Triumph TR2 Longdoor 1954

We have received the body and chassis of this car for a complete restoration. You can follow the restoration process here with regular updates.

Upon arrival, we first started with a careful inspection. The body was placed on the chassis and measured accurately. It has become apparent that the bodywork has been "messed with" a lot in the past. The bolts that attach the bodywork to the chassis and in the engine compartment do not appear to fit because the bolt holes do not match. After various measurements it appears that the car on the right side is 10 mm. longer than on the left side. The right door is therefore made 10 mm longer at the back. The floor plates are crooked and have not been welded correctly. It looks like the body was taken off the chassis, and then they tried to weld new bodypanels into the body. This resulted in the body crooking because of the heat of the welding, thus not fitting on the chassis anymore.

Of course we will first solve this by properly aligning the body with the chassis and correcting past mistakes.

After identifying all errors from previous welding work, we saw the body into 3 pieces. The front is cut loose from the floors, the existing floors and beams are removed, and the rear is later removed from the chassis for further repairs.

Now first the new floor panels and beams are aligned on the chassis. We then align the nose with the chassis and weld it to the beams and floorboards.

We then weld the extra headlight holes that were cut out in the past so that the car will be in its original condition. Many cracks in the nose, which are caused by stresses and vibrations in the material, are also welded.

A new battery box is also welded into the nose:

We then focus on the extensive repair work on the rear of the car. The side panels and trunk floor are replaced, and the rear under the spare wheel well is restored:

Now that all repair work on the rear has been completed, the rear part is placed back on the chassis. To finally align the rear with the chassis, the doors are first mounted and alligned so that it can be checked whether the doors lock properly. Only then can we be sure that the rear of the car is positioned correctly before we finally weld everything together. Finally, we restore the B-pillars:

Now that all the welding is done, we reassemble the entire car to check all dimensions and to see whether the hardtop also fits.

Now that everything is correct, we disassemble the entire car to prepare it for shipping to the sandblasters.

Before the car goes to the paintshop, all parts are first sandblasted: