Rolling Chassis 1957

$$ Spent $950

The project has taken an interesting turn of late. About a week and a half ago I shared a beer with the original owner of my TR3's . Through the course of the conversation our attention turned to the TR3 market and what appears to be few cars coming up for sale and when they do they sell fast. My friend still longs for a TR3 and is not really happy owing my old MGB which is currently going through a major body restoration. How he arrived in this spot is interesting to consider but not for sharing today.

At the end of our conversation I determined I do not want to sit on the fence for another summer season and have the '57 body sit on my utility trailer and the frame propped up against the fence so in my wisdom (based on marketing the car) I have decided to take a side trip and reassemble the pieces into a rolling chassis and then determine the next steps. The car is worth more if I do so and there is a potential I have nearly enough pieces to put it back together. Previously there were some complexities to doing this around the damaged rear hubs and having to replace them and some missing suspension parts that need to be bought. In order to address these concerns I have purchased a discarded TR3 chassis from my parts supplier and had it cut up so I could transport it home easily. The frame was damaged and not repairable but the components look good. So I have another differential and a complete front suspension that appears to be tight. I have purchased new ball joints and a front suspension kit for reassembly. I am keeping my fingers crossed this purchase will translate into all (if not most) of the parts I need.

I have the original '59 front right fender in for bead blasting as I am not happy with the 2 other repaired fenders. I need to make a new lower patch and bang out a few dents then apply a skim coat and prime. This is also a departure from the original plan.