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New to this - advice needed!


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Dan,

I could not agree more with the posts above. Buy the best running car you can and make sure you take one or more experienced TR folk with you. Once you have it put “spanner to nut” and “screwdriver to screw” all around the car and start to learn and understand it. Once you decide to tackle a particular job research and study before you start and take lots of pics. Keep it simple to begin with.

What you should not do, IMHO, is purchase a non-runner.

Good luck, it’s a wonderful hobby!

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Four years ago I bought a TR6 for a reasonable sum. Ran ok, started, stopped and the overdrive worked, with a sports exhaust it sounded great. The body looked good. I fit a new hood, which was one of the few things it needed. Fast forward two years and cracks began to appear in the paintwork. No problem I have a mate who runs a body shop. When the car returned, I was told the best thing to do was get rid as it was full of filler. So my advice would be to anyone looking for a project is take a good magnet with you, check all areas for "filled" panels. An engine with slightly low oil pressure, or a car with a wining diff will run for some considerable time but thats no good if the body falls off.

 

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I searched for two years to find a car I wanted. Do I buy something I can work on and make good, or do I go the whole hog and buy a car I can love drive and not worry about. My reasoning was if I spend 14k ish I would then be into more work and cost wise I would be up to 20k ish as I cannot do much of the work myself. In the end I went for a car I know is bang on and looks good. Fast forward just over four years of ownership I can clean injectors, change oil and filter and other fluids which gives me total satisfaction. A couple of pictures below show how I chose the car I bought, great chassis and body and confidence in the guy who did the work.

6C3C3437-EF50-4E80-8669-781CC7E1ABFC.thumb.jpeg.4e891d8ee8870c251b673f8955bc5edd.jpeg4393B596-42B7-4E4C-9923-97E7416A87D9.thumb.jpeg.230f2a7c15824e063cbc1eecf4de615c.jpeg71A674C0-4318-4E12-A1C3-04ECFE6331C3.thumb.jpeg.04db944ac754afb1b4898f8f12c6f2bd.jpeg

 

 

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Heres my two pence worth!

Not a beginner when it comes to working on cars but I'm no expert either. I always wanted a 6 and knew nothing specific about these cars but a car is car at the end of the day.

Decision was do I buy one which is a supposed good shiny example and spend time picking over it and spending more money after paying top dollar resolving any issues or one that needs restoration and incorporate worthwhile improvements along the way. Plus I'm a fussy sod. In the end I bought one from a fellow member on here which was already mostly stripped to bare bones so I could see exactly where the rot was and want needed attention and I wanted a challenge. Basically it was as bad/good as I could see after crawling under and over her.

Learn to weld before you start which involves lots of lovely practice and a car as complete as possible, throw nothing away and restore what you have. New parts rarely fit or offer the same quality. Start small a part at a time. Research before you start and use this and other dedicated forums etc as someone has almost always being there before you. If you have the time and energy and a place you can close the door on your project when you become frustrated then go for it anything can be restored if you have the determination. The minute you farm work out you best have very deep pockets and unfortunately finding someone who walks the walk is a rare thing, if you must research well this forum you will see patterns of who, where to go for things as you get to them. Likewise there is also plenty tales of poor workmanship so you can avoid making too many mistakes. Sure you will have set backs no loss just start again! 

On last thing, as said above purchase a decent tool kit Halfords, Sealy, Machine Mart, a good compressor and gas MIG welder.

Above all enjoy its a hobby and not a sprint. I've got the bug and can't wait to retire and take on another project most likely more challenging than this one as I feel I've learned a lot from folk on here and elsewhere.. 

Andy  

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On 3/27/2022 at 8:44 PM, Paul Hill said:

I searched for two years to find a car I wanted. Do I buy something I can work on and make good, or do I go the whole hog and buy a car I can love drive and not worry about. My reasoning was if I spend 14k ish I would then be into more work and cost wise I would be up to 20k ish as I cannot do much of the work myself. In the end I went for a car I know is bang on and looks good. Fast forward just over four years of ownership I can clean injectors, change oil and filter and other fluids which gives me total satisfaction. A couple of pictures below show how I chose the car I bought, great chassis and body and confidence in the guy who did the work.

6C3C3437-EF50-4E80-8669-781CC7E1ABFC.thumb.jpeg.4e891d8ee8870c251b673f8955bc5edd.jpeg4393B596-42B7-4E4C-9923-97E7416A87D9.thumb.jpeg.230f2a7c15824e063cbc1eecf4de615c.jpeg71A674C0-4318-4E12-A1C3-04ECFE6331C3.thumb.jpeg.04db944ac754afb1b4898f8f12c6f2bd.jpeg

 

 

That is one seriously fresh and good looking car!

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Hi Dan, you've gotten some pretty good advice up there and all of it is correct, which is correct for you only you can know. I'm in the middle of a pretty challenging restoration of a 6, sometimes I regret not buying the best I could buy at the time and having something to drive and have fun with, I'm in a club and this register and when most of the guys are off having fun on the nice sunny days I'm in a shed welding or grinding. As I say sometimes that's a drag and I do think why did you not buy a decent car, so there is definitely a valid point there and I would say you probably wouldn't regret buying a decent car and getting some immediate bang for your buck.

