Half way?

[HerronScott]

Looking good!

Scott

 

[Silverghost]

I think that's called 'Ratchet Reset Day'.

I like it! Just wish there was 'Close Wallet Day'.

There is...and it usually involves someone saying....

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to say farewell to our dear friend...."!!! :laugh:

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

Only 1,479 days ago, I pushed the TR3 into the garage and started working on it. Today I'm pretty sure I've passed the half way point. This morning we started the engine and I'm so excited I want to go back and just listen to it run for a while. Maybe not as long as I've worked on it... My overhauled water pump leaks like crazy, but the engine runs and the smell of victory is sweet.

Here's a few snaps, sorry but no video.

 

[angelfj1]

Tex: I'm sure that seems like a long time. Looks like you've made alot of progress. Way to go! :banana:


However, your post reminded me to check, and as of today, we are:


<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">9 years, 10 months, 11 days</span>
</span>

 

[mallard]

I hope to be doing the same thing in the next couple of months. The chassis and driveline look to be very well done, good job. Is the tray under the carbs for any leaking fuel, or what?

 

[Don Elliott]

It took me three years from 1987 to 1990 to restore my 1958 TR3A. That was 1100 hours of work + 400 helpful un-paid hours by my friendly neighbour who always appeared as my garage door was going up. After $13,000 for new and replacement parts and $5000.00 in 1989 for the final painting, I have enjoyed 20 summers of fun driving (105,000 miles) and I can tell you that I'm still only 20 years old every time I drive it.

Here is a photo from 1958 when I was 20 with my younger brother somewhere in the Adirondacks of NY State with my older brother driving towards us in his 1956 Rambler. You remember the Rambler. It had folding seats.

When you and your girlfriend got tired, you put the seats back up and drove her home. (that one is for Don Kelly)

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

The "tray under the carbs" is actually a heat shield for the plastic components of the H6S's. I don't know if it will do anything or not, but it can't hurt. Fuel is one thing I am not leaking.

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

After watching Randy sweat out the first start of his engine yesterday, I was motivated to catch up. I peeled another layer of my onion today. I flipped the tub upside down and wire brushed the under side. I've never done a dirtier job. I peeled off my clothes in the garage and threw them in the trash before coming into the house. I suppose it takes more than a hurricane to wash 50 years of oil, grease, and grime off the underside of a car. Then I used a cold chisel (at nearly 100 degrees, nothing feels cold) to break the spot welds and removed the drivers outer rocker. (They clean up nicely with a cut-off wheel.) The inner rocker has some rust through, not sure yet what I'll do, but I figure in another day or two (of actual working on it) and I'll be ready to have it blasted. All I lack is stripping the floor and inside the trunk. Progress.

Funny thing. There were some snaps screwed through the floor that I removed. One of the snaps was still holding water under it. The tub has been in my garage and nowhere near water for a long time.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Hiya Tex,


You and I are pretty close together in our restos I would say.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers,
David

 

[TR4nut]

Yer killin' me Tex - no way am I ahead of you! But now you have me motivated to get after the bodywork. I need to do the same thing to the bottom of the tub, something I am not looking forward to.

 

[tdskip]

This is GREAT stuffs - great!

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

Another milestone? I'm sure the tub will be on and off multiple times before it 'settles in', but today was the first time I put it back on. I wanted to check some panel alignment, and knew the frame had to be sitting on the wheels on a level surface. The dollies had to be remade, I nearly forgot to remove the hand-brake lever, and my non original hanger for the exhaust was in the way, but I got it back on the frame. Now I can't seem to line up the pairs of holes (angled front frame section where the slotted aluminum spacers go). I have the pairs of bolts/nuts on the very front and very back installed (finger tight), and the other holes are close, but these are way off. Is there some trick to this? This trial fitting was a lot more work than I'd expected, but maybe it's just the heat of the garage talking.

 

[TR4nut]

Nice- you are leading again Tex! Not sure how to help you, but when you figure it out let me know!

 

[tmc]

Another milestone? I'm sure the tub will be on and off multiple times before it 'settles in', but today was the first time I put it back on. I wanted to check some panel alignment, and knew the frame had to be sitting on the wheels on a level surface. The dollies had to be remade, I nearly forgot to remove the hand-brake lever, and my non original hanger for the exhaust was in the way, but I got it back on the frame. Now I can't seem to line up the pairs of holes (angled front frame section where the slotted aluminum spacers go). I have the pairs of bolts/nuts on the very front and very back installed (finger tight), and the other holes are close, but these are way off. Is there some trick to this? This trial fitting was a lot more work than I'd expected, but maybe it's just the heat of the garage talking.

I started with the "tub"/floorboard bolts, then worked my back, then forward. It's a push & pull proposition. I wound up "modifying" a few holes with a round file so they would fit better, so I cheated a bit! Once I had all the bolts "tracking" in, then I tightened them in the same sequence: tub first, then the back, then the front angles, then the front inner wing attachment points at the very front. I kept checking my alignment by how well the doors fit and opened. The front end is pretty flexible compared to the back end. I don't know if I did it the way an expert would, but it worked.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Hiya Tex,

Looking good...I think that you might be ahead of me now as I haven't started the engine yet.....

Are you talking about the mounting points that are on the suspension tower brace?

Cheers,
Tush

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

the suspension tower brace

I knew someone would have a specific technical term for it. Yes that's it, I'm guessing I need to remove the installed bolts and start with the hardest ones first, flexing everything until they all are all installed.

I think the amount of work on the engine is not as much as the amount of body work that mine needs done, so I think Randy and Tush are still ahead of me... not that we're keeping score. It's hard to be motivated with this heat, and knowing I'll be removing/installing again doesn't help. But progress is progress and it makes me happy. It's odd to walk into the garage now. I'd gotten used to the tub sitting so high and far away from the frame. Now it looks like there's a car starting to take form in there. It looks so much smaller.

 

[hondo402000]

shouldnt you spray some primer on that bare metal?

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

shouldnt you spray some primer on that bare metal?

Yes. It's going to be bead blasted and then primed. But first I want to cut out the rusted parts that will be replaced (like the battery box and outer rockers -and sections of dog legs). I want to have the replacement panels cut out and rough fitted before the whole thing is blasted, so I need to pre-fit all the panels after the tub is mounted to the frame to be sure I cut away and fit patches properly. Some surface rust is starting, but the blaster can remove that much faster than the layers of paint and bondo that was there. This way, I only have to prime the repairs and the blaster doesn't waste as much time.

 

[TR3TR6]

A real labor of love. Its looking real good. When I had the tub off of my frame, after the primer, I gave it a good undercoating since its easier to do with the tub off.

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

It's been a while since I've had any progress to report. Today I made a patch that I'm proud of. It took all day, but I think it was worth it. I'd been putting it off for a long time because I feel fairly clueless.

I don't want to spend any more money or time than I have to, and decided I would not be replacing floor pans, or inner sills. But I had to make a patch that would provide something to weld the outer sill, dogleg patch and fender well patch, while boxing in the rusted out section of the inner sill and provide for the bottom caged fender nut. I have two more parts to make, but I finally have a plan. I've already fitted the outer sill and dog leg patch, and they still fit with the new patch. The "inner patch" will weld to the angle iron I added above the sill as a point to attach the seat belt.

There may be many more steps and I have yet to weld anything, but this is one in the right direction, I hope.