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TR2/3/3A Tr3 Front Apron

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mountainman

mountainman

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My body shop guy tells me the front apron on my TR3 is going to be really hard to fix because the metal has been stretched out.So my question is where could I find a good used one or a fiberglass one?
Thanks
Greg
 
They do show up from time to time on eBay. There is a fellow out here in CA that apparently restores them as a hobby and sells his successes.

Just for clarity though, you should probably be asking for a TR3A front apron (assuming you want to remain stock for your commission number). Although the factory didn't use that designation, most enthusiasts use the 'A' suffix to denote the "wide mouth" apron used after TS22013.
 
Can't your body shop shrink it back?
 
NickMorgan said:
Can't your body shop shrink it back?
Click to expand...
I hope he can fix it. I am just checking for options.
Thanks
 
Thanks Randall for that video, I'm going to look into that. I have the perfect area to try it out.
 
We restored a late TR3A that had been smashed in 1996, then sat under a tarp for 4 winters and 4 summers.
 

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That was the "before" photo. Here it is in 2006 when we finished it. We are just careful rookies at this.
 

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Looks like a professional job to me. How would you like a free place to stay this winter in sunny warm AZ. There is a small catch though.
 
Thanks Don & Randall,
I will sleep better tonight after seeing the video and pictures.
 
Greg, here is another picture to help you sleep!
This is what I did to my TR3 one rainy day about 15 years ago. An old panel beater called George tapped it all back into shape and I loved the way he shrank the metal back using a blow torch, mallet and dolly!
scan0044.jpg
 
NickMorgan said:
Greg, here is another picture to help you sleep!
This is what I did to my TR3 one rainy day about 15 years ago. An old panel beater called George tapped it all back into shape and I loved the way he shrank the metal back using a blow torch, mallet and dolly!
scan0044.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks Nick,
A good body man is truly an artist.
Greg
 
TR3driver said:
They do show up from time to time on eBay. There is a fellow out here in CA that apparently restores them as a hobby and sells his successes.

Just for clarity though, you should probably be asking for a TR3A front apron (assuming you want to remain stock for your commission number). Although the factory didn't use that designation, most enthusiasts use the 'A' suffix to denote the "wide mouth" apron used after TS22013.
Click to expand...
Do you know if the guy in California rehabs front aprons on request?
 
twcguy said:
Do you know if the guy in California rehabs front aprons on request?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I don't. I just bought one on eBay from him last year, and picked it up out towards Rancho Cucamonga. He didn't seem to have a TR and I saw other body parts around, so I was just guessing based on that.

Looks like he hasn't been selling much of anything lately though, so likely I was mistaken. His eBay ID is
etypewatercolor
https://myworld.ebay.com/etypewatercolor
 
There's a picture of my beaten-up TR3 in the second post in this thread. The auto body artist I took it to says he's going to straighten up the rear wing. I've seen the "before & after" album he keeps. It's possible. Though, I sure don't know how it's done. The cat's good!
 
If anyone is interested, I have a 3A front apron for sale, in only slightly worse condition than those shown above. I'll try to get some photos and a classified ad posted in the next few days. The (undamaged) hood will be available too; along with the 3-synchro non-OD box from the project TR3.
 
Moseso said:
The auto body artist I took it to says he's going to straighten up the rear wing. I've seen the "before & after" album he keeps. It's possible. Though, I sure don't know how it's done. The cat's good!
Click to expand...
"Artist" is the key word: it takes patience, skill, and an artist's/craftsman's touch. Nowadays, many body technicians don't fully develop those skills and artistry, simply because it's not economically feasible to do a lot of hammer work in a collision/insurance settlement shop environment.

Back when I was in high school in the late 1960s, my dad brought home a book that had been deaccessioned from the library where he (and now I) work. It was a late 1940s automotive body work text book. The techniques are still mostly valid, of course, but the photos of what shops would repair back then are mind-boggling. Nowadays, if a front fender has much more than hail damage and bolts on, it's tossed and a new one put in its place. Kinda sad....
 
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