Been a few years.... things are moving Jan 2013

It's alost been 4 years since my last post and I've been seriously waylaid along the way by moving house, installing kitchens and building a garage.  I've also been restoring a couple of Harley's, along with a 67 Volvo Amazon (now sold) and a 1964 Alfa Romeo 101 Giulia Spider which is still in progress.

Due to the complications of the metalwork on the TR2 I decided to re-tub it in the short-term to get me on the road as it's been idle too many years and needs to be driven and enjoyed, giving me time to restore the original tub in full.

I found another tub which again needed some work so I've also been completing the work on this and managed to lose all the photographs so that wasn't a good start to the new year,

The original green tub has suffered numerous repairs at the front end and has been severly patched, and in some cases, patched on patches.  Under the bonnet things are not much better, again with sheets of fiberglass laid on metal (a 70's preservation technique), although water and penetrated and rotted out the metal, leaving a fantastic template of what should have be there.  It;s also had multiple panels pop rivited into place under the dash.

I also have found standard 3 core house hold wiring under the bonnet.  Good work!

I'm now in the process of dismantling everything in order to transfer everything across to the new tub.  Reckon we will be on the road in a few month..... if I'm lucky.

Nov 09

Slowly coming together with regards to the internal metalwork. The floor has almost been attached completely and the gearbox cover has finally gone back into place. Just the rear arches to sort out now.

It Lives! Just

With the back end held in place with 2 bolts and 8 spot welds, for the 1st time in 3 years and 2 months, the car came out of the garage today and had a quick and slightly illegal spin around the block!

Engine held consistent temperature, oil pressure and it ticked over like a dream, with over-drive working as it should. Even the handbrake worked well. I sat on a cushion and I used a motorcycle petrol tank to save filling the main tank as I need to do more welding. Brills!

Back Together.... finally

Spent a couple of solid days in the garage recently & finally managed to mate the 2 halves of the tub back together again. The rear mountings fit perfectly, however the B post isn't at 90 degrees from the sill, which is how it should be, so my door gaps are bloody rubbish, with the correct gap at the top of the door, widening as you get closer the sill.

After 5 hours of playing to get it right, I reflected on old photographs and it appears that the gaps have always been off as the doors are badly skinned, and the B-post on the rear tub was put together without the B-posts positioned at the correct angle!

Rather then unpick everything which would take at least a year the way I'm working, I made the tough decision to leave it the way it is & press on. Not the fantastic restoration I was after, however 3 years in, it needs to keep moving! I'm putting it away for the winter shortly as I have another project car coming shortly - which I need/want a quick turnaround on to actually use it in the spring next year, then I'll start on this one again!

Spare Wheel Well Repair

After shot blasting, some of the spare sheel well showed some pitting. I had 6 hours to spare, so set about repairing the thing.

Pitted metal was removed, a template created, then welded into place. Done

Over a year since my last post!

I can't believe that 16 months have past since my last post & not much has happened with the TR. I've been distracted with installing a new engine in a 79 Ford Transit, along with the fabrication of the gearbox mounting brackets and adjusting the seating of the prop shaft, so that was a summer gone. This year I've been distracted yet again with installing a new engine in a 1966 Volve that I couldn't resist buying and spending numerous weekends welding in new chassis outriggers and the like. So..... almost at the end of the year, I'm back on the TR!

The rear chassis cross member was rotten, so finally, I've managed to install a new one after about 40 hours worth of work! Despite my huge assortment of tools, I just didn't have the right ones for this kind of job!


So ..... The rear of the chassis was cut away



















As the chassis cross member was only rotten on the n/side, I spot welded a smaller tube into the original cross member to re-enforce it.



















Then welded in the o/side of the new pattern cross member tube into the new chassis plate I fabricated, which was then welded into the chassis.



















The n/s of the cross member tube was then butt welded to the original tube, after ensuring complete penetration of the weld.



















Then ... smother the thing with black stuff and walk away for another 16 months!

Tub is finally blasted - April 08

In an effort to inspire me, I finally had the tub blasted. I had to do some swift work underneath as some of the metal couldn't be saved & as it was the underside, I figured it didn't have to be A1 condition.



After the welding was tacked into place, the tub was shot-blasted and then quickly hand painted to ensure that it didn't corrode again. Still a load to do, but it's getting there.... slowly!