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Re: TR6 restoration

To: vtr@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: TR6 restoration
From: mefoster <mefoster@airmail.net>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 20:10:07 -0600
Cc: triumphs@autox.team.net
References: <36EAC59B.6043917@airmail.net> <36EB14D5.419D@erols.com>
mefoster wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> I'm considering buying a TR6 and restoring it to something reasonably
> approaching
> mint condition. That's my fantasy anyway.

vafred@erols.com wrote:

> Save a whole bunch of money, and many sleepless nights, and buy one
> already restored.

Bill Sohl wrote:

> Marvin,
>
> Consider buying a car with the BEST body, interior
> and cosmetic condition you can.  Body work and other
> cosmetic restoration is far more expensive than
> any mechanical rebuilds.
>
> Bill Sohl

I appreciate the advice very much. That is the option a smart person would
take, but at the risk of sounding corny, my objective has less to do with
avoiding spending money than it does with rescuing something beautiful from
oblivion. In the case of buying a car that's already restored, well, whoever
restored it thought it was worth the trouble and expense. Why shoudn't I
consider doing the same? I can say this with confidence about every TR6 I have
seen so far: either someone is going to restore this car at some point or it
is going to end up in a junk yard. I don't have a big problem with spending
more for restoration work than the car is "worth" because I'm doing this for
myself. Based on previous experience maintaining a '66 Spitfire I don't think
stripping out a TR6 myself and putting it back together would be that
difficult. My main obstacle at this time is that I don't have the knowledge or
equipment to do body work myself. I need to either find a good restoration
shop or (as a friend is doing) take the auto body repair course at a local
community college. There are plenty of restoration shops listed in the phone
book here. Unfortunately all of my past experiences with body shops (collision
work, not restoration) have been unsatisfactory. Hope I'm not offending
anyone, but body shops do incredibly sloppy work. I'm sorta hoping to get some
opinions on local restoration shops, although it's possible that there's no
one on this list that has had any experience with them.

Anyway, thanks again for the input.

Marvin Foster


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