TR2/3/3A About to strat a full restoration TR2 / TR3 ?

[TRo8son1]

The car was for the most part complete , all the plates were in place ,

 

[DavidApp]

On mine the tag with the TS number was still attached with the original rivets so I covered the tag with several layers of tape and was very careful when I sand blasted in that area.

David

 

[TRo8son1]

after blasting the bulkhead ,under the commission plate were rivets from a larger plate

 

[TR3driver]

Earlier cars did have a larger plate, with 4 rivets. According to Piggott, the official change to the smaller plate didn't happen until TS22014 (TR3A) but he says some earlier cars did have the smaller plate.

I would say it hinges on whether the smaller plate used the original style rivets or not. But I can't really make it out from your photo above. The actual rivet should be aluminum with a steel pin in the center. The pin is a perfect cylinder, not a teardrop shape like a pop-rivet (but otherwise the construction is similar).

(My plate had been somewhat sloppily oversprayed in black before I got the car. The center pin on the rivet on the right in the photo still has black paint on it, but is otherwise similar to the one on the left.)

 

[sp53]

Even up into the later cars there were 4 holes, maybe all the way until the tubs changed to the raised hinges. I am working on TS 27036 with a small badge and it has 4 holes with rivets in the top 2.

 

[CJD]

Interesting! It seems there is always more to learn about these cars.

 

[TRo8son1]

Hi CJD . iv been goining through your restoration thread , very impressive , are there any other threads as discriptive as yours ? you could point me too


Regards Tony

 

[ckeithjordan]

One of the things I found was that the larger octagonal commission plates were used up into the TS18000s, then it was a “clipped” plate in the TS18000-19000s, then by the TS20000s, they used the smaller rectangular plate through the rest of production. The reason for clipped plate had to do with removal of the patents displayed below, according to the UK TR Register. My TS20447LO has the later rectangular plate. I also have four rivets, my commission plate is held on by the bottom two and AFAIK, has never been removed. Sorry, I don’t have access to my files, so I can’t be more specific.

 

[CJD]

Hi CJD . iv been goining through your restoration thread , very impressive , are there any other threads as discriptive as yours ? you could point me too


Regards Tony

I do have a few...click on my CJD to go to my profile, and then on the left look for "latest started threads". There may be something in there you are interested in. AND, be sure to look up "Chef Tush" videos on Utube...lots of very good restoration videos there!!

 

[TRo8son1]

The tub's worst bits , front of chassis , floor pans and battery box , strange the top of the battery box should rust at the higher level

 

[TR3driver]

strange the top of the battery box should rust at the higher level

The charging system in a TR3 is rather primitive, and when properly adjusted, overcharges the battery slightly when the headlights are off. This in turn "boils" the electrolyte in the battery (actually converting it to hydrogen and oxygen gases), which tends to blow tiny droplets of battery acid out the vents.

The battery is also slightly undercharged when the headlights are on; both of which contribute to shorter battery life.

 

[TRo8son1]

few more pictures
battery box repairs , and floor pan, knocked it up with the bead roller , not spot on but you wont see it at 50MPH

 

[DavidApp]

So you repaired the battery box? It looks much better than the job the PO did on mine. One of the jobs I sometimes wish I had done over but at that time it seemed like I had a monumental task ahead of me.

David

 

[sp53]

I like your style; I like the way you saved the glove bow with a high quality repair. Did you cut the driver floor pan in half? Judging from your work, you are going to repair the inner sill, right? I would, the doors will fit nicer to begin with anyway at least I think so that is if that is savable.--- save it? There is too much collateral damage plus the new ones do not as good.
steve

 

[TRo8son1]

Yes . cut the pan in half , it was too much like hard work to put the full lenght throgh the bead roller ,it only the very front of the sill and a small hole at the base of the A post that needs a repair , the rest is just surface pitting

 

[CJD]

I agree with David and Steve...interesting techniques and very nice workmanship!

 

[sp53]

Just thought I would put this out there. The early seats like you have are rare and when done correct they make the car a special original model.so if you send them out for blasting be very careful because they are thin and finding some more would be difficult

 

[DavidApp]

If the bottoms of the seat are rusted through but the back s look OK check out the bottoms supplied by the company in Australia.
https://www.kas-kilmartin.com.au

I got a pair of seat bottoms from them and was very pleased with the price and quality. They fit and matched the original ones perfectly.

David

 

[Graham H]

I got all my repair panels from Kilmartin,i belive they made copies from original panels, the floor panels come with captive nuts and the seat runners bolted straight on, good products

Graham

 

[DavidApp]

Wish I had found them earlier in my rebuild journey.

The only problem I had was they can be slow to answer e mails at times.

David