Return to my Blog-1957 Triumph TR3 Derelict Build Update

Work on my 1957 has proceeded since my last posting in November 2014.Just not documented in my blog...

The winter was generally not a good build season due to a number of contributing factors-many beyond my control. \As I look back on my entries there has been a lot of justification of lack of progress but I think it comes with the territory...Over the winter and into spring I had to continually remind myself the build is a hobby of mine and as such should not be a burden to my sense of well being if I don't get around to turning wrenches and making progress. A fine line to walk for sure..

I have fabricated some more panels for the interior...trial fitted -they look good. My son also got involved by doing some custom fabrication for me on the interior panel that goes behind the seats in front of the gas tank. I hope to post some pictures soon.

Through extremely good luck and good fortune I was able to purchase a small mouth valance for the car from Drakes Motors-Kelowna for a very reasonable price. The component needed a lot of work and it took me a couple of tries to get it to a point where I was satisfied with the structure and the alignment with the front fenders. I am now ready to do the final minor repairs and get a coat of filler on the repair patch areas. I am please made new patch panels out of sheet metal and then skimmed them with fibreglass filler. Now very strong and much more structurally sound. I am pleased with my workmanship. Very fit for purpose for a derelict build like the '57. I hope to get a coat of primer on before the end of the day tomorrow...

I also lucked out on procuring replacement seat covers at a heavily discounted price from Drakes. I started to dismantle the old seats-got one completed and have since moved on...I will get back to the work at a later date.

After much deliberation on my part I decided to purchase a steering column kit from Moss motors. I looked a jury rigging something up-even going as far as looking at hot rod options but after careful
deliberation spent the $325 to buy the unit...I really wanted to use the original steering wheel which was proving difficult to adapt to the options I was looking at. One interesting aspect of the kit was the tube housing was painted blue-bright blue...not sure why but I decided to squirt on a coat of chassis black. I did a trial fit..had some issues with the firewall grommet which ended up consuming an extra hour of work until I got things lined up.

There are many other minor tasks completed. I probably worked on the car about 1/10 of the time I had originally allocated. Life got in the way and I have to go with the flow.

1957 Triumph TR3-Gas Tank Repair

I received a phone call from my radiator repair shop that the 1957 gas tank has been repaired, cleaned and pressure tested and is now ready for pick up. Great news. I wanted to recycle the tank and get it out of my garden shed.. It had rusted through on the bottom. The technician put a patch panel in. I will repaint it when I take possession at the end of next week. (the shop is located in a city 150 kms away)......

1957 Triumph-Installed Panel between Trunk and Gas Tank

Time in Garage Sunday-4.25 hours

I rivited in the steel replacement panel my son made up for me a few months ago. The panel is painted and fits really well. I used seam sealer afterwards. Overall I am very pleased.

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!!

'57 & '59 Project Plan -Setting Reasonable goals?

Project Plan

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1957 Triumph Tr3 Rat Rod

Phase 1 of the ’57 Triumph Project: to December 15,2014

Complete the 57 to engine start up . Get parts painted in October2014 and installed where it makes sense through the balance of 2014….Move the car outside for the winter-EARLY DECEMBER IS PREFERABLE. Intent is to move it out at whatever stage of completion. Tarp to be installed and vehicle winterized. Potential engine/trans may not be serviceable. Would need to change focus on drivetrain if this is the case.

Make sure the car is appraised and insured before doing so.

The rat rod will be the main focus during October 2014. Intent is to keep expenditures low through the balance of the project.Scrounging parts etc. Focus on “coolness” without excess.

Phase 11 of the build starts in May 2015 with a focus during the winter of 2015 to locate missing components such as a gas tank, rad test and painting , windshield, etc etc.

1959 Triumph

Phase 1 “goal” of the ’59 Triumph project is to body mounting on the assembled but not completed chassis before April 15th.Classified as a “the” winter project. Includes chassis build up but potentially not hydraulics or front brakes, brake lines , shocks etc..(long list) but to rolling chassis status.Includes the Moss Rack and Pinion etc… Expenditures to be kept to a bare minimum through the winter. Look at the potential of utilizing the “spare” rear brake parts etc…..List to be compiled in the winter outlying what needs to be purchased. Body will not be permanently mounted on chassis. Intention is to refurbish the1957 engine to operating status and start it up before April 2015. A starter motor might be a required purchase… Once again focusing on component check out and installation where applicable and to use all existing parts before any new components are purchase. Note: both engines check out then the ’57 will be swapped back into the rat rod... If only one works out then an engine transplant on the ’57 will be considered. At least explored.

