TR6 TR6 purchase...Frame rust

[TulsaFred]

Hi guys,

I am considering the purchase of a TR6 to restore. I would like, ideally, to have a car requiring only light to moderate resto work, ie. body work and only mild/mod panel rust, a complete running engine, and solid undercarriage.

I found a local car that I'm interested in, but the frame is pretty rusted where the trailing arm comes in and bolts to the rear frame crossmember. A common area of rust, as I understand.

I think it would be wise to abandon the deal, but I thought I'd seek opinions. How much work to fix? Is it a deal breaker?

thanks!
Fred

 

[mrv8q]

Many TR6s out there, but there's always this option:
https://www.rat-co.com/TRFrames1.html

 

[TR4nut]

Fred-

A lot really depends on the price, etc - but in your area I would take some time and I bet you can find a project with a better frame. Anything is fixable, but I wouldn't tackle what you were talking about unless the car was given to me I think.

Randy

 

[tdskip]

Hi Fred - it is likely significant work at best. Might be better to look at another car.

 

[rlich8]

Fred -

It depends how involved you want to get. It's hard to estimate. It all depends, really. If you're just looking to repair what's damaged... You might be able to get away with cutting out the parts that are rusted and fabricating the pieces you need with some 1/8th inch steel.

Or...

You can go full out and buy a new Ratco frame that is far better than the original and you will never have any strength issues with.

I don't know what experience you have in restoring vehicles or if you've done it or not... But the real question is this:

Are you interested in the actual PROCESS of restoring a car? Or are you just trying to save money? If you're planning on buying a car and working on it on Wednesday nights from 6pm-10pm, you're going to be working a lot of Wednesday nights until you finish.

My advice is take a car that needs mechanical repairs over a car that needs body repairs...

And please, if you take one thing away from this, PLEASE, it should be this:

Buy the most expensive and nicest TR6 you can afford. If you're looking to buy a $2,500 TR6 and make it a $15,000 TR6 and be ahead of the game, it won't happen. Even if you're just looking to have a car to drive and have fun with and be passionate about, STILL buy the nicest and most expensive TR6 you can afford. When I say expensive, I mean expensive in the sense that the car is worth it.

Best of luck! This is THE place for advice...lots of good knowledge and help here. Utilize it!!! I have, and it's made the experience so much more wonderful!

 

[bnw]

It took a pick hammer for me to find out how bad my frame was. If you can tell by just looking, the whole car is a lot worse than you can ever imagine. PASS!

 

[TR6BobNF]

Fred:
It's not hard to find a good, solid TR6 and as another member just pointed out, if you can see serious rust on the chassis it is more than likely you have issues with inner fenders and sills. Stay away from that one! This can get costly in a hurry. Len Drake of Drake's British Motors in British Columbia has a couple of decent TR6's now on his site. That's where I bought mine and I was happy to pay the $2100 shipping charges to get a clean, rust-free western US car delivered to my door. It's a lot easier to fix mechanicals than rust. Having said that you should be aware that even with a rust-free car I have sunk about $10K into restoration since buying the car. BTW - NFI - I just know Len to be a straight up guy to deal with.
www.drakesbritishmotors.com if you're interested.
Good Luck,

 

[rlich8]

Fred:
It's not hard to find a good, solid TR6 and as another member just pointed out, if you can see serious rust on the chassis it is more than likely you have issues with inner fenders and sills. Stay away from that one! This can get costly in a hurry. Len Drake of Drake's British Motors in British Columbia has a couple of decent TR6's now on his site. That's where I bought mine and I was happy to pay the $2100 shipping charges to get a clean, rust-free western US car delivered to my door. It's a lot easier to fix mechanicals than rust. Having said that you should be aware that even with a rust-free car I have sunk about $10K into restoration since buying the car. BTW - NFI - I just know Len to be a straight up guy to deal with.
www.drakesbritishmotors.com if you're interested.
Good Luck,

I will vouch for Drake's British Motors.

I have heard good things. The cars are well represented on the site and I've only heard good things about those folks.

There's a REALLY cool TR4 on there with surrey, OD, and wire wheels.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Frame replacement on a TR6 is pretty big job. Usually not worth the effort since there are still many TR6's out there. Will PM you info on a couple.

Marv

 

[TulsaFred]

Thanks for all the advice.
I will pass on the local car and keep looking.
I'll check out the British Columbia site, but my budget is limited.
Marv, feel free to send me any info you may have regarding cars for sale that are solid. Anyone with tips or leads can pass them on too!
Thanks
Fred
Fwillison@mac.com
Tulsa, OK

 

[TulsaFred]

BTW,
Being relatively ignorant of the details, I'd appreciate some opinions on the cars available at Drake's. Of the TR6s listed, which seem to be the best choice? Value? Desirability re: model year, options, etc.

thanks!
Fred

 

[TR4nut]

Fred-

Just sent you a private message with a potential lead - you should see a flashing icon near the "My stuff" menu.

Good luck!
Randy

 

[tdskip]

I have a project TR6 in SoCal that will fit into a budget. A bit closer than Canada so that might help on shipping.

 

[TR6BobNF]

Hi Fred:
I think I'd draw the line on recommending a particular TR6 from Drake's. Len is a good guy and will send you many pics of any car you are interested in and will tell you straight up what is needed to be done to the car. I favor the pre-rubber bumper TR6 for looks alone but they can be easily removed from a '74 - '76 model. The '69 - '74 models have the front bumper about two inches lower, which I think looks a lot better than the '75 and '76. Overdrive is an option you would really like to have on a TR6, especially if you do any amount of highway driving. The hard top is a nice option but not necessary if you're in a northern climate as you probably won't drive in the winter. Good luck.

 

[TulsaFred]

Bob,
thanks, that is the type of commentary I was seeking. I wasn't really looking for a specific recommendation on the site, so much as a discussion of the pros and cons of various model years, options, colors, etc etc.

And tdskip please feel free to send me a pm or email about the car you have for sale...

thanks!
Fred
fwillison@mac.com

 

[Awl1959]

Hi guys,

I am considering the purchase of a TR6 to restore. I would like, ideally, to have a car requiring only light to moderate resto work, ie. body work and only mild/mod panel rust, a complete running engine, and solid undercarriage.

I found a local car that I'm interested in, but the frame is pretty rusted where the trailing arm comes in and bolts to the rear frame crossmember. A common area of rust, as I understand.

I think it would be wise to abandon the deal, but I thought I'd seek opinions. How much work to fix? Is it a deal breaker?

thanks!
Fred

Fred I have a spare TR 250 TR6 frame andrew@titanboats.com 250-884-1203

 

[Madflyer]

Fred I was there years ago I found a driver with what turned out to have a bad frame I soon found two parts cars and one of them had a good frame. So doing a frame up has many benefits' almost to many to list but the one is you know the whole car when done. I would look at 1973 TR6 less smog and more HP stock. See mine I did in 1993 1973 TR6 that I added the Surry top last year. See Madflyer for pic.

 

[Rut]

I believe Fred finished up his restorations 8-9 years ago.
Rut