Body
TRs rust and, due to a separate chassis, even a terminally rusty body can still be drivable.
Take out the spare wheel and take up the carpets, this will give you a quick view of the vehicle's
condition. Holes in the floor are quite normal (at least the water can get out), check the forward section close to the bulkhead and the inner sill
in this forward area.
TRs have a design "feature" where the plenum chamber (that feeds
the fresh air vents) drains water into the void between the
kick-panel and the front wing. This is disastrous; when leaves
& garbage get into the plenum they either block these drain
tubes causing the plenum to rust, or if the leaves go down the
tubes, they start a compost heap inside the wing. So, if the
outer wing or inner sill are rusty then you can expect to have
to replace inner & outer sill & kick panel. From the engine
bay you may see the outer ends of the bulhead rusty--this is
the plenum rusting inside to out.
Check the battery tray area; acid will cause rust here, water will then leak through onto the heater
system.
At the front of the inner wing, check where the body bolts to the chassis, if it's rusty here
then the whole car has most likely had a hard life. Check the "B" Post, where the doors shut, the post should be solid. If there
is rust here then it's most likely come from the rear wheel arch meaning much hidden rust. If you can take the rear wheels off, take
a look at the inner rear wing where there is a cut-out to clear the spring-bridge on the chassis. Are there cracks in the corners of
the inner wing cutouts? If yes then this indicates that the car has a "broken back", the chassis is very weak around the area of the rear
suspension, as a result the body has taken on the supporting role for everything rearward of the seats--hence the cracks...
The Lower front Valance rusts, the upper part normally survives much longer, its easier to replace the lower part than repair it.
The wings all bolt on, that means there is a sandwich of metal to rust under that nice chrome bead along
the tops of the wings. Rust bubbles along this bead can be superficial, or be the final burst-out of rust from below; A poke with
a small screwdriver should determine which.
Rust on the forward end of the rear wing is caused by water trapped against the back of the B post. Rust at the rear end of the
rear wing is caused by debris collecting between the wing and the rear light pocket. This is a little tricky to
fix because those rear lamp units fit over the final stepped quarter inch of the wing.
The sills themselves rust away, its quite common to find holes to put your hand through. This is straightforward to
replace but take care to brace the door opening before welding a sill; these cars are surprisingly flexible (thats why
there is a secondary metal catch on the B post; to keep the doors from flying open when you go over a bump).Windscreen Frame
If there is rust bubbling out of the bottom corners of the screen frame, then it's time to find another one. It's difficult
to fix and strength & accuracy of shape are needed to support the glass. The windscreen surround is a bolt-on piece, so you
can take it off for your weekend racing.Doors
The bottoms rust out the doors on all TRs, so minor bubbles along the bottom edge
and areas of rust about 1 inch inwards of the bottom corners indicate that the inner frame of the door is rusting
due to blocked drain holes and poor water sealing of the glass. Check also the top of the doors at the ends of the glass
aperture: if you see cracks here then you might guess that the chassis is weak (as above) and the doors have been
stressed by having to absorb all the bending forces on the body. This also shows up as a door that will open
easily on level ground but which jams if there is any torsional stress on the chassis (i.e. by having one wheel jacked up.)Bonnet & Boot
Bonnets rust along their leading edge, where they are double-skinned. Severe rust here is hard work to repair; it may be easier to replace
the bonnet. At the windscreen end of the bonnet check for cracks around 3 inches away from the corner; this is caused by poor adjustment
of the bonnet catch or corner stoppers putting undue stress on the panel. If the bonnet release cable breaks
get the car up on a lift and use a torch and a broom handle to operate the catch.
The bootlid rusts in the double-skinned area at the bottom by the handle. Repair panels are available, but also make sure the inner part is strong
here of the lid will never seal and exhaust fumes will be sucked into the cabin when the hood is up.
