Anorak question - 3A grilles...

[MilesA]

As a 3A owner, I always look at other 3As and note all the little differences.

Grilles I have noticed either bow out or bow in.

Anyone know the 'correct' shape? Or should they be flat!?

Miles

[iain]

Vertically mine is flat.....right or wrong, absolutely no idea:-)

Iain

[Hamish]

I think supposed to be flat. But over the years the front “sags” either by being sat on or leaning on it in past years is my guess. 

[Deggers]

+1.

These production line pictures would certainly suggest they were flat originally. 

Cheers, Deggers

 

[billy l]

Red car on a red Chassis? looks like a 3B?

[Hamish]

Great pictures

are they all left hand drive. I would think the white wall tyres would be more typical for US export ???

[John Morrison]

Are the headlamp 'Blankes' not for shipping?

...and they are great pictures.

John.

[Tony_C]

No, the original grills were curved - I’m sure of that.. Originals were rare as hens teeth even by the late 1970’s, (if you didn’t crash them then the starting handle used to do the damage) ‘flat’ reproductions were obvious to see at the time. 

[Ian Vincent]

I have an original grill and it is flat. I bought it from a guy who had removed it and had it stored in his shed for years. 

I had to Jack the aperture to get it to fit.

Rgds Ian

[Richardtr3a]

I like the red car in the picture. I notice that they are fitting the piping to the wing and have protected the paint with masking tape.  I have done this a few times and until now I thought that the masking tape was my own idea.

At least I am doing it right 

There also seem to two large lifting eyes. Where are they attached to the chassis?

Richard & B.

[Deggers]

4 minutes ago, Richardtr3a said:

There also seem to two large lifting eyes. Where are they attached to the chassis?

Hi Richard, these were support brackets bolted to the top of the inner wing, for lowering the body shell onto the chassis.

Conveniently seen here, in this Pathe news clip.

 

[MilesA]

So, in the best traditions of TRs and the Forum, curved AND flat it is!

Thanks all and thanks for the photos Deggers.

Miles

[stuart]

The grills were definitely flat Im afraid as illustrated by the factory pictures above. You cant get more original than that.

Stuart.

[Don H.]

Those factory images were taken by one of the participants in the 1958 American Triumph Rally of Europe.  Not a 3B, I'm afraid.

And I'm with Stuart.  There's zero doubt the grilles were flat when new, IMHO.

[John Morrison]

So is the Red Car sitting on a 'Slave' chassis, as the newsreel shows body tubs

being lowered onto, 'Fitted' chassis? also lot sof light coloured chassis in production.

John.

[stuart]

1 hour ago, John Morrison said:

So is the Red Car sitting on a 'Slave' chassis, as the newsreel shows body tubs

being lowered onto, 'Fitted' chassis? also lot sof light coloured chassis in production.

John.

Chassis were all sorts of colours Ive had red, blue, white and green ones as well as black over the years, factory used whatever paint was in the gun

Stuart.

[MilesA]

3 hours ago, Don H. said:

And I'm with Stuart.  There's zero doubt the grilles were flat when new, IMHO.

That's lucky as that is what I prefer. Of course, its not what I have...

Another small project.

Miles

[boxofbits]

18 hours ago, Deggers said:

+1.

These production line pictures would certainly suggest they were flat originally. 

Cheers, Deggers

 

Great photos. It looks like the second one shows some sort of tour going on for bigwigs at Triumph or Main Dealers maybe? Especially as the second TR3a has its rear wheel only loosely screwed on, and no production workers in sight in the foreground?

I wonder does the TR Register make High Quality prints of these interesting photos available to purchase ?

Kevin

[iain]

These photos are on the internet. As Dons says a factory tour by purchasing US customers. There are quite a few in the series, not to my knowledge available through the Register.

Iain

[iain]

This would seem to be fairly definitive. A production line photo.

https://images.app.goo.gl/jrimuRDR2X96NgeS6

Iain

 

[boxofbits]

3 hours ago, iain said:

This would seem to be fairly definitive. A production line photo.

https://images.app.goo.gl/jrimuRDR2X96NgeS6

Iain

 

Ian fantastic clarity and resolution for around 1958, and I wonder if this was taken on the same occasion, though in mono?

In many ways I prefer analogue to the digital process. I know Leica and Kodak cameras were a big name then. I hadn't noticed Don's explanation, but these would make great prints.  I believe Motor Graphs sell some of them, but I've not come across high res photos on the net of the TR4 or TR4a on the production line, TR6 yes.

Kevin 

[MilesA]

11 hours ago, iain said:

This would seem to be fairly definitive. A production line photo.

https://images.app.goo.gl/jrimuRDR2X96NgeS6

Iain

 

Can't argue with that and also shows that the apertures in the grilles were bigger than the modern reproductions as often claimed.

Miles

[John Morrison]

Factory Tour by prospective customers,

think they could have swept the floor!

John.

[ianc]

For many years, Frank Callaby was S-T's in-house photographer, taking stills of everything inside the factory using a plate machine - hence the excellent definition.  Frank was responsible, too, for the films of rallies - a difficult job with the heavy and bulky equipment available then.  Graham (Hon Pres) told me that Frank didn't have sound recording equipment, so, for the rally films, sound was added later by recording a TR  being driven in the UK - Graham drove while Frank recorded!

Ian Cornish

[Don H.]

7 hours ago, John Morrison said:

Factory Tour by prospective customers,

think they could have swept the floor!

John.

Not prospective customers -- rather a group of Americans who'd already bought and paid for their TR3As and were taking factory delivery for a tour of the continent.  The S-T factory was the last stop back in Britain after several weeks of driving.

Perhaps since they already had the money things like sweeping the floor were less important...