Project Update 1957 Triumph Build

I have gotten out of the habit of updating my daily progress in this blog. An oversight on my part I believe and a situation I am going to rectify starting now!!!

I actually have been working on the 1957 since my last blog entry. Progress has been much slower than I anticipated but nothing new there if you have been following my blog history!

There have been some successes for sure but peppered with lots of challenges. I have been doing patch panels for the passenger side sill repair and painted the divider between the trunk and gas tank and fitted and refitted the doors a couple of times. (still not finished)... all good...the challenge has been mainly focused on finding stored parts....I have had to do a lot of sorting and searching over the past month or so. Garage functionality and tidiness continues to be major barriers...

I still struggle with making the build a priority. I am finding it very challenging to make my way to the garage and get down to work? I find the situation perplexing and to be honest I am not sure of the "why" but something is out of kilter....

I have adopted the concept of spending a "power hour" working on the car. I purchased a magnetic white board (small) with a dry erase marker and have attached it to my tool box. I write down the goals I have and what time I enter and leave the garage. Shooting for an hour at a time. The process seems to work so far as it keeps me focused to actually stay physically in the garage for the allotted time!!

1957 Triumph Rat Rod Project

Time in Garage: 30 hours-20 over the last week..10 in mid June

I am back in the garage. I decided to resurrect the '57 Triumph and place the body on the chassis I have been building for the past few years. This is a definite change of direction but I feel the right one to get on with my project.

The rationale to do so is complicated and multifaceted.

1. Selling the '57 for parts was not successful when attempted in 2013.
2. The value of the car is not realized if "parted out"
3. The '57 tub is very structurally sound
4. The '57 is an ideal candidate for a rat rod project
5. I can use the  '57 as a test bed for checking out the other motor and transmission and components
6. The rat rod approach seems appealing to people who have viewed the project.
7. I can get a sports car on the road sooner than the '59
8. I can get a much better return on my investment.
9. etc etc

Mazda Powered TR3 Rat Rod Update

UPDATE: I did some budget calculations a few days ago and realized that a "basic" rat rod build taking in the "knowns" (with a bit of contingency built in for the "surprises") it would cost me about $4500 to build the car. This realization took the "bloom" of the project from a cost perspective. I had originally envisioned a $2-$3000 build. There are so many pieces missing on the '57 that once I started to compile the list the $$$ added up rapidly.

Yesterday the "entrepreneur" in me started to do some research on the desirability of the car from a resale perspective and if there is potential to build the car and turn it over for a profit? I tempered this enthusiasm by trying to determine what the car is worth "as is"? This train of thought moved me into the "automotive art" category and how neat it would be to do the build from a artistic expression perspective!

Then I started to contemplate the tens of thousands of dollars people pay others to build custom cars (or refurbish components) and the $4500 doesn't look unreasonable from that perspective.

Yesterday I made an enquiry to a local British sports car shop as to whether or not they would be interested in purchasing the '57? This is an initial enquiry only and one I needed to make to gather some data on the desirability of a basket case project?

As I confessed to a friend, my Everest is the '59 reconstruction and I really need to stay focused on finishing the build and getting the car on the road before I start any other projects.