Triumph TR3 - Who Knew?

Yesterday I tackled the disassembly of the left hand side of the front suspension on the '59 chassis to harvest the hardware(nuts bolts etc), the trunnion, and shock absorber fittings and hardware.

The task took me twice as long as I anticipated. There were numerous challenges. First of all the shock removal took some extra time and persuasion to free up the two fittings on the bottom of shock that refused to free up after the nuts were removed. The mounting arrange seems rather complex to me but I am sure it has a sound engineering basis? The next issue was the spring compressor. The tool I had rented didn't actually work out too well because the spring diameter was too small to appropriately insert the tool. I tried to jury rig it to but ended up spending a lot of time in trial and error fitting that turned out to be a fruitless endeavor. Fortunately, later on in the evening, one of my neighbors dropped by to see what I was doing and actually had the tool I was originally visualizing for the job. It was sitting on the shelf in his garage unused. I was very grateful for his gesture. During further disassembling of the components the cotter pins that hold the spring plate onto the wishbones became problematic to remove.. I would assume they haven't been removed for a long time which turned out to be another interesting challenge. They were badly rusted and broke off while I was trying to extract them. (5 out of the 6) requiring addition persuasion with a small drift and hammer.

After doing about 3 hours work with the chassis sitting on a jack with me kneeling on the cold cement of my driveway, I decided the best thing for me to do was to lift one side of the chassis higher and place it on a table saw stand to give me better access. I used a long bar of channel to lever up the chassis. The stand worked well resulting in a much better access to the underneath of the suspension-a problem solved.

All in all it was a 4-1/2 hour day to do a two hour job.....based on all my learning's yesterday and the loaning of the spring compressor tool today's work session should be more efficient and hopefully more expedient.

Triumph TR3 - Cleaning Up The Workspace

I spent about two hours last night cleaning up my workspace and sweeping the garage floor. Surprisingly I am not finished yet with some misc tasks left like cleaning off my workbench and getting my shop vac cleaned out and the filter serviced. The clean up needed to be my priority before I turn any more wrenches on the car so it was time "well spent". I also put a new tarp on the '57 shell as my original car cover that I bought about 5 years ago had become unserviceable (ripped and torn-deteriorated by the sun) which I ended putting into a garbage bag (no real value as a rag). The space is looking much better...

Triumph TR3 - Spring Compressor and Tarp

A quiet day yesterday with the only project events being the attainment (rental) of a coil spring compressor to disassemble the front suspension and the placement of a tarp over the chassis to make my driveway look more presentable.

Still contemplating the purchase of the replacement top-as the sale at Moss goes on into early June I might hold off until the end of May to order??

Triumph TR3 - The Chassis Has Left the Building!!!

A pivotal "project" day yesterday as I separated the body from the chassis and moved the chassis to the driveway. I left the body in the garage. This wasn't my original intent but when I thought about it I was not too enthusiastic about exposing all my hard work to the elements so I changed my plan... The chassis is pretty weatherproof. In order to facilitate working on the car I built a stand for the body (2' high) out of 2X6 which should help with respect to prepping and painting underneath the body and the final fitting of the fenders.. a down side is it further compromises my small work area space wise...

Re removing the body: I did all the "grunt" work myself which proved to be an interesting physical challenge as the TR3 body is fairly heavy. At one point (when my 59 year old body started to feel the strain) I considered soliciting the help of a couple of my neighbors (my son has a bad cold and couldn't help out) but I didn't want to bother them on Easter Sunday so I soldiered on. After I was finished I actually sat on my front step and admired the bare chassis contemplating what a great basis it would be for a 1930's rat rod-very low to the ground...front disk brakes etc etc....hmmmm...I had to shake my head more than once to clear out any misconceptions (delusional thoughts) I might have around pursuing such an outlandish idea...

I also spent a few minutes looking over the MOSS Motor's website checking out rack and pinion conversions, turn indicator and horn conversions, and the potential to switch the fan belt to a narrower version. Lots of ways to spend money for sure...I also checked out a couple of bookmarked sites around alternator conversions. Many decisions to be made in the next while..

