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Small mouth on wide mouth TR ? ?

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GilsTR

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I have a old friend who enjoys working on old British Cars.
His real love is MGA's....but has worked on a number of TR3's.
Currently he is working on a 1959 TR3A..."wide mouth". The car came to hime with a TR3 "small mouth" apron on it.
He is pretty sure he will proceed with using the small mouth
apron...but is curious how much not having the correct apron
could effect the value of the car. This will be a nice restoration...although not frame off. All mechanics are being rebuilt. New paint (BRG) and new interior. While the car will be driven...resale value is of some concern.
SO sidescreen guys...input please. Thanks, Gil
 
All depends on how far he wants to take the car. For nice driver it won't hurt the value. For a show car it will hurt the value, how much again depends on how far he takes it. Since it can be removed pretty easy ans swapped back out, I wouldn't be too worried.

Marv
 
My '60 TR3A started in a similar state, with a small mouth apron and grill. The main problem is how the front bumper irons fit.. mine had big ugly cut-outs to allow the 3A bumper to fit. On the earlier 3's the bumper mounts went strait out below the bodywork. When I eventually "restored" the car I filled in the cut out metal and stayed with the small mouth apron, but went bumper-less. I'd had the car for ten years by then and had grown to prefer the simpler, cleaner look of the small mouth. More efficient, too, as the design directs air into the radiator much more effectively. He will find that if he wants to install a sway bar he might have to get creative or spend a lot more, as ADDCO and most domestic suppliers only make them for the 3A. I ended up using the 3A irons cut off behind the apron, as they are what the sway bar attach to.
As to the resultant value of having the incorrect apron I cannot say, but there are so many more 3As out there that I find the small mouth to be much more distinctive. It's always shown well, but to be honest even Triumph people seldom look beyond the nose. At a TRA national meet I took a 3rd place award in the TR3 class, even though I had it registered in the TR3A class! I thought these guys would be more discerning... this year I just entered it as a '57 TR3, and took a second place at the nationals in Charles Town, WV.
I think it's the overall presentation that determines the value. All Triumphs are driver's cars, and as such most people appreciate tasteful modifications and tolerate variance from stock. If (like me) you prefer the cleaner look of the "original" small mouth to the "dollar grin" wide mouth, you shouldn't have to settle for the less effective brakes or the old starter or the lack of door handles. You could upgrade an older (rarer) car or "back-date" the styling, as I did. None of them are so rare that you can't have the car you prefer. My TR3 also has rack and pinion steering, a GM alternator, high torque starter, and a Toyota 5-speed! Then again, it's traveled about 35,000 mile since the rebuild five years ago. Besides, all of these mods can be returned to the stock configuration.
If your buddy stops at just using the small mouth apron, then returning it to the "correct" 3A look would just be a matter of about 16 bolts and another apron!
 
Seeing you will have a car with stainless wing beads, door handles, a boot handle, and raised hinge plinths if it's after car TS60000, then it will be readily identified as a TR3A.

I'd be very much inclined to make it complete again and fit a 3A apron. You will find the TR2 apron is an extremely rare item and will possibly sell for double the buy cost of a 3A apron. If it has a TR2/3 front bumper, again these are rare and make good money to cover the cost of a 3A bumper and mount irons.

Over many years of TR ownership, I've always found hybrid cars to fetch less money and be harder to sell, as people are wary of how they got that way.

Viv.
 
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