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[Dave]

I am new and need help determining if a 1964 TR4 I found is a good purchase. History: Current owner (74 years old) purchased it in 1980 for $2000. Drove it home, added the wrong brake fluid and messed up the brakes. It sat outside (in Indiana) for a year before he shoved it in the back of his garage. Mileage unknown but he states the rocker panels will need replaced. The motor had been rebuilt before he purchased it. He has since found and extra motor and tranny, and many spare parts (doors, etc).  The car is buried under boxes, etc and he plans to dig it out next week. It had a new top and interior before he purchased it. His purchase price is a firm $5000. He states that it was the racing version? Any feedback before we dig it out would be appreciated.
Thanks

[none]

If you could get the comm. number and you can probably get better information.

I had a '64 and it was the best car I have ever owned. Racing version, I am curious as to what that is.

[Brooklands]

It could be the perfect find, but I would hope some of the TR4 owners will chime in with things to be checking carefully. I would be leery of the "messed up" brakes, as well as of an engine that has not turned over in over 20 years. If you are able to rebuild these on your own, that may not be a problem. For someone like me with few good tools and no experience in this, it would be a major obstacle. I am sure there are rust areas that are more difficult to fix than others. Anyone here with experience restoring a TR4, please chime in for Dave.

[herald948]

After 27 years, I wouldn't worry too much about "wrong fluid" messing up the brakes in 1980. If the car has sat that long, it needs a complete overhaul of the brakes regardless!

For $5000 (or any price, for that matter), you need to very carefully inspect the body inside and out, looking for rust. TR4s were notorious for rotting away in pretty much the same areas that the later (and structurally similar) TR6s were, which is pretty much everywhere but especially in the wheels wells and atop the rear fenders (including on the body side of where the rear fenders attach). If it is a 4 and not a 4A, at least there's a better chance that the chassis frame will be ok, but that's worth checking as well. All in all, I'd be skeptical of it being anywhere near a $5,000 car.

Oh, and there was no "racing" version as such, unless it happens to be an ex-SCCA racecar or maybe one of the very few "Works" Sebring cars or Rallye cars (not likely, since all four of them are accounted for, I think) or something like that. But if it does have some sort of "racing" history that is documented, that might be interesting....

[Dave]

Thanks guys. I hope to get a chance next week to thoroughly look it over. At least, now I have a good idea what to look for. He said he mixed Bendix brake fluid with Girling and it caused problems. He stated that the car was solid except for the rockers. However, it has been sitting on concrete for 27 years. As for the racing version, I believe he was referring to the wire wheels but not sure. Will let you know when I get a chance to look it over.
Thanks for the replies.
Dave

[charley fitch]

After looking at TR4's in preparation to buy on, I have an additional item that one needs to look for.  Look at the side view of the car and specifically look at the gap at the rear of the doors.  If you find that the gap is small at the bottom and gets larger  at the top then you should be looking at the bottom of the post behind the door.  This can be seen at the front of the rear wheel well.  If this post, called the B Post is rotted then you have a significant problem that will require some expert cutting and welding.  It is likely a sign that there is also a lot more rust than externally visible.  Often times when the rocker panels are shot the rust has moved up into the B post.  Personally I walked away from a car that I found  as described above.  It ran but it was  rotting junk pile.
Charley