TR Trunk Tar

[arizonamike]

Looking for any rust on my TR250, and have not found any. I dug black tar out of the corners of the trunk and spare compartment. Was not sure if it was a bad ugly weld or trying to cover up something. Dug the stuff all out with pocket knife and its clean shiny metal under this black roofing tar like stuff.

As i looked around more i noticed some in the corners and around the edges on either side of the fuel tank.

Was this a factory applied waterproofing or was this the idea os the PO?

The low corners inside the truck were built out about 3/4" and reverse roundered, sort of, but they did shed of water.

The clean corners shed water fine too though.

 

[Gliderman8]

Could be seam sealer.

 

[arizonamike]

That is what i thought too. Did Triumph use it in production ?

 

[Darrell_Walker]

That is what i thought too. Did Triumph use it in production ?

It was on my 4A when I stripped it, I believe it was original.

-Darrell

 

[mallard]

My TR3 had the same stuff in one of the trunk corners, It filled about a 1/2" gap. It was painted body color so I'm almost sure it came from the factory that way.

 

[martx-5]

Had the same stuff in my TR3 also...painted body color. What surprised me is how supple it still was after 50 years.

 

[arizonamike]

OK probably factory. Maybe the same stuff that's used to seal around the tail lights.

Removed it all from my 250. Don't ask why.

 

[CJD]

Removed it all from my 250. Don't ask why.

Aaaahhh.....

We used to be able to buy that nasty black stuff at the auto paint stores as "body seam sealant". You can still buy body seam sealant, but it is no longer the nasty black stuff. The old stuff lasted, well, forever. I think it preserved the dinosaurs in the LA tar pits. The new stuff is grey or tan, and shrinks and dries out over the years.

John

 

[arizonamike]

Well one of the fellas on the board informed Paul Morro that i said "he tared the trunk" of the TR250 that he so beautifully restored. I DID NOT SAY THAT.

I received an email from Paul yesterday. Lets just say he was not happy to hear that.

Thanks again Paul. You are still my hero. The TR is beautiful.


This is no fun. See ya fellas.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Original materials often seem crude and thus easy to attribute to a later restoration. My TR4 has the original paint and that goo underneath it as described.

I was fooled when I found the pegs on the letters on the boot (T-R-I-U-M-P-H) and other bits were each covered with a glob of what appeared to be modeling clay. When I mentioned it I learned (from a former S-T employee) that that was the original Plasticine™ put there at the factory.

I can see now that it is important and it prevents water from getting thru the holes for the letters and creeping down the inside rear of the boot lid and into that crimped seam along the bottom edge of the lid. You often see TR4/250 boot lids rusted along that edge -- I think the removal of the Plasticine™ is likely the root cause.