This 1957 Triumph TR3 came to us in November of 2006 right after it had finished a road rally called Damn the Torpedoes which starts in Athens, GA and ends in Saint Marys, GA. This is an annual fall event with three rules. You may not use interstates, if you get a ticket you are disqualified, and your car must be at least 25 years old. This makes for an interesting event!
The owner of this TR3 wanted a frame off restoration on this cherished car.
We were ready to oblige him.
We always make it a point to take pictures of each step of a restoration so that the owner will have an album at the end of the job. We also email pics to customers so they can see what progress is being made. In this situation pics came in handy as the owner lives in Michigan!
As you can see, the car also lived in snowy Michigan and was going to need a fair amount of body work.
We stripped off every nut, bolt, screw, and interior part first. Then came the body parts. Everything was labeled and stored even if it was going to be replaced. The shell of the car was lifted off the frame. All body parts were moved to a paint and body shop.
Next, the frame was trailered to another shop to be sand blasted and painted with epoxy. When that was completed, Bart rebuilt the front suspension, installed a steering rack conversion, replaced the brake & fuel lines with stainless steel, and replaced the front wheel bearings and rear wheel cylinders.
In the mean time, the guys at the body shop were at work doing their thing.
When the paint and body work were completed, the body parts came back to be safely stored in our office until we were ready to reinstall them.
The shell was slowly lowered onto the frame and reattached.
It's one piece again!
All reusable parts were sand blasted and cleaned then painted with Por 15 to prevent rust. This is usually done by Carolyn who has a thing for cleanliness! Bart installed the new wiring harness.
Next the original dash was reinstalled. The owner plans to do the interior himself.
We started with the rear fenders with new beading.
The drivers side door was temporarily installed to assure the fit. It will come off again when we install the weather strips.
This engine rebuild included new 87 mm piston and cylinder assemblies, rod and main bearing thrust washers, modified cam, lifters and timing chain, rubber rear seal conversion, lightened fly wheel, clutch assembly, clutch fork, shaft and bushings to accomodate the TR6 overdrive transmission which was installed.
The alternator conversion and steering rack can be clearly seen in the photo below.
Next job was to reinstall the gas tank.
As the owner wanted to redo the interior himself, we cleaned and reinstalled it along with a set of Simpson racing seat belts.
The TR3 is ready to roll!
At the end of the ultimate test drive - through town traffic and some sweet, twisty mountain roads. It's a joy to drive!
