'59 TR 3 frame color

I have the body off the chassis on my TR so I can do all of the sheet metal restoration. After viewing other projects on various sights,I've noticed many component color variations. Engine blocks different colors,engine compartments black or body color,calipers red or silver,etc... My frame is 100% original and the areas that do not have surface rust,which is about half,is painted dark green. I have not seen this on any other car. The car is Primrose. Any ideas? Thanks,JD

I have heard of frames being painted in whatever was handy, even white. Though I think black was the most common I don't see how anyone could fault any TR color on there.

If you must restore/repaint the frame perhaps you can preserve a section of the green frame finish as a testament to the original color (like old SW homes have an uncovered preserved section of the original adobe walls).

Yes, I have heard that as well. Most frames were black but some where various colours that didn't even match the body colour. I looked at my frame and it definatley had powder blue on it. My car was BRG from the factory....

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd

I don't mind repainting it the original green color,I just was not looking forward to the first question out of everyones mouth,"Why did you paint your frame green?

Does it look like this? Most frames were painted black, but if they had body color paint left over when they started a frame run they would use up that paint on the frames. This frame is on my 56 Blue TR3

Yep, That is what it looks like. Is your car still unrestored? And if you were to restore it,would you opt for the green frame?

My black 3A has a white frame. Should the DOT ever start using UPC coding, I'm in trouble.

My 59 frame was most definitely white originally.

Mine was powder blue and a powder blue car. Have heard many times that when it came time to assemble body to chassis it was hit or miss on color. actually the cross tube, behind radiator, on mine is red.

As an FYI

The TRA Judging Standards say the following.

" The Chassis may be painted black or any body colour contemporary with the production date of the car."

https://www.triumphregister.com/TRA%20Guide%20Binder%202004.pdf

Cheers
M. Pied Lourd

No I painted it black. A blue car with a green frame, no wonder some of the cars sat on dealer lots for a long time.

I will probably repaint my frame the original green. The Primrose with the green frame won't be too bad even though it will look like Florida deck furniture. JD

+1 for keeping the coloured frame - black is just-plain boring. The variation in colour is just one of those quirks that makes our TRs interesting.

I bought my 1958 TR3A brand new from a TR dealer here but paid $35.00 for the option of having it tar coated all over the underside my black TR. In 1987 when I was starting to restore it, I found that the frame was painted primrose yellow where the tar was still providing some protection.

I wrote Bill Piggott and he told me that in England the bottom is called "the black works" and he had never seen or heard of any TR with any other colour.

BTW, primrose yellow was not yet a TR3A colour in February 1958 when mine was built. But is became available a few months later.

I have seen a red TR3 with a red frame and also a red frame on a white TR3A. Both were original.

It was about 1996 that owners doing a full body-off restoration started to paint their TR frames any of the TR colours of that era. The frames were fabricated for Triumph and sprayed by other manufacturers who also made full bodies for other car brands. The story is that when the painter still had some paint in his gun, say after panting a red Hillman or such other car body, he would empty the remaining paint from the gun by spraying it onto the TR frames that were nearby.

Since Bill Piggott told me that he had never heard of any other colour than black, I sprayed mine black so I wouldn't cause arguments with the TRA judges back in 1990 and after.

If a car is all original and it actually has a coloured frame, then using the original frame colour would (imho) supersede the judging standards, which are lowest common denominator rules. If the judges don't like the frame, have the pictures with you to show the pre-restoration colour of the frame to authenticate your restoration. Or tell 'em to stuff it.

FordFiesta said:

If a car is all original and it actually has a coloured frame, then using the original frame colour would (imho) supersede the judging standards, which are lowest common denominator rules. If the judges don't like the frame, have the pictures with you to show the pre-restoration colour of the frame to authenticate your restoration. Or tell 'em to stuff it.

Click to expand...

That's it. I'm painting it green,taking some pictures and telling them to stuff it!

jdvintage said:

FordFiesta said:

If a car is all original and it actually has a coloured frame, then using the original frame colour would (imho) supersede the judging standards, which are lowest common denominator rules. If the judges don't like the frame, have the pictures with you to show the pre-restoration colour of the frame to authenticate your restoration. Or tell 'em to stuff it.

Click to expand...

That's it. I'm painting it green,taking some pictures and telling them to stuff it!

Click to expand...

I'm right there with ya on the "stuff it" plan!