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Phase 11 of the project is the body work and final paint which will commence in mid May 2015. Funds to be put aside for the project through the course of the winter. Intention is to undertake the body work during the summer months inside the garage. Budget estimate is around $1000.00?

Once the body work is completed focus will turn back to the procuring the required component pcs.

1957 deficiency list

Gas tank

Steering column

Windshield

Side curtains

Seats???

Need to further exploration on the status of the parts in the partsbins and fasteners? Is there anything to sell? i.e. the moss side rail, steering box etc.

1957 Progress Report

Time in Garage this week(actually the driveway) 10 hours

I have spent an additional 6 hours working on the challenging left hand rear fender. The fender was very marginal originally and when repairing it the first time I did not realize there was another area of weakness that I had overlooked. Plus I had missed putting in a couple of rivets which further compromised the fit up. All of this has been resolved and the final fit up completed. I am fairly happy with the outcome. I will be doing an update video on YouTube on Monday to show what I have been doing. I will post the link on this blog.

I also did about 40% of the body painting. Originally I had painted the body with Por 15 gray finish to preserve the body which over the past few years has transformed into kind of a flat green hue with streaks of dark gray/black. I like the patina so I decided to continue the theme for the rest of the car.  I had a green custom mixed at my local paint store and through a process of applying and matching made a decision to add some flat black to the mix. I am not 100% happy with the match up but through trial and error I am getting closer. At least now the panels blend to a reasonable degree. I enjoyed applying the paint and playing around with making the finish. It hasn't taken too long so far.

Painting TR6 Wheels

Money Spent $15
Time in Garage: 2 hours

Focused on cleaning up the wheels and painting them. Job done...pleased with outcome. Looking forward to remounting the tires and installing the wide whitewall tire inserts.

Wiring Harness,Electrical Components, Tires and Wide Whitewall and Fixing the Exhaust System

Time in Garage 0
Money Spent- around $800

Last week I took the plunge and purchased a 12 circuit wiring harness from Hot Rod Wires along with a component package, turn indicator switch, ignition switch, cut off switch, wire covering and light switch with built in dimmer. Total bill including freight around $550. The package should be delivered to my door around June 5th...customer service has been great so far. I am looking forward to the challenge of wiring up the Triumph..

I also spent $250 for two new tires and a set of 2" wide whitewalls that get mounted in the wheel bead. Cost is about $80 for the 4. Hopefully my local tire shop has experience with these inserts. There are YouTube videos to show how it is done.

I took my exhaust system back to the muffler shop and got them to expand the pipe so the down pipe fits easily into the rest of the system so I have space to adjust one I get it installed. They did the modification for free and I appreciated it...

There has been no time or energy for garage work in the last week...

Driveway Mechanics

Time in Driveway : 4.0 hours

For the last week or so I have had some driveway work sessions. A few moments here and there. Today I installed the water pump and oil filter assembly and the top bracket for the new alternator. Also attached the fuel line to the fuel pump. Earlier in the week I worked on the rear fender for the 1957..making patch panels..some progress being made..still lots of distractions....work, year end tax filing and gardening being the main focuses..

Garage and Daydreaming

Time in Garage: none

I bought a new rechargeable electric lawn mover yesterday and through the process realized my garage is a mess.

I did my research on the internet and chose a Black and Decker model that our local Home Depot had on sale for $100 off. Bonus time..They only had one left and the clerk that located it for me, stood next to it and held it for me (while  I went to find a cart) in case someone else came by and took it...his gesture was very much appreciated. Last night I unboxed it  and  assembled the handle and grass catcher and set the machine up for charging and realized I had no room inside my garage to move the mower in and charge it.... Garage clean up is definitely on the agenda for today....

It is gardening season and there is lots to do around the house to get the garden prepared for planting. Triumph work is put on the back burner for now but the daydreaming continues...

Hopefully I will get out in the garage and turns some wrenches soon??

