TR6 DCJ 973L

[trthebees]

Back in the 90's between myself and T&M classics we restored DCJ 973L. Virtually a second mortgage! I often wonder how it's doing...especially as now about 20 years have passed. I'd be interested if anyone knows about it.

[charliealphamike]

Hello,

 

I owned DCJ973L for a while. It came with a lever arch file full of receipts so yes, it was virtually a second mortgage. I'll have to dig through my files because I can't remember the year I bought and sold it but I do remember buying it from a chap near Coventry. I think he was the first 'owner' after the restoration was finished. It was Christmas Eve or New Years Eve and the roads were covered in snow so, with the help of a friend (ex girlfriend) in the motor trade, we borrowed a trailer form her employer, along with a 4x4 and towed it back home to Lichfield were I happened to live at the time (didn't want to get it covered in slush and road salt).

 

If I'm honest, it was pampered more than used during my ownership. I covered around 3500 miles in just over 2 years. It had some work done too. The body work needed some 'fettling'. The Heritage body shell wasn't the best fit as far as body panel alignment was concerned. Much work was done by me to getting looking right. The boot lid and doors in particular. I remember driving down to the Beualieu (not in the TR) auto jumble to source an original TR6 steering wheel which I thought suited the car better than the leather and chrome Motolita. I changed the original steel wheels for some chrome wires (I kept the originals and they stayed with the car when I sold it). I also changed the fuel tank because it started to leak, for a very expensive aluminium tank. The gearbox gave up just before I sold it so that had to be rebuilt. I think it was the lay-shaft that basically tried to destroy itself and the rest of the gearbox. Luckily I caught it in time!

 

The car was looked after by the late Denis Welch of Welch Motorsports in Yoxhall (the Austin Healey specialists). I was really saddened to hear that Denis was killed in a motor racing accident last year. He was such a nice chap and was always pleased to see my TR6 (normally once a year for it's MOT and a quick check over). He loved it.

 

I only really sold the car because I moved abroad and taking it with me just wasn't an option. It was actually sold on commission (because the move abroad was taking up all of time) by a classic car dealer in Worcester. Their name escapes me for the moment but I might have a record of it somewhere.

 

If you're interested, I'll try and dig out some photographs of the car and some paperwork. I don't own a TR anymore and have only really registered on the form because I was doing a search for DCJ973L (like you, I guess I was curious as to it's whereabouts) but I will check in on the forum again.

[trthebees]

It's very good of you to post your memories of the car. I'll add some more info about my time with it as I remember and some background.

I had my own small business, designing and building all sorts of machinery, using my own workshop or subcontract for heavier stuff.

Tony and Malcolm, and Colin at T&M classics had become good friends through getting bits for my Heralds and Vitesses. With all the TR’s around their place, temptation followed. Retrospect is a wonderful thing, they had various TR's for sale at reasonable prices, mostly for customers and up and running. But no, I went and bought this 6 in a completely dismantled state from a chap in Sussex. That's as far as he'd got, no work done, and I had to hire a box van to load it all in. It was emerald green, but perhaps you found that out.

About the time I’d ordered the panels needed, BLMH started producing bodyshells. Obviously more expensive, if I recall correctly about 2600 against 1200?, but I figured the time saved would be worth it. Cox & Buckles actually delivered the panels to T&M, but took them back and after a while the new full shell arrived. I've had a look on the internet, and it seems that C&B are now part of Moss?

I certainly think it was worth a new shell. Apart from the time saved and added cost of blasting an old shell, it should have avoided hidden sections and welded seams where you can’t remove the rust, and come back to haunt you later. And I was supposed to be building machinery for customers, not spending all my time on the TR which was in the same workshop. But..oh such weakness..the TR got the attention.

Interesting that you had the shut lines reset. The body had remained with T&M for preparation and spraying, so I took the prepared rolling chassis back there for fitting, which was done accurately. I seem to recall that with a new body, some chassis work, new mounting packings, and a chassis with just engine and transmission in, it was mentioned that when all the rest of the weight is in, and it's done a few thousand miles, they'd have it back for body mount checking and any adjustment.

Perhaps if the car remains complete while people replace posts, floors, inner wings etc, it's easier to retain gaps after some use.

It'd be interesting to get anyone else's comments on the replacement shells. Unlike the monocoque MGB's, it's a different nature when you've got a fairly light body bolted to a moderately light chassis.

Trouble is, the new shell started me on the road to perfection.

Chassis shot blast in High Wycombe, some cut-out and renewal, reinforced around diff as usual, blasted again and coated. I remember doing the central belly plates, and I think the very rear end where the round tube crosses. Done accurately with endless measurements I'd like to think.

Every single part, as said, blasted, coated or plated. Every bearing and bush renewed, uprated suspension all new, recon steering, complete new brake and clutch hydraulics. If you name it, I can say it was renewed or rebuilt.

If it moved, it was replaced or reconditioned. If it didn't move, it was blasted and powder coated or plated. Not a bolt went in that wasn’t plated and lubed.

The engine was rebuilt professionally at C&B , invoice might have said stage 2, but before I used it I chatted with Terry there and took the head off and went back to C&B who swapped it for St3. Lightened flywheel, balanced assembly, fast road 83 cam.

