Here is a story. It may be similar to one you've heard before, but this one is mine. This is a very special car to me. Not because I had one in my youth, but my good friend Walt did. Walt drove a TR3 from college in Las Cruces, NM to home in Raton, NM at least once a month, a distance of about 450 miles each way. Life went on, and the TR3 was sold. Walt became a very accomplished tool making machinist, and in about 2006, he decided to find another TR3. He found two. One was destined to be a parts car, but the other was found in a garage in Pueblo, CO, and in relatively good condition.

Like many southwest cars, it was rust free, and being stored well, this one had a decent interior, although the rag top had seen better days. He drug it home, and had it running nicely in no time. After a new set of tires, and all other usual maintenance, he and his Wife, Kathee took it from Raton to Red River, NM a popular tourist resort town, for a day trip. This ride is beautiful, but also encompasses about 4500' worth of elevation changes. Rebuild #1 of the SU carbs took place in Eagle Nest, NM, but then the car made it to Red River. Rebuild #2 of the SU's happened near Cimarron, NM, and the points gave out about 15 miles later. Walt was discouraged, and parked the car for a few years. Then he got the bug again.

This time, he completely disassembled the car, and sent the frame off for powdercoating. He then meticulously rebuilt everything that moved on the car, powdercoating many items black, but more turned his favorite shade of yellow. Once the chassis was done, it sat again. He got a little disinterested in the idea of sitting on the side of the road rebuilding carbs or the distributor again. At this point, I had been assisting him with the rebuild. And then I opened my mouth. "Why don't we fuel inject it?" That was all it took. Work began immediately, and I spent a lot of time in Walt's shop, working on the Triumph. Walt set about machining the intake manifold, turning the SU's into nothing more that throttle bodies in disguise, and then adding bracketry for various sensors, and stepping to a modern alternator. I wired the car, and added a Megasquirt.

We fired the new engine in late 2011. The car sat as little more than a chassis, but every now and again, we would go over to it, and push the button, just to see that the engine would immediately start, unassisted by a choke, without sputtering, dying, or any of the other shenanigans that the old carb and points systems would give. 85° out? It would start. -10° out? It would start. Every time. We would get it out on the road as just a nearly bare chassis, and take it up and down the road.

This went on for a couple of years, and then the engine suddenly began losing oil pressure. Once it was down to 2-3psi at idle, we pulled the engine back out. The rod bearings were all fairly trashed, the rest not too bad. We would find out many years later that a piece of solder had broken off of the oil pickup screen, and lodged itself in the oil pressure relief valve, jamming it open, causing low oil pressure. The block was fine, pistons and rings all fine. Walt bought a reconditioned crankshaft, new camshaft, bearings, oil pump, gaskets and all the rest. And he then became disinterested. So the chassis sat in a corner of his shop, and other projects came and went.

I moved out of Raton to my new home in the Florida panhandle in 2014. I called and visited Raton very often, and it was always great to get together with Walt, and I ribbed him constantly about the Triumph. Too much yellow everywhere I would tell him. He would just grin and say it was his car, and he liked yellow. Mostly, I just wanted him to get back in gear. He was talented with body work, and he had a paint booth in his shop. Every time we would discuss it, he'd tell me that he was waiting for me to move back, and then we would finish it. In June of 2019, Walt passed away unexpectedly.


In December 2021, I went to visit Walt's wife, and I purchased the Triumph. A couple of friends and I gathered up all the parts we could find, and hung the body panels onto the chassis for transport back to my home in Florida. Once here, the car had to sit a while longer for other priorities, but in late June, I was able to start sorting through the boxes, and figure out what went where. Not being a "Triumph guy" I read a lot of the shop manual, online forums, videos, you name it. I needed to get smart on Triumphs. I decided to add a couple of other modern pieces, like a real rear main seal instead of felt, and a spin on oil filter. In July, I began work. Replacing standard steel hardware for stainless wherever I could, I slowly assembled the engine.

