Welcome
This page is a tribute to my lovely 1961 Triumph TR3A which I have owned for 17 years. Shifting interests (Lotus...), kids, storage space problems meant I had too little time to enjoy it.
This page was originally set up to present this car to potential buyers, and you can feel it. However, I do not feel like modifying the text for now, since it really describes very honestly the condition of the car at the time of the sale in Nov 2010. More details on the car
Before we start, if you are new to Triumph and the TR3A in particular, I suggest that you consult the website of the Vintage Triumph Register www.vtr.org
General
The car had about 84000 miles at the time of the sale, believed to be original. It has a documented Kenyan history! I have a copy of some registration document from Kenya that shows the dates and the names of different owners. It runs really good and quiet. It has been kept in dry garages as long as I have owned it. Over time, it has had regular maintenance plus a lot of cosmetic care (seals and grommets, door handles), new carpets, new interior, new soft top, brand new exhaust front to back. It has a current Swiss veteran car registration.
I bought this car in 1993 and over the years I have improved quite a bit the look of the car, installing a new wire loom (cotton brain) including dash board, redoing among other things the interior panels (incl dashboard vinyl recovering), the engine bay and the under side of the hood.
The body
The body of this car had almost no rust. (there is evidence the l/h footwell has been replaced in the past). When I got it, it had already that very well done Old English White paint job and the metal sheet of the interior and the bottom of the car had been painted black. Nothing has moved durng the 17 years of my ownership, with no bondo anywhere and a paint that holds good. It got a few chips in the sills area.
About 1994, I stripped the engine bay entirely, leaving just the engine block inside and had the engine bay resprayed. The bottom of the battery case was also cut out and replaced at this time. I also stripped the underside of the hood (bonnet in UK) and had it repainted and Waxoiled. All grommets and rubber plugs were changed, which, together with the new rubber seal under the windshield improved quite a bit the weatherproofness.
It got new doors and trunk handles and lots of new rubber like trunk, headlights, backlights seals, etc.
The engine and drive train
The engine is the original and runs strong. It's got electronic points (Pertronix, 2010), fully rebuilt carbs: New throttle shafts, jets, needles, seals, grommets. Carb likage is also rebuilt (2010). It has a mildly lightened original flywheel (21lb from the original 29lb), which gives it a noticeably better acceleration but does not hurt drivability in stop-and-go traffic.
In the spring of 2010, I have rinsed the radiator for weeks with anti-tartar fluid, and installed under the front apron the cardboard duct that was missing since I got the car (Moss 'radiator duct set 803440/8). This duct prevents the air from flowing around the radiator and forces it to pass though the radiator mesh.
When restarting it, in April, the engine was not running happy. Compression in cylinder #3 turned out to be too low. After checking it turned out to be an exhaust valve that had started burning. I changed it and another questionable one, reground all valve seats and put the head back on with a new head gasket. I also changed the rings on all pistons and this allowed me to verify that the rod bearings on the crankshaft are pristine. It now purrs...
The oil pressure when hot is over 60 psi
The exhaust has been changed in2003 and still looks like new due to the low mileage
The gearbox is a no-problem. It shifts positively with no hard points or sloppiness. The clutch itself poses no problem. Rebuild master and new slave cylinders (2010).
For the sale, I installed my spare overdrive gearbox and changed the clutch to a new TR6 type. more info on the overdrive conversion soon coming up on my tech talks!
Brakes
The brakes have been completely redone in 2010: New lines all over, new stainless braided hoses, rebuild callipers, rebuild slave cylinders, rebuild masters, new brake fluid tank, new brake shoes liners in the back. Converted to non-corrosive silicon based fluid.
Suspension and steering
Fully rebuild suspension (bushings in 2008, springs and shocks in 2010) and steering
(2010). This new front end is good for tens of 1000's of miles.
Axle
New inner and outer simmerings on both sides (2010). Looks like nothing but requires expert work and an 20t of hydraulic pressure. Bearings cleaned and packed with new grease as a matter of course.
Interior
I have redone all the panels and changed the carpets. It has like-new original rubber floor mats. The rear seat cushion has been custom made. It's like new. I also re-covered the dashboard and cockpit cappings with new vinyl.
All gauges, switches and lights work including the thermo-mechanical temperature gauge (in °F). The original speedo in mph has been recovered with a dail in km/h. The mileage is of course given in ... miles.
The car has a Bosch heater. Useful to use as an extra radiator on those hot summer days. ;-)
