Triumph Kit Car? More like some assembly required

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

In reply to dherr (Forum Supporter) :

Did this come with an engine and transmission, or do you have to source them?

Engine is fully rebuilt, contacting the restoration shop for the specs to see if it is 86 or 87 MM. Has all the accessories on it and a set of restored SU H6 carbs. The transmission is not rebuilt, but is an early TR6 unit with overdrive that I will get rebuilt and the overdrive tested. That gives you syncro first gear, so that is a plus. So far, I have been making a list of the obvious missing pieces, gas tank, convertible top frame, side curtains, and probably many small things, but I'll  need to go through all the boxes to confirm.

Did a quick pass through all of the boxes to see what I got and what is missing. Some great finds in the boxes including new water pump, nice original fuel pump, new gear reduction starter, beautiful set of original SU carbs and lots of NOS parts that the previous owner had been ordering and storing for that eventual reassembly. Found the instructions for the Moss Rack and Pinion conversion kit and the steering shaft but was missing the modified piece that runs to the steering wheel. Found one on Ebay, 1/2 price of the Moss price, so ordered that so the steering can be finished. I also ordered the kit from Germany that allows you to use the original turn signals and horn with the Rack conversion. That will let me wrap up the steering and then turn my attention to the brakes. I am also sending out the TR6 overdrive transmission to a specialist to have it fully rebuilt. I also have been talking with a vendor in Ohio that builds new interiors in leather basically turnkey, you send him your dash and cockpit rails and he sends back new seats, rear seats, all door and side panels and the dash and cockpit rails all wrapped in the leather of your choice. Found a nice shade of dark red leather and TRF has a dark red carpet set that I think would look fantastic in this car.

So the TR4A project finally went down to Georgia to the owner and I rearranged the shop. GT6 project is in the work side as it is getting ready to go down to the paint shop for a month and I'll build the chassis during the time off. The TR3 has not had anything done other than going through all the boxes in more detail and figuring out what else I need. I found a rebuilt TR4 overdrive transmission that I am picking up at Import Carlisle for the car, so that will let me get the drivetrain installed. So in the meantime, I will get the parts for gas pedal, brake and clutch master cylinders and pedal box and the steering powder coated and installed in the car as well as the wiring harness. So lots of prep work before the assembly can continue.

I also picked up an original hard top for the car, as the Heritage Certificate said the car came with one originally. These are steel and surprising light, just need to get the glass and have it restored to match the car. Top was pearl white on the car, so will probably do the same for this dove grey car with a dark red interior.

Been working on the TR3, progress in getting the steering, brake pedal box and throttle pedal linkage in the car, as well as the new wiring harness installed. All of this is necessary since it is much easier to do it now than after the drivetrain is squeezed in as the inner fender wells are tight on a TR3. Pictures tomorrow after I clean up. Biggest issue is finding all the small stuff as I have it, but just have to find it. Fortunately the restorer put much of the old hardware in Ziploc bags with Sharpe descriptions, so been locating all the key stuff. 

Also, built a loft in my shop, so pictures will look a little different as now all the TR3 stuff is upstairs!

Interior arrived last week, so took a minute to set it in the car to see how it will look. I have to say that my wife did a great job of picking out the leather as the color is perfect as a contrast to the Dove Gray paint. I have been slowly putting it back together, found a few hacks as it was hastily reassembled to roll out of the shop when the previous owner ran out of funds, as the body was barely bolted to the restored chassis. I got a new body mount kit and installed it properly. The early Girling disk brake calipers appear to be rebuilt and have stainless pistons, but had been blasted clean and left to rust, so I removed them, removed the surface rust and painted with a cast iron paint so they now look good. Also replaced the slotted and drilled rotors with stock rotors that look more appropriate on such a classic car. Got all the under the dash pieces installed and the newly wrapped leather dash panel in place, so moving along. Engine and transmission will be installed in the next few weeks.

Wow dude, that looks fantastic!

Thanks, someone on one of the FB groups cautioned me not to "over restore" it, but too late for that as it had already been done to such a high level, that I feel compelled to complete the work. 

dherr (Forum Supporter) said:

Thanks, someone on one of the FB groups cautioned me not to "over restore" it, but too late for that as it had already been done to such a high level, that I feel compelled to complete the work. 

It was stock once, you do what you need to do to make it fun!

That's going to look great.

IMO, it's fine to make improvements to the original build quality.  Just don't be afraid to enjoy it after it's done.  My brother is still driving the TR6 I "over-restored" in 1995.

That is a beautiful combination 

Man, that is looking great.

Thanks for the comments, despite the body being done by a professional, there is still much fussing with everything to get it to fit correctly. I have a guy in California that rebuilds TR instruments doing my center panel and all the switches and wiring. Going with LED's as these cars have generators with low output, so that should help. Dashboard which should just bolt in, was a chore as it has to go in the correct order and nothing wants to fit well, so lots of messing with it.

The body, paint, and interior are so good they don't look real...like they came out of that Aurora box!

The $2500 price in 1959 was actually a lot of money. Dad paid $2400 in 1965 for a new Mustang hard top with 289, AT, PS, a radio, and a heater!

So had a break in the schedule for client cars and decided to get some things done on the TR3. That led to me finally installing the rebuilt overdrive transmission, clutch, flywheel and rebuilt engine. All went smoothly and I have been gathering the parts to get it running. Problem with these abandoned restorations is finding what has been done and not assuming anything is right. I also got the dash wired and the rebuilt gauges, wiper box and motor installed. New Coker Michelin XWX tires and tubes too. The car came with brand new Dayton painted wire wheels that were in 20 year old boxes from 2004, wheels still in bags. Also got the car on my new lift, such a game changer!

That's breathtaking! Simply lovely! Wow...