1959 Triumph TR3A Restoration Project, Cockpit Capping Re-Covering

Continuing on with the 1959 Triumph TR3A Interior Restoration we re-cover the cockpit dash cappings. Some are done in leather while others are covered in vinyl. The tricky part for me is how to finish the pieces at the end and of course, we want them to be as wrinkle free as possible! In the end, I am happy with the results. Now on to the rear panel and the seats.

[@indyme2]

Turned out great! Keep the videos coming.

[@cheftush]

Thanks! At some point, you will need to do the same. Great job for the Rust Queen I think 😉

[@indyme2]

I wish. Have spent the last 3 weeks searching junk yards, pulling parts and working on her car. Seems she thinks it has top priority. Go figure!@@cheftush

[@johnmalone407]

She’s going to be a beauty Dave!

[@cheftush]

Long way to go but I hope so 😉

[@MrMikeyspfx]

Good job as always keep the vids coming. Thanks.

[@BruceBoschek]

Nice job! Very professional looking. Thanks.

[@cheftush]

Thanks Bruce…I’m not the greatest at trimming, but I think they turned out ok.

[@davidhannah943]

Top work, David! Thanks for the tips.

[@cheftush]

Hi David! Thanks for checking in.

[@wtbm123]

Looks good

[@DonDavisGVL]

Dave, I literally did the same job on mine 2 months ago. Like yours, my cappings were a mix of flimsy aluminum and some steel, and were dented much worse. I used peening hammers and some wood jigs to beat them back into shape, but also used batting to help hide any imperfections and smooth things over. I'm always amazed at the breadth and scope of your undertakings when it comes to these cars, so kudos once again. I wish you lived in my neighborhood!

[@cheftush]

Hi Don, I was fortunate that I had a few sets to choose from…some of them were going to be almost unusable….i was lucky to be able to find a useable set that needed minimal work.

[@kevinblume2976]

Great work as always, Chef. A very difficult job at the very least. I know who to call for my upholstery work now. Cheers!

[@cheftush]

Thanks Kevin, lol I’m sure you could do a better job.

[@neilrogers8931]

Thanks for an informative video David. I'll be doing mine at some point and it was good to see how you tackled this job.

[@uweziegenbein3114]

Thanks David for sharing, that’s perfect winter work in the warm living room. Looks great. I think i change from metal forming and welding to prepare my interior too. Greetings Uwe

[@cheftush]

Yes, it’s a good time of the year for me to be working inside…we just got 25cm of snow overnight and it’s pretty cold out in the garage 😉

[@tjsand8814]

Beautiful job Mr. Chef - I done mine not knowing how and added half inch foam on all pieces- they stayed fair - not great but it’s fine for me - thank you so much for your videos- I’m really pleased with your work. Thank you.

[@cheftush]

Thank You very much for the nice comments.

[@robertcrowley6573]

Nice job Dave 👍 I made some similar cockpit cappings for a friend's Merlin kit car some years ago. I did take the precaution of priming the metalwork first to prevent rust... a must here in the UK with our awful weather for most of the year. Your TR3 will look sensational, as does you 250 & 6. Thanks for sharing another great vid👍

[@cheftush]

Hi Robert, I debated about priming these pieces…they are actually in pretty good shape after 60 plus years….i figure they are good for at least another 60 😉

[@jhaedtler]

My first car was a 59 3A! I had wire wheels. Great car taught me a lot. I would float the valves at least once a week. And don't get me started on Lucas electric! the Price of darkness! I feel the control on the 3 were better than the 4's. I wish I still had that car!

[@cheftush]

Fun cars for sure! This one will have wire wheels as well ( I think )

[@johnhartley3596]

They came out great! Can’t wait to follow the rest of the build.

[@cheftush]

Thanks John, I appreciate it.

[@youngmuttley]

Great job, looks like a professional as done it.

[@MisplacedAmerican]

quite the undertaking, thanks for sharing

[@johnsharonwhitaker9242]

thanks Chef. excellent instruction as always. But I am impressed by how much of the shop you are able to move into the living room. It is a constant battle here on the farm - the big no-no is anything smelling of 30 year old gasoline. You have encouraged me to try for a vise on the coffee table. Can I convince her it is modern art ?

[@cheftush]

lol good luck John. I’m actually considering setting up a workbench in the basement…..Not sure why I didn’t consider it before….maybe I’m just getting too old to spend much time out in a very cold garage 😉

[@jimconklin8040]

Nice job David! The wrinkles are minimal, if you did not point them out, nobody would notice, not even me! I hope you have a clean spot to keep these parts until needed!

