• 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 TR3A spare wheel compartment picture

Share this page

NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
Bronze
Offline
Could someone please share a picture of the correctly appointed spare wheel compartment?

I've replaced the missing "toolkit" belt (see below), but don't know what the center belt (I assume wheel restraint) should look like.

And as an aside, what's the purpose of that steel plate with a hole in it, back inside the compartment?

I'm feeling very guilty of asking you guys a zillion questions each week. If this is a forum no-no, please send me a PM!

Thanks.
Tom
 
Aloha Tom,

I don't have a photo, but I'm sure Harry or Don will post one soon, they are both excellent references for how things are suppose to be. The steel plate just keeps the tire off the front of the compartment. The center belt uses the the black metal tab shown in your photo as an attachment point. There should also be another tab mounted under the trunk floor above the one you've shown. The belts buckle up to keep the spare restrained in the compartment. The spare tool role, jack and ratcheting handle are mounted to the right side of the compartment and secured by the belt on that side.

I have no problem with questions. I enjoy talking about the cars.
 
My post 60,000 spare tire compartment does not have that piece of steel in the front like yours does. anyway, I took a pic from Bill Piggott's book that shows the inside of that compartment and the leather straps. You need to get his book. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Also, the post 60,000 cars had a slightly raised trunk floor over the spare tire compartment to accomadate 165 size tires.

Edit: BTW, from reading the text in the book I get the impression that the pictures are from a post 60,000 car, although it doesn't specifically state that.
 
MGTF1250Dave said:
...The belts buckle up to keep the spare restrained in the compartment...
Click to expand...

Which is interesting since it takes 'two men and a boy' to yank that sucker out of there.

I tie a nylon strap around the tire (thru the rim) to have something to pull on... often on my butt with feet propped against the bumperettes. And an uninflated spare at that.
 
Aloha Geo,

I was describing the theory, not the actuality. Perhaps the "steel plate" is there so you can thread something around the tire to get is out of the compartment.
 
Art - I did indeed find those pictures in my Piggott (proud owner as of last week!). And I too assumed it was a post-60000 car. But I learned a few days ago that Piggott may slip a gear every once in a while (e.g. the "single speed wiper had no autopark" statement).

I went out and looked at the roof of my spare compartment. Sure enough, the upper bracket is missing and the holes filled in (weird). I'll go ahead and fix that, and make another leather strap assembly.

By the way, I wonder if GeoHahn's tire is tight because the compartment was made for a bias-play (thinner) tire?

Thanks all.
Tom
 
Aloha Tom,

I think that most people with a 165R15 spare tire will tell you that in a pre TS60000 car it is a very tight fit. That is it is relatively easy to slide in and much more difficult to remove. A 155R15 tire might be easier to remove, but I'm not sure. I have a 125R15 tire mounted on a 48 spoke wheel that I use a a spare tire. If I ever need it, I intend to use it like most modern spare to only get home or to a repair shop.

The upper bracket hole may still be there and only painted over. They are about 3/16" diameter holes and about 2 1/2" apart and about directly below rear trunk seal rail. If you poke around there you might find the holes.
 
NutmegCT said:
But I learned a few days ago that Piggott may slip a gear every once in a while (e.g. the "single speed wiper had no autopark" statement).
Click to expand...
I agree Bill sometimes misses things, but I think you've overstated the case somewhat here. I just read the passage in question, and all it really says is that the 2-speed wipers were self-parking.
"Two speed wipers were available as an option, and also had the addition of a self-parking arrangement;" (near the center of page 60, "Original Triumph TR2/3/3A").

IMO, all Bill neglected was to mention that the DR2 motor was also self-parking (while the CRT15 was not). The adjacent picture of the DR2 clearly shows the wire from the gearbox, that implements the self-park feature.

Unless you found another passage somewhere else ?
 
Yes the compartment wants an old 550 (?) tire. 165's look pretty skinny to us but I think they are wider than what would have been original.
 
MGTF1250Dave said:
I think that most people with a 165R15 spare tire will tell you that in a pre TS60000 car it is a very tight fit. That is it is relatively easy to slide in and much more difficult to remove.
Click to expand...
Mine wasn't even easy to slide in ! Like Geo, I had a rope tied around it; at times I considered tying the rope to a tree and driving away from it !

Of course the problem is that the original tires were much skinnier than even 155R15; more like a 140.
MGTF1250Dave said:
A 155R15 tire might be easier to remove, but I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Definitely easier, but the rope is still handy.
MGTF1250Dave said:
I have a 125R15 tire mounted on a 48 spoke wheel that I use a a spare tire.
Click to expand...
Me too, although since I have steel wheels I used an original steel wheel. I've actually driven 100 miles at speed on it, with no problem. Since I don't have the original straps, I use a rolled-up blanket to keep the spare from sliding around.

