Unfortunate news for TC#1943

[Lynn Dykgraaf]

Hi All,

Just a quick update on current state of affairs concerning my 1946 TC serial number 1943 with a matching numbers engine.

After much effort to bring it fully back to driver status I had a rear end failure on a short jaunt. As I was letting out the clutch there was the just a slight clunk and that was it for forward motion. I put it up on stands and pulled the wheels today as well as the brake drums and something inside has let go. I believe it to be more than just an axle as everything feels tight.

I have to admit the wind has been sucked out of my sails.

Lynn Dykgraaf
1958 Triumph TR3A/TS22436LO
1946 MG TC/ TC1943 XPAG2632

[Steve Simmons]

What rotten luck. I know it doesn't help any, but the car sure looks good sitting in the garage.

[frenchblatter]

Sounds like a half shaft, not uncommon. Doesn't take long to check. If you tape a strong magnet onto a broom handle you may be lucky and be able to pull the broken bit out of the diff.

[ROGER FURNEAUX]

hi Lynn - I don't know where you are, but I guess not in England...if it is just a broken half-shaft, these do break at the diff. end, but far more often at the hub. But it could be worse, maybe the diff. centre housing has broken!

I specialise in these back axles and have every part for them, including new centre housings.

So your first step is to pull the hubs and see if one (or possibly both, but this is veryrare!) shafts have broken.

I have a conversion which uses a taper in the hub (can machine out the splines) and special half-shafts. These are virtually unbreakable and will never get loose in the hubs.

Roger
TC0978
Devon England

[Tom Lange, MGT Repair]

Listen to Roger, who knows whereof he speaks! You have an 87% chance that a half-shaft is broken, nothing more.,

Tom Lange
MGT Repair

[Lynn Dykgraaf]

Thanks for the comments.

Roger, you and I are literally on opposite sides of the planet. I am in the Northwest corner of the USA. Specifically, Lake Stevens, Washington State. If you were closer, I would already be on my way to getting the assembly to you for a reconditioning.

As it is I have three choices. Option one is to pull the rear end and try to find someone locally with the skills and desire to rebuild my rear end. Option two is to pay the cost and ship the rear end out to someone within the USA for the rebuild. Option three is to cut my losses. Sell and then just continue to enjoy driving my TR3 as I have been doing since 1975.

My best friend was with me for his first ride when the failure happened. While out shrimping on the Puget Sound the other day, he commented that it is all how I see the car. If it is a hobby, then the time it is laid up is of no consequence as it is all in the experiences the car offers and that includes the time under repair. If it is the driving experience that matters the most then I have a bit of a problem. At the moment I have one foot in each camp depending on the day.

I picked up the car 10 months ago at a pretty reasonable price with originality, documented history, structure and cosmetics being more important than mechanical as I am fairly competent at diagnostics and a wrench. The last 10 months have been sorting a number of issues that had been neglected.
-Fuel tank sending unit failure and leak fixed.
-Cooling system re-build.
-Carbs rebuild by Joe Curto.
-Replace valve actuating rocker assembly with rebuilt assembly.
-Replace starter with rebuilt unit.
-Locate, purchase and replace any missing or incorrect parts or repairs. Quite a few smaller things in this category! In one
instance I found safety wire holding the clutch actuating assembly together.

If anyone has a trusted competent shop capable of the rebuild in the Pacific Northwest, I would appreciate the name. I'll start making some contacts already on my radar next week to get a feel for the direction I am headed.

Lynn Dykgraaf
1958 TR3A/TS22436LO
1946 TC1943/XPAG 2632

[Steve Simmons]

I don't know anyone in the northwest, but there are two places here in So Cal that I could recommend. My first call would be to Butch Taras. He rebuilt the differential in my TC years ago.

(818) 281-7333
mgyowner@yahoo.com

The good side of these things happening is that you get to sort it out properly, and never worry about it again. Eventually all of the car's issues will be sorted and you can just drive.

[Ray White]

Sorry to hear your news Lynn. I can only speak from experience. If you are thinking about cutting your losses then you might be better off doing just that. Having to fully restore a car is an expensive business and you never recoup the expenditure.

