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curdy
Member
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Hi Everyone! I am the proud owner of a 1957 TR3 and wanted to take the opportunity to introduce both myself and the story behind my car. I recently moved from Pennsylvania to Concord, NC to undertake the exciting venture of opening a restaurant in Charlotte. I am sure I will meet many of you virtually through this forum when I am stumped on repairs and I thank you in advance for the help! Also, hopefully I’ll get to meet some local enthusiasts face to face as well!
Here is part of an article I wrote not that long ago about the car’s story. I have edited it some to work as an introduction to the forum.
Growing up I always had a fascination with sports cars. I often studied and dreamed of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Lotus’s, etc. while reading Motor Trend or Car & Driver. Those were just pictures though…there was something real half covered by a heavy canvas tarp in a dusty corner of an outbuilding on my grandfather’s hobby farm in South Carolina. Under that tarp was a partially restored 1957 Triumph TR3, and it became an object of great curiosity and intrigue to me.
The story begins in 1965 with the car taking up space in a local Spartanburg, SC auto shop. It had been abandoned by its owner with a cracked cylinder head and a couple other minor issues. The shop owner wanted the space back and took $350 for the car. My grandfather immediately fixed what was needed to put it on the road. Along with my mother and her brothers, my grandfather enjoyed driving it until 1970 when he decided it was time for a full frame off restoration. Loving all things mechanical and having an impeccable attention for detail, everything he worked on was restored to new condition. At about 80% completed, the project got less attention due to more pressing matters.
Several years later as I was growing up in the Philadelphia area I would visit my grandparents and simply have a blast on the farm. I learned to shoot, drive tractors, operate a backhoe, etc. all before I was 13 years old. My grandfather was one cool guy, I looked up to him so much. He could fix anything, loved doing it, and enjoyed sharing how to do it. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time at the farm due to the distance from home and my father’s demanding work schedule. Still, what time we did get to visit resulted in some great memories.
One of the best places to explore was an old garage on the property that had several cars in various stages of restoration or repair in it. The back end of a roadster poking out from under a heavy canvas tarp in a dusty corner always caught my attention. Under that tarp was the partially restored TR3. Every visit I would ask my grandfather about working on the car, and every time he would tell me that when I was older he would enjoy spending a summer vacation with me finishing the project. Unfortunately that time would never come as he passed away 1 month before my 13th birthday.
I was devastated. I shared so many of the same interests with my grandfather and cherished the time we spent together. Life went on and I found out later that my uncle had taken the car to ensure it stayed in the family. He had the restoration completed professionally. Having 2 wonderful children with special needs, my uncle admitted he wasn’t getting to enjoy the car as much anymore and decided it was time to pass it along. So 8 years after my grandfather passed away my father and I went down to pick up the car. Up to that point (to the best of my memory) I had never seen a completed TR3. My uncle had us stand out in the driveway as he started the car behind the closed garage door. The door opened and out comes this beautiful BRG TR3, I’ll never forget it.
I was finishing up college at the time and didn’t get to drive the car much. I never worked on it, because frankly, I was intimidated by it. I didn’t grow up working on cars or machinery so I viewed the car as something to leave to the pros. I wanted to learn, but between work, getting married, and having 6 beautiful children, time was just limited. The car was enjoyed, but sparingly. Over the years I began teaching myself, increasing my skills/confidence with working on my tractor, mowers, woodworking machines, and the TR3. I can say I do feel comfortable working and learning on the car now.
Not a day goes by that I wouldn’t trade the car to have my grandfather back. I think of him every time I see the car. I wonder too how easily he would fix some of the things that I struggle with! It’s been great meeting others that love these cars and enjoy walking me though repairs. In many ways it has filled a void that was left when I never got to create those later memories with my grandfather…so thank you all!
Summer 1969 w/Uncle
Spring 1970 w/Uncle...disassembly begins
Summer 1970 w/grandfather
Summer 1970 w/my mother and grandfather
Dec 1970 and Jan 1971 w/grandfather
Oct 1971
1992
2001
2012 parade
2013 out for a drive
Here is part of an article I wrote not that long ago about the car’s story. I have edited it some to work as an introduction to the forum.
Growing up I always had a fascination with sports cars. I often studied and dreamed of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Lotus’s, etc. while reading Motor Trend or Car & Driver. Those were just pictures though…there was something real half covered by a heavy canvas tarp in a dusty corner of an outbuilding on my grandfather’s hobby farm in South Carolina. Under that tarp was a partially restored 1957 Triumph TR3, and it became an object of great curiosity and intrigue to me.
The story begins in 1965 with the car taking up space in a local Spartanburg, SC auto shop. It had been abandoned by its owner with a cracked cylinder head and a couple other minor issues. The shop owner wanted the space back and took $350 for the car. My grandfather immediately fixed what was needed to put it on the road. Along with my mother and her brothers, my grandfather enjoyed driving it until 1970 when he decided it was time for a full frame off restoration. Loving all things mechanical and having an impeccable attention for detail, everything he worked on was restored to new condition. At about 80% completed, the project got less attention due to more pressing matters.
Several years later as I was growing up in the Philadelphia area I would visit my grandparents and simply have a blast on the farm. I learned to shoot, drive tractors, operate a backhoe, etc. all before I was 13 years old. My grandfather was one cool guy, I looked up to him so much. He could fix anything, loved doing it, and enjoyed sharing how to do it. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time at the farm due to the distance from home and my father’s demanding work schedule. Still, what time we did get to visit resulted in some great memories.
One of the best places to explore was an old garage on the property that had several cars in various stages of restoration or repair in it. The back end of a roadster poking out from under a heavy canvas tarp in a dusty corner always caught my attention. Under that tarp was the partially restored TR3. Every visit I would ask my grandfather about working on the car, and every time he would tell me that when I was older he would enjoy spending a summer vacation with me finishing the project. Unfortunately that time would never come as he passed away 1 month before my 13th birthday.
I was devastated. I shared so many of the same interests with my grandfather and cherished the time we spent together. Life went on and I found out later that my uncle had taken the car to ensure it stayed in the family. He had the restoration completed professionally. Having 2 wonderful children with special needs, my uncle admitted he wasn’t getting to enjoy the car as much anymore and decided it was time to pass it along. So 8 years after my grandfather passed away my father and I went down to pick up the car. Up to that point (to the best of my memory) I had never seen a completed TR3. My uncle had us stand out in the driveway as he started the car behind the closed garage door. The door opened and out comes this beautiful BRG TR3, I’ll never forget it.
I was finishing up college at the time and didn’t get to drive the car much. I never worked on it, because frankly, I was intimidated by it. I didn’t grow up working on cars or machinery so I viewed the car as something to leave to the pros. I wanted to learn, but between work, getting married, and having 6 beautiful children, time was just limited. The car was enjoyed, but sparingly. Over the years I began teaching myself, increasing my skills/confidence with working on my tractor, mowers, woodworking machines, and the TR3. I can say I do feel comfortable working and learning on the car now.
Not a day goes by that I wouldn’t trade the car to have my grandfather back. I think of him every time I see the car. I wonder too how easily he would fix some of the things that I struggle with! It’s been great meeting others that love these cars and enjoy walking me though repairs. In many ways it has filled a void that was left when I never got to create those later memories with my grandfather…so thank you all!
Summer 1969 w/Uncle
Spring 1970 w/Uncle...disassembly begins
Summer 1970 w/grandfather
Summer 1970 w/my mother and grandfather
Dec 1970 and Jan 1971 w/grandfather
Oct 1971
1992
2001
2012 parade
2013 out for a drive
