumph TR3

Back in the olden days my parents had a '57 Triumph TR3 as our second family car.  Dad sold it when we left the Carolinas and later got into MGAs, which infected me.  I have a few MGAs, but I've been casually looking for a replacement TR3 for several decades.  Since retiring, Dad spends the winter in Florida.  He called last week to see if I wanted the nose of a small mouth TR3 he'd found down there.  Of course I do!  Assuming I find a TR3 someday, having a small mouth front end would allow me to convert a later car into a reasonable copy of our old car.

It came with a grille too, so at $350, it was a bargain.  Prior to meeting with the seller I asked Dad to inquire about other parts.  He went to pick up the nose and apparently the guy had a complete ran when parked '58 that was a stalled project and had extra parts.  Dad called later to tell me he had the nose and to tell me about the car.  He said it was $5000.

He sent these pictures and asked what I thought about it.  It didn't seem like a steal, but was the cheapest drivable TR3 I could find while doing a search, so I told him if he was up for the hassle of finding a trailer and dragging it back up here to WV, then go for it.  He then told me he was just messing with me and the asking price was actually $3000.  He offered $2000 and in the end, they met in the middle.  Surprisingly a one-way uHaul car trailer rental from Florida to WV is only $150.  The plan is to get it roadworthy, swap noses, and drive it as-is.  It comes with fenders doors, carbs, a new top, etc.

I am looking for a windshield and the stainless beads that go between the fenders and body.  I also could use a patch panel or something to repair the area below the spare.

This was the last car on my must-have list and I prefer ratty, well-used-but-mechanically-perfect old cars, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the car next month.

Here is me, my Mom, and sister with our old TR3 in Conway, SC sometime in the 70s.  I have one other photo of it and, sadly, no other documentation.  To this day, Dad reminisces about that car and as recently as last month he asked me to search DMV records to try to find it.  Usually when I show him a pile of junk I'm interested in he responds with "That looks like a project."  He didn't say that about this one and seems genuinely happy about the new TR3.  So am I.

Sweet!  Looks like a fun project. 

Cool, love TR3's, watching with interest

I have a full TR3 chassis sitting in my driveway (northern NJ). I need some of the parts: engine; gearbox; and diff. Let me know if you need anything.

Sent you a message regarding the chassis.  Looks like I may need one.  During the loading process a bottle jack punched through one of the frame rails.  The car made the trip from Florida to WV so that's good news.

We have a lead on another TR3 in Danville, VA.  As was the case for our MGAs, having "a TR3" seems to inevitably be destined to become having "some TR3s".  Hopefully the frame isn't completely rotten on this one.

When restoring these things, it always is a group effort. My TR4A was the product of at least 2.5 cars, and my Spitfires were built on the sacrifices of some of their brothers and sisters. 

My TR6 project is a combination of about 4 different cars with a load of new parts thrown in.  Sounds pretty normal to me.  Hopefully a new frame gets you moving forward soon.

We made the drive over to Dad's farm last weekend where Dad and I attempted to start the TR3 after a 30? year slumber.  That's just a guess, however the windscreen had an inspection sticker dated 1969.  The car has been parked in an old airplane hangar and Dad had removed the nose and fitted an oil pump, starter, and a quart-sized gear oil container gas tank.  In VGG fashion, we decided to do the right thing and not service the ignition.  Surprisingly, it had spark.  I temporarily placed the small mouth nose on it for this glamour shot and then we set to work at 10 am.

It was cold on the farm and the old starter just couldn't spin the engine so we decided the lash the car behind his side by side and take it for a scrape around the farm.  Here a 72 year old hillbilly knocks loose some mud mason leavings from the SU carb linkage and fuel lines. 

Here's where I stood chariot style:

After a short

Typical of British cars, there is no floor at this time.  We've dealt with missing floors many times, though with our MGAs, the floors rot away because they are made of wood.  The TR3, being a slightly more upscale car, had floors made of metal.  My position for this operation placed me standing in the cockpit on the passenger side, steering with my left hand, and leaning forward over the engine and spraying ether into the carbs, while working the gear lever and throttle with my third and forth arms, while occasionally using yet another arm to rotate the distributor as needed.  It was after a few bumpy feet that I recalled Dad attempting to land his '46 Taylorcraft airplane in this same field and collapsing the landing gear.  I shouted for him to do the sensible thing and head for the main road where there was smooth asphalt that would allow me to focus more on working the various mechanicals and also afford the neighbors a better view of when my legs are amputated after falling through the giant hole in the floor.

