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Jim Bauder
Palo Alto CA USA

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I am a member of the northern California based Triumph Traveler's Sports Car Club, the oldest Triumph marque club in the US. I have been the Membership Chair for three or four years and enjoy that job a lot. The club and the Triumph List has been an invaluable source of advice and support during this restoration project. My brother Randy has been my soul mate and chief laborer on the project, He is going to get even though, as he bought a TR4 that is in a "million" pieces and needs reassembly, plus a '64 Spitfire Mk 1 driver, that of course needs a lot of TLC.

1958 Triumph TR3A

Here is my '58 TR3 after it was painted and showing the 1st time it was driven after most of the restoration was/is complete. I didn't have the windshield on nor were the dzus fasteners holding down the hood. However, the safety catch was working and I didn't even go a block at maybe 20 MPH. I bought the orange '58 TR3 in 1977 from the 2nd owner. In the trunk were almost all of the original tools, the original Owner's Manual (in the original brown paper envelope!), and the original top, side curtains, hood stick cover and tonneau. The top and tonneau were shot but the side curtains and the hood stick cover were in great shape. It came with a replacement set of seats with non-original vinyl covers but with the original leather seats and a set of carburetors as "spares". I traded an MG TF1500 for a '57 TR3, my 1st TR3 in about 1960, I kept that car until '63 or '64 when a transfer and a new baby made the TR just a bit too small. I was out of TRs until the early 70's when I bought a '58, then a '59, etc. I was without a TR for a couple of years then bought a '69 TR6. Found the pictured '58 a few weeks later. It was priced right, remember this was 1977! Had to sell the TR6 during a divorce, but kept the TR3. Three years ago decided to just "rebuild the engine". Right! Now finally, I am nearing the end of a frame-off restoration. It really looks good. However, I still have the interior to install and lots of touch up on the new BRG paint job.