My Dad's TR3 is finally here in Massachusetts from California where it spent
most of its life. I asked advice about it in early April--"Preserving vs.
Improving."
It's a 1958 TR3A, TS 27452, in Primrose Yellow. Piggot's data suggests it
was built in Jan or Feb of 1958. Dad bought it in 1960. He drove it fairly
regularly until about 1964. After that it sat, usually in a garage, but
maybe not always. While he drove it, he did little to it other than a tune
up or two. I remember I tried to help get it back on the road around 1968,
but we didn't get very far. My brother thinks it was around 1970 he heard
it running for the one and only time. So most of the parts are pretty much
the way it was when he bought it in 1960.
Anyway, about 2-1/2 years ago, I talked my father into letting me fix it up.
I planned to tow it myself from CA to MA, but the trip fell through.
Eventually I decided to hire a car carrier and Dad got the TR3 ready (needed
tires that held air, and parts put back on). It got shipped, and now it's
here. I've spent a few hours with it, mostly surveying the condition and
cleaning.
There's some good news. It only had 32,000 miles on it when it was retired.
There is relatively little deep rust. There are three areas the body has
rusted through, but most other places are very solid. Floor pans have
fairly deep rust, but may be salvageable. Everywhere else seems
surprisingly solid.
The main bad news is that the original paint has become quite brittle and is
flaking off rather easily, and small spots of rust are beginning to appear.
Strangely enough, the paint is flaking off even on the underside of the
bonnet, except where there was a tarry coating of oil. The moisture and sea
air from the CA coast have pitted all of the chrome and aluminum, even the
bezels on the instruments. But just about everything seems to be intact and
pretty solid. That is, of course, except for the rubber parts and all the
paint.
The engine turns fine, but hasn't run yet. I'm methodically working up to
that. Brief status: there was still fuel in the tank, fuel line is plugged,
fuel shutoff valve leaks, brake and clutch have fluid but just go squish
without developing pressure, old oil removed (looked OK), radiator loses
water through broken hose. The valve cover cleaned up great. With the
tarry oil removed, it's chrome, not black.
The paint has me puzzled. There are two layers of yellow on most parts of
the body. The top layer is duller now. I'm wondering if two layers from
the factory are separating, or did the car get repainted before my Dad
bought it? That would be unusual for a car that was only two years old. I'm
watching for accident damage, but I haven't found any yet. And some parts of
the frame are bright red (other parts of the frame may have lost all the
paint). I thought the frames were black.
Anyway, I've got my work cut out for me. This is by far the biggest
automotive project I've ever tackled.
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