Carlos Cruz wrote:
>
> Good afternoon,
>
> This my first time out on the Triumphs Mailing List. You guys are a
> wealth of information, so I thought I would put you to the test. I can
> really use your help on two fronts.
>
> First, I am considering the purchase of my first Triumph, a 1960 TR3A in
> overall excellent shape. Unfortunately for me the car is on the other
> side of the country forcing me to rely on the word of the dealer/broker
> and the photos he sent. Has anyone had the experience of buying a car
> "sight-unseen"? I would be very interested in learning more about your
> experience and any advise you can share.
>
> Second, the TR 3A I'm considering does not have the convertible soft
> top, instead it has the tonneau cover. Can anyone tell me how difficult
> (if at all possible) it would be to find and install one? Or, can a
> hard top be easily adapted to the car?
>
> Your insight will be greatly appreciated.
>
> Carlos Cruz
> TR 3A wannabe
Hi, Carlos,
I'm in the process of looking for a TR4 myself so I know what you're
going through. A word of caution, serious caution, is in order here! I
recently looked at a car that had been verbally described to me as a
very nice example. Body work had been done and the effort had been made
to find other (original, not new) panels to replace a couple of damaged
ones, the car had a bunch of coats of lacquer, overdrive, 60K miles, all
new interior, refinished walnut dash, etc, etc. All for a very
reasonable price...perhaps a bit TOO reasonable.
When I looked at the car (in person), it looked terrific, exactly as
described. It was obvious the owner had put a great deal of time, effort
and money into the restoration. There was, however, one minor
problem...the FRAME was so badly rusted that, at least in my opinion, it
was beyond repair. Or, if repairable, it would have cost major bucks to
do it properly, even if I took the body/engine off myself.
Even if you have photos of ALL parts of the car, I'd be reluctant if I
were you. I've heard of folks buying cars after looking at videos only
to find that there was a great deal of damage that had escaped the
camera's lens.
Not to belabor my point, but I also looked at a '60 TR3 that had had a
frame off restoration. I saw the photo album/receipts and the owner had
stripped it down to bare nuts and bolts, repaired, replaced, re-chromed,
new leather, etc. The finished result was striking. Then I drove the car
and was not impressed. Seemed to lack power, very heavy steering (of
course, it WAS a 3!), steering wheel (reproduction) felt as if it would
break, lots of wires hanging from under the dash, engine compartment
needed detailing, the gearshift knob fell off in my hand when I tried
reverse - you get the idea.
The moral of this (probably too long) story is - sometimes you just
can't tell until you actually see and drive the car...and even then,
it's not always easy.
[As to soft tops, they appear to be readily available from several
sources; Moss Motors, Victoria British, The Roadster Factory, et al, and
are reasonably priced. I believe the hoodsticks are also available, but
not sure on that one. Not much info on the hardtop so I'll leave that
one to others. I know they made them, but not sure if it was a factory
option or aftermarket.]
The above is just my opinion and others on the list may feel differently
- I hope so. Anyway, good luck in your decision. (and to others on the
list - sorry for the length of this post...I got carried away.)
Michael Ferguson
Vernon, CT
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