[TR] Battery Tray/TR250

[GSFuqua1 at aol.com]

Glen, let me confirm a couple of things for you.  A frame off  restoration 
is not to be undertaken lightly.  It is going to cost more than  the car 
will likely be worth even after the restoration and that is with you  doing 
most of the labor.  If you farm it out to a shop (Like mine) it will  be much 
higher.  Having said that if the body and frame are indeed as good  as you 
say then much of the body work and replacement pieces can be  omitted.  A 
decent paint job though will still be several thousand  dollars.  That would be 
with the dents and dings removed or repaired.   The interior will be another 
cost factor and that is impacted greatly by  whether you go with vinyl or 
leather.  Generally speaking the mechanical  overhauls (again depending on 
what shape the originals are in) is usually pretty  straightforward.  If you 
have tools and reasonable skills you should be  able to do most of it 
yourself with a qualified machine shop checking for  cracks, doing the head/valve 
job and checking the crankshaft & milling as  required.  You should also have 
the camshaft tested if you are thinking of  re-using it.  Most people 
though will do some upgrades while things are  apart.  Such as fast street cam, 
milled head for a little more compression,  possible larger bore with 
appropriate pistons, rings and new bearings, bolts,  etc.
 
In my opinion the market for people willing to pay up for originality is  
much smaller than the market for those that will part with substantial cash 
for  a quality restored car.
 
Over the years I have done a fair number of restorations.  Mostly  Triumphs 
and Austin-Healeys.  One was a TR 250 and I completely restored  it.  
Scored 397 out of 400 at Concours.  Even with my shop, etc., it  wasn't cheap but 
man did it look and drive good.  Very reliable.  Sold  it several years 
back for lower upper $20's.  Probably could have gotten  more but it was going 
to a very close friend.  You didn't mention if it had  overdrive.  That 
would be a major plus and a definite negative  without.
 
So, if this is a car you intend to keep for the long haul and perhaps pass  
it own to a son or daughter it would probably be worth doing a rolling  
restoration where you tackled a section or two at a time during winters.   If 
you are just looking to flip the car for profit then I wouldn't do much more  
that a high level tune up and some in depth detailing.  Also never  
underestimate the value that a well detailed engine bay can give.
 
Obviously all the above is just my opinion with a healthy dose of "Been  
There, Done That."
 
Cheers and keep us posted on your decisions.  Gary Fuqua
 
 
In a message dated 3/20/2014 9:50:38 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
glemon at neb.rr.com writes:

Glenn,  congrats on the purchase, here is what I did to  mine,
http://www.mossmotoring.com/the-all-arounder/#comment-36436 but mine  was in
much worse shape, so not any real choice of driving as it was, I  would be
tempted to leave it as is, they can't be that many decent  originals still
running around.  But it is hard, the rubber is dried  out, so you replace 
the
windshield surround, then the new stuff looks weird  next to the old, and so
it goes.

I don't know what it would be worth  as is, maybe less than restored, but 
the
difference would probably be a lot  less than the cost to get it there.  
Your
car, do what you think will  bring you the most enjoyment.

Greg Lemon

**  triumphs at autox.team.net **

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