TR3B Restoration Lessons Learned
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)A mid-restoration Triumph TR3B bought to finish, not just drive
The writer purchased a TR3B that was already partway through a frame-up restoration from a previous owner, inheriting a rebuilt engine, gearbox, differential, sandblasted frame, and a replacement body with many new parts already sourced. The blog documents the negotiation and purchase story and the start of the writer's own learning process in bodywork, welding and air tools to finish the car.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Engine
- Rebuilt prior to purchase, though a cam bearing was reportedly installed backwards and a dropped set screw may still be inside
- Gearbox
- Gone through by a TR mechanic, not fully rebuilt
- Differential
- Rebuilt
- Frame
- Sandblasted and painted
- Body
- Replacement body purchased from Rimmer, with floor pans, battery box and outer sills already replaced; firewall, wings and wheel wells mostly patched/repaired
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.
Tools & Workshop 2
- Air compressor with piping, regulator, filter, hoses and startup kit
Purchased to support bodywork and air tool use on the restoration
In the shops
Competition Fuel Regulator/Filter with Gauge ↗
Sports & Classics· $199.95 USD
Hose, air con compressor to condenser, Genuine ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £177.00 GBP - MIG welder with helmet, gloves and leather apron
Bought to learn welding for body repairs, practiced on 20 gauge sheet metal
Photos
4 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.
How it was done
Starting condition
The car was found mid-restoration, owned by a man named Paul who had bought it from a retired engineer restoring it as a memory of his honeymoon. The engine was rebuilt (though a cam bearing had been fitted backwards, cutting oil to the rockers, and a set screw was dropped inside), the gearbox gone through, the differential rebuilt, and the frame sandblasted and painted. The body was a Rimmer replacement with many new Roadster Factory parts and spares included.
Negotiation and purchase
The writer disliked that the car was not a rolling restoration and noted remaining issues: thin inner sills, a crunched front apron, and some rusted areas at the rear. After negotiating from an asking price of 6,400 down to 4,000, he bought the car, with Paul storing it for a couple of months before pickup.
Progress so far
After about six months of part-time work, the writer reports not being far along, having mainly acquired tools: a compressor, MIG welder, and related welding and air-tool equipment, while learning to use them.
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) ↗