JPD Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Does anyone have any history of a Royal Blue 4A with the above reg? It was originally registered in Lancashire and seems to have lived in Devon for the last 20 years or so, awaiting restoration. It's now been treated to it in my garage! Any info gratefully recieved Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanT Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 You can find out more via the register. All I know is its 1968. Royal Blue is one of the favoured colours these days. How much work are you expecting to need to do on this? Al. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Hi Al The TR4A registrar has a record of it in Devon in the 90s and Ive spoken with the previous owner who had it until mid last year when I bought it. I have no other info. Im hoping that the Lancashire council archive have a record of it's original registration details Condition wise it's very poor and has been off the road for at least 20 years. Currently I have the car completely stripped and the body in 2 pieces. I have a recon chassis to which I'm fitting new floors and will have the 2 body pieces back on in the next few weeks. then starts the long process of alignment and all the tub repairs. the front end needs new inner and outer wings, the back end needs pretty well all new panels. A few years work ahead of me yet!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanT Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 I have done every bit of this on a 66 4A. I tell everyone on here that I made a huge mistake and put the back half on first. Put the front on first. Hang the doors. Bring the back-half up to the doors. Put the glass in and make sure it meets up the the screen. Have you got a Surrey? Have you got O/D? Here is a pic to encourage you. Shows new floor meets new-sill meets new hand-made toe-board meets new side-wall. Al. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 Thanks for the advice; I can imagine it being very difficult to manoeuvre the front half to get the gaps right! Did you do your alignment with the engine in and suspension on the chassis? The Roger Williams book says you should, but I was told by an experienced professional restorer that you dont need to cos when you finalise the body fit after paint bad door gaps can be sorted by shimming between the body and chassis. I was planning to have the engine in until Ive braced the tub, then take it out for better access to the front. The car has o/d and w/wheels, but no surrey top (or soft top for that matter - although I do have a frame, of sorts!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanT Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 I didn't grasp how heavy the front would be with the doors on it. I got in this mess by not having enough room to put everything and took a short-cut that didn't work. I did it with the engine in. There is a bit of bend in these chassis and this might save a bit of work. You could get iit roughly right without the engine and fiddle about afterward if required. Fit the Surrey backlight because it helps get the glass to run up at the right angle. This is actually very critical because there is virtually no adjustment in the angle of the glass. Al. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted April 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Thanks for the tips. New floors are nearly ready to fit, just getting the black primer off the areas that will be welded and replacing it with weld thru primer. Hoping to get front and back both on at the weekend - just loosely fitted whilst I repair the doors and can get them on the A posts. then I'll start trying to get things aligned (front first!!). Meanwhile I've now got the commission number; luckily Lancashire archive Office had a copy of the original registration entry. First registered 1 Oct 1967 - must have been one of the last produced. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 End of production was 10th July 1967 CTC78684. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted April 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 Mine is CTC 78056. must have sat around for a while before being registered. The engine number is what looks like CT C78404E. I've only ever come across CT xxxxxE, any ideas what the extra C indicates? It doesn"t seem to match the format according to Bill Piggots book. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 (edited) I've now got the heritage certicate for the car. It confirms date of build as August 1967 and date of despatch 5 Sept 67. The dealer destination was Hollingdrake Auto Company in Stockport, which a quick internet search shows still exists, albeit as a Jaguar/ Land Rover dealer. Commission number is CTC 78056 and engine number CT 78404E and it came with a heater but no mention of the w/wheels and o/d, which are fitted now. To my amazement though, the original colour was New White, not Royal Blue. There are traces of white under the blue, but I'd thought this was primer. I've no idea when the colour was changed, but pictures I have from the PO back in the 90's show the car as blue. I will be finishing the car in the original new white with black interior. Pictures I've seen of white ones look great; the body curves show up better than the darker colours (IMHO!) Edited November 14, 2013 by JPD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlejim Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Does my Chassis number 78745CT and Engine number CT69743E mean someone has done a bit of swapping? I don't understand this sort of stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted November 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Chassis numbers (actually called Commission numbers) are a CT prefix for TR4 and CTC prefix for the 4A. The commission number is a car build number and is stamped on a plate fixed to the shelf in the engine bay near the wiper motor (at least on RHD UK cars, not sure about others). The number with the CT suffix is actually the body number (usually on an alumnium tag on the bulkhead). These are in numerical sequence, roughly equating to the commision number. The engine number you quote is the correct format. Judging by the numbers you quote, I would guess yours is a 1967 TR4A ? Bill Piggott's 'Original TR' book has a detailed section on numbers. The reason I know a bit about this is that my commsision number plate was missing when I bought the car so I had to do a lot of investigation through the DVLA with Bill Piggott's help to get mine identified. Hope that helps Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlejim Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Jeff, thanks for that. That's what I thought it was when I got it. To me it was a restoration project, and marque history etc. was not of high priority or interest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted February 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 It's been a while, so I thought an update on progress of my TR4A (FTE 226F) is in order. Bodywork wise at the front, I've replaced both inner wings and the outer 6 inches of the bulkhead/scuttle/plunum and A post tops & bottoms on both sides, plus new floors & sills. This was a big job for me as this is my first restoration and I had to learn to weld and bash metal first. The bonnet and outer wings needed replacing and were sourced from Walter Petchey. The inner wheel arches were generally ok but I've had to do numerous minor repairs in the engine bay area. I've also repaired the door frames and fitted