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TR2/3/3A TR3 sitting 40years !

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beaulieu

beaulieu

Jedi Warrior
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Hi,,,,

I need some help, first I know nothing about triumphs ,

I just made a deal for a TR3that has been sitting since 1965 in a garage here in Southern California , its a 1958

So before I go and drag this car home I have a couple questions?

is it 6v or 12v , negative or positive ground ?

I assume they use Whitworth wrenches ? what sizes do I need to buy wrenches and sockets ? for service , change valve cover gasket etc

mechanical fuel pump or electric ? and if electric where is it located ?

Right now the plan is to drag it home , change oil and filter , change water/ antifreeze , pull the plugs and Marvel Mystery oil the cylanders ,
then change the fuel lines but I will start it off a gas can with clean fuel.
Turn it over by hand ,


if all goes well start it up and fumigate the neighborhood !

At least thats what I would do if I was starting an old VW etc,

Am I missing anything ?

Anyway thanks for your advise, when I get it home later this week I will post some pics.

Thanks for your help

Beaulieu
 
Re: TR2 sitting 40years !

Hi,

First of all, congratulations on a fortunate find!

If it truly were a 1958, it would be a TR3. In all likelihood, it is a TR2 built sometime earlier, sold and registered for the first time in 1958, and thus given a 1958 title registration. That was common in those days.

You can deterimine the exact date of manufacture by the chassis number, ordering records for the car from the BMIHT website. (https://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/archive/certificate/default.htm) TR2 are rare enough that you should do so, assuming you plan a proper and careful restoration.

Do yourself a favor and order a service manual. The best are the reprints of the originals by Bentley. There are a number of others that provide useful reference.

There are also good books by Roger Williams (resoration) and Bill Piggott (originality and restoration). The later has a volume of knowledge about TR2 and there are a lot of variances in the early TRs, they were practially hand built. These are available often on Amazon.com (usually lower prices than on eBay).

The car uses a 12V system, positive ground unless it's been changed by a previous owner.

There are very few Whitworth nuts and bolts on the very earliest TR2, almost none on the later Triumphs. Virtually all the fasteners will be SAE sizes.

Fuel pump is mechanical, located on the lefthand (driver's side) of the engine, back near the bellhousing.

Search the archives here. Someone posted a link to a website that gives very thorough start-up procedures for virtually any old car that's been sitting. There are some very important steps and precautions.

For example, I'd not start it before dropping the oil pan (sump), cleaning it out and checking the innards of the engine as best I can, then refilling with fresh, new oil. A little mystery oil or engine oil in the cyl., yes, but also take off the valve cover and run it down in in the lifters, onto the camshaft, etc. Or use some STP on those.

I'd not try to drive it at all until the brakes, brake lines and tires are checked out, the hoses and belts are replaced, all fluids in the gearbox and diff are changed, and the steering/suspension is looked over carefully.

We look forward to seeing some pics!

Cheers!

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
 
Re: TR2 sitting 40years !

thanks for your reply,
This just kind of fell on me , I am not a Triumph guy, so do not know if its a TR 2 or 3,
I must say I really do not plan on keeping the car long turn , I would like to get it running as that adds value , but really do not plan on spending big bucks on it.

I will let someone who falls in love with it do the brakes etc, I just do not want to damage anything.

Sorry I do not have any more info , I have not even seen it, a friend found it for me and made the deal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

thanks for the advise
 
Re: TR2 sitting 40years !

Best of luck with it!

You are wise to be careful starting it after it's sat so long. All the rubber parts will likely be bad, too.

Keep us posted! I hope to get a TR2 someday, to keep my TR4 company. (Along with a TR3A "Beta", TR6 PI, GT6+, TR8, MGA, Bugeye and one or two other "dream cars". Hmmm, I think I need to move into a warehouse first!)

Cheers!

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
 
Hi, and welcome, Beaulieu -

If it's a '58, it's a TR3A. The easiest way to differentiate them is a TR2 and a TR3 had a small opening in the front apron, situated below the headlights, and between them. The TR2 had a grille set back inside the opening, and the 3 had its grille mounted at the outside. The TR3A, known as the "wide mouth", had its grille extend almost to the fender beads, equal to the outside of the headlight pods.

As mentioned, you probably won't need any whitworth tools, as virtually all hardware is SAE. And member Tony Barnhill's site - www.theautoist.com - has a great article on waking sleeping British cars.

Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted on your progress.

Mickey
 
Another question ?

how wide is the track ? center of tire to center of tire ?

I think I need to make another bracket to mount the loading ramps on the trailer, it was set up for a wider car

thanks
 
[ QUOTE ]
Another question ?

how wide is the track ? center of tire to center of tire ?

I think I need to make another bracket to mount the loading ramps on the trailer, it was set up for a wider car

thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

The TR3's are pretty narrow - approx. 45".
 
The only thing I can add to the other good information is to find an extra distributor shaft, pull the gears off, remove your distributor, put in the dummy shaft, (remember to rotate it till it drops into the offset keyway in the pump), chuck it up in a half inch drill and run the drill until you see pressure on the gage. That way all the galleys get filled. If you can get some assistance and you have the handcrank, pull the plugs and have someone turn it over slowly while you're operating the pump. Assuming you've oiled the cylinders/rings with something. Maybe wd40 to start with. Have fun and good luck.
Tom Lains
ps All the electrical connections are whitworth, but you can usually find six point metrics that are close enough and yes all the brake seals will be like putty, don't even trust them to stop you coming down off a trailer.
 
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