• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A TR3 Serial Numbers

M_Pied_Lourd

Darth Vader
Country flag
Offline
Well, Much higher than my 2 and they are both 60s.

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd
 
OP
luke44

luke44

Jedi Warrior
Silver
Country flag
Offline
That's what I was thinking. An 80000 series was near the end I think. My '59 is a low 30's number....
 

Gordon_Dedrick

Jedi Trainee
Offline
This car would have been built in 1960.......or at least the commission plate was! First car in year was TS 65124, and last one was TS 82030 according to Piggot. Also this car has the flat rear floor......but it has a nose badge with the black banded bottom that was typical of a small number of cars in "59 only. Looks nicely done, but i think it is a doubtful 1959 model.
Gordon
 

Andrew Mace

Moderator
Staff member
Country flag
Offline
I'm guessing that some long-ago owner simply got confused(?) on the year of the car. Supposedly the very last 3A was TS82346 or possibly TS82347, and the very first TR3 built in 1961 was TS82030, so TS80897L would've been built probably sometime in the second half (or maybe closer to the end of) 1960. Regardless, production of the 3A had trailed off rapidly by the end of 1960; in 1961, only 408 were built, and a further 7(!) in 1962 (not counting the 3B series). [This information is from Bill Piggott's latest Collector's Originality Guide.]

Edit: The car looks nice enough, so long as the bonnet stays down. Inside that engine compartment it looks like a $500 special. How people can spend that much on the outside and interior and "cheap out" with a rattle can of flat black under the hood is beyond me. (Oh, and it's the wrong voltage regulator...which also is mounted wrong for a post-TS60000 car!)

Edit, part 2: Gordon, I must have been typing while you posted!
 

NeilRogers

Member
Country flag
Offline
For that kind of money I would expect the engine compartment to look as nice as the outside. Makes me wonder what the bottom looks like. The gauges are not all correct.

My car, TS80748LO was built on Oct 4, 1960 so that will give an idea of when the ebay car was built, assuming the commission number is correct for the car.
 

HerronScott

Darth Vader
Offline
luke44 said:
That's what I was thinking. An 80000 series was near the end I think. My '59 is a low 30's number....

Luke,

I don't think yours would have been built in 1959 with a TS31577LO commission number. Mine is TS51339L and was built May 4, 1959.

Looking at the other cars on the International TR Registry with BMIHT build dates I would guess around April 1958 for your car.

Scott
 

HerronScott

Darth Vader
Offline
Andrew Mace said:
Edit: The car looks nice enough, so long as the bonnet stays down. Inside that engine compartment it looks like a $500 special. How people can spend that much on the outside and interior and "cheap out" with a rattle can of flat black under the hood is beyond me.

I agree! I can't believe the asking price with the engine compartiment looking like that.

Scott
 

Don Elliott

Obi Wan
Offline
I bought my 1958 TR3A new here in Montreal, Canada in May 1958. It was built in mid-Februaty (8TS 27489 LO).

Note the "8" before the TS number for my TR3A. All cars imported into Canada had to be stamped with the year. In my case the "8" indicates it was imported and sold in Canada during 1958.

Since this car is in Toronto Canada, and if it was imported into Canada from UK in 1960, there should be a "0" in front of the TS number.

If the car was imported into USA it would not have a pre-digit. This would indicate that the car was imported into Canada as a used car from the USA.

TRA used to dock me part of a point because of this "8" on my Comm. No. (VIN) plate because it was not delivered from the factory like this. The stamping was done once the cars arrived in Canada.
 

Attachments

  • 26783.jpg
    26783.jpg
    68.9 KB · Views: 451

Andrew Mace

Moderator
Staff member
Country flag
Offline
Don Elliott said:
TRA used to dock me part of a point because of this "8" on my Comm. No. (VIN) plate because it was not delivered from the factory like this. The stamping was done once the cars arrived in Canada.
Ha...Concours judges gone wild! :devilgrin: Now if they carried that same philosphy to extremes, every Triumph sold in the US up to sometime in 1964 should be docked points for having headlamps...of any kind or brand. They were shipped from the factory without headlamps before 1964, since -- at the time -- Lucas didn't make a proper US-spec. sealed beam 7" bulb. Headlights were installed stateside. (Perhaps car should also be docked as they usually are no longer covered in Cosmoline, don't have any protective plastic on door panels, etc., etc.? :thumbsup: )
 

TR3driver

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Not to mention having bumpers installed.

But I think you mean only headlight bulbs, Andy. Lucas made the rest of the lamp assembly, the bucket, wires, retaining rings, etc.; just not the US-mandated "sealed beam" bulbs.
 
Country flag
Offline
SO that brings up the subject of Lucas Headlights (sealed beam ones). Whats the story on them. I try to find and install Lucas headlights on all my cars.

Marv
 

Andrew Mace

Moderator
Staff member
Country flag
Offline
Somewhere I've got a regional S-T service bulletin, from 1963 or 1964, that details the introduction of the Lucas sealed beam bulbs. If I find it or an online reference to it, I'll let everyone know.

And yes, Randall, I was referring to the bulbs themselves and probably could've made that clearer.
 
OP
luke44

luke44

Jedi Warrior
Silver
Country flag
Offline
HerronScott said:
Luke,I don't think yours would have been built in 1959 with a TS31577LO commission number. Mine is TS51339L and was built May 4, 1959. Looking at the other cars on the International TR Registry with BMIHT build dates I would guess around April 1958 for your car.