The MOSS sale on interiors and roofs ends on June 2nd so I am going to hold off on my order until later.

All in all a good day....hopefully more of the same will follow today...

Triumph TR3 - Primer and Such

The major body work is now complete with all the bare metal primed which I believe is a "major" milestone achieved in my project. I am truly grateful to be at this point after a winter of toil. The body work has taken me twice as long as I had anticipated to complete which I guess in the world of car restoration this is not an unusual occurrence? The up side is I haven't had to pay a body shop to do the work! I know the car will be worth less when completed based on the "patching" vrs replacing of the rear valance etc but I am meeting my mandate of completing the project for a reasonable cost while creating a car I can drive without worrying about scratches and dings to expensive paint and body work. Maybe sometime in the future the body work could be readdressed and the appropriate panels installed? I am not sure this will happen while I own the car but who knows?

There is still a fair amount of "detail work" needed to get the car prepped for painting. This won't happen until after I get the mechanical work done and the underneath of the body prepped and painted. I also plan to prep and paint the engine compartment before I start the final block sanding and attention to edges etc. And of course there is the final trial fit and prep of the fenders etc to go.... Many hours left but hopefully less toxic in nature....

The car will be rolled out of the garage today...:>

Triumph TR3 - Skim Coat of Filler/Next Steps

Early yesterday morning I applied one more coat of filler to the patch panel repair (on the right hand side) I did the day before plus completed an hour or so of sanding and finishing before applying a coat of paint on the inner wheel well repairs. A "good" burst of activity before I left town for the rest of the day.

Today I want to finish sanding the patch panel repairs and apply a coat of primer before moving the car out of the garage.

I used my travel time to contemplate (while listening to some great "newly loaded" tunes on my I-Pod) my next steps with respect to the disposal of the 1957. Lots of options for sure. What has come to the forefront of my thoughts is my reluctance to impact the '59 resurrection by shifting my attention and energies to preparing the '57 for resale. I am also concerned about selling the 1957 drive train prior to sorting out the '59 which really means no action should be taken in the short term. The '57 will remain under the tarp until I get the '59 back on the road.

So back to "focusing" on Plan A... reassembling of the powder coated frame with the '59 engine and transmission and '57 rear end, probably utilizing the rack and pinion steering assembly. One step at a time......

The Old Car Hobby-Recycling

On a daily basis I enjoy going through the Kijjiji classic car ads and E-Bay auctions to see what gems are being offered. Very often "project cars" come up-vehicles that are being abandoned by their owners at different points in the disassembly-reassembly stages. I often wonder about the stories behind the ads? What pushed the owner to list the vehicle? Cars and trucks purchased with great expectations/potentials that somehow don't get met for whatever reason?

The good thing is these cars/trucks often get recycled . Kijjiji is a great resource for moving things out of a garage to a deserving new owner.

The other side of the hobby is being in the right place at the right time or knowing someone who is interested in unloading something that you need for a reasonable price and being able to value from the transaction.

Triumph TR3 - The Last of the Major Bodywork Done!

Yesterday I worked out the garage for a few hours. I did a bunch of grinding cleaning up the patch panels, then finished off the filler coating of the patch panels behind the doors and the right hand side wheel well followed by a skim coat of filler on the rear inner wheel well patch panels. Some 80 grit sanding followed. The car is now "buttoned up" repair panel wise. Today I am going to finish sanding the repaired sections and put a coat of primer on.

I have a bit of an allergy thing going on-probably a reaction to snow mould (not uncommon for me in the spring), which is making me feel quite congested. This made working on the car yesterday a bit challenging as I was finding contact with the filler fumes irritating and wearing the dust mask to be very confining breathing wise.

I have some additional filling to do once the body is removed from the frame. When the body is tipped on it's side I will have better access to the lower portions of the rear valance which I plan to finish off plus I have some smoothing out to do in a couple of other areas.

