The TR Frames
Ken Gillanders

At British Frame & Engine we get to talk to lots of people restoring TR2 through TR6 models. Some are professional restorers, some are old pros who are doing a project for themselves and some are on their first one and still a little intimidated. Usually they get it all apart OK and get the body off the frame, but unfortunately, this is the time when brain fade can often set in.

Rather than going after the chassis frame with scrapers, solvents and paint, you should first haul it over to a competent frame shop along with a copy of the frame diagram in the workshop manual. Most frame damage is found after the car is completed, or nearly so. You can avoid this heartbreak by doing a basic inspection yourself, followed by a more thorough one by a professional shop.

Use a wire brush to clean and inspect damage-prone areas. There is a square tube support on each side (1) that runs from the suspension tower to the top surface of the frame at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Any bends, kinks or twists in this area should set off the gongs. It this point it would be a good idea to have a shop inspect and measure the frame, particularly around the right hand suspension tower which typically takes a lot of abuse from curb thumping.

With the TR2/3/3A/3B cars we have another area of concern. It is the tie rod that runs between the drop arm on the steering box and the idler arm on the opposite side. The standard steel and rubber Silentbloc bushings have enough leeway to cover a multitude of sins, but if you’re going to convert to the bronze or stainless steel bushings, anything that is not straight will prevent you from completing the assembly.

With the frame inspected and any deformities corrected, you can now powder coat and chrome plate things to your heart’s content and avoid a very painful revelation later.

Every so often we are sent product samples by manufacturers seeking a distribution outlet for their wares. About a month ago, a supplier from the UK sent us a set of photographs of a new product they are making, an all-aluminum radiator for the ‘sidecurtain’ TR’s. What a neat idea! It is about 10 lbs. lighter than the stock unit, cools better, and is a direct bolt-in replacement.  I don’t have price information yet (and I’m not sure I want to know what it costs!), but anyone with overheating difficulties can call British Frame & Engine and I will get full information for you. 

I was out in the shop the other day, working on the flow bench, when a TR owner who I see frequently was suddenly standing behind me. "I think I screwed up big-time," were the first words out of his mouth. Trying to minimize his distress I proudly announced, "almost anything can be fixed."  He handed me the front plate of his four-cylinder TR engine, while in his other hand was the pin that holds the timing chain tensioner on. "I thought I had to remove the pin to get the plate off," he said.  Here was my chance to demonstrate my forty years of TR experience. "Just thread it back into the plate with some Loctite," I advised. "But all the threads are gone."   "That’s all right," I offered, undeterred, "I have new pins here in stock." He looked somewhat desperate. "No, all the threads in the plate are gone!" He was right. It looked as if someone had bored out the hole that was normally threaded to accept the pin. We took a new pin (the old one was shot), rounded off the corners on the hex head area and offered it up to the hole. Working from the back of the plate with a heat dam around the hole, I brazed the pin onto the plate. I then dressed the rough areas with a small grinder and everything worked fine. Of course, I was immediately asked why I had rounded off the hex head. "Well, that’s to prevent any future mechanic from trying to put a wrench on the pin to remove it." "What happens if they try it with vise-grips?" "You know, if someone is that determined to screw it up, there’s really not much I could do to help!"