Down the road we went.  I discovered that the throttle linkage was so gummed up that I could hold it wide open and have several seconds to retrieve the ether and give it several shots before it closed.  The first half mile was a learning period, but once I'd mastered the ways of this English jewel, I found that I could make it cough and sputter.  Then I noticed smoke, but that's not necessarily a good thing.  It could have been regular wiring smoke and not the type we're after.  But I wasn't seeing flames which, ironically, fanned the flames of my excitement.  Sure enough, it was the engine emitting the savory aroma of cooked mouse turds and burning motor oil so prized by countless British car lovers before me.  We stopped and I placed my hand on the exhaust manifold.  Even with fingers left numb and  rubbery due to the cold air, I detected heat.  We decided to add some gas to the makeshift gas tank...

After unblocking some more fuel line and cleaning the sediment bowl, the fuel pump actually started to deliver the goods to the carbs.  Another short drag across the pasture and it barked to life and ran.  I pulled it out of gear and the thing nearly idled on it's own.  Dad jumped out of the side by side and not able to leave my post, leaning over the engine while holding the throttle I yelled "Look at the oil pressure gauge".  He consulted the gauge and shook his head "No".  "What do you want to do?  We'd previously observed that the starter was able to pump oil up to the rockers, so we were pretty sure it was oiling properly.  He gave the throat cutting gesture and I closed the throttle and it died.  It was lunch time so we stopped and I reviewed the oil system pathway in the manual while eating.  Oil on the top end means it at least made at a brief trip through the important bearings.  What was clear was that the engine needed new seals and gaskets and the various things that are meant to keep the oil mostly inside a British engine.  "Do you want go pull the engine and gearbox after we finish these hotdogs?"  "Sure, why not?"  So we did.

It came out in less than 30 minutes.  Dad will clean it up and bring the car to my farm so I can fix the rust.  We noticed the front passenger wheel with a little too much camber.  I'll close with shots of some very torn suspension mounts that need sorted:

Great job briefly bringing it back to life.  If there's a video of your "adventure" It'd make a good laugh

Result! That's going to be one fine beast.

The car has been moved from Dad's hangar to our farm so I can weld in new metal.  The first pieces in were the floors:

Both front fenders were patched and sills were replaced:

Starting at the lower rear corner of the fender, there is a flange that runs parallel with the door gap.  It is mostly rotted.  Not only do new patch panels not have this, but the rounded profile of the front lower fender corner leading into the wheel opening is also wrong.  The swiss cheese at the rear will be fixed when the flange is rebuilt.

I found a complete TR3 minus the chassis on Craigslist for $1400.  It was in Charlotte, NC five hours away.  I mentioned it to Dad and said it would be much easier for me to weld on a new rear rather than fabbing something that might not have the right curves.  He who hesitates is lost.  Someone else recognized the bargain and it was sold to a guy in Georgia.  Here it is on his trailer heading south.

Dad, being the wheeler dealer that he is, got the buyers name and number and called him up.  Fortunately he only wanted the front third of the car and offered the back third:

Dad worked his magic to make the deal and the next thing I knew, I PayPal'ed the seller $206 delivered for the rear metal I need:

It was mailed Monday from Georgia and should be here in WV today.  Now that we're homeschooling and working from home, I might go up to the farm tomorrow morning and weld it on.

Fun to watch it all come together. I have always wanted a TR3. Keep the updates coming, nice score on the rear bodywork!

Very cool.

The new rear apron arrived.  Dad brought it up to the farm and we stuck it on last Friday.  It was a process of  nibbling away at the car to remove rust while also allowing the replacement part to be easily grafted on.  There is probably a prescribed way to fix this problem area, but this isn't it.

The issue:

The outer skin was removed.  Inside the spare tire compartment an aluminum bracket can be seen on the left side.  This was a PO attempt to keep the body attached to the chassis since the original mount had rotted off.

The trunk floor also went away.  The chassis mounts for the body can now be seen on either side just forward of the cut.

New rear clamped and cleco'ed in place and final finessing of the joints before welding.  The body mount bolts dropped right into place.

After many hours and many on/off/on/off... of the new apron, I tacked it on and all the gaps lined up.  A new trunk floor was then fitted and, having had enough of welding dirt to rust, I was ready for some fresh air.

I haven't finished this area yet, but I'm pretty happy with the results so far considering the bodies on these cars, though "mass produced", were hand fitted by an Englishman in the 50s.  Swapped pieces don't always interchange well.

Nice work indeed, love seeing this come together and probably just not possible without finding that rear clip. Looks really good!