On Wednesday I was informed about the Moss Motors sale on tops, carpets and interior panels. I will need a top for the car when it is finished and given the good price (and strong exchange rate Cdn to US) I might order it sooner than later. Talking about parts, earlier in the week I sorted through the front end components for the powder coated chassis and realized that one of the trunions is slightly worn. I am looking at replacing it plus ordering a new rear pinion oil seal and speedi sleeve as the seal is leaking fairly badly. More $$$ to spend.

Hopefully my son and I will be removing the body from the frame this evening and moving it outside.

Triumph TR3 - Back into the Garage-Finally

Last night after work I had a short nap and then headed out into the garage for a couple of hours. It was another cold evening (we still have snow on the ground) so I bundled up and worked with the garage door open and used my imagination of what it would be like to be working on a warm summer night. All in all it wasn't too bad an experience-really grateful to have the opportunity to actually do something car wise.......I needed to have the door open in order to have access to the box of my truck where I was loading in parts (front suspension mainly) to be media blasted.

The focus of the evening was on parts sorting and garage clean up. I actually got to a point(again) where I could hardly move in my space-lots of clutter (mainly fenders and such) and tools everywhere. Once again I needed to regroup and get things in order...

I also spent some time on the internet looking at alternate wiring harness suppliers. I have a new peer at work who seems to be a top tier gear-head well connected in the local hot rod scene who recommended some alternate sources. I have checked out Mr Roadster and Rebel brands.

I am now two weeks behind in my new proposed schedule (once again other distractions have hit the radar but also a healthy dose of inertia settled in which I am struggling to overcome). More discipline is certainly needed to focus on the project if I am going to make my deadlines...the clean up is going to help restore some enthusiasm-the last few weeks have certainly been low energy for the most part...I blame it on the unseasonably cold weather-it certainly seems to be impacting others as well.....

Triumph TR3 - A Change in Direction?

I didn't get back into the garage on Sunday ( a very low energy day all round-I just didn't feel like working on the car) and so far this week other priorities have consumed my Triumph time so my project critical path has slipped somewhat... Hopefully tomorrow I will get back on track....

What did happen on the weekend was a download of possibility after reconsidering my friend's suggestion to build a TR3 rat rod. I got looking at the '57 tub (that I prepped and mostly painted last fall) that is sitting beside my driveway plus the fact I have "paintable" panels (with the exception of the two rear fenders-one of which would require major work) it started to make sense to combine the parts, hand paint them and reassemble the car. All the panels would be flawed but I think all the pieces would come together in a compelling way. The paint color is a kind of a dove gray. I could brush and roller it and then wet sand the finish...

I would reinstall the worn clutch assembly onto the extra engine, button up the transmission and utilize the 59 frame which I would clean up and paint. I have all the other parts I would need with the exception of the windshield and one door. I started to do the math and determined I would gain tremendously by combining the parts vrs trying to sell the car as a basket case or parting it out...plus I would get driving sooner. It all started to make sense. I wouldn't sell the car until the completed the '59 and I could use the rat rod to check out the engine, transmission and rear end "health" and pick the best components for the '59 build.

I have estimated the parts I would need to consume (hydraulics, etc etc) that I had earmarked for the '59 would probably cost about $1500 to replace all in. My head started to spin so I had to back away from further contemplation but I am pretty certain I am going to reassemble the '57 using the already assembled 59 frame, utilizing the rack and pinion and doing it all as cheaply as I can...true rat rod methodology...of course the purists are not going to be happy-but oh well...it's all about the fun.......

Triumph TR3 - Body Work-Ah Yes!!!

Over the past few days I have completed the patch repair (lower sill area between the doors and rear fenders), repaired the right hand front inner fender area (attached the flange etc I fabricated earlier in the winter) and completed the final attachment of the trunk floor repair panel which means I am getting very close to finishing up the "major" panel massaging on the car. Today I plan to do more skim coatings of filler and then prime the exposed metal and filler and move the car out into the driveway. If all goes as planned I will be right on schedule as per my revised project critical path.

As I stated in earlier blog entries the bodywork journey (which is not over by any means) has taken much longer than I anticipated ( a strong lesson for my consideration next time I contemplate purchasing a project car requiring extensive bodywork-I doubt if I will go down that road again) but I believe I have achieved a major milestone in my schedule which is boosting my enthusiasm for the project.

