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TR4/4A What to look for when buying a TR4

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After viewing those photos I went out to the garage and gave my TR4 a hug.

That one is pretty far gone -- would take a real madman (and a rich madman at that) to bring it back. I hate to see any TR given up on but hate even more seeing a nice guy get sucked into the black hole of a lost-cause restoration.
 
First off, your wife sounds like a real peach! She's a keeper.... On the other hand, I don't think this particular car is a keeper. Even if it was free, it's too much work, and you haven't even seen the underside yet. It needs EVERYTHING.

Save your dough and spend it on a car that runs and has good bones. The two of you will enjoy it more, sooner. Just my two cents.
 
Thank you all for your advice. I think I have my rose color glasses on still but I am not married to this car. I had it in my head that what I saw was pretty much what I would get. Any car would have to have all the interior replaced - carpets, panels, seats, dash. Engine will need to be rebuilt on any car, even if it run at the time and the gearbox and diff gone through and freshened. So I thought the body stuff would be fun for my son to use his welding skills but I don't want everyone to hate me.

I will see what he wants to part with it, if it turns out to be a couple hundred bucks then I will probably go for it. If the frame and under panels end up being good then maybe I have something worth while. If they turn out bad then I will eat PB&J for a month to make up the money and not get drawn into the bottomless pit.

We will see where it goes.

Shawn
 
One word-scrap!
Sorry.....the Motolita steering wheel is nice, some of the instruments might work and could be reused, but I didn't see a single decent panel, the chassis will be worse, and you told us the block is cracked.
It's a shame, but unless a car like that has some special sentimental value, like you went on your honeymoon in it or something, save yourself the grief.
 
Shawn, no one will hate you, we are just trying to help with some lessons learned, anything can be fixed, and restoration can be fun, but with too much to do it can become overwhelming from a time and money point of view, and a big loser from a money point of view (not that most of us are in it for the dough).

There is usually 2x to 3x what you can see rusted that needs to be repaired, at that point from what I am seeing there wouldn't be much car left.

What surprised me is that there is more than just rust in the usual places, rockers, top of the rear fenders and rear valance. There seems to be popping up everywhere.
 
My comment : restoration cost on a low price car is almost the same as on the more exotic english sports car where investments can be recovered. A Tr 4 is fun but is not that especial, same a my Tr4a..no insults intended.
 
Shawn,

I have to agree that the body on this car concerns me with regards to how much rust including some of the less common places like hood, vent lid and windshield. My experience was a long time ago so prices can't really be compared but I got my first TR4A for $750 in 1980. The good news was it ran and was one color, the bad news that I later found out was the frame was rotted along with numerous panels that had been bondo'd at some point (rear fenders, rockers, etc). I drove the car for 2 years and then did a full restoration. The only thing that made that possible was finding a solid inner body tub, 4 good fenders and a trunk lid for $750. The only body parts that I used off my original car were the hood and the doors.

Finding good body panels today is going to be a lot more expensive although I haven't really been in the market for a long time. How good and creative is your son at welding? :smile:

Scott
 
A little bit of duct tape and some rust-o-leum and should be good as used!
 
Thanks again to all. I believe have been sufficiently "scared straight." I hate to see another one go to the junk heap (I didn't even post the image of the TR4 carcass that was sitting near it).

I hope to be back in the future with another candidate.

Shawn
 
Shawn,
I think if I had space to park it out of site, I would take it for free, or even a couple hundred. There are lots of good parts there and ebay works well for making back your investment. Many of us on here are looking for many of the good parts still on that car. Sure there is a lot of rust, too much really to tackle a restoration, but if you son wants to practice with his MIG or TIG maybe you can fix the hood and other parts for resale. Pans from the engine, crank, and other parts can be salvaged as well.

Good luck with it.

Dan B
South Charleston, WV
66 TR4A IRS EFI, 80 TR7 DHC
 
Shawn,

I was given a free TR3, and already knew there's no such thing as free. When I posted pictures about it on this forum, some told me the same thing as you are hearing. Did I listen? No. Should I have... probably. It's been almost 6 years now, I can't count the hours I've spent on it. I'm finally ready to start welding patches in the tub. The engine is running, the chasis is complete and I think I have what I need to finish (aside from paint). I have done all the work myself (aside from machine shop work and some help from friends). To date, I have spent over $17k on parts. I didn't see any rust on what I started with, and the filler wasn't noticeable.

I don't regret my decision, but I wish I'd have started with a better car. A parts car could have been very helpful.

Be happy with your decision,
Jerry
 
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