TR2/3/3A TR3 for sale - comments?

[GBRandy]

This car has been up and down on e-bay for awhile and I am considering it. I would welcome some thoughts and comments as well as some questions to ask the owner about it.

The link is here: https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...sid=p2759.l1259

It is not a bad looking car.....but.....

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Hey, Randy -

I've seen that car several times now. Must be a reason it hasn't yet sold.

After a quick look, I wonder about what's under the carpet in the boot. Also, the scuttle/firewall looks a little rough under the paint, so I'd be concerned about what lurks there.

No sidescreens mentioned, and there are no mounting points. Also, no inside cord to open the doors, nor latch.

I know you've been looking a long time; maybe this isn't the one.

 

[GBRandy]

Yes.... This has been for sale for awhile and why I posted out here.

It's snowing here and flight to Miami for an inspection has more meaning now than in June if you know what I mean

I learn a lot picking cars apart on this forum so I thought i would toss it out here for discussion....

 

[martx-5]

The steering wheel isn't original, and what are they using for directionals? Also, it looks like the temp gauge isn't original either...seems to have a flat glass.

This guy always has black redone TR3s photographed at the same location. All of them are not them same. There have been some repeats, but I can think of at least four different black/red TR3s I've seen this guy put up. I don't remember seeing this one before with that steering wheel.

 

[Gordon_Dedrick]

I have been watching TR3's on E-Bay for WAAAY too many years. This gent buys any decent 3 he can find anywhere in the country and then usually redoes them in black. I followed a white TR3 that I lost on E-Bay to him as the battery was the same off-brand as the orig picture! Confirmed it with the comm #. He must have some very talented body people as the cars always are straight, well finished on the outside, and usually finished with lots of new or refurb parts. The feedback from E-bay buyers has always been good, but in my opinion these "restorations" are more cosmetic than anything else. Considering what I have spent putting my 3 back together $20k may not be far off the mark however.
Gordon

 

[Andrew Mace]

...This gent buys any decent 3 he can find anywhere in the country and then usually redoes them in black.... He must have some very talented body people as the cars always are straight, well finished on the outside, and usually finished with lots of new or refurb parts. The feedback from E-bay buyers has always been good, but in my opinion these "restorations" are more cosmetic than anything else....

I would have to agree about "cosmetic"...and I might also be tempted to say "quick" restorations. So many things that just don't seem quite "right" in a proper, complete restoration: floor panels with no jack holes, whatever that temp. gauge is (not original), rear interior panel plain (not patterned to match the seats), odd steering wheel, bad-looking firewall, "restoration" shot showing most trim removed from body but radiator still in place and with primer on it, etc., etc.

Oh, and that rear muffler seems awfully large, doesn't it?

 

[tdskip]

Holy cow - I missed the primer covered radiator. I bet that helps cooling efficiency, eh?

 

[Don Elliott]

If you're not already convinced, here is my input. What kind of gearbox has an extension and mount like that shown (see bottom). You need to see more (and better) photos of the engine compartment. The thermostat engine temperatur feed line is installed differently and there are no "loops" mas required to be like "original".

There should be no screwed-on aluminium tops to the door sills.

Straight on, the grille looks great, but in another photo taken at an angle, the grille is concave inwards. They should be flat up and down.

The krackle paint on the central gauge panel is too big and not like "original".

No cover for the roof sticks.

One (or maybe more) of the wires on the wire wheel shown is really bent.

 

[TR3driver]

What kind of gearbox has an extension and mount like that shown (see bottom).

Looks like a standard (non-OD) early TR3 gearbox to me. Of course that makes it the wrong one for the car; the hole cut to allow use of a late starter with an early gearbox would be plenty to scare me away!

