TR2/3/3A Frankencar

[TomMull]

Although I knew most of this when I bought the car, my new unrestored but not unmolested TR3 has some quirks. Here's one, or maybe a few:
The seats appear to be TR4 seats, or at least have TR3 covers. (I've not looked underneath at the tracks and pans yet). The PO claimed that those seats were in the car when he bought it in 1971. Same with the trim, carpets and dash.
While I have a set of correct seats as well as a complete new black interior, I like the colors in the car, and I bought the car as a driver, and not to restore. So what I'd rally like to do is finish the dash in a color close to what is around it and leave all else as is.
Question is, does anybody know what color it is and or any chance of matching it? Is it a Triumph color? I think I remember seeing something similar on a Healey. (PS: Anybody need a radio?)
Tom

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Pull a cushion out and take a pocture for us. If the seat pan has a dip in it, they are probably early TR4 seats. Would say you are going to be hard pressed to match material color. Maybe remove flovebox door and take to discount fabris store to see if they can match.
Marv

 

[charleyf]

I would hazard a guess that the interior is not stock. First the glove box would be black like the rest of the dash. Second the opening or hole in the door interior does not look like the correct shape.
Charley

 

[TomMull]

I would hazard a guess that the interior is not stock. First the glove box would be black like the rest of the dash. Second the opening or hole in the door interior does not look like the correct shape.
Charley

We know that, Charlie, I guess I should have stated the question a bit more clearly. Should I install my new black seats and interior or try to fix the dash with a piece of matched vinyl (it will not be a perfect match I know) and keep the rest as is? Would the new correct black improve anything?
The car, except for paint, has been as is for 45 years and I do like the color combinations.
Tom

 

[Kleykamp]

2tall customer interiors, in Centerville Oh, sent me some color samples of various blues and helped me "match" seats to existing non original blue interior. You could possibly do dash and glove box door in something closely matching the other interior. Actually, I sent the a sample and they emailed me photos of things they thought might be close. Any upholstery shop would have a lot of color samples.

 

[Geo Hahn]

...Should I install my new black seats and interior... has been as is for 45 years and I do like the [green] color combinations.

I think you have answered your own question - your car to enjoy, not a museum piece - go with what you like.

 

[charleyf]

I think you have answered your own question - your car to enjoy, not a museum piece - go with what you like.

Ditto for the seats and interior.
My opinion on the dash is that it is not all that easy to recover the whole dash but it is a lot easier to cover only the glove box. And the black vinyl available should be a reasonable match. I believe most later cars had the black dash regardless of the interior color. So most other TR owners will likely do a head snap at seeing the aqua color on the glove box. But if you like it keep it.
Charley

 

[TomMull]

Ditto for the seats and interior.
My opinion on the dash is that it is not all that easy to recover the whole dash but it is a lot easier to cover only the glove box. And the black vinyl available should be a reasonable match. I believe most later cars had the black dash regardless of the interior color. So most other TR owners will likely do a head snap at seeing the aqua color on the glove box. But if you like it keep it.
Charley

Interesting comment but I'm not sure the practice was common. Below is an example of a survivor car quite close to the build date of mine. I think that shows what might be more common.
I've been out visiting my local upholstery shop and was told that they could dye the existing dash vinyl to match the glove box and cappings.
Anyone have experience with that?
I'm still not sure if I can live with the seats, but if I can get the dash to look nice, I might become more tolerant of them.
Tom
https://www.ebay.com/itm/371780322034

 

[Andrew Mace]

Interesting comment but I'm not sure the practice was common. Below is an example of a survivor car quite close to the build date of mine. I think that shows what might be more common....
https://www.ebay.com/itm/371780322034

Interesting choice of example, Tom, especially since that IS an original car, or at least very much an original interior. How do I know? Honestly, I've only seen that car in the pictures in the eBay listing, but I do know from personal experience that Targo Purple Vynide (vinyl) was known to brutally fade with exposure to light, turning from the purple (that you still see in the dyed leather bits) to more of a blue-grey shade. I happen to like the "look" of that interior, mostly because it is original and such a rare color on the TR3, but I've had...er...discussions with those who...well...don't feel as I do.

 

[Kleykamp]

dye the existing dash vinyl to match the glove box and cappings.
Anyone have experience with that?
I started to suggest the dye. It can generally be color matched pretty well. I used it on my car because most of the interior was intact. That was 4 or 5 years ago and it has held up well. I would do both the dash AND the glove box door. I could not keep the white piping because of dying, but I didn't want the white piping anyway so that was not an issue to me. I dyed the original stuff and all the new vinyl parts that I repaired or replace. Saved me a ton and get a lot of complements on the interior...they don't know it's dyed unless I tell them.