With the tub stripped down once again and all the body panels (including the removed engine) scattered around the garage, getting around is still a challenge so I am very much looking forward to the car being moved out so I will have room to roam about. This "freedom" will be short lived however once I start reconstructing the chassis.

I received confirmation my parts were shipped yesterday so I should have those by mid week-a key component in the next phase of the project.

Triumph TR3 - Critical Path Revisited

In the garage about 3 hours yesterday cleaning up the engine block and reconfiguring the garage space so I could move the engine out of the way and get the car moved forward. I realized yesterday I need to get a schedule published that I can manage to so I can get the car back together this summer.

April 3rd -April 9th-finish prepping the body tub and prime

April 10th-tarp car and move out into driveway.

April 11th -May 7th-finish assembling powder coated frame/reinstall engine and transmission/brakes/etc etc

May 9th-May 22nd-Prepare tub for final paint-paint and finish underbody area

May 23rd to May 31st-Reattach body to frame

June 1-June 18th-Final Body Prep and Paint

July 12-August 1,2011-Final assembly including wiring

I believe I have factored in enough contingency to allow time to finish the tasks taking into account other activities (non car related) that need to be taken care of..I also determined yesterday the schedule was necessary to keep me from too much "think time" consuming my waking hours considering project execution options. I feel better the schedule is down on paper and ready to be executed. (and managed to)

The most aggressive aspect of the schedule is the final assembly component. I am anticipating I can gain some days through the earlier part of the schedule to allow for an earlier start day and longer elapsed time to get the final assembly completed.

Hopefully by May 7th I will have the mechanical components sorted out so some decisions can be made about disposing of the 1957. I need to determine condition of the transmission/engine and rear end of the 1959 before the '57 can be moved out of the driveway.

Triumph TR3 - Engine Manifold Removed

This morning I started to pull the accessories off the engine-generator, intake and exhaust manifolds, oil filter and the oil pan. When I started to drain the oil -sludge started to pour out along with the oil. It wasn't a pretty sight... The pan was very fouled and when I removed it there was still gray sludge stuck to the bottom. I cleaned it all out and after about 1/2 an hour of cleaning I had the plan looking pretty good. I am glad it didn't attempt to start the engine up without removing the pan. I had a hunch the oil was not in good shape-I believe it was changed about 4 years ago and a new oil filter cartridge put in but the car has sat for so long the chemistry just took over. I have a spin on oil filter adaptor to install which will replace the troublesome cartridge style oil filter..I believe this is a worthwhile modification.

I contacted Drakes and they advised that I should replace the oil pump vane and cartridge which I have now put on order. It will make a difference at high temperature idle if it is replaced-higher oil pressure....and for around $30 it is well worth doing.

I went to Canadian Tire and picked up some engine paint and cleaning pads. Tonight I started cleaning up the block-there will be a few hours of work to do yet. Once again it is a toxic environment (the cleaning of the block) that I do not want to spend a lot of time in so I set a limit of 9:00 p.m. and left the area.

A good day in the garage....

Triumph TR3 - Engine Removed/Parts Ordered

On Thursday I assembled the engine hoist and removed the engine out of the car and lowered to the garage floor. The extraction went fairly well with the exception of the separation of the exhaust pipe from the manifold flange which required some persuasion with a hammer and drift.

I pulled the clutch and found out there is only about 1/16 of an inch of disc wear left which means the clutch will need to be replaced. This is probably a good move as I do not want to have to have to do a clutch job next year. The only issue remaining is the integrity of the rear oil seal after the start up. The car has sat for 20 years so it is hard to say what will happen? Right now it looks good so I am going to proceed and hope it is not an issue???

I placed an order yesterday with Drakes Motors for the remaining mechanical pieces I need to bolt the car back together. Master cylinders (clutch and brake) and clutch slave cylinder,complete clutch kit, misc gaskets and fender mounting kits-around $550 worth which burns up the remaining cash reserve. I took advantage of the MOSS Motors 10% off sale which saved about $75...

The garage is now full of disassembled TR3 parts....I have turned the corner