BTW, even pre-60K TR3s were available new with radial tires, so it's not the radial/bias ply difference. My 165 spare was a bias ply.
 
I used some MaGuire's Endurance which is intended to blacken your tires to make them look newer. This was on my spare and it's so slippery now, it slides out easily. I did it on both sides. It's a Michelin 165 SR 15 in my early TR3A (TS 27489 LO).

I have never used the strap that "holds the tire in". In it's first life up to 80,000 miles, I did a lot of rallying with my TR3A and I didn't want to lose time trying to get the leather strap un-tangled if I had to change a tire. Since 1990, with another 97,000 miles, the new tire has never moved in the wheel well.
 
Tom,
Keep asking the questions as I am learning more all of the time from reading what others have replied and checking my own car too. Your dash looks great by the way.
I had a 155x15 tyre as a spare in my first TR3A (TS36131) as I had always heard that a 165x15 wouldn't fit in there easily. I know that some people keep their spare deflated and have an electric pump to try and overcome the problem. Post 60000 cars had a very slightly raised boot floor that made all the difference. Even so, I know quite a few people who have a nylon strap hooped through their spare wheel, so that they can pull it out with that. I think that different tyres have different degrees of bulge in their side walls.
As for the leather strap to secure the wheel. My current car didn't have one when I bought it. I subsequently spun the car and hit a wall with the front of the car, which caused the spare to bounce around and knock the spare tyre cover off. Before I could retrieve it the following car ran over it and bent it in two. If it wasn't for that my car would still have all of its original panels.
 
I know that my 1959 (both actually, TS31104 and TS39910) TR3A's were originally fitted with 155SR15's. Maybe post-TS60000 the upgrade was made to 165's, hence the raised opening in the well. I did the research at 14 years old on the correct tires for my first 3A (TS31104) and still remember pouring over the Coker Tire ads dreaming of the day I'd be ready for the new set and be on the road...
Speaking of VIN's by the way, I saw a TR3A on ebay with a TS34XXX number and it was titled as a 1958. I know back then they were titled when sold but it seemed a little off to me, may have been a misprint I guess?
 
Sorry, back to the topic, both cars also had the leather strap in the center mounted at the top/bottom, buckled in the middle.. If memory is correct these were about an inch or two behind the spare tire compartment lid.
 
Brian - On page 120 of his book, Bill Piggott lists that TS 34312 was built in June 1958 and that TS 35350 was built in July, 1958.
 
By 59 the 155R15s were available (Bill sez they were first listed as options in 55); but the spare tire compartment was designed for a bias ply 5.50" tire.
 
One of my former TR3A's was listed as a 1959 on the title BUT it was TS74011L...clearly not accurate but it was a rebuilt salvage vehicle so the "rebuilder" may have just written down 1959 on the title application.
 
A long-overdue followup. After adding the side belt, I want to add the missing center belt. I have the bottom bracket, but not the top.

However (see picture), the bracket that I have is quite flat against the mount point. The brackets for the side-mounted belt (toolkit belt) have a center raised area to accommodate the belt. The bracket in the picture has a molded hump, but it's only a raised area in the flat bracket; there's no "clearance" for a belt to pass underneath.

I can't see any way to get a belt - especially with a loop in it - under the bracket I have. Same for the top if I ever find one (not in the catalogues, I'm afraid).

Does anyone have a closeup of the top and bottom belt brackets? Perhaps I have incorrect brackets?

Thanks.
Tom
 
Tom,

The bracket in your picture looks like the flatter top bracket for the riveted loop end of the tire hold down belt piece. The top bracket would be the tire hold down belt end with the holes. The bottom bracket is a lot more upwardly pronounced and holds the riveted loop end of the buckle piece. Unfortunately my tire is kind of in the way for a clear shot of the top bracket. The top bracket is about the same length as the bottom but when installed just barely allows for the belt thickness. The top bracket also sits back aways inside the spare compartment almost to the middle of the sidewall of the tire. Another thing is the top bracket appears to be fastened with nuts attached to flat headed screws protruding down from indise the trunk. The bottom is fastened with flat head screws.

The top bracket appears to be just big enough for the belt to fit through where the bottom has lots of space for the belt to go through. Im truly sorry but Mr. lazy man hopes he doesn't have to yank that 165 tire out a there for a closer look but certainly will if need be.

Here is the bottom bracket.

sparetireandtoolstrapholders002.jpg
 
Back
Top