So nice to see you making real progress on that wonderful 66 year old lady! (Only one year older than me, some of my body mounting points also need replacing! L5/L6)
The way the front left fender (as sitting in the car) fits, you can tell the front of it is pointing left, fenders wider at front than rear. That tells me the center of the nose is low needs raised up to match the shape of the hood, not the hood changed to match the nose. That will let the edges of the hood match the fenders and the nose better. And fix the gaps at the front of the hood by bringing the fenders closer together.
Wow! That is really complicated and messy. I know you will get it sorted in the end, so all I can say is keep on keepin' on. Thanks for another very interesting video, Elin.
Looking good, Elin...Awesome review and possible solutions to address alignment.. I'm watching with interest as I'm also working on bonnet alignment.. Cheers
As you mentioned in this video, these can't be the original panels to the car. The original body shell would have been put together by hand and made to fit spot on. That's why they used lead in places to smooth out the body lines and fill gaps.
If you get a chance, could you show us a photo of a 1958 TR3 in good shape? It would help to know what this thing is supposed to look like when you get it all worked out.
Hi there with my tr3a I have even door gaps on the A post and the B post and the sill section but the A post with no hinge shims the A post gap is roughly about 5/32" (4mm) I am happy with the B post and the lower sill gaps about but not happy with the top of the curved section what is 1/2" (12mm) what I am asking should I twist the outer part of the A post panel ( the outer captive nuts section)to close the front gap up a bit and weld steel rod to close the curved section of the door ( near skuttle panel) great video keep up the good work watch from England cheers mark
Actually it is fairly typical for TRs to have an odd assortment of shims... sometimes more, sometimes less. The bodies have a lot of flex and simply weren't all that precisely built. The frames were probably more precisely built when new, but also have some flex (for racing there are a number of frame strengthening and stiffening tricks... plus a proper roll cage adds even more stiffness ). I'm sure the Triumph factory workers got pretty good at shimming when installing the bodies onto the frames. Experience told them where to add or subtract a little, to match the frame and body to each other. As noted by Elin in this video, they also sometimes resorted to some lead work to fine tune fit.
Question,could the front end panels be off by the A pillar and complete cowl assembly be twisted somehow,because you did replace the rockers,the floor pans,plus I take it the car has been in storage,probably dismantled,over time getting moved around and just got twisted while sitting.just saying.great video as always,your talent is impressive in what you do.just continue on doing what you do best and carry on.be safe.😎😎😎👍👍👍
Is the car truly a 1958 model? The 1958 model year started at TS22014 and these were unofficially known as TR3A. These cars had the wide mouth and external door handles were among the many changes. It seems like this car has a mix of different panels which is likely causing fitment problems.
I'm surprised that being of European decent you are still working with Imperial measures. Metric is so much easier, I was brought up with Imperial as well, but Metric is hands down better.
You are still working with unknown factors. Too many pieces from different vehicles. You asked them to put the body on the chassis. Did they check it beforehand? • Chassis. You are playing around with rubber spacings between chassis and body without even knowing if the chassis is true. • Front valence. Which set of curves is correct. The valence or the hood/bonnet? ..... Is that a valence from another vehicle hanging on your wall. It may not be the same model but can you use it to determine which is the correct shape?
So nice to see you making real progress on that wonderful 66 year old lady! (Only one year older than me, some of my body mounting points also need replacing! L5/L6)
Great work... 👍
I had the same figment issues on my tr3. It’ll give you a headache for sure. Good luck Elin you are the right person for the challenge.
Love the way you think things through. Great work 👍😃
Wow! This is epic. What patience you must have. I would be so frustrated trying to solve this puzzle. I can see it all coming together.
Elin, fitting the body panels on this TR3 to get correct gaps must feel like you are tasked with herding a pack of wild cats into a small shed! lol
The way the front left fender (as sitting in the car) fits, you can tell the front of it is pointing left, fenders wider at front than rear. That tells me the center of the nose is low needs raised up to match the shape of the hood, not the hood changed to match the nose. That will let the edges of the hood match the fenders and the nose better. And fix the gaps at the front of the hood by bringing the fenders closer together.
Panel juggling!