new skins. The rear tub was too far gone to repair and I managed to get a complete replacement from Walter. Unfortunately it was a TR4 tub not a 4A, but in excellent condition, with just minor repairs to the bottom of the B posts needed. To convert it from 4 to 4A, various mods have needed doing, eg trans tunnel for the handbrake, dishings in the wheel arches for the hood frame etc. New rear wings came form Bastuck - excellent fit!! In between doing body repairs, I've rebuilt the front and rear suspension, using AVO telescopics all round. I've also refurbished the propshaft, steering rack and column, heater (with Clayton innards) and I'm currently rebuilding the seats with new foams and black leather covers. Whilst doing all this I got a heritage certificate, which told me the car was originally New White, not Royal Blue, so I will return it to it's original colour. Having completed the inner tub repairs, I started the body alignment. The passenger door fit was ok, but after weeks of head scratching I couldn't get good alignment on the driver door. I was always going to get the car sprayed professionally anyway, so I decided at this point to get the professionals in early and sent the car off for panel alignment and respray. The alignment is now complete and it's almost ready for it's first coat of primer. It looks superb and I could never of hoped to get the outer panel fit anywhere near as good. For my level of ability it was definately the right decision to have the bodywork finished professionally - I'll post some pics soon. This car was a complete wreck when I bought it in Nov 2012, having failed it's MOT for excessive corrosion and then sitting in someone's garage for 25 years, but I'm now looking forward to the mechanical and electrical rebuild over the summer and hopefully back on the road for next spring! Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
graeme Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Sounds good Jeff. Good colour choice too, but I am biased. Do you have any photos to share. Have you changed the forward deck pieces on the TR4 rear tub as these are different on the IRS models to accomodate the hood mechanism. I did a similar amount of work on my white 4A and gave up on the alignment too, mind you the professional who took over didn't do much better. Still it looks OK. Keep us up to date. Cheers Graeme Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted February 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Thanks Graeme Yes, the forward deck extensions have been changed for the 4A ones - hopefully I've sorted all the 4 to 4A differences on the rear end. A couple of photos are atached, one from late 2012 when I got the car and the other from a few weeks ago when the driver door finally fitted properly. I'll post some more when it's gots some paint on. It should look great in white. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stillp Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Looking good Jeff. Keep it up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
graeme Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 Looks good Jeff. One area I had trouble with, the sidewindow to windscreen frame alignment following such major surgery, and I am still unable to align correctly, It may be worth fitting the frame and side windows to check before painting. Hmmm, is that a type 49 escort in the background, looks good, is it yours? Cheers Graeme Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted March 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 Graeme The screen frame has been on and we've checked the glass alignment is ok. The frame is off again at the moment whilst the tub is being prepped and painted. The door shutting against the seals have also been set up and checked ok. After reading up on the Forum I decided to go for the one piece seals from Moss - not original but I didnt want to have problems in this area. All the external trim and the bumpers (excellent fit, from Harringtons) have also been check fitted to make sure everything fits well. The Escort isn't mine. It's a Mk1 being restored and upgraded for track day use - a 330 bhp cosworth turbo with handling/braking mods to match - that will be quite a beast!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Time for another update on FTE 226F. I'm now 3 years in - wow, where has the time gone!! I got the painted shell back in May, reunited with the chassis. The external panels look fab in white, but they aren't fitted yet, they're still at the paint shop for safe keeping. I've now fitted out the engine bay with new master cylinders and pipes and fitted the wiper mechanisms and wheel boxes. I've fitted a new wiring loom and the heater and ducting is all in place and the dash and small instruments are fitted. The old crash pads cleaned up well, they just needed a few repairs where the vinyl was a bit torn and peeling. I've refurbished the steering column but haven't fitted it yet so as not to restrict access under the dash. I've stripped the engine and it was in great condition - I just rebuilt it as is with new gaskets etc, but got the head cleaned up and converted for unleaded. The gearbox seems ok so I'm just going to clean it up and refit it. I've checked the overdrive solenoid works ok today, but the isolator switches were dodgy so I'll replace those. The next job is to rebuild the clutch actuation mechanism so I can then look to getting the engine and gearbox back in. Still hoping to be on the road next spring but it's amazing how long even the simplest job can take! Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I looked at the clutch actuation this weekend and found the tapered pin to be sheared - glad I checked!! It had sheared at the base of the thread, which I believe is the normal place. I'd already bought a new pin and bushes, so have now ordered a new cross shaft as well as I had to cut the shaft to get it out. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Jeff, when you fit the new tapered pin also fit another roll pin (3/16, 5mm ) at 90' through the fork and shaft. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Roger Yes, I certainly will be. When I bought the car and read up about common problems and fixes, I think this was the first one I read about. I just didn't realise it would take me 3 years to get to it!! Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted January 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 A big milestone in the rebuild today when I managed to get the engine started - the first time it's run in about 35 years!!. I got good oil pressure (60 psi) and the engine sounded great if a little lumpy. Had fun and games getting it going though, as the fuel pump doesn't and the electronic ignition didn't. A quick swap back to good old points and manual filling of the float chambers saw it fire into life though, at least for 30 seconds (which I assume to be the time it takes to empty the float chambers). Now I know the engine is good I'll get all the loose panels fitted. Here is a pic of the engine bay, I'll post some more mid Feb when it's all panelled up. It must all be downhill from here to passing the MOT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JPD Posted February 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2016 The car is now back at the body shop having the loose panels fitted. Saw it today for the first time with the panels on - WOW - it looks like a TR again!! Couple of pics attached Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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