The fact that you have been able to enjoy your TR3 all these years is a credit to you.!

I regret selling my Triumph GT6 Mk3 after 40 years of ownership. I can't say it NEVER let me down but because I knew the car so well it didn't take me by surprise when something failed. I imagine you are the same and probably know every nut and bolt of the old girl.

Whatever you decide, you have my best wishes for the future.

Ray.

[Duncan M]

Lynn-
When you buy a new axle shaft it can come already pressed into a new rear hub. Once you get the old one out, putting in the new one is just one more step beyond changing rear wheel bearings. No need to pull the diff to replace one or both axle shafts.

Might be a good time to check condition of the pinion shaft bearings. Those bearings are one of the most often overlooked maintenance items on a TC, Historically. I replaced the pinion bearings around 10,000 miles ago, and did it with the diff still mounted on the car. If you know for sure that the pinion bearings have been converted to tapered bearings, or you know the regular bearings were replaced not too many miles ago, then you should be OK.

[Lynn Dykgraaf]

Just home from a few days out camping on the coast and read the last few comments.

Duncan, Thanks for the suggestion on a way to get the TC back on the road without having to pull the entire rear end for a rebuild. I apparently have a pretty deep anal streak in me and over the years I just cannot bring myself to not go all in on a repair. Too many years working with a Dad who drilled into me an all the way or not at all mentality. My long suffering wife just shakes her head.

Ray, Thanks for the encouraging thoughts. I am leaning toward moving on. I might have put maybe 5 miles of driving in the TC in the last 10 months and that is just not very satisfying. I gave myself a year with the car while keeping my TR3 as well to make up my mind as to which I would keep.

This all started back in 1977 when I was going to go back to school after working for two years after high school. I was offered a one family owned TC. I very much wanted to buy it but thought the TC was not likely to survive 4 plus years away at University while the TR3 likely would. My meager financial situation in those days plus old TR's laying around everywhere made keeping the 3 the better choice. As it ended up my 3 became my daily driver for the better part of 8 years. I promised myself to try to scratch that TC itch at some point in the future.

I'm attaching a image of the TC I passed on right before I bought the one I have now. It is a 49 EXU car that had sat in that family room for 35 years. The price was reasonable but bringing a British car back from a 35 year hibernation leaves open all kinds of potentially very expensive unknowns. Every mechanical system has to be considered suspect and then there was the passenger door that appeared to have some wood frame issues around the latching mechanism. Ray's comment about this being an expensive activity are so true.

I was ready to give up at that point but one last opportunity presented itself and I bit. No regrets at all. I have had a great time learning 46' tech. If I had more free space I'd likely keep both but that is just not in the cards. I have not pulled the trigger one way or another and will drag this out much longer.

Lynn

[Lynn Dykgraaf]

That last comment should have been "will NOT drag this out much longer!

[Steve Simmons]

That photo is fantastic! We had a similar thing in TC Motoring Guild years ago. A member was hosting a meeting one evening in his house, so he pulled his TC into the living room as a surprise.

Lynn, I don't suppose you know where that red car is now? Or who the owner was?

[Lynn Dykgraaf]

Steve,

The long term owner had passed away and his family was in the process of settling the estate.

As I understand things, after a careful inspection and conversation I was offered the car at what I thought was a fair price. My wife and I then went for lunch and decided that this TC was not the right car for us. We contacted the family and shared our thoughts. They were very gracious and I enjoyed getting to know them and spending part of a day with them. There was an exporter who was also very interested, and it is my understanding that that person bought the car with the intent to send it to Holland.

If I had been looking for a car to fully restore it would have been hard to find a better example to begin from. Complete. Numbers matching. A nice collection of period accessories also on the car. I do not remember the commission number or engine number but it was a late number.

I do not know any more than that as to the disposition of the car.

Lynn

[Ray White]

I will have to show that photo to my wife. She who must be obeyed is pretty much against old cars in general - so the idea of having one in the living room would not go down well!