 

[TomMull]

Thanks for the info, Kleykamp.The guy at the upholstery shop told me that he didn't recommend dying seats because it wears through. I take it you haven't had that issue. (Quite sure I'm only doing the dash anyway)
Tom

 

[charleyf]

Interesting comment but I'm not sure the practice was common. Below is an example of a survivor car quite close to the build date of mine. I think that shows what might be more common.
I've been out visiting my local upholstery shop and was told that they could dye the existing dash vinyl to match the glove box and cappings.
Anyone have experience with that?
I'm still not sure if I can live with the seats, but if I can get the dash to look nice, I might become more tolerant of them.
Tom
https://www.ebay.com/itm/371780322034

if you will look at the dash just to the bottom left of the glove box, you will see a significant WRINKLE. I have never seen such a wrinkle in the factory prepared dashes. I'm not an expert but I would discount this one from being original.
Charley

 

[KVH]

I know some may feel this would be wrong, but I had a good friend who took a car with colors like that (more of a blue) and replaced the seats with black ones, and used a good vinyl spray to color the door panels black. He even masked off the piping (different model, I think TR4) and sprayed it white. It looked awesome. I'd lean on wanting that interior black, but it's definitely a personal matter of taste. On yours, you'd be spraying the dash strip also. My friend's vinyl spray was a good strong material, and there was no sign of it being other than original.

 

[TomMull]

Pull a cushion out and take a pocture for us. If the seat pan has a dip in it, they are probably early TR4 seats. Would say you are going to be hard pressed to match material color. Maybe remove flovebox door and take to discount fabris store to see if they can match.
Marv

Sorry so late Marv, here are the pictures, frames definitely correct TR3, passenger back pivots, drivers does not. Cushions and upholstery seem to have been done in a custom seat cover shop, not correct or even close but still quite comfortable. The interesting and puzzling part is that all this was done prior to 1971, when the PO bought the car. Perhaps part of the color change from the original white to green? I'm still waiting for the Heritage Certificate from BMIHT so I don't know what color the trim was originally. The original top and side curtains, which came with the car, along with new black replacements, are white.
Tom
PS: KVH, You are giving me all sorts of ideas.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Tom,
Yes, correct seat frames. Cushions are probably oversized superfoam. Doesn't bother me enough to change. Maybe paint the glovebox cover and I would go with it. I like the old look to it.
Marv

 

[Kleykamp]

Thanks for the info, Kleykamp.The guy at the upholstery shop told me that he didn't recommend dying seats because it wears through. I take it you haven't had that issue. (Quite sure I'm only doing the dash anyway)
Tom

I agree on the seats. I didn't dye the seats as I replaced them with new. I only dyed the other interior parts to match the seats. Yeh, I would doubt the dye being acceptable for seats.

 

[TomMull]

if you will look at the dash just to the bottom left of the glove box, you will see a significant WRINKLE. I have never seen such a wrinkle in the factory prepared dashes. I'm not an expert but I would discount this one from being original.
Charley

I think you might be right on that one, Charley. I just checked the dash on my other post 60k TR3 and the cutout for the glove box door is trimmed differently. On that car the vinyl is trimmed flush with the metal on the dash around the glove box opening. I know the dash is original on that car. On Frankencar it has darts cut on the corners and folds back over the metal.
Since the very reliable PO claims the car is basically as it was when he bought it in 1971, and I asked many of these questions specifically, it must have had quite a colorful life prior to that.
As I said, the car s not unmolested nor are issues limited to the interior trim. Perhaps the Heritage paper will help sort some of this.
And Marv, I do have a black glove box cover. I'll put it on for a picture.
Tom

 

[Kleykamp]

Forgive me for going off track a little bit, but the mention of the "cutout" being "trimmed differently" prompts the question. On my car, the original dash covering is more like a laminated plastic covering than a vinyl/cloth covering. Is that something that was done on later cars? My previous cars had been stripped of the dash covering before I got them so I have no idea about earlier cars. Until I got this car I just assumed they were all the vinyl fabric type of covering. Again, sorry to go off track.

 

[charleyf]

My TR3's have had what you ( Kleykamp) describe. I would describe it as having used a method of heat forming to put the vinyl n the dash. That would be the main portion of the dash. The center of the dash or instrument panel changed over time from having fabric on it to being wrinkle painted. When I first got my TR3B that center portion was bare metal.
So I assumed that it had previously been covered with fabric, which had been removed. I set off on a search to determine what was correct. Turns out the wrinkle paint was correct. One can only wonder why the previous owners did what they did. But it was their car at the time and that was what they wanted.
The bottom line to all of this is just because it was that way when either you or the previous owner got the car does not make it original. This site and the TRA Restoratoin Guide are big helps to determine what was original to your particular model.

Charley

 

[TomMull]

Forgive me for going off track a little bit, but the mention of the "cutout" being "trimmed differently" prompts the question. On my car, the original dash covering is more like a laminated plastic covering than a vinyl/cloth covering. Is that something that was done on later cars? My previous cars had been stripped of the dash covering before I got them so I have no idea about earlier cars. Until I got this car I just assumed they were all the vinyl fabric type of covering. Again, sorry to go off track.

As far as I know, all the sidescreen cars had vinyl covered dashboards. The earlier cars, pre-1958, had vinyl covered center panels that matched the rest of the dash. Post 1958 models (TR3As) had the black wrinkle center panels. I don't think there were any cars made with plastic dash covering.
Tom