Bruce Jones's TR3B Front Apron Restoration
TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog)
Read the full write-up at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Photo: TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog)Bruce Jones restores a damaged TR3B front apron, then tackles a wider frame-off rebuild
Owner Bruce Jones documents repairing a crash-damaged, twisted front apron on his TR3B by hand-forming patches for worn bumper bolt holes and straightening the mouth, rather than buying a costly replacement. The blog continues through other stages of his restoration, including sourcing a donor rear end, researching originality, and rebuilding carburettor and clutch hydraulic components, offering practical step by step lessons for other restorers.
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Suspension & Steering 1
- Radiator support rodsMoss Motors
Missing rods replaced; came chrome plated and were repainted black to match original finish
In the shops
Radiator Support Rod ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $24.99 USD
Body & Trim 1
- 20 gauge mild steel patch panels
Hand-made and welded in to replace worn/out-of-round bumper attachment holes on the front apron
In the shops
Exhaust Frame Patch Panel (RH & LH) ↗
Classic Sunbeam Auto Parts· $185.00 USD
Mustang Shock Tower Patch Panel (1964-1966) ↗
Sports & Classics· $14.95 USD
Quarter Panel Lower Rear Patch, Passenger Side ↗
Chicago Muscle Car Parts - 1969 Camaro· $45.00 USD
Tools & Workshop 4
- 3/4 inch bimetal hole sawLennox (via Lowes)
Used at low RPM with oil to cut bolt holes in patch steel
- Dremel tool with fibre reinforced cutoff wheelDremel
Used to cut out patch pieces from sheet steel
- Skat Blast sandblast cabinetTP Tools
Set up alongside the air compressor for blasting parts
- 60 gallon 5hp air compressorIngersoll Rand
Installed with cooling pipe run to supply dry air for sandblasting
Photos
50 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog). A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
Restoring the Front Apron 14this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Setting up the Air Compressor and Sandblast Cabinet 3this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Bought a rear apron, with a bunch of the rest of the car attached 1this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Gas leaking from Float Chamber – replacing Gaskets to fix 3this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
SU carbs have Vacuum fittings on Chambers 1this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Fixing Radiator Support Rods/Mount 2this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
How to remove the rear fender on a Triumph TR3 4this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
How to Remove, Rebuild, Reinstall a Girling Clutch Slave Cylinder in a Triumph TR3 13this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Rebuilding the Brake and Clutch Pedal Assembly 6this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Rebuilding the Brake PDWA on a TR3 3this post at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
The front apron on Jones's TR3B was damaged, likely from a collision, leaving the mouth racked and closed up on one side, the top lip flattened and too narrow, and many bumper attachment holes out of round or torn from vibrating loose bolts. The underside was surface rusted and some side holes were cracked through.
Repairing the apron
Rather than buy a replacement or leave it to a body shop, Jones used a hammer and dolly, then a block of wood, to knock the distorted bumper-attach rectangle back into shape. He made patch pieces from 20 gauge mild steel, cut with a hole saw and a Dremel with a fibre reinforced cutoff wheel, located the original hole centres using forum-supplied measurements, and welded the patches in to restore the bolt holes.
Later restoration work
Subsequent posts cover unrelated stages of the broader frame-off project: setting up an air compressor and sandblast cabinet, buying a donor rear end and shipping it home, researching originality against a Triumph guide, priming the oil pump, identifying loose hardware, fixing a leaking float chamber and radiator support rods, removing a rear fender, and rebuilding a Girling clutch slave cylinder.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at TR3 Restoration Lessons Learned (TR3B project blog) ↗
Worth knowing
- Always drill the hole first before cutting out a patch piece
- Use fibre reinforced cutoff wheels in a Dremel rather than non-reinforced ones, which break easily
- Check hydraulic hoses for rot early rather than assuming only bleeding is needed