In message <Pine.3.07-CIT.9510241446.B29043-9100000@travelers.mail.cornell.edu>
"Philip E. Barnes" writes:
> Once again I turn to the collective wisdom of The List. I have the
> opportunity to buy a '59 TR3. I haven't looked at it yet, but I'd like to
> know of any trouble areas to pay close attention to. Is there a particular
> spot where they rust? Are there any mechanical bits especially prone to
> failure? I'm not a neophyte at Britcars, but I don't know TR3's inside
> out. Any comments are appreciated.
The TR3 body was assembled before it was painted. This means that the overlaping
seams do not have paint on the overlap and the space behind the splash shield on
the front wings generally did not get painted. Spray is usually sparse on the
down facing surfaces like the underside of the bonnet, scuttle and the pice that
goes over the fuel tank.
The drains around the lip over the boot is undersize and often gets clogged (I
almost trippled the ID of the drains on my rebuild). This means that they are
almost always clogged and water drips into the boot where it sits under the mat.
The factory used felt pads to rest the fuel tank on and used felt strips between
the petrol tank and the hold down straps. The petrol tank & felt pices sit in
an enclosed space that is not water tight. When the felt gets wet, it can stay
wet for months (I used hard rubber glued in place for the rebuild).
The splash shield in the front wings behind the front wheels relys upon rubber
seals. When i took mine off there was about four inches of wet mud behind it.
It had been over four months since the car was driven in the rain.
many people put carpet on the floors and under the seats (they came with a
removable rubber mat & nothing under the seat (except the early ones)). When
they get wet they can hod water for some time, esp under the seats.
The battery box has a drain tube that can get clogged and small amounts of
battery acid can make its way down to the surface below the battery.
All the above should give you good ideas of where to look.
1. Floor, esp under seats.
2. boot floor under mat
3. remove fiberboard in boot blocking petrol tank & check in there.
4. lower rear section of front wings. Look for boubbling in the paint & look at
condition of rubber seals on splash panel. If possible remove a splash shield
to look inside (mine is painted then undercoated then Waxoled).
5. look at battery tray under the battery.
6. look for surface rust under front apron and under scuttle panel
Everything is fixable with time & $$$. Even new battery boxes are available and
not very hard to replace. There are patch panels available for the rear of the
front wings. New floors are available as are new sills, but the sills are the
hardest to replace & most critical as they hold the front of the car to the
back. The frame is very strong is unless bant is almost never a problem.
Front aprons are not available new so make sure you got a good one. Interiors
can be replaced easily.
Mechanically they are very simple, rugged and parts are readilly available.
Hope it works out for you,
TeriAnn
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