Hey Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
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smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Geo Hahn
Yoda
Offline
By popular demand (okay, one forum member asked) here is a look at my recent respray of the TR3A.
By way of background, at a car show in April a rogue wind kicked up and sent a shade tent flying across a ball field finally raking along the front of 3 Triumphs: mine, another TR3A (also a forum member) and an Italia. Fortunately the (corporate) owner of the tent was adequately insured and a settlement was reached. The sum I received was for straightening the grille and repairing and repainting the apron and right front wing - but of course if I did just that then the rest of the car would look that much worse by comparison - so I ponied up the difference to have the whole car painted.
The car had been stripped to bare metal in 2000 and painted with a base/clear. That paint was still very glossy but cracks had appeared around some holes and other areas that get stressed.
Here the guys gouge and explore flaws to see what lies beneath:
With yellow paint pen noting all the key areas to be addressed - we prepare to leave the TR and be patient while the work is done:
Since the rest of the paint was sound, only the problem areas were addressed:
The body man says products have improved in the past 16 years and what he used on those areas will not get as brittle as what was used before. Anyway, his guarantee is 5 years on the paint and lifetime on the body work - it is a large operation with 3 generations around the place so I expect they will be there to back it up if need be.
Yeah - not much to look at in primer - but I always enjoy seeing a car at this point:
I got to do all the reassembly (helped keep the cost of my share reasonable) and I took advantage of the opportunity (on the lift, front wheels off) to renew the bushings on the tie rod with Delrin - took a lot of slop out of the steering. First ride (always my first ride after major work) was up Mt Lemmon:
Put the windscreen on so I could take a passenger - shot this while visiting a friend after spending the morning at a new car museum just opened in Tucson:
My hat's off to the guys who do their own paint. I've actually painted this TR twice myself when I was much younger and thriftier - but no way I have the skills or patience to get this sort of result.
Someone will ask (and who can blame them?) how much this cost. It was $4800 all-in. I like the shop I use (they also did my E-Type) not only because I like the results but because they spend a lot of time with the car before they tell you what it will cost -- and that is the price when the work is complete - no phone calls for more work and more money.
Now it's time to drive.
By way of background, at a car show in April a rogue wind kicked up and sent a shade tent flying across a ball field finally raking along the front of 3 Triumphs: mine, another TR3A (also a forum member) and an Italia. Fortunately the (corporate) owner of the tent was adequately insured and a settlement was reached. The sum I received was for straightening the grille and repairing and repainting the apron and right front wing - but of course if I did just that then the rest of the car would look that much worse by comparison - so I ponied up the difference to have the whole car painted.
The car had been stripped to bare metal in 2000 and painted with a base/clear. That paint was still very glossy but cracks had appeared around some holes and other areas that get stressed.
Here the guys gouge and explore flaws to see what lies beneath:
With yellow paint pen noting all the key areas to be addressed - we prepare to leave the TR and be patient while the work is done:
Since the rest of the paint was sound, only the problem areas were addressed:
The body man says products have improved in the past 16 years and what he used on those areas will not get as brittle as what was used before. Anyway, his guarantee is 5 years on the paint and lifetime on the body work - it is a large operation with 3 generations around the place so I expect they will be there to back it up if need be.
Yeah - not much to look at in primer - but I always enjoy seeing a car at this point:
I got to do all the reassembly (helped keep the cost of my share reasonable) and I took advantage of the opportunity (on the lift, front wheels off) to renew the bushings on the tie rod with Delrin - took a lot of slop out of the steering. First ride (always my first ride after major work) was up Mt Lemmon:
Put the windscreen on so I could take a passenger - shot this while visiting a friend after spending the morning at a new car museum just opened in Tucson:
My hat's off to the guys who do their own paint. I've actually painted this TR twice myself when I was much younger and thriftier - but no way I have the skills or patience to get this sort of result.
Someone will ask (and who can blame them?) how much this cost. It was $4800 all-in. I like the shop I use (they also did my E-Type) not only because I like the results but because they spend a lot of time with the car before they tell you what it will cost -- and that is the price when the work is complete - no phone calls for more work and more money.
Now it's time to drive.