My 1956 TR3 had a strip of chrome in the fender-to-valence gap that continued through the fender-to-bonnet gap.
Wow! That is really complicated and messy. I know you will get it sorted in the end, so all I can say is keep on keepin' on. Thanks for another very interesting video, Elin.
with all the waves Elin is going to get seasick 🤣😂😉 good luck
I was trying to perfect my gaps too. I think the factory just said good enough and shipped them. I'm still not happy with mine. More tweaking to come!
Man I got a head just thinking about this! Looking great now!
These old cars were wonky out of the factory. People weren't as fussy back them. It's kind of part of their charm.
Looking good, Elin...Awesome review and possible solutions to address alignment..
I'm watching with interest as I'm also working on bonnet alignment..
Cheers
Great work as usual Elin👍
I think it is good to talk with Cheftush by Problems. He know the car better and to brains better than one.
I was also thinking of making a 'straight line' (including all the curves) measurement of the valance and the bonnet and compare them.
It reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces aren't quite cut properly .. I'm sure you'll get there in the end Elin.
I hope the customer watches what you are going through with this, and you get paid for your time!
As you mentioned in this video, these can't be the original panels to the car. The original body shell would have been put together by hand and made to fit spot on. That's why they used lead in places to smooth out the body lines and fill gaps.
Elin could there be a bit of chassis sag therfore the need for fiddling with the shims ?
If you get a chance, could you show us a photo of a 1958 TR3 in good shape? It would help to know what this thing is supposed to look like when you get it all worked out.
That Bonnet top could be an unused reject? Something I've seen before
🙂
So we can look forward to another vid with your son. Mazda.
Hi there with my tr3a I have even door gaps on the A post and the B post and the sill section but the A post with no hinge shims the A post gap is roughly about 5/32" (4mm) I am happy with the B post and the lower sill gaps about but not happy with the top of the curved section what is 1/2" (12mm) what I am asking should I twist the outer part of the A post panel ( the outer captive nuts section)to close the front gap up a bit and weld steel rod to close the curved section of the door ( near skuttle panel) great video keep up the good work watch from England cheers mark
Is it possible that the frame is slightly bent downward on the rear driver side?
😊😊😊 3d
Elin, I'm wondering if the frame is level and straight? The quantity of shims you are using on the body mounting points is a lot....
Actually it is fairly typical for TRs to have an odd assortment of shims... sometimes more, sometimes less. The bodies have a lot of flex and simply weren't all that precisely built. The frames were probably more precisely built when new, but also have some flex (for racing there are a number of frame strengthening and stiffening tricks... plus a proper roll cage adds even more stiffness ).
I'm sure the Triumph factory workers got pretty good at shimming when installing the bodies onto the frames. Experience told them where to add or subtract a little, to match the frame and body to each other. As noted by Elin in this video, they also sometimes resorted to some lead work to fine tune fit.
Question,could the front end panels be off by the A pillar and complete cowl assembly be twisted somehow,because you did replace the rockers,the floor pans,plus I take it the car has been in storage,probably dismantled,over time getting moved around and just got twisted while sitting.just saying.great video as always,your talent is impressive in what you do.just continue on doing what you do best and carry on.be safe.😎😎😎👍👍👍
That is a great lesson in gapping!!
like 123 !
2nd 😉
Is the car truly a 1958 model? The 1958 model year started at TS22014 and these were unofficially known as TR3A. These cars had the wide mouth and external door handles were among the many changes. It seems like this car has a mix of different panels which is likely causing fitment problems.
Hm. The existing hood absolutely needs some surgery. No way round that I can see. Alternative is to get another hood.
I'm surprised that being of European decent you are still working with Imperial measures. Metric is so much easier, I was brought up with Imperial as well, but Metric is hands down better.
You are still working with unknown factors. Too many pieces from different vehicles. You asked them to put the body on the chassis. Did they check it beforehand?
• Chassis. You are playing around with rubber spacings between chassis and body without even knowing if the chassis is true.
• Front valence. Which set of curves is correct. The valence or the hood/bonnet? ..... Is that a valence from another vehicle hanging on your wall. It may not be the same model but can you use it to determine which is the correct shape?