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TR2/3/3A TR3A Rear Valence

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M_Pied_Lourd

M_Pied_Lourd

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Hi Guys,

Working on the rear of my car. It is in pretty bad shap and is almost beyond repair (at least with my skill set/tool availability). I have been looking around at ordering a new one and have two options to consider. TRF/Moss offer a new full valence while VB offers a repair panel for the bottom half. Unfortuntely, there is not much price difference in the two panels. The difference would be in the amount of work to get the old valance out and complete new one welded in. The repair panel would be much easier and would repair most (if not all) of what I need repaired.

Does anyone have experience with this patch panel from VB? Any pics out there to see what it looks like? Any other sources for these parts other than the big three/four?

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd
 
I'll send you a PM shortly. Tom
 
Hi JP,

Sure will. Will post what I find out. Tom has given me a good lead to follow.

Cheers,
David
 
Hi.
I took the rear off my 57 last summer. It was a lot of work, and more to get it back on. I took it loose at the edge seam spot welds around the tire well, and at the corners of the boot drain channel, then at the seam under the lower valence curve.(btw, I think there are better places to cut)

Pulling the inner panels back flat and straight on the sides was not too bad. Getting the right curve in the flare to the light bases gave me trouble. Reassembly was hard as the newly straightened areas are of course a mismatch. That and my welding skill is pitiful. I think I spent two weeks on it.

ed
 
Thanks for the reply Ed. Yes, it does sound like an adventure. I would rather not go there if I can find a repair panel to fix the bottom and sides. Will let you know what I find out.

Cheers,
David
 
9 years ago when I was restoring my TR2,I had the same idea and ordered the panel from VB. I returned it promptly. Nuff said. PM if more details are needed.
 
JP, David, and ?

I looked but can't find my pictures of that particular work, sorry. They were put in a "safe" place :frown: Anyway it wasn't much to look at. As I remember the separating of the valance at the bottom curved seam was maybe not the best choice. The small very flat insert piece that runs across has a straight seam on the vertical panel that the bumper support tubes come through. There may have been a better cut location so the tubes could be aligned in the reassembly. Trying to reattach the tubes to the inaccessible back side of the valance is hard.

ed
 
Good advice, Ed. Most reproduction aprons I've seen (that's not many) had this all together. The repair panels may not. You should weld this assembly up before you you put the piece in. (I notice that the flat piece or "closing panel" is NLA in the current Moss catalog although still available from other sources. It is also quite easily made, provided you have enough of the old one to go by, as the location of the bumper tubes is critical.) Tom
 
The bottom 4" to 5" of the rear end on my 1958 TR3A was like lace when I decided to replace the rear valance in 1988. I bought the full valance from Cox & Buckles in Richmond-on-Thames and had it air shipped here. It was then that I found out about the differences in the stampings between the "early" TR3As and the "later" TR3As. The stamping I received was for the later TRs while mine is an "early" one. Also the domes for the directional flasher lighs on the repro rear valances are much "shallower". So I cut it half-way-up the spare wheel cut-out and the rear tail on my TR half-way-down and MIG welded it into place. I used butt welds so it would be smooth inside and out with no overlaps.

Tush - If your TR3A is a later one, it will probably fit but in my case, all the troughs for the trunk lid seal were different.

No one can see where I did this and after about 20 years, a chap in Kingston Ontario left his TR3A on the slope of his driveway while he got out to close his garage door. The un-guided TR rolled down the slope and backed into a garbage truck which just happened to be passing. So I sold him the left-over top half of my rear valance for what I had paid for it so he could repair his TR.

In this photo from 1988, only the bottom 5" or 6" is from the new repro valance.
 

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Hi Guys, Thanks for all the responses.

Skip, I am a little leary taking the whole rear off the car as upon inspection, it looks pretty difficult to do. I am mostly concerned with the welds around the spare tire compartment. They look tricky to deal with.

I allready have new side stiffeners, bottom close out panel (both flat and verticle pieces). I was doing some fitting of the side stiffeners to see how they would meet up with the rear of the fender. Both rear corners are rusted really badly and there isn't even a flange on the sides of the apron where the stiffener sits under and welds too.

Will take some pics when I am home from being on the road. Chicago this week....cold here.

Cheers,
David
 
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