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I've reluctantly decided to sell my TR3. If you are not familiar with the significance of the 3B, it was built while TR4s were out as a new model. It used the TR4 motor (slightly bigger) and its 4 synchro transmission. It was one of the last TR3s produced. I've owned it for about 12 years. Initially, it was an off frame restoration of a very original car. I rebuilt the originalengine, inspected and resealed the trans and diff, cleaned, painted and rebushed the suspension (front and rear). ALL the chrome was either replated or replaced. The frame was blasted clean and epoxy primed and painted black. It has a stainless exhaust system. The brakes, clutch and their associated lines were all replaced. It is a numbers matching car- the generator, starter and even the shocks(still good) are date coded. The body was disassembled, stripped by blasting, rust was repaired with continuous welded new metal, epoxy primed, urethane surfaced and single stage color was applied in the original powder blue. I HATED it. After driving it for a bit, I took it apart again, sanded it and repainted it black. The result was excellent. I am very proud of it; although it has picked up a few minor scratches over the years, it still shows extremely well. The panels were straight enough to do black justice. You can see the reflections of me and the M on the front of my barn and even the individual boards of the siding in the pictures. Last year, I decided to rewire it with a new harness, restore the interior and put on the "weather equipment". I recovered the dash, installed a new glovebox andcleaned the instruments. I also replaced the steering wheel with a new one. The seat kit, door panelsand top were purchased from Moss Motors. The carpet, seat springsand "hoodstick" cover came from The Roadster Factory. They also restored the original side curtains. The protective covering is still on some of the plexiglass. I found a fantastic used canvas tonneau cover here on eBay. I bought 5 new chrome wires, knockoffsand 5 new tires - the spare has never been on the car. This year, I found the radiator leaking, so I had it recored. The new core doesn't have the hole for thehand crank, so don't try using it!I also put in a new battery, cleaned the regulator and replaced the front calipers with new parts from Moss.The car runs, stopsand drives great. It starts right up, doesn't smoke or leak (to speak of- all British cars leak a little, but I have no problem parking in my very fastidious friend's driveway because I know it won't leave an oil spot for him tocomplain about.). Everything works except the heater- the lights, blinkers, wipers and the gauges are functioning. The gas gauge will not go up higher than about 1/4 of a tank. It will need a new sender at some point. I left it because all I need is it to be accurate when it hits E and I didn't feel like wrestling with the tank to replace it.. It may have had a higher ratio differential put in before I owned it, because the speedometer is wildly optimistic. Also, it's surprisingly quick. I don't know if the mileage is original.The heater was in the car when I first restored it. When it leaked, I pulled it out and connected the hoses together. The heater isn't necessary, you get more heat than you want from the engine and exhaust anyway. and it will be more than $400.00 for a new core. If you decide to do it, it will be easy- the fan works, 3 nuts hold it on, the fan switch, hoses and defroster tubes are already in place.Feel free to ask questions. I've only put onabout 4000 miles in the time I've owned it, never in the rain. I'll be happy work with your shipper.
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