UPDATE – This one sold for $5,700 within an hour after posting it. Thanks Tom!
The Dart has sold so now it’s time to list our TR3 project. I told you we are thinning the herd! The frame and drivetrain are almost done, but it still needs cosmetic work. We had planned to finish the interior and just coat the exterior with linseed oil. It would look pretty rough coming down the road, but would be brand new inside and underneath. That may not be your thing though so the future of this one is up to you. The car is located in Boise, Idaho and we have everything loaded inside the car so it’s ready to be shipped. After checking what similar projects have gone for lately, I feel that $6,000 is a fair asking price. Please use the form below to contact me if interested.
There’s still a lot left to do here, but a big chunk of the hard work is already done. The engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and frame have all been gone through. The engine has been cleaned up and just needs the fuel and cooling systems hooked up to run. There’s a SU rebuild kit included and a few boxes of new parts. The paint and bodywork will be the biggest challenge, but the body is very solid. The paint is all removed so you can see what you are getting. The worst of the rust is in the floors, but the car comes with new sheetmetal and it actually looks like a fairly easy job.
You will still need to purchase an interior kit, but the seats and most of the trim is included. The dashboard needs refinished and installed. The original gauges are included and they appear to be in good shape. Luckily, parts are readily available for these cars and the service manuals show how everything goes back together. Some of the parts will still need to be refurbished or replaced, but this is a very good start for someone who wants to restore a very cool British Roadster.
It’s a shame we never got to drive this one! I’ve been dreaming about doing some elbow dragging for a while now. The TR3 is supposed to be one of the few LBCs that a tall guy like me can fit comfortably in. It also has more power than most of its competitors! Oh well. Maybe the next owner will give us a ride when the car is all finished up? I have a clear title and it’s all packed up and ready to go. Be sure to take a look at all the photos in the photo gallery here and feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks!
Once had a TR3, also an Austin Healy 3000. Don’t think there was a bit of difference between the two in pure FUN factor. The TR3 is a smidge over 2100 lbs and that snorty 100 h.p. 4 banger made for a quick little car. At 6″1″ tall, I had no complaints about leg room. It would corner like it was on rails. On the outskirts of town they were putting in streets for a new subdivision and there was a large diameter circle. I could get that TR3 going faster and faster until I was in a 360 degree 4 wheel drift . Doing that once I heard a “pop” then another. Slowed down and drove home. Pulling in the driveway I heard “tinkle tinkle tinkle”. What the….?? An inspect revealed that I was popping spokes on the wire wheels. :-) Terry J
If it doesnt sell get some rattle can primer..Sem,Transtar,something automotive related and spray it..That will make it look better..I have a paint store..contact if you like, we ship..Good Luck..I have one waiting to restore..
If I were looking for a TR3A project (I’m not) this would be it. Finished mine nine years ago after fits and starts (including time off to recover from a heart attack and finish an Air Force career) over 27 years. Mine is a very early 1959 model built in October 1958 so has some 58 stuff in it like banjo fitting carbs and a rocker cover with the oil fill on the front. I think I saw the rocker cover in one of the boxes but the carbs appear to have the later push-on fuel lines. I wish that my sheet metal had been this good. Someone’s going to make a fine car out of this. Old Cars price guide gives a value of around $26K for a #2 example, giving someone a lot of wiggle room on the restoration. They say $38K for a #1 but those aren’t any fun to drive!
Miss my tr3a. Great high school car
Will someone tell this car to quit smiling at me!
Yeah,Jeffro, what’s the deal with that? British cars of that era seemed to have all smiley faces, and American cars had all those frumpy faces. Were the British really that much happier?
I would say American cars seemed more “angry” than frumpy. Probably due to all that horsepower they were holding back!
I’ve never cared for the 3, but I do like the “elbow dragger” reference. I always heard it as “elbow scraper” ( because of the door design, your elbows would almost drag when your arms were in the door notch), but I see, “scrapers” is a term for lowered cars, so I like “draggers” better. Like it or not, one has to agree, after the “spindly” T series MG’s, this was the 1st real sports car for many, and tons of memories were made. Be a while before you can enjoy that with this,( and may part with several knuckles, in the process) but make no mistake, it WILL be worth it. I’d take this over a Spitfire anyday.
Scowling Street Terrors, SST #8865. So all this British & American and happy-Angry-Sad stuff, So heres a story. Many years ago in the late 1990s a British magazine for classic & Vintage bikes “Classic Bike Magazine” had a feature on Norton Commando motorcycles and profiled a group of riders from NorCal, many of whom were in the NorCal INOA chapter. They had write ups on each of their bikes and the cover photo showed the whole group riding and as people sometimes do, these “Street terrors” were dressed up in leather and all had on a serious purposeful look on their face when the photo was taken. ON Brit-Iron list forum which used to have over 1250 members during its peak, There was much discussion and some snarky poster wrote up a commentary how unhappy the riders in that photo seemed to be. “How angry! And upset! If I had a nice motorcycle like that on sunny days in California out with my mates,,I would have the biggest grin and sheer contentment!” He went on to make a lot of fun of the whole thing.
The resulting discussion led to the formation of a informal club called “The scowling Street Terrors” and each member had a number. T shirts and stickers were made and cool kids at events would spot another SST member and note their Number. Many signed their postings with their SST #. Some years back the SST group was revived for a while and another run of T shirts made. My preferred number was 88 but i ended up with 8865 instead. So long windup, But it would seem British car owners could adopt the same thing. Butt draggers, Elbow scrapers, 6ft tall drivers, Lucas Electrics, SU carbs.. something could be created if desired. Food for thought.
I didn’t even know you owned this! What’s happening with the MGA?
We are still working on the MGA. It would have been fun to have them both done at the same time…