Blanking Plates on Scuttle

[TR 2100]

The Don made an interesting comment on another thread (the 3B for sale

on eBay US) that the factory stopped fitting these from about TS40,000 on.

 

Don is very well informed on these matters, but my two 3As, both with TS

numbers around TS 55,000, DID have these blanking plates fitted.

 

I seem to recall seeing photos of cars on eBay US earlier than my 3As but

without blanking plates.

 

This leads me to wonder if these blanking plates were deleted earlier on cars

bound for North America, even though that would seem to be totally illogical

in manufacturing terms.

 

Anyone with more experience or knowledge?

 

AlanR

Edited July 8, 2009 by TR 2100

[Menno van Rij]

I know that Raymond v.D.'s award winning powder blue 3A (we all know the car) has no blanking plates. His comm.# is a low 61xxx number. My care is a little younger (weeks) and has no b/plates eighter. I tried to visit the TRregistry.com website. But all photos of cars on that site reveal nothing: none of the cars is pictured with the bonnet open.

 

Menno

[RandallD]

My 3A at around TS46000 has the blanking plate.

 

Regards,

Randy

[Chris Mountford]

Hi All

 

I know of these cars

 

TS 289** Built 20th March 1958 Orig RHD and WITH blanking plates

 

TS 534**L Built 8th June 1959 Orig LHD and NO blanking plates (On right hand side)

 

So looks like it was sometime between these two dates.

 

Regards, Chris

[TR 2100]

Hi All

I know of these cars

TS 289** Built 20th March 1958 Orig RHD and WITH blanking plates

TS 534**L Built 8th June 1959 Orig LHD and NO blanking plates (On right hand side)

So looks like it was sometime between these two dates.

Regards, Chris

 

Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for that - this is a definite indication that LHD 3s had the

blanking plates deleted before RHD cars did, as there are certainly

RHD cars later than this that did have them fitted.

 

C'mon, guys, the more info the better, especially LHD cars.

 

AlanR

[angelfj]

The Don made an interesting comment on another thread (the 3B for sale

on eBay US) that the factory stopped fitting these from about TS40,000 on.

 

Don is very well informed on these matters, but my two 3As, both with TS

numbers around TS 55,000, DID have these blanking plates fitted.

 

I seem to recall seeing photos of cars on eBay US earlier than my 3As but

without blanking plates.

 

This leads me to wonder if these blanking plates were deleted earlier on cars

bound for North America, even though that would seem to be totally illogical

in manufacturing terms.

 

Anyone with more experience or knowledge?

 

AlanR

 

 

Gray Lady, TS58476 LO, has no blanking plate.

[Don Elliott]

I assume that S-T dropped the blanking plate by eliminating the need to punch a hole on LHD TR3As (to save costs) but they had to have the blanking plate for the RHD market. The blanking plate was still needed on RHD TRs to blank off the hole where we, in North America, would have the clutch and brake on the LHS.

 

The next question is, "Did S-T have to hand-cut the holes on the RHS for the clutch/brake assembly and hole for for the steering column - for the RHD market?" I doubt it, therefore, I believe that they must had two scuttle designs and two types of finished bodies - one for LH cars and one for RH TRs

 

My final question is, "On RHD TR3As, is there a hole for the steering column on the LHS of the firewall where it is needed for LHD TR3As?" If several of you run out to the garage to check, let us know what you find, let us know your Comm. No. and also how the un-used hole for the steering column is blanked off - if you find that there is one.

[vivdownunder]

Hi Don and Alan,

 

My current '58 3A TS33753 0 and the last two '60 model 3A's I've had, TS689xx 0 and TS802xx 0 were all original RHD cars, and all had the cutout and blanking plate for LHD.

 

I cannot recall ever seeing an original RHD car without the LHD cutout.

 

What a nearby retired S-T design engineer told me about this a while back was when the factory had a decent order for LHD cars, they told Mulliners to delete the RHD stamping in the firewall for the corresponding number of bodies, to save a few quid. Thus LHD cars without the RHD cutout and blanking plate were at random with no start or finish date, through to the end of 3A production.

 

Of course none of the TR3B's I've seen had a RHD cutout for the same reason - all the bodies were made for LHD cars.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

[stuart]

I assume that S-T dropped the blanking plate by eliminating the need to punch a hole on LHD TR3As (to save costs) but they had to have the blanking plate for the RHD market. The blanking plate was still needed on RHD TRs to blank off the hole where we, in North America, would have the clutch and brake on the LHS.

 

The next question is, "Did S-T have to hand-cut the holes on the RHS for the clutch/brake assembly and hole for for the steering column - for the RHD market?" I doubt it, therefore, I believe that they must had two scuttle designs and two types of finished bodies - one for LH cars and one for RH TRs

 

My final question is, "On RHD TR3As, is there a hole for the steering column on the LHS of the firewall where it is needed for LHD TR3As?" If several of you run out to the garage to check, let us know what you find, let us know your Comm. No. and also how the un-used hole for the steering column is blanked off - if you find that there is one.

All r/hand drive Sidescreen cars have the left hand hole for the column and it has an oval shaped blanking plate held in wth a self tapping screw into a spire nut with a blank piece of rubber in it pierced for the drain tube from the scuttle vent. there were two bulkhead top sections, one for l/hand steer without the cut out on the later cars and one with both cut outs and a blanking plate.The rest of the shell is the same, the later blanking plate is plain as opposed to the earlier one which is depressed around the cut out.

Stuart.

Edited July 8, 2009 by stuart

[TR 2100]

What a nearby retired S-T design engineer told me about this a while back was

when the factory had a decent order for LHD cars, they told Mulliners to delete

the RHD stamping in the firewall for the corresponding number of bodies, to save

a few quid. Thus LHD cars without the RHD cutout and blanking plate were at

random with no start or finish date, through to the end of 3A production.

 

Of course none of the TR3B's I've seen had a RHD cutout for the same reason -

all the bodies were made for LHD cars.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

 

Hi Viv,

 

Thanks for that - it seems like you have got to the bottom of the mystery.

 

AlanR

[TR 2100]

Hi Viv,

Thanks for that - it seems like you have got to the bottom of the mystery.

AlanR

 

Well, I thought you had, but check out this 1963 TR3B, TCF 512LO.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1963-TR3-RE...5%3A-1%7C39%3A1

 

This has the cut-out for the RHD brake/clutch master cylinders.

(and it has overdrive - supposedly, 3Bs didn't have this option -

see thread on 3Bs)

http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index....19710&st=40

 

It could be, though, that this is a change of identity - a TR3A but with TR3B

documents to give it a higher value.

This would have to be an earlyish 3A as it seems from about TS 40-45,000

or so on, ALL shells were made as LHD, without the hole for RHD and then,

for the 16% or so cars that were to be RHD, cut out the hole in the bulkhead

for the RHD master cylinders.

 

With so many TRs destined for the US market (82% I think) plus a few to

other LHD countries, a RHD TR3 effectively became a special order.

 

AlanR

Edited July 17, 2009 by TR 2100

[vivdownunder]

Alan, comments have been made elsewhere about the possibility of this car being rebuilt with a 3A firewall, but to get the correct hinge plinths and all metal panelling above the dash, a post TS60000 scuttle would be needed. I've known of 2 x RHD cars in the States, so a RHD scuttle could even have been used.

 

As far as I know you could order a 3B with wire wheels and overdrive like any other TR of the era, but steel wheels/non-overdrive seemed to be the way most TR's were delivered to the States, and of course the adjustable steering wheel was a popular option for that market as well.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.