High on my list was the "Yellow Reduction Act". This meant painstaking hours spent dipping yellow powdercoated items in stripper (acid), and then blasting, and re-powdercoating them black or silver as appropriate. Here's a couple of underhood pictures from around 2012:


I stripped so many parts of yellow, and would put everything away, and then I'd open another box of...YELLOW PARTS! There are yellow parts in the deepest recesses of this car. Parts no one will ever see, unless they unbolt body panels. I didn't get rid of all of it (reduction, not eradication). I felt that the car needed some yellow, because after all, it was Walt's car.


Back to the assembly. I told my wife that building this car is like doing a jigsaw puzzle, where the only reference you have is a Polaroid picture of the box it came in! Things went together, and things came back apart as I realized that this oddball part I found really had a home. Slowly but surely the parts boxes were emptying, and the pile of parts was looking more like an engine.




Soon the engine was back in, and after many, many trips to the hardware store, I finally managed to clean them out of their 5/16" fine thread stainless hardware.


Once bolted in, and wired up, there were a few miracles that still needed to happen. First, the computer, which has now sat for 9 years needed to work. It did! Second, the fuel pump, which has been similarly sitting, but with bad gas in the tank, that needed to work. It did! Time to start the engine! Did not go as planned. After fiddling with the settings in the computer for a bit and getting that squared away, it still would not start and run. Later determined that two fuel injectors were completely plugged and one was partially clogged (bad gas). After a junkyard run to liberate a PT Cruiser of its fuel injectors, we were ready to try again. This time, success! It was running! Got it up to temperature, broke in the cam, and then changed the oil. A couple of minor oil leaks and a readjustment of the valves, and now we are in business.

I just put the body panels back on to make it look like a car.


Yes! That Crossfire looks *big* next to a TR3. It now has about 12 miles on it, runs like a top. If you have never driven a small British sports car like a TR, you are missing out. Despite *only* making about 105hp, this tiny car accelerates quickly, handles well, and is just exhilarating to drive. Very visceral, and a classy car, even in its current form. I can see Walt smiling in the mirror when it starts with just one push of that starter button.



So here it sits. Question will be what to do next. At this point, the car is a blank canvas. It could be any color, any interior, any accessory. I have a family, with three kids either in or about to be in college. I'd like to do the TR3 justice, and get a car with such good bones and fantastic history the makeover it really deserves. Alas, I am in a situation where "there are bills to pay, and planes to catch", and my time with the TR3 may be coming to an end. Maybe you are the next chapter in this story? It's a really good book.

 

Very cool car with a wonderful, heart felt story!

 

Very nice, to my mind the only colour is BRG (British racing green) it would look very nice in that colour. Have you got a price in mind.
My favourite Triumph is the TR6, I thought of getting rid of my SRT and buying one a few years ago but I would not have been too comfortable going too far in it.
One year going to Woodward I saw two guys pushing a Sprite I think it was, at the US border control. Obviously on route to Woodward, but what a place to have a car breakdown, practically in no man’s land. I always wonder if they got there in the end.

 

When I was a yout and lived in northern Indiana I bought a restored 52 MG TD from a former mayor of South Bend, don’t remember his name, it was BRG with a tan top and interior, great looking car. When we moved to AZ I drove it here. Couldn’t imagine doing that today. I can’t drive too far in a Crossfire let alone a little British car, oh to be young again.

 

I have a few nuggets that I will add to the story, and Donna (my wife) reminded me of a few things that really will help round out the narrative. I'll try to edit those in this evening. The car itself offers a great opportunity. All of the styling, and running gear of the original type, but without the drawbacks. Or, said differently, all the original bits - modernized. The car starts up every time, and runs with good manners. No overheating in traffic, vapor locking, battery discharging, or any of those kinds of bad habits. It honestly runs and drives much more in keeping with our current expectations of a car. With modern seals on the engine, it won't drip as much oil on the ground, either. This makes for an antique sports car that can be driven anywhere, and not have the problems usually associated with an old, antique sports car. Purging the car of Lucas (Prince of Darkness) electronics to the greatest extent possible is also a breath of fresh air, too. Not worrying nearly so much about being stuck on the side of the road with the hood up is a pretty good feeling.

I haven't set a price, as of yet. While at lunch today, I had Donna read the above narrative. She would like to see about keeping it, and finishing it. However, with three kids to raise, and the usual bills thereof, some choices will have to be made. The Crossfire is staying, that much is for certain