Restoration update

[Menno van Rij]

Hi all,

 

This week is a very pleasant one!

Several parts are bolted back to the chassis: e.g. front suspension completed and rear suspension nearly. Back on it’s wheels. Nearly, that is. The diff. appeared to be in very good shape. New bearings and some shims are all that’s needed! Allen and Henk are experienced differential-rebuilders and they were surprised how good the differential was when they took it apart.

 

After blasting the tub a few weeks ago, the paint shop guys started on the wings, doors and other removed parts. After blasting these items, things look quite bright! Front apron: perfect shape, so are the doors, the boot lid, the bonnet and the spare wheel lid. Some surface rust, no holes, no hidden horrors.

The front wings are rotted away behind the wheel arches, where the front wings are adjacent

To the sills. These parts are patched up, but it’s done in a lousy manner, so things are done again by John (the owner of the paint shop), but now in a proper way,

 

After blasting, the rear wings looks like they have been attact by a lunatic with a shotgun. The rear wings suffered from the American way of body repair: an id*ot has punched holes in the rear wings to help body filler to stay in place. But no problem for John.

 

Today I received an email from US Postal Service that the first part of the Dan Masters’ wiring harness has arrived at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. After paying import duty , it will be send to me asap. Can’t wait!

 

Any setbacks thus far? Yes, the radiator is a mess. Somewhere during the car’s life, someone lifted the car without any knowledge of cars, I think. He must have put the jack under the radiator. The lower part of the rad is dented, exactly the shape of the jack’s ‘dish’ that’s used to lift the car. I will need a new radiator. The current one is a write-off. Any comments or input on this subject? (aluminium, no starter hole etc.).

 

I was very busy this week. (Hmm, I’ve to earn some kind of money to pay all these TR bills somehow). So I didn’t have time to upload pictures. I think next Saturday I can add some.

 

Regards,

 

Menno

[Don Elliott]

There should be a sturdy angle about 4" on the bottom and about 3" up the front of the radiator - right at the bottom. When you get down on your knees and look under the front bumper of a sidescreen TR, you should see it. I is made of 1/8" thick plate and fits under the radiator to prevent damage by the previous owner, or if you might hit a large rock in the center of a gravel road.

[BrianC]

I had exactly the same problem with my TR3A. I had been been working on my car during the evenings and a friend, who was a night shift worker, had been working on the car during the day. One evening I came home and jacked the car up, without thinking, on the radiator shield instead of the cross member just behind it. Only problem was, one or other of us had removed the radiator shield and forgotten to replace it . Despite the huge indentation, the radiator was still usable and remained in service for many miles - now replaced but kept as a spare.

[Menno van Rij]

Hi all,

 

Not a lot of pictures yet (battery of my camera is empty; recharging now). But I have a question about the front suspension trunnions (Moss part 101557). Both trunnion axles where the lower wishbone arms are attached to, are more or less pitted. Are these axles available somewhere. I can buy new trunnions, but it are only the axles that need to be replaced.

 

Any comment or ideas?

 

Regards,

 

Menno

Edited September 15, 2007 by Menno van Rij

[stuart]

Menno I believe you can only buy them "as is" The pin is an integral part of it.

Stuart.