TR2/3/3A tr3 hand brake handle

[sp53]

Hi tr3 people does anyone know what years the tr3 hand brake handle was a spin on or a push on handle. I thought the early ones were the threaded black spin on handles and that the body came in chrome; however, it looks like the one I have for the 1961 tr3 is a push on handle with a chrome body and the 58 is a painted silver body with a screw on black handle. Perhaps there has been some after market or junkyard one slipped in along the way.

sp53

 

[JFS]

My 58 has a chrome body and I think it has a black sleeve type handle that pushes on over it. I believe it to be original.

 

[Don Elliott]

Mine is chromed with threads about 3" down from the top end. The handle at the top is hard black plastic (maybe bakelite ?) and it goes down over the top and threads onto the threads mentioned above. I bought a new one during my restoration but I found out it was a bit smaller on the outside diameter and it was semi-flexible. So I polished and buffed the oxide off the original one and sprayed it with clear-coat. It's almost 48 years old and still looks like new. See attachment

 

[JFS]

Mine could very well screw on as Don describes. I've had the unit out of the car on numerous occassions, but I never noticed how the top is put on (the car is up on my lift for winter and I didn't go look).

 

[Deleted member 451]

My late '59 is a screw on.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

My '57 was chrome with threaded handle.

Mickey

 

[sp53]

Thanks all. I am thinking the 1961 tr3 is a chrome push on type. Anyway of the two I have for the restoration the chrome push on is in the best shape. I got them both back in the 70’s or early 80’s and what is interesting is the screw on one looks original or at least a high quality repo, but it is not chrome. It is actually painter silver? I do not think the factory would have put out a non-chrome one?
Sp53

 

[sammyb]

There is a guy on Ebay who is selling TR3 brake handle covers, but they are actually GT6/Spit rubber ones. I bought one, then sent it back...I also explained to him that they a)aren't correct and b)don't really fit, but he continues to market them.

 

[Don Elliott]

Right now I'm restoring a TR3A (TS81551 L) which was one of the last ones before they added the TR3B and the handbrake lever arm is chromed and has threads for the screw-on hand grip. I have 3 or 4 others somewhere on the shelf and they are all the same.

As for the painted one, is it possible that someone cleaned off the rusty chrome and painted it to look nicer and to save the problem of removing it as well as the cost of having it re-chromed ?

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A

 

[sp53]

Thanks Don and Sammy for the tip. When my son comes over, I will see if he can take some pictures. In addition, I will get the ts number off the 61 and see where that fits in, perhaps that will shed some light on this project. I have been banging around on that thing for a couple of years and it is kinda coming together. At least the suspension, brakes, and fuel line ect are about done. I have disassembled the panels from the body and have the body tub set for blasting, chemical stripping, electrolysis or what ever else I can hit it with this spring. I saw Don’s project and was totally jealous. I painted my 58 BRG and was curious Don if that is BRG on yours.

Sp53

 

[Don Elliott]

Every time there is a change in paint technology, enamel to 2-pack to the latest, etc. the paint suppliers re-formulate their car paints with a new mixing formula. Dupont and others have not re-formulated the 1955 to 1960 TR3 British Racing Green, so I took the closest that they had. Dupont call it Triumph Racing Green for a TR4. It is also known by some as "Conifer". The sample looked identical the BRG but once it's on the car, it looks like it has a bit more blue in it than the original BRG on the TR3A.

See the attachment.

Don Elliott

 

[sp53]

Yes that is kinda what I thought too, that thing is nice. When I got my 58 back, it looked a little yellow for BRG, but it grew on me. Like you said, the people I talked to maintained that brg has minor variation. Jaguar brg seems to be kinda dark. I hope I get this one as nice as that snow bunny of yours.
Sp53

 

[sp53]

Hi tr3 people this is what I am talking about on the tr3 hand brake handle. In the attachment, the one is chrome with a push on handle and the other has threads but is not chrome. Perhaps the threaded piece is a ring small and came off with the old rubber handle. However, I cannot see where it was welded, but it does look separate on the other one. I am just curious if someone else has a tr3 hand brake with a handle that pushes on because I guess the push on is actually a tr4 and the whole handle is different. Perhaps they are both after market form the seventies. I do not know.

Sp53

 

[TRTEL]

SP, All the 3 handles I remember from the garage were, as I think Don Elliott mentioned, like bakelite and threaded. Seemed like the more sun exposed the cockpit was the more likely that the handle would start to split around the threads. That's were they always seemed to break.
Tom Lains

 

[Andrew Mace]

[ QUOTE ]
... Dupont and others have not re-formulated the 1955 to 1960 TR3 British Racing Green, so I took the closest that they had. Dupont call it Triumph Racing Green for a TR4. It is also known by some as "Conifer". The sample looked identical the BRG but once it's on the car, it looks like it has a bit more blue in it than the original BRG on the TR3A.

[/ QUOTE ]Don, "Conifer" may not be quite right, but it looks great in that picture! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I've never had a chance to verify this with actual cars, but the areas of original "BRG" paint on my TR3A (TS71909L) always looked to me more than a little like the "British Racing Green" -- Triumph code #75, used on Spitfires and TR6s (and perhaps early TR7s) in the mid-1970s. Both definitely are a bit more "yellow" than Conifer.