The Frame

Time in Garage Saturday: 1-1/2 hrs

I moved my table saw and woodworking tools out of the garage freeing up some much needed space. The next task was to bend my wife's cruiser bicycle kick stand into a more usable configuration so the bike stands up properly and then took out my tape measure and level and checked out the TR3 chassis.

It seems I have a clearance problem with the rack and pinion assembly due to the fact the frame appears to be slightly twisted at the front (about 1/2 to 3/4" out) . I felt genuine disappointment when I made the discovery as I now have to utilize a 3rd party to straighten the frame and at what cost?  The other option I have is to resurrect the '59 chassis by sand blasting it and painting it and transferring the components. Anyway I look at it this is definitely a "bump in the road". The upside is the discovery has been made before the body was installed...

Ah the "joys" of the old car hobby???

Triumph TR-3 Potential Frame Issue?

Time on Phone Tuesday: 20 mins

I talked to Moss Motors technical department on Tuesday about my interference problem. They suggested there might be a problem with frame alignment. Their suggestion makes me break out in a cold sweat. The frame was sandblasted and powder coated before I purchased the 2 TR-3's. Visually it looks fine and it has sat very square on jack stands and when lying on the floor so I am going to keep my fingers crossed the frame is square. If not, the issue will need to be resolved. Moss is going to do some measurements on their converted car and let me know what dimensions look like. They also said they would take pictures.

I have a restoration guide that tells me how to measure up the chassis which I plan to do today. I would be surprised if the chassis is bent but one never knows...

I am also moving some of my woodworking tools out of the garage and into my shed which will allow me to move around better in the garage...

Rack and Pinion Steering Mock Up/Transmission

Time in Garage Thursday: 1 hour
Time in Garage Monday 45 mins

Mock up of Rack and Pinion completed-an issue has arisen with respect to interference between the frame and steering u-joint. More work is required.

Update:
Still no progress in resolving the steering u-joint interference issue. Still awaiting some direction from Moss Motors (I have placed a call with their technical support team ) which I assume will happen today??? I am very reluctant to start grinding away metal until I know I am on the right track...

My garage space is once again clogged with woodworking tools (unloaded from my truck) from my daughter's reno job I have been working on for the last month. It was good to have the extra space in the garage with all the tools removed but all that has changed again..Before I do any more work I am going to have to get my space back in order which will probably take a couple of hours...The reno is officially "finished" so I can return my focus to the Triumph...

Another distraction Monday was the detailing of my 94 Ranger in prep for selling. It took about 3 hours to complete but worth it. Last night I did some Internet research on selling prices so I will have a better idea of what to price it at.

Last week I took my transmission to the car wash and gave it an engine cleaner soak and wand clean off. I was surprised at how "baked on" the crud is as there was still a fair amount of grime on the assembly. So yesterday out came a scrub pad, toothbrush and cleaner combined with some old fashion "elbow grease" I started to remove what was left over. A fairly tedious endeavor ( I am about 50% complete) but necessary to do.....

Rack and Pinion Conversion-Support Installation

Time in Garage Saturday 1.5 hrs

Yesterday I laid out the hardware for the rack and pinion steering conversion, attached the tie rod ends and started attaching the support bar to the chassis. The support bar was not a "press fit" which required me to do a bit of adjusting with a large adjustable wrench to straighten the chassis mounting points enough that I could insert the support bar. As with other tasks related to this build it took longer to do than I had anticipated. I had to be careful to keep everything in alignment so the crush sleeves could be mounted and lined up properly so the bolts could be properly engaged into the threaded ends. It took more than a bit of fitting but when I left the garage yesterday I was well on my way to getting things tightened down.

There is also a couple of fasteners missing from the hardware package which means an email needs to be sent to my supplier...

It felt really good to be back out in the garage...

Moss Rack and Pinion Conversion/Project Update/Budget/New Truck

Time in garage Tuesday : 3o mins

$$$ Spent: $700.00

On Monday I took delivery of my rack and pinion steering conversion from Moss Motors. I ordered it during the MOSS sale and saved 10% which was worthwhile. I unpacked the box and I am impressed with what I have seen. Everything looks good. I took out the parts and trial fitted the bracket on the frame.

I haven't worked on the Triumph for nearly a month having been distracted by my daughter's house reno, our own kitchen back splash project and returning to work on a part time basis. Up to the middle of March I was very diligent about working on the car (pretty well on a daily basis) and as a result making some good progress during the winter. Hopefully I will get back out there on a regular basis and meet some more schedule milestones.

From a budget perspective (based on my previous recap) I believe I have spent what I originally anticipated would be my total expenditure for "reassembling" the car. The rack and pinion conversion is an extra cost not originally anticipated and I went over on the front suspension rebuild as I had not anticipated having to replace as many parts as was required. There are a number of small incidental expenditures that add to the total and a couple of "miss steps" like bead blasting the "57" hood and trunk lid $300.. A few dollars here and there start to add up quickly...I talked to my parts supplier and he says most of the projects in their shop go over budget for a number of different reasons and it is just part of the "game" and not to worry about it. So here I am-not meeting schedule and over budget...but still enjoying the process....

Selling the "spare" parts will offset total project costs...

Earlier in the week I committed to purchase a newer Ford Ranger. A 2004 to replace my 1994. Today I finalize the deal and the truck is officially mine. A colleague owned the truck and has been trying to sell it for a few months so he was very receptive to reasonable offers... He is a "shade tree" mechanic and taken good care of the vehicle which shows making it an economical replacement. I had the truck safety inspected and it passed with flying colors other than a "near future" requirement to have the front brake pads replaced. I seriously contemplated putting about $1500 into repairing the 1994 but decided I would be further ahead buying a replacement vehicle.