Triumph

March 23rd, 2005 - A deeper look

Well, tonight I started digging in a bit deeper to see what lurks beneath the apparently happy veneer of civilization my TR6 presents to me.

So far nothing totally unexpected but at the same time its MORE then I expected. Removed the drivers side rear outer wing to check out those decay spots that poke through the top. Here are the details of tonights activities…

(ADD PHOTOS BACK)
ALL HAIL UNDERCOATING! ENEMY OF RUST!
First off, ALL HAIL UNDERCOATING! The absolutely enormous amount of undercoating present on this car has prevented almost all decay on with the exception of the standard TR6 trouble areas where there has been SLIGHT decay but nothing like you hear horror stories about.

But seriously, its a lot of undercoating. Some drunken painter applied it, its crazy thick, like an inch in some areas. And everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Every nook and cranny. There has got to be pounds of the stuff down there.

Hacksaw Duel with the bumper
The rear bumper was a fun one and is the first piece I have removed from the car. Every single bolt was different and one of them stripped with 3 or 4 threads to go requiring a lengthy battle of wills with a new hacksaw blade. The hacksaw won but at the cost of a huge bruise on my arm. My first wound, touche old car! I am sure we will meet in battle again soon..

Summary for the evening

The pictures tell the tale but the summary is:

A) I may have to replace the b-pillars. Need some opinions on that. I think I can cut and weld patches pretty easily here.

B) Not sure if the rear fenders can be saved, once again, need some opinions on that

C) Wondering if the driver side sill was replaced, the welding seems a bit..new looking..

So, my biggest problem now is that I think I have the bug and this thing is coming off the frame for a total restore. Don’t worry, I have a perfectly good excuse, once again, ALL HAIL UNDERCOATING, a substance impossible to easily remove without sandblasting. Scratch that, sandblasting bounces off, I use a torch.

Heck, if I am sandblasting I may as well pull the tub

So, my list continues to grow:

New front fender New rear fender Diff mount welding New interior Tranny replacement New suspension, front and back Steering rack overhaul/upgrade Anything cosmetic

And I am sure that we are just scratching the surface.

Finally, here is my favorite picture of the night, its soooo ironic.

Rust under the TR6 sticker, how perfect..