I remember the exhaust manifold took a lot of preparation to get the branches lying flat against the head.

The gearbox, overdrive and diff went off to be stripped and rebuilt professionally, so it's rather unlucky that some years later, the layshaft gave up on you.

I'll continue---new loom (I think complete), instruments and heater professionally recon, recon rad, new wiper boxes and recon motor, SM and Alt exchanged, Kenlow, electronic ignition, bosch lift pump, rebuilt complete injector system, Revington linkage, rechromed bumpers, mohair hood, interior, much new door internals, even stuff like fuel tank sender, etc, etc. No doubt other stuff you noticed in the files.

I can't remember who re-covered the seats and prepared the interior, I seem to remember it was a specialist T&M used rather than off-the-shelf.

The walnut dash was done in Crewe by a Rolls-Royce worker who was starting a business.

I'm fairly certain I didn't fit the steering wheel!

Cupro-nickel piping---I hope you thought it was neat---I built testrigs for Lucas aerospace!—and I couldn’t stand scruffy looped about bundy stuff.

Most everything I did was put in, checked, taken out, put in again. I even didn't like the new battery I had, and went and bought a more traditional black one. Obsession wasn’t in it, I was using weeks and weeks of working time doing this instead of earning a living!

Anyway, having got to the situation where my bank desperately needed a refill, and I needed to concentrate on work, I took it back to T&M again for finishing. They fitted the interior and hood (not my strong points), and fettled it up all round, and carried out all preparations for the road.

They sold it to one of their customers.

I never got to drive it.

Maybe I’m one of those daft people who actually enjoy creating something rather than using. I haven't got a classic anything now...I'm still tempted...but for certain it would be a rolling restoration!!

I'm glad all the paperwork followed the car around. Unfortunately I've no photos. Before the age of digital, and not my strong point back then taking...or even remembering to take.. film type photos. It must look great with wire wheels.

I have looked for T&M on here, but maybe they’ve stopped doing classics. I hope Malcolm is ok if anyone knows because he did have problems. The last time I met them, around 2002/3, they were having to take on some normal car work, as they couldn’t recoup the time necessary to be spent on the classic work. Good thorough and helpful chaps.

Sorry about this long ramble...and that's my memory of the car which I hope is not too disturbed with age...Derek

[stuart]

Unfortunately T&M are no longer in business I believe one of them is back doing classics but I think the other was unwell and gave up. My first 4a came from them and I found them good to deal with.

Stuart.

[trthebees]

Thanks for the update Stuart, and good to see another appreciation of T&M.

[charliealphamike]

Hi Derek,

 

No problem.

 

T&M sold the car to the chap I purchased from. All I remember was that he lived near Coventry and had only owned the car for approx 12 months, covering hardly any mileage. I did approx 3000 miles in my time with the car before selling it. I've looked for records of the sale but can't find anything. I do remember the classic car dealer was on Worcester High Street, right next to the railway station and that they went out of business some time after my dealings with them.

 

It was clear that the car had money thrown at it. It was the definitive 'nut & bolt' restoration (and yes the cupro nickel piping was a work of art)! The shell was a headache if I'm honest because the shut lines were not good at all, hence me spending time having them 'reset'. I don't think the 'first owner' bothered to go back to T&M to have the shell reset. They looked much better after I had them worked on but were never quite perfect, at least not to my eye.

 

There were some original photographs of the car prior to it's restoration which I assume must have taken by you Derek? They clearly showed the car in it's Emerald green colours...yuk! The paintwork done by T&M was better than perfect. The paint was like a mirror finish with a lovely deep deep shine to it. They painted it with 2 pack and I remember them re painting the drivers door for me after a stupid 'accident' with my garage door (pushing the car into the garage because the heavens opened just after I'd cleaned it - hood down - drivers door still open - door + brick wall of the garage = nice long scratch in door resulted in me drowning my sorrows for the rest of the evening). Suffice to say that T&M did a fantastic job of covering up my stupidity.

 

I know T&M went out of business because one of them was ill but don't know anymore than that. I visited them a few times whilst I owned the car. It was a strange place consisting of some old barns (where they stored a few 'treasures') and a couple of workshops where they carried out the work plus an old caravan they had as an office. All down the end of a farm track. The thing that amazed me was the quality of their paintwork given they did it in nothing more than an old barn! Amazing! I also remember meeting a chap by the name of John every time I visited. He seemed to be good friends with Tony and Malcolm and he owned a beautiful French blue TR6. Not sure if T&M worked on that one too but it was of a standard comparable to DCJ.

 

I've managed to dig out a (poor quality) copy of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate I obtained for the car which clearly shows the Chassis and Engine numbers, plus the original supplying dealer. I hope it's of interest? I've also attached some scanned photographs of the car. I'm sure I've got a few more somewhere. I remember doing the London to Brighton classic car run and have a photograph of the car crossing the line in Brighton somewhere but I can't put my hand on it. It chucked it down with rain all day so the car was filthy by the time the dun came out on Brighton sea front. If I find anything else, I'll put it on the forum. In the meantime, I hope these attachments are of interest.

 

Andrew