John McCormack Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 (edited) It has been some time since I posted about my long door TR2 TS3732O. The car is complete and very close to how it left the factory, just a few philips headed screws that I need to find suitable slot headed screws to replace them with. The top and sidescreens are still to be fitted, early next month hopefully. I put the car back on the road in mid 2019 and have now covered over 3,000kms. The bugs have been sorted, it drives, well, like a new TR2 would have. Externally the engine bay is how the car left the factory but internally it has 87mm liners, is balanced and has a cam so performance is great. I have taken her to around 135 km/h (only briefly in a straight line) with heaps left but I lack confidence in the wheels as I explain below. The car came with a set of steel wheels which I restored and put new tyres on for driving. These wheels are the originals and while perfect in appearance are not perfect in roundness and have balance issues. As noted in another thread they were never very robust from new. The car also came with a set of excellent probably new 60 spoke painted wires with very old but hardly used Dunlop Roadspeed tyres. I intend to keep them as they are for concours as they do make the car look like it left the dealer in 1954. The Dunlops are very old so while they still look good and stay inflated, you can't drive on them and I expect trying to take them off the wheels will cause them to disintegrate. Last week I was gifted a set of 48 spoke chrome wires by a good friend and TR enthusiast/collector. They are maybe 30 years old but weren't used more than a year or two before being put under cover in a garage. They are in excellent condition, spin true and balance well. Although TR2s weren't delivered with chrome wheels it is a period modification an owner could have made after purchase. I have fitted the new tyres off the steel wheels to these 48 spoke wires. The car looks great and the driving experience is very much improved. With the steel wheels the car had a bit of vibration and slight drumming noise which has disappeared. As the wires sit further out on the hubs than the steel ones do there is about a 40mm increase in track front and back which I suspect also improves stability and handling. This car gets used, about 1500-2000 kms a year, but only in good weather and she isn't pushed too hard. Just the occasional burst of exuberance. 48 spoke wheels are a bit more fragile than 60 or 72 ones so I will need to keep an eye on spoke tension and breakages but that shouldn't be a problem. I have a daily driver TR2 or a TR6 when more spirited or long distance driving is in the offing. The daily driver TR2 had 48 spoke wires for nearly 40 years before I replaced them with 60s. Quite chuffed. Edited March 6, 2021 by John McCormack Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 It looks great John. Ralph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 A TR to be proud of. Great, John. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 That looks great a credit to you. Shouldn’t worry too much about the spoke count. Use the safest and most robust for your trips out. (In the midday sun ! Looking at those shadows ?) well done that man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cjstoodley Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Fantastic car. Must be one of the best/most original TR2 restorations on the planet ! Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John McCormack Posted March 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 7 hours ago, cjstoodley said: Fantastic car. Must be one of the best/most original TR2 restorations on the planet ! Chris I was very lucky to acquire a 2 owner car, I'm the 3rd owner. It was raced from 1954 until 1965 by the first owner when the 2nd owner bought it as a project. He has built a few cars and bikes and didn't finish this car before he got to the stage he couldn't due to ill health. He had replaced the floors and achieved very good panel gaps. The mileage reads about 70,000, probably original. It came with the original upholstery to be able to match the new John Skinner kit to get the colour right. The purchase included a new original Stanpart wiring loom, new original hubcaps, steering wheel plus many other new parts acquired in the mid 60s and stored in their packaging under his bed. I bought it in three trailer loads of parts in Feb 2017 with the body protected by a BRG coat and loosely bolted to the chassis. I had the body and interior done professionally while I did the chassis, suspension, brakes, fuel, engine, gearbox etc. The body and chassis were reunited and I built it to completion. I have had a great deal of advice and help from many on this forum and from the TR mates downunder. A few photos attached from its arrival in my garage and through the process and the engine bay a couple of months ago. I did a body off on the BRG short door car between 1980 and 83. It is my daily driver. A couple of UK members, Pat McMahon and Tim Hunt, have visited us during their travels and have been for a drive in it. I can tell them it is much improved with the new wheels. I did intend to build it to sell but it seems I am better at buying than selling. I'll be keeping it for awhile. When it does sell it may well end up in the UK as long door TR2s don't have the same appeal here as they seem to have there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Reilly Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 Lovely work John, congratulations. I think Pat MacMahon may take umbrage at being called from the UK! John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John McCormack Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 12 hours ago, John Reilly said: Lovely work John, congratulations. I think Pat MacMahon may take umbrage at being called from the UK! John Sorry Pat. I was referring to the TR Register UK which includes lots of us from south of the border, and outlying areas. Pat met up with my wife and I in Dublin a few years ago and then visited us down here in his travels. I hope he understands. Cheers John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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