Subject: [TR] tr-3 grill

From: Gary Nafziger <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:16:28 -0700 (PDT)

Started installing a new grill and found the fit to be a challenge.  I think
I'll need to do some bending and tweaking.............maybe more than I wanted
or feel confident about.  It seems to be a little larger than expected and
also will need to have a little more of a "bow" bent into it.  I I think it
will also need numerous fittings in and out, and with the protruding "nibs"
around the attachment holes I'm not wanting to scratch paint although I know
it probably won't show when installed.
Just wondering whether others have run
into this and what they've done.  Does one bend the grill around the edges to
make it slide in better or do some more major bending to fit?  

thanks

gary
n.

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From: "TeriAnn J. Wakeman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:10:49 -0700

On 10/10/12 4:16 PM, Gary Nafziger wrote:
> also will need to have a little more of a "bow" bent into it.
That usually means that someone with a bit of weight rested their 
posterior in the middle of the front valance.  Probably more than once 
and bent the upper lip of the valance down a little.  Your car's mouth 
is very likely not quite open as high as it was from the factory.  It 
seems a common problem that does not seem to be the fault of the grille.

Sorry but I'm not sure of the best way to recover from that if the front 
valance is painted.

TeriAnn

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From: Don Hiscock <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:04:15 -0500

Here's a guy who opened up the grille mouth on his TR3A using a bottle
jack.  Seemed to work pretty well...

http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?s=12265f0fcaebe481d6620f9b7690fdb7&showtopic=37429

See post #11.

Don
1962 TR3B TSF202L

On 10/10/12, Gary Nafziger <[email-masked]> wrote:
> Unsubscribe/Manage:
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From: Chris Simo <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:06:11 -0400

One of my triumph buddies wanted to get a rough tr3 so he could ramble
around in a rat rod - so to speak.he has a sweet tr250 that lives in a
plastic bubble in his garare. He wanted something he did not have to worry
about. He paid too much on ebay and it was not as represented - the front
of the frame was Swiss cheese.

We started disasemmlbing it and the grill was warped and bent and did not
fit well at all.

Immedatiaely we stopped and tried to reassemble - no way

So we put the front apron on the car and it was really tweaked.   A few
hours later - with some force and 2x4's and more force - we finally got the
apron to fit without a huge amount of pressure.  There was some sorting out
to do.

More than a few minutes with the hammer and dolly and it was fitting well.

The grill fit a ton better - but not perfiect. We'll work on that some more
later - but until then - he has a driver!

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From: "Randall" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:21:25 -0700

> It seems to be a little larger than 
> expected and

I had that problem with my TR3A (which I assume is what you are talking
about).  My fault, really, as I didn't give the body shop any measurements
for the grille opening after some kind person backed into me in a parking
lot and didn't even leave a note.

But the grille was fairly soft, easy to bend by hand, and IMO didn't look
too bad with a significant curve bent into it.

Here's a shot where you can kind of see the curve:
http://tinyurl.com/9mvtdnm

After bending the center enough to fit into the opening, I used some love
taps with a body hammer to work the rolled edge back down against the body.

-- Randall