Chassis Developments

Time in Driveway: 2 hours

A beautiful evening working outside in the driveway. Very quiet neighbourhood wise and a bit on the cool side but great to be out of the house and away from the TV set. It felt good overall and I had a sense of accomplishment when I was finished.

I finished pulling apart the front suspension on the purchased frame. The fasteners are ready for cleaning in the Eastwood tumbler and today I will start the clean up process on the removed suspension parts. I also want to remove the brake drums from the rear axle and see the condition of the brakes etc. I am still pondering the validity of the purchase price of the spare frame vrs  the value of the parts harvested (vrs buying them separately which would have a freight and time component attached)  but I need to move on and focus on the reassembly. There is no use at looking  back at this point? I think it will be a bit of a wash overall...

I have started looking at the wiring harness purchase which I hope to do early next week. I plan to order a replacement ignition switch, light switch, horn button and wiper switch..I may need a new solenoid...not sure yet....

I have the chassis parts on order that I need plus the parts needed to put the spare motor back together. Included is 2 TR6 wheels and tires that I am using for the rear wheels on the '57 reassembly.

Today I have to focus on cleaning up the garage and putting tools away. Also my wife bought me a set of combination wrenches at an estate sale that complement my tool box collection in a good way. Now I have multiply versions of the same size which comes in handy when working on cars. All for $10.00

Front Suspension Disassembly

Time in the Driveway: 4 hours

Yesterday I tackled the disassembly of the purchased chassis components. I got the right side completely disassembled and the left about 50% done. Things went well. I kept the chassis in the bed of my truck and worked at waist height which was helpful. The most difficult bolt removal was the bolts holding the brake callipers on.....took lots of torque to loosen them. Interesting the brake pads look almost new and the rotors are in good shape-though rusty. I am going to see if the pistons move in the callipers with an eye on potentially reusing them. The lower control arm condition is great on one of the arms and not so good on the other with the trunnion bushing worn. The trunnions themselves seem fine as are the ball joints. I may reuse the ball joints rather than replace...not sure? I also removed the rear shock absorber from the frame piece. It appears to still work but further investigation is required. I still have to remove the other. I want to pull the rear brake drums off and check out the condition of the linings etc. I want to be able to reuse as many parts as possible.

The day was coolish and overcast but it felt good to be outside and in the fresh air. I found the work challenging and satisfying but noticed some discomfort in my lower back when I was finished for the day.

I am hoping the purchase pays off.....the trend says probably...I won't really know until I get the left hand side of the front suspension disassembled.

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.

Moving Fenders Around

Time in Garage: around 2 hours

I spent some time in my storage shed finding the spare master cylinder bracket, reservoir and moving the fenders, trunk lid and hood out of the shed and into the garage. I made a determination I might need to restore the original right hand fender rather than use the one I repaired a few years ago. More work needs to be done to determine the best way to proceed?

Engine Married to Chassis

Time in Garage: 1-1/2 hours

Yesterday I dropped the engine onto the chassis. The process was straight forward with a few challenges moving the engine out of the garage and in position. I had to stop half way through and re position the arm on the engine hoist in order to have enough "reach" to get the engine to sit on the engine mounts. The stance of the arms on the hoist also interfered with the wheel position-another challenge... A minor set back-but something that needed to be done. I didn't install the transmission mount so |I utilized a 2 x 4 to support the back of the transmission. I have noticed some interference with the bolts on the front pulley. I need to go back and look at the instructions for the rack and pinion installation to see what has been recommended to rectify the situation?

I also purchased some white board cleaner and new fine point dry erase markers to reconfigure the action list which is copied down on the whiteboard on the wall of the garage.

I had to inflate one of the front tires after I installed the engine. Now the engine is in place I can start working on the front shock installation etc. I really want to chop away at the misc activities related to preparing the drive train.

Today I plan to go out in the storage shed and try and retrieve the other master cylinder bracket in order to avoid having to reattach the reservoir bracket that I mistakenly removed on my misguided attempt to convert to TR4 master cylinders. I also plan to move the fenders, hood and trunk lids out of the shed into the garage. I am looking forward to getting back to some body work.

I checked out a 1983 Mazda RX7 for sale in my city. 58 k on a new rotory engine. The car looks too good to scrap but is the configuration I  considering for the '57 conversion. Trying to stay focused on the '59 as the #1 priority...

