First and Favorite

My first sports car was a 1963 Triumph TR-4 bought used in 1964 shortly after I graduated from college and got a job. It was the first in a long series of British and German sports cars I have owned, but it was always my favorite.

Thirty-seven years later I retired and began restoring British sports cars to keep busy. The first was an MGB. Shortly after starting the MG, I saw an ad in the local paper. “1963 TR4. Restored.” Turned out its restoration consisted of Bondo, galvanized tin, and an Earl Schieb paint job, but the car was complete and “ran when parked.” I trailered it home and got it running, storing the TR4 until the MG was done.

Work on the TR4 began in earnest in January 2004 with complete disassembly of the car. I restored pieces as they came off the car on the “B” but decided to restore prior to assembly on the TR4. Each method has its advantages but careful labeling, documentation, and photos are required either way.

The frame was blasted and powder coated as were the suspension components. It was pretty exciting to have a rolling chassis that looked brand new. The body tub was another story. By the time it was done, the floor panels and sills, sail panels, front and rear valances, B pillars and the top of the rear fenders had been replaced or patch welded. My friend Scott Webb worked miracles repairing rusty metal on the fenders. He then blocked and sanded the various body panels from 4 to 9 times and applied the most beautiful base coat/clear coat British Racing Green paint job you have ever seen.

I rebuilt the engine, resealed the transmission and rear end, put in a new clutch, and installed them in the rolling chassis in preparation for installing the body. Once the body was on, the project became a pure joy. Starting with a new electrical harness and the restored dash, the vehicle was reassembled “from the inside out” with each freshly restored component making it more like a car. A complete new interior from Moss put the finishing touch on the car.

The restoration was finished this past spring and the car “sorted out” after numerous test drives. Its show debut was in June at our local British Car Club Show where it got “Best in Show” out of 40-plus cars. It’s a joy to drive and definitely brings back memories of my first TR-4 forty-three years ago.

Tips from Bob:

1.  A “frame off’ restoration is a daunting project that few would tackle if they thought if would take 2 or 3 years to see results. You have to look at it as dozens of small projects and get your feeling of accomplishment from completing each of these. For example, powder coating a suspension arm is a project. So is assembling the left side front suspension, and so is completing a rolling chassis, etc.

2.  Keep your tools organized. I put every tool away every night–no matter how tired I am. After six years and two frame offs (and numerous other projects) I have not lost a single tool. Time spent hunting for tools is time not spent working on your car.

3. If you can restore an original part rather than using a new one, do it. Moss and others have done a fine job of finding sources for replica parts, and you can’t do projects like my TR-4 without them. But there is still no substitute for an original piece if you can clean it up and make it work.

4. I use clear plastic tubs to store my parts while disassembling the car. I own over 30 of these and at the point of maximum disassembly, they are all full of labeled and bagged parts. I tape a 4 x 6 card to each tub and store parts according to their location on the car (e.g. Front suspension–Left). The plastic tubs store neatly on shelves and you can also see what is in them.  Old cardboard boxes are hard to store and frustrating to use.

5.  Take notes when you disassemble. Put the notes in the zip-lock bags with the parts to which they pertain rather than in a notebook. In two years, you not only won’t remember how to reassemble a component, but you won’t remember that you took notes that are buried on page 50 of a spiral notebook.