• 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 starter handle length

Share this page

A

Adrio

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Are there two lengths for the TR3 starter handle? And if so what are the two lengths, if some one has them please. I notice there are two handles listed in usual catalogs.

My handle hits the bumper with about an inch of overlap with the bumper. I just want to confirm that my handle is the short one and that I can get a longer one for this current car/bumper configuration. The other option is that the DPO did something besides weld the apron on that moved the bumper forward relative to the engine.
 
Just measured mine, which fits the car fine: '59 TR3A #51006...
From the very tip of the bullet nose to the inside of the crank arm = 17-15/16". Call it 18", I'm sure. The fat bearing for the support in the cowl starts at 7-3/4" from the tip and runs to 9-3/16" from the tip.
 
One of my apparently original handles does appear to be about 1/2" longer than the other two; but I don't believe this is the variation in part numbers. The part number changed when the TR3A was introduced, and I've always assumed it was because the guide location moved relative to the crankshaft.

My 59 had the frame extensions slid fully forward on their slots, and an additional packing between the frame extension and the front apron (which also moved the bumper out). Seemed to be what it took to make the front apron fit. Ironically, I never tried the handcrank on it, as I had deleted the crank hole in the radiator before handles starting coming my way.
 
Moseso said:
Just measured mine, which fits the car fine: '59 TR3A #51006...
From the very tip of the bullet nose to the inside of the crank arm = 17-15/16". Call it 18", I'm sure. The fat bearing for the support in the cowl starts at 7-3/4" from the tip and runs to 9-3/16" from the tip.
Click to expand...

Mine is the exact length, yet it does not fit my '59(according to the Comm. Number - 57 according to the registration). I hope I have the short handle.

I guess I will have to wait for someone who has the measurements of the other size before giving up.

Could it be that bumper I bought from TRF in November 1988 had too much curve on it and that makes the centre part stick out more then the handle.
 
Hi Adrio,

I have a small mouth 57 and I also have a large mouth apron, I think that the crank guide is further in on the small mouth that the large mouth apron. Maybe the fat bearing on the small mouth crank is closer to the tip of the starter crank,
My 57 has the crankhole removed for greater cooling, the crank I have did work on my 62 tr-3 many years ago.
I noticed that the crank changes to a different part number when the grill changes in 57 in the Moss catalog. Also I drove my tr-3 for the first time on a 140 mile trip and it ran fine, no overheating problems all day. However it did run hotter on the parkway(65mph) than on the state hwy which has slower speeds and red lights. I think I have to change over to the tr-6 fan and adapt it to fit on the old fan pedestal. Also the left blinker will not work but the right one works fine, I'm only getting 5 volts out of the wiring from the steering box so I think it might be the left hand contact in the horn assembly.
 
There were two lengths. I don't know what car used the other one - maybe it was used on many cars - not just Standard-Triumphs. Maybe on a TR2 with the deep recessed grille ?

Sometime between about 1962 and 1972, I lost my crank handle and since my TR was stored from 1972 to 1987, I didn't need one. In 1990 when I finished my total 3-year restoration, I bought a new starting crank from Moss or Roadster Factory.

I'm glad I have the hole in my rad. I'm sure you can buy a new crank. Or you can cut and re-weld the one you have so it fits.

I can remember about 1995, I was in Baie St Paul down the St Laurence River from Quebec City when I had starter trouble and had to use the crank. In a public parking lot, I forgot to pick it up off the grass after using it and put it back in my trunk. I drove back the next day to the same park and picked it up where I had left it.

I have had no starter troubles since 2002 when I was at the races at Mosport, Ontario. After that, I had to put in a new rubber thing called a “Pinion and Sleeve” in my long-nose starter used on the early sidescreen cars and I had to buy a new pinion rubber sleeve
(see photo) that cushions the shock when the starter motor starts and the pinion spins out to engage the flywheel. It happened again yesterday (39,000 miles later) so I'll have to put in my welded spare (see photo) that I MIG welded together and used in 2002 till I received the new one with the moulded rubber inside it from Moss. Delivery was slow because I had ordered it by phone on 9/11 and there were no planes flying for at least a week or longer. This one seems to have
failed yesterday (Taiwan rubber ?) in the same way. Maybe this time I'll buy two new spares.

My crank measures 18" from the starting (engaging) end to the first 90 degree bend, then about 6" to the next bend and about 6 more inches to the handle end where there is a loose tubular sleeve over it where your hand grabs it. This tube is retained but is free to rotate on the crank. The
thick bit has to match up with the hole in the crank support located behind the grille and in front of the rad. Mine is 7.1 to 9.2 inches from the starting end.

The engaging end of mine has a cylindrical extension about 3/8" diameter and which is about 1/2" long with two inclined "dogs" which are sloped to match the hole and the slopes on the front end of the starter crank bolt which you can see with the rad removed and when you are looking at the front of the fan.
 

Attachments

  • 17712.jpg
    17712.jpg
    55.2 KB · Views: 185
Don, I have no crank and would like to make one. Can you dimension the dog end of it? I would appreciate.

Thanks

YH
 
Yvan - If you can wait till the winter, I'll lend you mine so you can use it as a model. Moss Motors in Calif have them.

389-040 $54.95 STARTING HANDLE "hand crank" TR3A-3B
 
Yvan,

Were in Quebec are you. If you are near Ottawa you can use mine as a model while my car is layed up. My only need for it is when I am painting as it is all rusted and I want to paint it while I have the gun going, and of course once the car is back together.
 
Back
Top