TR2 apron and bumper fitting

[Brian Eldred]

Good evening,

I've just fitted the front apron to my TR2 for the first time, and I find that the inner bumper irons foul the bottom of the apron. I fitted the irons first, but the apron wouldn't shift low enough by about 1/2 inch. So I removed the front bumper iron bolts, and the apron now fits fine. 

I found someone on the Triumph experience forum that had a similar problem, and it was suggested that the apron had been repaired incorrectly so that the bottom of the mouth sat too far forward. I'm wondering if mine might be similar. You can see from the pictures that the upward curve of the iron looks to be too far back from the lip of the apron by about 2-3", and the lower edge of the mouth sits a bit forward of the upper edge. Any ideas? I can probably get away with cutting a notch in the irons, but seems a bit of a bodge and don't know yet how the bumper will look.

Thanks, Brian

[Malcolm Tatton]

Hi Brian,

Are your bumper irons originals or repros.

I have a set of repros and have the same problem as you on my 1957 TR3, 

I've been trying to locate a set of originals to check my copies but not found any yet.

Malcolm

[Brian Eldred]

Hi Malcolm,

Simple answer is I don't know. They came with the car and were rusty, but the car has been standing for over 20 years. I had them powder coated. I wonder if there is a general problem with repros? 

Brian

 

[ijonsson]

At the time I didn't realize the repro bumper irons might be wrong, so I did a couple of notches to make them pass through the edge of the apron. I got them from TR Shop, and in the aftermath I should have cut and welded the bumper irons instead.

[Ralph Whitaker]

Brian, have a look at this link.

 

[stuart]

Its the irons that are wrong and have been for years which is why originals are at such a premium .

Stuart.

[Malcolm Tatton]

No Stuart surely not, Moss told me that I was the first to question the fit and that no one else had complained.........

[Brian Eldred]

Ralph, thanks for that, very interesting! Particularly the last picture from Mike Graham, showing a cardboard template that's 21" long. I obviously have the Moss type irons, and mine measure 19" long, so that explains a lot. How come Moss got such a simple lump of metal so wrong?

Anyway today I've bolted up the valance and trial fitted the bumper to the irons and propped it up on a block of wood. Just to check if my apron is about right, I measured from the cross tube to the centre lower face of the apron: 9 3/4 " (in old money) and the apron to rear of bumper 1 1/2 ". does anyone have any comparable measurements please?

Also, after adjusting the bonnet I still have a big gap at the front, about 8mm. So I figure if I unbolt the apron cross brace and then rotate the apron backwards to close the gap by 5mm, then that should raise the front lip by 5mm and help the bumper iron problem slightly.....

PS I know the wing beads are wrong, fitted when the car was restored back in 1997.