 

[prb51]

This individual (dealer I believe) has put lots of cars up here. I'm not a fan of his work via ebay pics.
He always does a black paint job and has an excellent body/paint guy...they look great.
However, he takes many shortcuts...i.e the car was done on frame with motor and etc in place to save time/money for the dealer.
Looking closely I'd say any rust underneath was painted over...I've seen this in many of his pics on other cars too...rust peeking out from recent overspray.
The only way I'd touch one of his vehicles would be to have a prof. auto inspector (AAG or another) do a fine tooth comb and drive along.
Going that route saved my butt from a car that looked just as good but was a rust/bondo queen w/ poor mechanicals tho advertised as a "Ground up off frame resto" etc...not this dealer tho.
Good luck

 

[prb51]

Looking closely again it appears the tranny and exhaust were rattle canned silver after the black respray to appear as if the were not in place when the painting was done, bet therre is a coat of black under there....look at the upper tranny shot and you can see silver overspray on the shift tower.
He has gotten better at hiding it tho...I once emailed him about it as you could see the overspray on the feet of his lift as it was red...he repainted his lift.

 

[angelfj1]

"usually redoes them in black."

If someone was in the business to make a fast buck and fly the coop it would be counter intuitive. A black finish requires excellent body work and meticulous painting skills or every defect will seem amplified. I would say proceed with caution!!!

Also, IMHO, $20K+ seems high in these economic times.

 

[prb51]

Frank,
I agree it does take extra effort and makes any car guy feel as you do...hey, it's got to be good.
That doesn't mean it was done right, just done.
Too many minor issues for the money and too much effort in making it look better than it is...I'd rather see honest scruffy than paint over rust without the POR15.
Like the bent wheel spokes etc....he initially had the car up for 25k with these issues.
Get an inspector...cheap insurance...11 to 12 page report if they are good inspectors.

 

[billspit]

Looks like they made the floor pans and did not buy them from a vendor. Seat covers and carpets don't seem like a top level fit. But the car doesn't look bad.

 

[Andrew Mace]

...[T]he hole cut to allow use of a late starter with an early gearbox would be plenty to scare me away!

It's been years since I looked, but I vaguely recall that just such a bodge was mentioned in, of all things, a later edition of the TSOA Handbook...or maybe it was an old TSOA Newsletter? At any rate, whatever I remember having read I think also mentioned fashioning at least a crude sheetmetal cover for said "modification"! :hammer:

 

[prb51]

FWIW...look at the firewall engine compartment...He knew enuff to leave the brass tag brass and the VIN tag clean...look at the painted over brake/clutch lines and everything else...too include the wiper motor.
He does just enuff to make me suspicious.
I'll bet there are other issues we can't see too, he's showing it in it's best lite.
New temp gauge...not the right one but it's new.

 

[Number_6]

Also, looking at the pic of the new floor pans, they are clearly homemade floors and not correct. More importantly from a safety stand point, they do not appear to have the bolts thru the pan for the front & rear chassis out-riggers. Which of course raises the question "What's holding the body to the frame in the center of the car?" Plus where are the holes for the seat runners?
My guess, instead of spending the bucks to get the correct replacement floor pans they fabbed they're own floors out of some sheet metal. It's beyond me, if anyone is going to go thru the work of replacing the floors, why they wouldn't just get the correct panels and do it right. For me, cutting corners like that, speaks volumes about the quality of work you could expect on the rest of car.

 

[prb51]

Rich,
Good catch didn't even pick that up, they are 'home made' but with enough stock look (an attempt at least) with the imprints to pass for correct.
Like I said he has a good body man or is one himself.

 

[TR3driver]

It's been years since I looked, but I vaguely recall that just such a bodge was mentioned in, of all things, a later edition of the TSOA Handbook...or maybe it was an old TSOA Newsletter?

I've seen it somewhere too, although I don't recall the part about the sheet metal cover.

Just for clarity, I wasn't suggesting it was an unacceptable bodge; only that I wouldn't expect to find such mis-matched parts on a $20k car.

 

[Andrew Mace]

It's been years since I looked, but I vaguely recall that just such a bodge was mentioned in, of all things, a later edition of the TSOA Handbook...or maybe it was an old TSOA Newsletter?

I've seen it somewhere too, although I don't recall the part about the sheet metal cover.

Just for clarity, I wasn't suggesting it was an unacceptable bodge; only that I wouldn't expect to find such mis-matched parts on a $20k car.

Funny...I just went to "Google" to search for TSOA Handbook, in case someone might have put a copy of that edition up on the web. Haven't found one yet, but my comment above shows up on page 2 of the search results! :wink: