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TR2 - It's all coming together now


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Clive - I'm doing the same right now to TS81551 L and it's bolted to the frame I had to get second hand.  The first was really badly rusted.  I have the engine and rear axle mounted on the frame as well.  Also I have the stands directly under the axle lines.  I did all this so the "sag" would be the same as the finished result.  Ask those who are doing yours about this.

 

Read the details and check out what I did and how I did it all in 1987 to 1990 - look at my photos too.  Read the thread by Tom Maddock just below here where I explain more.

 

I hope your body turns out correctly after you install the engine and try to close the doors.

 

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A Comm. No. TS 27489 LO, Montreal, Canada

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...I had not realised how much new metal would be needed to fettle your car, it looked ok at malvern...

 

...we have just bought a classic Mini, so there will no doubt be plenty for me to do of an evening in the garage!!!

What you couldn't see at Malvern was the amount of very well applied filler in the body, and doors...

 

Once we'd removed the inner door linings you could see where the skins had been welded together!

 

NDM alst took a hammer to one of my front inner wings when I took the body down.  I think about 1 inch of filler shattered and came out leaving something that looked very much like lace behind!  If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I'd have accused them of "fee building"

 

As for the mini, we to are looking for a good example for my eldest step daughter to learn to drive in.  There is a company locally who specialise in doing them up from basket cases to indervidual order.  I'm debating that it may be worth having this done to save me spending more time putting the mini right than driving my TR2.. (hopefully anyway)

 

In the mean time I'll just have to drive the MR2 we bought today!

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Clive - In your photos, I noticed that there are no captive boxes on the "A" posts to secure the front wings down behind the door hinges.  I assume that these will be welded into place later ???

 

Who made the new replacement sheetmetal panels ?

 

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A, Montreal, Canada

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Clive - In your photos, I noticed that there are no captive boxes on the "A" posts to secure the front wings down behind the door hinges.  I assume that these will be welded into place later ???

 

Who made the new replacement sheetmetal panels ?

 

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A, Montreal, Canada

Don,

 

They're on doing the front end now.

 

The whole lot is being done by North Devon Metal Craft.

 

As the wings wil be attached when she comes back to me I expect that the captive nuts will be there.  I'll obviously be double checking everything, but as I'm no expert on TR2 bodies I might miss a FEW THINGS...

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Well, both sides of the front suspension are attached, and the new competition front springs complete with aluminium spacers are in place.

 

tr2frontsusp.jpg

 

The shock absorbers would have also been in place, however, the bolts supplied to me for the bottom connection (connecting bracket with pin to bracket, page 35, parts 89 & 90) are too long.  Theyre either the wrong bolt in a packet with the correct reference on it, or the part reference in the Moss catalogue is wrong.   The bolts suppled are far to long, and the thread also seems to be the wrong pitch.

 

So, small delay again, but hopefully quickly resolvable.

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Looks great Clive, hope it's ready for the International.

Again a masterpiece by our so good suppliers. Some of them should employ people knowing what they sell, or put in parcels. Imagine, that for us, on the continent the mail costs are often twice the value of the parts. That stinks.

Jean

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I can confirm that it was the part supplied that was wrong, the package had the correct part number on it for the part that I orderd.  Just to make sure there is no confusion the part was not suplied by Moss, but another TR bits company.  You can read that how you want to read it, i'm just off for some zzz's, if you get my drift!

 

Moss are sending the correct part out to me this week, together with a replacement nut for the one supplied by the other supplier that just disintegrated (in the thread area) when a spanner was applied.  Frightening as it is the one that holds the upper ball joint to the upper wishbones... !

 

I've just put off picking my body shell off untill a week on Saturday just in case I need to order any more replacements for inferior quality parts, and also as I've promised to take my elder stepdaughter to look at Mini's.  The car variety, not the skirts!

 

:blues:

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Argh... got home tonight... no nut and no bolts.

 

Had to drive down to Moss to get them so that i could progress at least a little (there went 2 hours! Never mind, it was in the MR2 so fun was had)

 

Eventually got the front shockers positioned, took a lot of wangling, and some gentle hammer blows to get the lower brackets into the right shape.  The shockers are now sat there loosley bolted at the top, and awaiting the nuts on the bottom brackets.  I'll do that sometime tomorrow / Sunday, and hope to get the hubs on soon after.

 

It's a frightening thought that I might soon be able to "roll" the chassis!

 

I was recently accused, at a Glavon meeting, of just looking at my car, not restoring it.  On here I'm getting messages that are implying I've overtaken some who have been restoring their car for 4 years, I know of one person who has been restoring their car for as long as I've known them and their chassis is still propping up the garage wall.

 

My original deadline was the 2004 International at Malvern.  I'm not so sure I'm going to have the car fully complete by then... but it is still an aim in life.  

 

Just thought I'd throw that in!

 

:blues:

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I don't want to discourage you but we lowered the painted body onto the fully restored rolling chassis on New Years eve back in 1989.  With a regular job, 5 days a week, it took me evenings and weekends till August, 1990 to have all the chrome re-done and re-mount the wings, doors, panels, chrome and to install the new interior.

 

Good luck - I hope you can hit dead center on your target for the International.  Those you don't set a target will never hit it.  In fact they will never even know that it's there.  Have you ever seen an archery competition or a game of darts with no target ?  They never hit it !

 

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A, Montreal, Canada

Excuses :-

4 years in the restoration of TS 81551 L - but I have good excuses.  When the owner told me to start the full restoration at full speed, the stock market was at an all-time high.  Since then he has been less reluctant on me progressing to rapidly.  The better reason is that I have my own TS 27489 LO to drive about 8000 miles every summer, so that stops progress for about 6 months of the year.  I work in my warmly heated (22 deg. C) inside garage on blustery winter days.

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Like I say... the International is still an aim in life... but if I don't make it then I'll set another deadline, and try as hard as I can to reach it.  (Maybe by the time the clocks go forward to GMT? )

 

I am definatley hoping to spend next winter in the house, not the garage!

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I am definatley hoping to spend next winter in the house, not the garage!

 

Pull the other one Clive. That Landrover is still waiting for some TLC. :)

With all this talk of restoration I feel that I'm rapidly un-restoring my TR2, which is still used everyday, rain or shine or snow. Why don't you send your rebuilt bodyshell to my house and take away my old one?  :D

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...That Landrover is still waiting for some TLC...

And waiting it will be for a few years yet!  ( Unless I sell it! )

 

The price of a good running series 1 is so low...

 

And no to your kind ( ? ) offer on swapping my newly restored shell for your existing one.  I'm sure you will understand...

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The Return of the BODY!

 

The body shell is now back home.  I'll post picures later!

 

:blues:

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ARGH!

 

Well, today was, yes WAS, going so well...

 

I got the steering arms attached to the uprights and with them went on the caliper brackets.  Then I knocked in all the hub bearings and did the grease packing thing (Messy).  I even got to have a look at Rob's TR3a to check I put the brake backing plates on correctly, and I had!

 

Then I went to attach the discs to the back of the hubs.  Yes, I could see exactly how they went on, but no, I did not seem to have the 8No. of part No. 113150, Bolt, disc to hub, that I required.  OK, so I did order them within the general description of "and everything I need to put Disc Brakes on the TR2 rather than by part No, but they sent the calipers, the caliper bolts, the backing plates, the discs, the pads, the different hubs and the whire wheel adaptors and every other little bit I needed, except the bolts to hold on the discs it would seem!

 

I checked all my part drawers and my miscilanious bolts, and no, nothing that would fit at all!  OK, I'll order some up, but I can still bolt the hub on loosley so I can move the chassis and drop the body on it, can't I?

 

Well, I could have if I hadn't missed part No. 102690, D Washer and Part No. NL608041, Nut, slotted, out from my order!

 

It never goes simple, does it?

 

To repeat my opening comment, ARGH!

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A big thanks go to the boys at Moss Bristol.  I E-mailed them yesterday with the list of bits I needed urgently, and asked iof they could have them ready for Wendy to collect tonight, and by 8:20am this morning I had a phone message saying they would be ready, and they were!  Good service!

 

So, tonight I have, at last, a rolling chassis, and I can really say to certain people, "No!  I'm not just sitting and looking at it!"  And to prove the point here is the body and the chassis... now all I need is three able assistants to temporally combine the two!

 

tr2_newbody.jpg

The body outside North Devon Metalcraft

 

tr2_rolling.jpg

The chassis on it's own wheels for the first time in 5 months!

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Well done Clive.

To get that bodyshell back with its chassis must feel like "one giant step for mankind". The work by NDM looks superb. I'm sure we all understand just how much work you have done so far, and the amount still to be done, and we all look forward to seeing regular updates. Keep plugging away.

 

Les.

