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1962 Barn Find

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R

ragtop

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Happy New Year to all:
I was talking to a mechanic who was told by a customer he had a 1962 TR3 in his barn which has sat there since 1980. He gave me his name and number which I called when I got home. The owner stated it was a driver prior to storage and knows the engine will turn over. Before looking at the car and possibly making an offer what must I look at carefully that would make a restoration very difficult and/or expensive. I do have a 69TR6 so do do know a bit about TR's but not too sure if TR3's have their own special problems or parts that are impossible to purchase. I'm not the most gifted mechanic but I can bang my knuckles with the best and do have a workshop area to set the beast aside for however long it takes. Thanks for any input on this - Chris
 
A TR3 is probably no harder to restore than any other TR. All parts are available and if you are familiar with TRs then you should have no problems. I would reckon $500 to $1,000 for a basket case or more, on a sliding scale, depending on how complete it is, how it was stored and how much rust there is.
 
Hey folks: I finally determined (by commission numbers) the car in the other barn is a 1960 and the one in my barn is a 1958. From what I researched these two years should have interchangeable body parts. Am I right on that? How about the engine and drive train? I believe that between the two cars I would need to buy a minimum of replacement parts, assuming that mechanical parts can be rebuilt. The car in my barn has boxes of spare parts, now I just need to get the owner to give it to me for a wee bit of money. The owner of the other 1960 barn car is anxious to sell but no price has been discussed - Chris
 
Most parts are interchangeble. Note that the Hood and boot lid have raised hinge areas on the 1960, and should not have those on the 1958. But those parts are typically not the ones that get damaged. Engine and transmission are the same.
Jerry
 
One thing that you might want to think about, and this may just be my experience, is that it will take you years to do a ground-up restoration from a basket case or rough car. Plus, it will end up taking much more money in replacement parts etc. than the cost of a better car to start with. I built a TR3 from boxes of parts, and while it was a learning experience, I was pretty much tired of looking at the car by the time I was finished. I had also spent a mint--if you buy almost every part that makes up a 1959 TR3 (lights, switches, cables, interior, brightwork, etc.) it adds up fast. The cars that I have most enjoyed working on were ones that were in relatively good shape and that required maybe certain things, even if one or two of them are major, but that did not require EVERYTHING to be done. Just my 2 cents.
 
My budget for a TR3A that was given to me FREE is $15000 and it is going to be close because of the many issues with a car that had been sitting for 20+ years. surface rust on everything, but not deep rust holes in the frame or anywhere but the battery box. I think the TR3 model may sell for more than the TR6 if done well. But it really is a matter of what you like.

Jerry
 
Hey guys, I really appreciate the cost concerns you forwarded concerning any restoration of an ole classic. I realize replacement costs can quickly get out of hand if you're not realistic. My 69 TR6 ended up costing close to $10000 in parts (it was a rust bucket) but luckily I have a brother who helped on the car and could weld like a demon! All labor was in house. I guess this project is on my bucket list as I have no timetable to finish and finally space to work on such a project. I've looked closely at the 58 TR3A and the body components are in darn good shape, I really don't expect to have to purchase much sheet metal. Who knows, I may end up with enough extra parts from the two cars to sell some parts on Ebay! One thing I do know is I'll need help from you all to complete the job.
 
All my labor was free, and I still have over $8k (last tme I checked years ago) in my 1964 Spitfire which needed a complete restoration. Parts for a TR3 are much more expensive.
 
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