> 1. I am told that The front of the car is a 1958 while the rear is from a
> later year (1959). A nice rear bench seat and the curved body shape where
> the gas cap is seems to indicate a 1959+. I was also told that the trunk
> hinges are an indication of a later year then 1958.
The change in the body pressings happened very late in 1959, October according
to Bill Piggott, at TS60000. Rear bench seats were fitted to all body styles,
but were different with the later body. The trunk hinges themselves did not
change at this point, but the post TS60k bodies had raised platforms for the
hinges to sit on, while the earlier ones did not. (This was to strengthen the
sheet metal under the hinges, as the early bodies had a tendency to crack in
this area.)
> 2. Above the dash, along and close to the windshield, are a small handful of
> rather large diameter domed chrome bolts, or nuts, that I can't seem to see
> any where in diagrams . The garage is pretty cool right now here in
> Connecticut so I don't feel like looking behind the dash right now. Anyone
> ever heard of these or might this be another manifestation of mating
> different year body halves?
I agree with Andy, those sound like the mounts for racing screens.
Again according to Piggott, those were deleted in June 1958, at
TS32833, so your commission number should have them. They don't do
anything but look interesting unless you've fitted original racing
screens (the reproductions will not mount to the original bolts).
> Don't really
> know what I'm getting at here but I guess that I would be reluctant to do
> that again as being compared to those perfectly restored cars made me
> uncomfortable. My wife doesn't really understand why I should care. Perhaps
> those that have seen it all could comment on their viewpoints.
It upsets me too, although I'm perfectly capable of holding my own
when it comes to what's original and what's "wrong" with my car. All
of my modifications are deliberate, it's what *I* want my car to be
(this month), and anyone who says that's wrong can go soak their heads
! For that reason (and the fact I've never finished it), I'm very
reluctant to show my car. I generally park it on the street and enjoy
looking at all the perfectly restored cars anyway.
That said, it's actually kind of fun to compare knowledge of TRivia
.. think of it as Trivial Pursuit but with a topic you actually care
about. I think many people (myself included) come across as being
critical when that really isn't the intention. "Wrong" just means
that's not the way the factory built it, not that there's anything
actually wrong with having it that way if you want to.
> 4. I am desperately looking for a luggage rack as I need to transport a
> wheelchair for my wife. I have been putting it in the rear but its kind of
> clumsy. Holden in UK wants 190 pounds which seems astronomical to be and
> that's without shipping! Anyone have any better ideas?
I have the "original style" rack from TRF, which currently sells for
$230. I like it because it doesn't require any additional holes
(although the rubber feet will leave marks on the paint if you don't
do something to prevent it).
Used AMCO-style racks (which do require holes drilled) show up on eBay
from time to time, or I think VB used to sell reproductions.
> 1958 TR3A TS32465L
Just a side comment, Fran, Triumph really paid little or no attention
to "model years" during the TR2-4 run. Changes were made whenever
they occurred, not at anything resembling regular boundaries. In
fact, there are several documented cases where new & old parts were
used interchangeably for a short time (although there is considerable
speculation as to how this occurred) or where cars of one
specification got the change before cars of another specification
(like disc vs wire wheels).
My point is that your commission number is the only way to go about
investigating how your car was configured by the factory. Bill
Piggott's book Original Triumph TR2/3/3A/3B (which is the 'bible' for
this kind of information even though it does have some small errors
and omissions) lists no less than 16 different change points within
the 1958 calendar year. So, if someone tells you something is "wrong"
for a "58", chances are good they don't know what they're talking
about !
Randall
59 TR3A TS39781LO (now totaled :(
56 TR3 TS13571L next project (with a 'wrong' TR3A front apron & bumper)
71 Stag LE1473L daily driver wanna be (J-type transplant almost complete)
63 Sports 6 HB7826LCV rustoration project
57 TR3 TS21731L rusting quietly 2000 miles away
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