David Ferguson (VIC)

1958 Triumph TR3A

1958 Triumph TR3A

TS 27237 O

Posted: 26 Dec 2023

TR3a Commission Number TS27237 O

Australian delivered. Known history.

The car was an Australian delivery model. The earliest known owner was Laurie Cousin SA (now deceased - an early and well known member of the Register) who sold it to Michael Van Schaik (Netherly - SA) in 1980. Warwick de Kretser purchased the car from Michael on 24.12.1987. The car was a class winner at "TSOA Pride of Ownership 1997" David purchased the TR in Jan 2017 from Warwick de Kretser (SA) and has started to do some further restoration. He says: "It is early days and there is plenty to do on it. I have lots of new parts already and have made a start. Today I dropped all the chrome windscreen parts off for re chroming. Should make a difference. New wiring arrived today. Carpet is on order as are side screens. I will get it done eventually!! " This was done by a company who specialises in classic car restoration and I must say, they did an amazing job. It did however cost much more than we thought but it was worth it.”

Car as purchased. Not broken down. Just being loaded for delivery to Victoria.

Initial restoration. Early 2017.

Strip back to bare metal, sort every little defect and then, an amazing paint job.

2019 update. Just over 2 years ago, we had the exterior completely stripped back to bare metal, all steel repairs completed, all filler removed and then repainted in original Signal Red. This was done by a company who specialises in classic car restoration and I must say, they did an amazing job. It did however cost much more than we thought, so it took a while for us to want to take another big step! At the same time, we completely stripped the interior and replaced all the vinyl with leather. We also replaced the carpets, sorted the dash which had been molested a bit. A new wiring loom was also installed to replace the “rat’s nest” under the dash. We were also mindful of having a reliable car, so the old wiring just had to go. In this condition, we took the car to the Tasmanian Concours and had a few electrical issues unrelated to the loom. It turned out to be a faulty condenser in the main! Just prior to the Adelaide Concours, we had to replace the radiator as the old one started to leak. It was a rush getting the new one out of the UK but we made it. Not a simple switch out job!! In March 2019, we removed the engine, stripped the paint from the engine bay and repainted. At the same time, we installed a reconditioned block from a 1960 TR3a to replace the existing block. (It looked to be from a TR2 and had nothing wrong with it). The High Port head was reconditioned and mated with the block. We are lucky to have a friend who is a mechanic and he lets me work in his workshop under supervision!! Most of the time, I don’t need help but there are instances where experience counts. The “new” engine fired up easily, starts first time and runs very smoothly. There is more to go but our main focus is now enjoying the driving experience and friendships with other Triumph owners.