Chassis Path Forward Explained

Time in Garage: 1-1/2 hours
Planning and E-mailing: 1-1/2 hors
Purchase of Parts: 1959 : New reservoir and connecting pipes (around $150 Cdn)
Purchase of Parts: 1957 Chassis $650

Yesterday I ventured out into the garage for another round of garage clean up and reorganization.  The space looks much better and I found my engine hoist chain that I couldn't locate last weekend.

I decided to purchase a damaged chassis to harvest the rear end and front suspension parts to get the 1957 Triumph back into a rolling chassis basis. I gave instructions on how I want it cut up so I can load it into the back of my Ranger truck. I have sat on the fence about this purchase for a number of months and I realized that the '57 is not going anywhere until I take some time to make it sellable. It is a bit of a gamble but the upside is definitely there. Spending money to make money. I also ordered a suspension kit and new ball joints. I am hoping the salvaged chassis has front end parts that are in good condition. My initial investigation shows this as being the case. The next part of the puzzle is to make sure I don't spend too much time on the reassembly. More to follow on this.

Moving Along

I haven't spent much time in the garage in the last few weeks. I have taken on a temporary work position and have been traveling, getting training and project orientation so once again the Triumph has fallen to a lower priority in my life.

I got the drain spigot replaced (the one received from Moss has a broken handle) and a new water pump gasket (the other was really brittle and split when I took it out of the package. I viewed the $500 chassis I have been offered that has all the components I need to put the spare chassis back together. I am going to make the decision this weekend and get moving on it.

Yesterday I extracted my camper van from the ice in my driveway. The front left tire was flat and it took a while for the engine to fire up. My battery charge of a month ago or so did not last long enough to get the engine firing so I had to boost the battery. I commissioned my compressor and blew up the tire and moved the van back and chipped out a lot of the ice after it had warmed up for a while. I had to move the van and remove the ice so I can extract the chassis and mount the engine in the driveway because I don't have enough room in my garage to do it there.

My wife and I were at a dinner party last night and my TR3 project came up for discussion through an innocent question asked by a friend. My wife lamented the trading of our beloved MGB for a car that didn't run and that required excessive work and how she doubted the Triumph would ever be finished? A friend spoke up and asked her if she spent any time in the garage helping out and that comment garnered no response other than a shrug and a "no" .  I am sure I am not the only old car hobby guy that experiences an ongoing "critique" by a loved one but I cringe whenever the subject comes up because I often find myself having to defend my hobby and my intent and often it is not comfortable to do so. I have met people in the old car hobby where female partners have as much enthusiasm for the cars and working in the garage as the man does. Hmmmm....

Bead Blasting

Time in Garage: 30 mins (Comercial Bead Blast Cabinet)

Amount spent: $31.82

Today I stopped in at my local coater and rented their bead blasting cabinet for 30 mins and cleaned off a small tub of misc parts which included the battery hold down bracket, water pump pulley, hangers for the exhaust system, seat adjusting rails and the gas pedal assembly. Included were some other small parts. It was money well spent.

The weather has caved in again in my region. Unseasonably cold weather with lots of snow. A bit discouraging as this the time I want to be painting parts for reassembly. I plan to venture out to the garage later on today.

Starter Motor Clean Up and Paint

Time in Garage: 2 hours

I ventured out into the garage yesterday and spent a couple of hours cleaning up and painting the starter motor. I opened up the inspection ports and looked at the condition of the internals. In an ideal world the starter should probably be sent out for a rebuild or a new high torque version purchased and installed but for now I am going to reinstall it. I think there is some life left in it and I will monitor performance as I go. When I started the engine a few years ago the starter worked fine. At least it will look nice for the reassembly.

I spent about an hour a few nights ago figuring out the parts cost for the front end rebuild on the spare chassis. Still daydreaming a bit about a '57 rat rod.

Painting

Time in garage: about 2 hours total

The weather on the weekend was very spring like which encouraged me to get out into the garage and get some painting done.

I dropped in and out of the garage yesterday painting the driveshaft with gloss black enamel and the repaired heat shield for the carbs. I also touched up the exhaust system where there was no paint. I would go back and forth in 20 minute intervals throughout the day. I set up my radiant portable heater to keep the parts warm while the paint dried. I like what I see. Important next steps.