The Story of "Red" the TR3A

When I started my hunt for the "menopausal" toy, I started looking at (excuse me) the MGTD. Well, Dennis and my brother John convinced me I did not want the MGTD, but I did want a Triumph. Thinking to myself that if I ever wanted any help with this car (fixing, and finding), it would behoove me to buy a Triumph, my search continued. I started looking in monthly car magazines, and Hemming's, and the Sunday Tribune. While talking to my brother on and off about the Triumphs, he kept telling me over and over, the famous saying, "Triumphs never leave you stranded", and of course being that he has had Triumphs for his whole life, I believed him. By the way, I still do. Mine has not ever stranded me.

Well, one Sunday at the end of June in 1997 we went out to Glen Ellyn and found a little red 1961 TR3A Triumph. The seller started it up and it purred like a kitten. Dennis drove it around the block and told me to get in and drive it. So a little boost in the seat, and around the block I went. Once back in the garage, Den started to inspect it. All I heard for the next - what seemed like - 30 minutes non stop, was: "no Problem, that is easy to fix", "not a problem", and so forth… Unfortunately, I kept hearing this for about 50 more times. After that I heard Den ask me if I wanted to buy it. I told him if it was sound, sure. (Secretly I did like the body style and feel to driving it). So with that we bought it. Well about 1 week later Den went to get it with his brother. When he drove it home, I was in the hospital (nothing major) and he told me it ran great. Den told me he had it up to about 100 with no problems. Of course there were no electronics stuff working. That meant no gauges, no turn signals, etc., but the engine purred. The car was now nicknamed "Red"!

With Red in the garage, I came home to admire her and drive her. Unbeknownst to me I couldn't drive her. That was rotten. Well, Dennis decided to let me know what had to be fixed. Remember those 9000 things that were no problem? Yep, for driving they were. The first thing we did was get the manuals from the trunk, order catalogues, and decided which parts were needed. We then ordered them. While waiting for the parts, we rebuilt the windshield wiper motor. I learned that most things on the car can be re-built, how to scrape and clean the greasy, yucky, sandy, dirty frame and engine parts that were exposed, ran the bench grinder (which, sick as I am, sort of enjoyed that), and painted the parts I could. Trust me, cleaning the car could have been a real long project if I wanted it to be.

The parts arrived and Dennis and I went to work. Dennis worked on the front suspension, rebuilt the generator, did a back brake job, and bled the system. I worked on the electronics. Yep, Lucas was a woman! Right is left and left is the male right. Guys think opposite of Lucas. It was perfectly understandable to me. OK, I had to learn how to read the diagrams. I learned that the car had been wired for a TR2 not the TR3. Once I figured that out (looked at the diagram of the back lights), it was pretty simple to do. Little by little, with a few extra grounds in, I got things working. Yahoo, the gauges worked, the lights and turn signals worked, the horns worked!!!! I've got to say I sure felt proud of myself. This was something I felt I could do without getting into trouble with Dennis. You know, screwing up the engine or brakes by doing something I wasn't suppose to. So after the wiring I set about doing things that kept me out of trouble, like cleaning bolts and painting them.

Well, once those "9000" items were done, I was ready to go on the road. Yep, It was off to Indiana to see some cousins with my daughter. We donned our coats (Nov.), and we were off. Got into Schererville and it was great! The car ran like a champ. We visited a little and then it was off to go back home. Well, at the first major light the car started to whine loudly, so I pulled into a shopping center lot, got out lifted the hood (thinking it was the fan belt). Nope, I was clueless. Got back into the car and tried to start it. It wasn't going to happen using the push button. So I told Deanna to get out and push. Now for a 16 year old, this meant all the way to Chicago and I had a screw loose. However, I remembered the "old days" where you could pop the clutch and start it. So that is what we did, and thank heavens for the I-Pass because I never had to stop until I got within 2 blocks of the house. Once I stopped that whining started again, but I forged my way home and into the garage. (see - RED, my little Triumph, didn't leave me stranded!!!) With the car in the garage I called Moss Motors and talked to the tech man there. I put the phone by the engine and asked what he thought it was. I am sure he thought I was nuts! I did tell him to talk in terms I would understand as I was illiterate in mechanical terms. He told me to get a pipe and put one end to each part and listen, then I would know which part was the problem. Well, I needed a new generator, so that was ordered and the old one, re-built, was put back on.

The next trip was the day after Thanksgiving. Dennis and I drove to Starved Rock. I was tooling around and taking the back roads, having a great time. We got to a small two lane road winding up to the Starved Rock Park, when the car started to slow down, and slow down, and slow down………Well, by the top of the hill it croaked. So we opened the hood, and Den found that the fuel bowl had a lot of "crud" in it. So it was cleaned and I thought " Great we are off…no problem". Well, we were, but at the first stop sign the car died. So I got out and pushed and Den popped the clutch and the car started and we drove. We got onto the highway and Den kept the car going about 65 MPH with the overdrive on. Well, never let it be said I don't leave things alone. I turned the headlights on. Big Mistake!! It blew the overdrive off and the engine was whining with the rpm going. The rest of the way home at every light or stop sign, I got to get out and push start the car. We got home, though! "Because - Triumphs never leave you stranded!!!!" By the way, we had to put the new generator on and a new regulator. The regulator wasn't directing the current to where we wanted it to go, so little Red died anytime the turn signal went on or brake lights went on, or any electrical current was generated. (I hope I got that concept right). The rebuilt generator is in my garage now.

I had to put the car away for the winter about Dec. 27th or so that year and decided to put a new wiring loom in. So we ordered the loom and I started to tape stickers on the new loom as to where they went. I studied the colored wires and the diagram and then cross-referenced them with the existing wiring. Dennis soldered tips on some of the wires and between the two of us we got the job done - and everything worked!! Another proud moment!

You were all there when I (with a lot of help) rebuilt the carburetors. Dennis has since put in a new clutch. I hang around to learn a little more and probably enough to get myself in trouble. We have a few more repairs to make on Red still. Right now the Red is down because I need to put new rings on the pistons. But I hope it will be up and running in the next few weeks. Den has really helped me learn a lot about the car, and the fact that it is more durable than I thought. Hard to believe, I know, but I am not the easiest person to teach things to. I tend to think things are very fragile and will break easily. He goes in with two by fours and sledge hammers (just kidding).

Red has taken me on many a great ride. It is an adventure owning her and a learning experience. My little Red Triumph is the greatest!!!

By Gloria "Queenie" Capetto