On the other hand most evenings and weekends I am enjoying the planning, research and the doing, I'm past the point where I could or would stop and for sure now I'll one day have a running car that I will know inside out and take great satisfaction from so all good. However, it will have taken a lot more time than I predicted, it will have cost more than  I predicted and I had probably 90% of the tools I've needed. If you have a hard budget number think very carefully about a restoration, they are unpredictable by their nature. Other than that cautionary note Andy Podone pretty much said it all very straight, it is doable but just be sure you really want it, otherwise buy one finished or in good order to start with.

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I think this all comes down to the OP's budget and that's why these restoration projects are both (initially) affordable, but also offer an on going project. 

That car in Surrey for example, if solid underneath, looks like it needs to be recommissioned for the road. Brakes, fuel lines etc. Lots to do on the interior. I think that would be a better start and introduction to these cars, than a full on body off restoration. 

Of course you've got to start some where, but smaller simpler repairs would be better at the beginning of learning the skills required to restore a car. 

I hope the OP will come back and let us know how they get on. 

Gareth

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Hi all.

Probably the best step I've taken so far had been to join the TR register which has already opened the door to all this great advice and experience.

I was very grateful recently to be invited to visit a longer standing member and owner who gave me an opportunity to ask lots of questions and even have a ride in his own 6.

I'm still enthusiastic about one day owning one of these great cars, but I now have a far better appreciation of the undertaking in terms of both cost and time and think that a better start point is almost certainly a running car that I can enjoy and learn about with room for updating and improving. 

I'm thinking something around the 15k mark could be more realistic and I'm not rushing into it. 

If anyone knows of a car that might fit the bill I'd be keen to hear from you.

Will keep you posted.

Dan

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10 minutes ago, Dan Middleton said:

Hi all.

Probably the best step I've taken so far had been to join the TR register which has already opened the door to all this great advice and experience.

I was very grateful recently to be invited to visit a longer standing member and owner who gave me an opportunity to ask lots of questions and even have a ride in his own 6.

I'm still enthusiastic about one day owning one of these great cars, but I now have a far better appreciation of the undertaking in terms of both cost and time and think that a better start point is almost certainly a running car that I can enjoy and learn about with room for updating and improving. 

I'm thinking something around the 15k mark could be more realistic and I'm not rushing into it. 

If anyone knows of a car that might fit the bill I'd be keen to hear from you.

Will keep you posted.

Dan

Hi Dan

Think you have do all the right things and reached a decision which is right for you.

Hope you find the right car soon. Enjoy and best of luck learning on the job everyone on here will I'm sure chip in with advice as required.

Andy

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Hi Dan

As others have said I think your on the right track a running car that needs tidying / upgrading is a far better bet for anyone new to classic restoration.

I bought my 6 ten years ago as a 60th birthday present to myself.  Not a fully restored car by any means but an improver, ten years on I'm still at it and still shovelling cash into it but driving it does put a smile on your face and there's always plenty to occupy the garage time.

Strange thing is that when you retire both time and energy slowly disappear and you wonder how you found time to go to work:lol: 

Good luck with your search and remember once you start driving a TR is very difficult to find the way home quickly.

Bri

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Hi Dan

I went down a similar route to Brian. I bought my Tr6 about 6 years ago. It had been restored some years previously but was tired mechanically & the paint work wasn't the best but importantly it was an honest example, ran & was solid with no serious rust issues in the body or chassis. My plan was to take it off the road & do a full restoration but I found I was having too much fun driving it to worry about it being in concours condition. So in my ownership I have concentrated on the mechanics & done a rolling resto as much as possible. The paint work is still poor & it will need attention at some point but as a comparison I'm in the middle of a 1990 Mini Cooper full nut & bolt restoration & its taking forever (and a lot of cash) to do a decent job. I'm glad I didn't strip the TR now as much as I enjoy doing this sort of thing I would have missed out on a lot of fun in the mean time. There are reasonable cars out there that you can drive & still learn the ropes of mechanics on just take someone how knows the weak areas with you to check them out & be wary of cars dressed up pretending to be class 1

Good Luck

Alan   

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks all for the helpful advice and offers of help and support.

Having taken on board the advice and spoken to several existing owners I changed tack slightly and have just bought my first TR6 which is due to arrive next week.

It is a running example, with a solid chassis and body panels that are in a generally good condition. The car has been inspected by TRGB and although it needs a good overhaul to get through an MOT, I'm looking forward to getting started.

Wish me luck!

Dan

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Very best of luck with it Dan, I think that was a good decision, it’s going to be fun and engaging without the hardship. You’ll find this forum a great help with specifics when you get going.

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Great news, best to have a solid example, and it'll still need work but you can enjoy using it in the meantime between jobs! Good luck with it, and be sure to post pics when you get it. 

Gareth

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Good luck Dan!

you’ll love the tr6, it’s so rewarding to work on and drive, and the forum is here for advice , mostly useful! , when you need it.

steve

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