Scott

Pretty good guess - my build date was May 21 1958. I was referring to mine as being <span style="font-style: italic">titled</span> as a '59. Based on that I was surprised by the 80000 series eBay car being a '59 - either build date or first title date...
 

NeilRogers

Member
Country flag
Offline
Don Elliott said:
I bought my 1958 TR3A new here in Montreal, Canada in May 1958. It was built in mid-Februaty (8TS 27489 LO).

Note the "8" before the TS number for my TR3A. All cars imported into Canada had to be stamped with the year. In my case the "8" indicates it was imported and sold in Canada during 1958.

This may have been a requirement in Quebec, but it wasn't true in Alberta. My car was sold new in Edmonton, Alberta and doesn't have a prefix. It is an unrestored car and still has the original commission plate.
 

vivdownunder

Jedi Warrior
Offline
Last night I just happened to be looking at some photo's of a batch of recently arrived TR3A's being readied for dealer delivery. They show the headlights fitted, probably because we are RHD the same as the UK, and timber bumpers front and back.

One pic shows the word CARS on the far left of its dummy front bumper. Wonder what the rest of the wording was ?.

Viv.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
Pool Dad 1960 TR3 engine serial number Triumph 14
T TR2/3/3A Is CT52431 a TR3 Transmission serial ? Triumph 4
mctriumph For Sale front apron 57 Tr3 Triumph Classifieds 0
R TR2/3/3A TR3 rack and pinion kit problem... Triumph 10
S TR2/3/3A differential hubs early tr3 and tr2 Triumph 22
S TR2/3/3A Tr2 and early tr3 differential. Triumph 10
71TR6 TR2/3/3A TR3 WIper Wheel box Triumph 2
RonC General TR TR3 Shifter on TR6 Triumph 8
jfarris TR2/3/3A Modern Temporary Donut Spare for a TR3 Triumph 1
G TR2/3/3A What color is my car? TR3 1958 Triumph 16
S TR2/3/3A Rebuilding a tr3 transmission and second gear, Triumph 57
mctriumph For Sale Odd bit for Tr3 and early 3A Triumph Classifieds 0
S TR2/3/3A turn a tr3 non-full syncro transmission into a full syncro Triumph 3
Y TR2/3/3A I cannot get my TR3 in correct timing. Triumph 7
mctriumph TR2/3/3A Safety mods every Tr3 should get Triumph 12
Editor_Reid TR2/3/3A Whitewall Tires for TR3 Triumph 11
curdy TR2/3/3A TR3 Stalling Issues Triumph 8
S TR2/3/3A Anyone cut out the spare tire compartment on a tr3? Triumph 4
S TR2/3/3A put a differential back into a tr3. Triumph 2
S TR2/3/3A tr3 breather pipe Triumph 2
2 For Sale 1957 Triumph TR3 Small Mouth Triumph Classifieds 0
Jim_Stevens TR6 Barn find of TR6 and many TR3 parts Triumph 9
J For Sale 1958 TR3 Partout Triumph Classifieds 12
R For Sale TR3 Dash Triumph Classifieds 0
D TR2/3/3A Thread and size for tr3 fuel tank vapor line fitting Triumph 0
S TR2/3/3A Aluminum door capping for tr3 Triumph 12
tinman58 TR2/3/3A TR3 at Mammoth Lakes Triumph 4
G TR2/3/3A TR3 starter disassembly rebuild early M428G bomb Triumph 6
luke44 TR2/3/3A Calling all Wiring experts TR3 Overdrive Wiring ver A or ver B or are they the same? Triumph 8
A TR2/3/3A VERY wobbly TR3 - help needed!!!! Triumph 53
vpanza TR2/3/3A EARLY TR3 hubs for wire wheel????? Triumph 5
vpanza Wanted TR3 FRONT backplates needed Triumph Classifieds 2
mctriumph For Sale Cluster gears Tr3 Triumph Classifieds 0
T TR2/3/3A TR3 pistons and liners Triumph 14
jfarris Wanted TR3 Luggage Rack Turnbuckles Triumph Classifieds 0
K TR2/3/3A Further question re TR3 red ignition light. Triumph 1
G For Sale 1960 TR3 A Triumph Classifieds 0
S TR2/3/3A Tr3 pics. Triumph 8
P TR2/3/3A TR3 Clutch Bleeding Problem Triumph 10
Joel Lester TR2/3/3A Finished my TR3! Thanks to you guys... check it out! Triumph 22
Bocaray TR2/3/3A TR3 Wheel Lug Nuts Size? Triumph 2
jfarris For Sale TR3 Stock Fan used (1956) Triumph Classifieds 0
jfarris For Sale TR3 Rear Sway Bar Triumph Classifieds 0
jfarris For Sale TR3 Speedometer SOLD Triumph Classifieds 3
S TR2/3/3A My tr3 was stuck in reverse after a short drive Triumph 3
G For Sale NEW PHOTOS: Triumph TR3 Chassis Frame + Front Suspension, Fits TR2,TR3,TR3A,TR3B Triumph Classifieds 1
luke44 TR2/3/3A TR3 not engaging 2nd gear Triumph 24
R TR2/3/3A TR3 Wiper motor Triumph 10
H For Sale TR3 RHD tonneau cover nee Triumph Classifieds 0
J TR2/3/3A TR3 Soft top speed limit? Triumph 9

Similar threads

Top