4a Rebuild

[dpb]

The body on my car has quite a few spots of rust bubbles in various places, some rust holes in one or two panels,  and a boot that needs respraying.  The distance between a and b posts differs by about 1cm  from one side to the other.  There is a front cover oil leak and a gearbox oil leak.  One of the rear spring supports (the converted type)  is too close to the tyre, the dash needs re-varnishing,  and the wiring loom is pretty ropey.  Brake and clutch master cylinders both have slight leaks, and a few other minor problems.  All fairly simple things, but added together are prompting me to take it all apart and rebuild it.   The car runs well, but there is some odd noise in some of the gears.   It was rebuilt about 20 years ago, not by me,  and some things were plainly not done right.   

 

Anyway,  obviously I am not the first to do this and there will be some who have done it and kept detailed logs and pictures.  Question is,     is there a guide/blog that people can recommend? Along with upgrades that would be desirable?

 

Cheers

[Geko]

The mother lode http://tr4a.weebly.com Paul Anderson is a Register member ("TR4A1965" in the member's list)

My express rebuild is progressing, should be completed by the end of August 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Geko
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[Malbaby]

You will receive a myriad of ideas for upgrades from many sources.

No single source will encompass the best of upgrades. You will have to sort through the upgrade ideas for the ones that suit you and your pocket.

If you have decided on a body off rebuild, I would start by looking at upgrade ideas for each stage.

Chassis..Suspension.. Engine..Drive train..Body etc etc.

[dpb]

Thanks chaps.  I'll have a look at all that.

 

Dave

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[Bfg]

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I'd highly recommend you check out ed_h's  bullfire pages which although focused on the TR6 offers an extraordinary broad and deep mine of information for any TR4A IRS owner as well. 

< bullfire.net >

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Edited July 22, 2019 by Bfg

[Geko]

which wouldn't be complete without an extensive shamelist 

 

 

[Charlie D]

I’m sure that many people will disagree with me, but personally I would not do a “Major” rebuild.

I’ve just finished my 3A .I took it down to the last nut and bolt in the early 1980’s and now wish I’d just done bits to it as and when.

What ever you do it will cost you 3x what you thought it was gong to cost and probably take you 5x longer than you expected.

Depending on your personality it might even drive you insane.

 

Just fix it all bit by bit. Start with the safety things (Like the brake cylinders) and then go on to the cosmetic bits.

It means that you will still be able to drive the car (with just a few weeks gaps while doing the work every so often). That alone would have made me a lot happier if I’d done it that way.

And don’t forget, if you do a major rebuild you will almost certainly never get back the money you have spent when you come to sell it eventually.

I shall now duck down behind the wall.

 

Charlie.

[badhuis]

Interesting thought Charlie. But a "driving restoration" also has its disadvantages.

I bought my TR4 in 1995 and immediately started using it. Over the years I repaired and replaced many things, always trying to keep the car on the road. It has been off the road for a couple of years about 15 years ago when I could not decide to do a respray or not. If a respray how far would I go? There are lots of examples where a car got dismantled and took years and years (or never) to get back in one piece. In the end I only had the outside resprayed (removed the wings though) and am happy with it.

Always improving also means always to have a niggle about a thing or two. Yesterday I removed bits of underseal at the LH rear wheel arch as there were loose pieces. Luckily no rust underneath, just the original paint. So the original underseal worked well for its 56 years. That said, I always only drove/drive the car in dry weather because I knew the underseal was dry and loose - water in-between could get nasty. I know I have some "fun" days ahead of me removing the underseal and applying something new (or maybe not). I also know I can never really proper remove all underseal - that would mean lifting the body off the chassis. Then you could blast the body and, and,  - but then it would become a major undertaking which is not what I want.

If I would have had a proper restored car however I would not mind so much in taking the car out in wet weather.  

[RogerH]

Hi Dave,

in the 90's I had to do ALL the 4A in one go over 7 years as it was a total wreck (some would say it still is).

In 2010 I got hold of a TR4. It was quite tatty, but not rotten, so I decided to have a look at what could be done. 

It was MOT'd and road going. I am still kicking myself for taking it all apart. The 3 month rebuild is now in year 9.

If I did the corners (wings) one at a time it would have stayed on the road.

Every problem turned into a disaster and each added to the others to cause the time slip.

 

Only you can decide on what you need to do.

 

Roger

 

[Geko]

Fully agree with the above. When i bought the 4A 12 years ago, I just did a so-so paint job and upper engine overhaul. For the next 12 years I drove it nearly as daily-driver and fixed what needed to be fixed -sometime literally- along the way and made few mods to improve the driving experience, yet it did keep me on my toes. Today i'm doing an express rebuild BECAUSE i've sold it. I wouldn't be silly enough to drive it as I did after a rebuild. Money wise I think I'm one of those lucky ones who will break-even. Yet, 5K for the chassis is steep....