Listers,
I managed to pick up the $300 TR3 yesterday afternoon. For those of you
that were disappointed in not getting there first, consider yourselve's
lucky!! There isn't a single inch of this car that isn't rusty or rusted
through
with few exceptions. Rather than describe what is BAD about the car I'll
describe whats good about the car. ................. That is. Actually there
are a
few salvageable items. They are as follows, grille, windscreen frame, front
apron, rear turn signal lights, front bumper (I think), intake & exhaust
manifolds, radiator (mostly), spare left rear fender, right rear fender (I
think),
steering wheel(s), gauges, right front fender (I think), gas tank (I think),
side
curtains (maybe), wiring harness and the horns (I think). There might be
other misc items but I won't know until I can dismantle the car farther. I
will
be pulling whats left of the engine and tranny along with some of the
suspension parts as I dismantle it.
This car sat in a tree covered area for 24 years. The front apron had been
removed at that time along with the head. After all those years the engine
may or may not be salvageable. The frame looks like swiss cheese. There
are NO floorboards. Left front fender is toast along with the left rear fender.
The bonnet and boot lids are wasted. The seats and anything under them
are toast. When I got there, there was a small three foot pine tree growing
behind the drivers seat. The bottoms of the doors are rotted away and I
can't even get them open at the moment.
The DPO had bought a new clutch, pressure plate, TO bearing, tie rod
ends, ball joints radiator hoses and left them in a bucket in the passenger
seat. He also had a new exhaust system sitting there. When a big storm hit
about two years after parking the car it ripped the aftermarket fiberglass
hardtop off and the car was then left like that. Needless to say all of these
NEW parts I just tossed in the junk trailer to haul off they were to rusty to
almost recognize. Even the steel parts on the bottom of the carbs has
rotted away. From what he described compared to what I actually found
was quite literally two different things. He supposedly has in a box
somewhere new pistons and liners that he said he would send me when he
finds them. We'll see....
The car was TS41311L and titled as a 1959. Needless to say all I'm going to
do is salvage what I can and haul the rest off to the dump. I could tell by
looking at the front apron which was stored in a somewhat protected
manner that the car was probably in pretty good shape when he parked it.
It took me 3 1/2 hours to get the car up on my replacement wheels and tires
and to fix the sticking right rear brake drum. I suppose for $300 if I look at
it
as buying parts I did ok but if I look at it as a car purchase its just REAL
sad. Now all I have to do is figure out whether I want to try and sell the
stuff or wait around and see if I can find a project TR3 to finish up. That
will have to take some soul searching.
So ends the saga of the bargan basement $300 TR3. Wait.... Or is it just
beginning? <G>
Brad (Lincoln Nebraska 402-464-1502)
1964 Spitfire4 BFC25720L
1966 TR4A CT72398L (Now a parts car)
1961 TR4 CT288L (Now with OD!!)
1959 TR3 TS41311L
1951 Dodge Truck 82217766 B-3-B-108
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