[@cheftush]

Ha 😉 I should show you my parts room sometime ….I have a bedroom just for new parts, or refinished parts that a ready to go back on a car…plus, it stores my hardtop for my TR6 😉

[@TR4Ajim]

Looking good Dave! A “tool” I use to go after small hard to reach dents is the rounded end of an old pushrod 👍

[@iceman9678]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@rickdaniel8478]

Zoom zoom 😊

[@cheftush]

Roger that Rick!

[@michaelstoliker971]

If you ever come to the Carlisle, PA show, there are tool vendors that sell all kinds of tools like those 3M devices. Carlisle summer show is a really big show with lots of British and Italian sports cars.

[@cheftush]

Yes, I’m going to make the Carlisle show one year…it’s not too bad of a drive for me.

[@michaelstoliker971]

@@cheftush Lt me know when you are coming down and I'll make the trip myself.

[@cheftush]

@@michaelstoliker971 will do!

[@markaluge]

Nice job Chef, I really enjoyed doing this job on my car. Rather than using batting on the door tops I used 3mm foam which gives the same feel but is a lot easier to work with, not least because it had an adhesive on one side. The elbow capping are by far the hardest pieces. I like the idea of your wooden former, that may have made the job easier. It just takes time and patience.

[@robbdeiongh7363]

Thanks very much indeed. Sadly these don’t seem to be available anymore, especially not in Australia, but will keep an eye out. Maybe I will get lucky at 2nd hand markets etc.

[@cheftush]

Yes, I’ve heard that they can be hard to come by and expensive when you do….

[@ericpfiffner5615]

Everything turned out awesome, especially since as you say, you aren't an expert "rapper". Judging by the bass and the Rush T Shirt you are more of a rocker. Also dig your Swedish Chef sweatshirt.

[@cheftush]

Hi Eric, thanks very much…definitely more of a rocker 😉

[@barry6274]

They don't look pretty good ...they look great, nice work Dave. Thanks for the video.

[@cheftush]

Thanks Barry, good enough to go on the car at least 😉

[@stevenfoster-gp5yx]

It lens pretty good I wanna see what you can do

[@stevenfoster-gp5yx]

Chev Tosh I love everything you do I wish you were here to look at what I'm don't know how to make a video so you can see. But the information you provide is invaluable to me

[@TheShadeTreeFixitMan]

What would we do without our power tools? I remember so many of these kinds of things having to be done by hand.

[@cheftush]

Agreed!

[@starckmad1779]

Thanks for the video! Just the encouragement to get out and clean some Spitfire seat frames! You mention your Horde. Exactly how long have you been collecting this stuff? Just curious….🧐

[@cheftush]

Well, I definitely need some encouragement sometimes! I’ve been collecting parts for about 15 years…for example, although I don’t expect to work on my TR8 for another few years yet, I’ve got parts purchased sitting and waiting…for example I’ve got a set of headers, new nos windscreen, convertible top, shifter bushings, carpet set etc. etc…

[@starckmad1779]

@@cheftush Thanks! I’ll let my wife know what to be prepared for!🤣 It’s neat to be able to go to the horde and just retrieve what you need. But I think Mustie1’s stash is beyond what I could handle.

[@robbdeiongh7363]

Would like to know where you got the chisel/punch kit as there are several fittings there I haven’t seen before. Brand?

[@cheftush]

www.toolsource.com/sets-c-194_214_568/interchangeable-autobody-forming-and-punch-kit-p-110837.html

[@philtucker1224]

Hi Dave, why are some leather and some vinyl? And secondly, what concealed fixing system holds the cappings down please?

[@cheftush]

Hi Phil, the thought is that the leather is used in the high touch areas as it will wear better over time than the vinyl. The panels are fixed by trim screws on the inside of the body tub…some of these are exposed and some are concealed by other panels that lay on top.

[@philtucker1224]

@@cheftush thanks Dave, that makes a lot of sense. Great project by the way as this is a very old model now so bless you for making a great start on it. I know you’ve had it “in the wings” for a long time so good for you and stay happy and healthy! 😁

[@robertharrison9248]

You do much cleaning of parts, what is the reason for not investing in a nice blast cabinet that can handle different types of media for doing jobs like this. It seems it would be worth your while. The final result just using simple tools works as well of course.

[@cheftush]

Hi Robert, I actually have one sitting just in front of the TR250…sometimes it’s just easier to do them by hand vs moving a car out of the garage into the snow and then having to pull it out from behind a large tool box etc…if I have to do a larger batch of parts I’ll most definitely dig it out.

[@alanvinegar5729]

Can you say concours?😅

[@cheftush]

No 😉