• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A TR3 out for the first good run in 2 years.

Share this page

jdubois

jdubois

Jedi Warrior
Country flag
Offline
I haven't had my car on the road really for the past two seasons. Two summers ago I was just too busy to get to the thing, and last summer I had the engine and gearbox out of the car. While I did get it back together enough to take it for a quick spin around the block, that was about it before the season was over.

I finally got around this year to getting the fuel and coolant lines all replaced, making the headlights work again, putting the interior back together, and getting a few quick shake-down rides in. But this evening, after I put my five year old to bed, I went out for a 20 mile drive as the sun was going down.

The passenger door is still the wrong color, the shifter rattles, the tach is stuck at 4K more or less, the speedo says I'm doing 70mph when my butt tells me I'm doing about 30, there's a small coolant leak at the heater valve, and there's a gas leak that I can smell but cannot see (I'm pretty sure it's at the fuel tank sender. Smell suddenly appeared after I filled the tank, and the gasket looks like it's failed). But she was running strong, eager to go, and I came back with a big ole grin on my face :smile:

tr3dusk.jpg
 
I can understand you being surprised by the gas leak, coolant leak, tach and speedo not working properly, and a new rattle -after all, it's a TR3 and nobody expects anything less than perfect functionality. But, did you think the color on the door was going to match the rest on it's own? -Seriously, it looks great, and I'm grinning for you too. Congratulations.
 
TexasKnucklehead said:
But, did you think the color on the door was going to match the rest on it's own?
Click to expand...

:laugh: No... but it annoys me whenever I look at it. I keep hoping it'll magically correct itself.
 
Congrats on getting it back out on the road. Good looking car! I don't think one can drive a TR3 without finding a grin on their face at some point! I suffer from the same affliction!
 
Always a great moment when a TR hits the road after a lay off. Minor hiccups are to be expected and satisfying when tracked down and fixed.

The fuel smell could be the tank filler neck lower hose clip needs tightening. The tank entry pipe is inside the rubber coupler, so unless the pump nozzle is fed right down during the fill, fuel can collect there, gradually leak past, and the odour feeds into the cabin.

The fuel overflow pipe is another culprit for odours when the tank is near full, as fuel sloshes out.

I hadn't run my 3A for 8 months or so until last weekend due to using other cars last southern summer. But despite stale fuel, it still fired up first touch of the button and ran through the countryside like a dream on a club run last Sunday.

Re-kindled that unique feeling of the big steering wheel, cut away doors, 3rd - 3rd overdrive through the twisty bits, raspy exhaust etc. Likewise, a big smile for the rest of the day.

Viv.
 
Well said, Viv!
 
Love those overdrives on the twisty, hilly roads.

Nice to see that you are back on the road again. I'm sure you'll get the bugs out soon.
 
Back
Top