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I've seen it now, having helped to lift the body (temporarily) onto the chassis in Clive's garage.  Looking very good indeed, but still a long way to go to be ready for the International in July.

 

I've heard that some have suggested that Clive isn't putting a lot of work into this or that it is a 'cheque book' restoration.  They couldn't be more wrong, but by the look of the car at this stage I'd say it has all been worthwhile!

 

Good luck getting the rest of the job done  :D

 

Malcolm.

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I'd just like to say a big THANKS to Malcom, who came all the way from Coventry area to Gloucestershire to help lift the body on (and have a few beers) and to Rob and Kevin of Glavon who were also part of the "heavy mob" who did the lifting.

 

The body is now sat on the chassis, and about to get the air drill treatment in strategic places.  Those being wherever holes are required (I hope).  You can see from the photo that these holes will include the mountings for the badge, and lights etc.

 

I'll also be fitting up the windscreen and hood etc. just to make sure, and then it's all off again to go to the spray shop.  At that point I'll be able to finish of the few minor pre-body on bits that need doing.

 

Thanks again th the "Heavy Mob" for last night's lifting session.

 

:blues:

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I've heard that some have suggested that Clive isn't putting a lot of work into this or that it is a 'cheque book' restoration.  They couldn't be more wrong, but by the look of the car at this stage I'd say it has all been worthwhile!

Even if it was true - so what?, I'd suspect it's the green eyed monster factor, I don't particularly like the 2s and 3s, but those of us following Clive's pilgrimage know just how much of himself he's putting in, besides the financial investment.   I'd also suspect that the fact he's getting such a move on with it may be putting a few noses out of joint.  Good on you Clive, you're doing a cracking job (Gromit!), keep up the good work and put a finger up at the odd small-minded prat who may whinge and whine!

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Looking good.

Make sure you have all cable clips etc fitted,they cant easily be added after painting,and fit and check door locks and striker plates. any alterations are easier now tham later

The door catches (locks don't exist on a TR2 except on the glovebox and boot) are already fitted.  And the doors are closing ok.  I do know exactly what you are saying though, and I'm going to be checking it all out.  I intent to pre-assemble many parts including the wind screen and drill the holes for the lamps and the hood etc.  I also need to check that the hard top fits to both the top of the windscreen and lines in with the saddle.  Som many things to do... sigh...

 

I have to admit to fancying a "week" off, even though that only equates to roughly one or two nights by the time I get in from work etc... , and to that end I'm going to do some work tomorrow on the car, and then inflate the carcoon to make sure the panels stay fresh and new.

 

It would be much easier if I could give up my day job and still afford the rebuild!  In fact, I think I go to work for the rest!

 

:blues:

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Even if it was true - so what!

As you say, I'm putting so much of myself into this that I'm not sure I'll have any energy left when it's completed.

 

I'm not an engineer, and I'm not a painter or panel beater, so I do have to pay for some of the work to be done.

 

My local college run car restoration courses, and basic mechanic courses, but only during the day... while I'm at work!  

 

What I know, or think I know, is self tought, but, I've always been good with lego and mechanno, so, once I have an idea of where it needs to be bolted I can do that bit!  

 

In general what I know I can do I do, what I think I might be able to do, I try, and what I know I can't do (yet) I farm out... and I expect that the experts do an expert job, or I'll shout long and  loud about it!

 

With a little (read as a lot) of help from my mates... Glavon Group, Essex Group (or should I say ex-Essex group) and Malcom( the TR7 Registrar), plus imput from the right specialist I hope to get a very good "improved" TR2.  Some may say I eat, breathe and sleep the restoration.

 

Keep watching folks!

 

:blues:

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I have the advantage of being retired and have so far spent a year and 1700 hrs reaching the present position.

I have the advantage of being a motor engineer by trade and ran a body repair workshop for 20 years,which means i can do most of the work myself.

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While I still had a full-time job, I restored my TR3A.  I totaled 1100 hours of my time while my neighbour added 450 hours of his free time (his older son had just died at age 10 of leucemia and he needed the distraction of doing something else).

 

It took me 3 years to finish mine.  The painting of every separate part off the car plus the final spray was done by a professional.

 

Louise says there are 15,000 parts in a TR.  She says she counted them.  Under the bed, behind the sofa, on the dining room table.  etc. etc. etc.

 

By the way Tom, I can't think of any advantages at being retired.  I work harder than when I had a paying job (but having much more fun at it) and as we OF's say, "Our future is getting nearer".

 

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A

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