Well it's definately been too long since lot's of work had been done on "The Queen" but now that the weather here in the Middle East has reached it's best, so has my motivation to continue with the project.

Back in May The Queen was returned to my garage. After a short try to restart the engine, I noticed that there was some sort of short circuit inside the wiring. I've taken this as a chance to order new wiring harnesses etc. and I am currently waiting for these to be delivered. Once they are here I plan on redoing all the wiring (if anyone has a good wiring plan please let me know).

A couple of weeks ago I started putting all the bits and pieces back together. TRIUMPH lettering, bumpers, lights etc. It's taking longer to put it all back together than I expected, but it's coming along slowly but surely.

One major problem I've experienced is that putting the indicator lights back in, it seems like the bodyshop has aligned the holes wrong and I therefore can not fit the lights into the holes since there is no space between the holes and the "wheel arches". It seems like the only feasable solution is to drill a hole through the arch to be able to fit them. Again if anyone has had a similar problem please let me know what you did.

That's more or less it for now. I'm sure there'll be more to come soon.

Thanks for reading and looking forward to hearing from you.

Tani Rieben

47 degrees C, 75% humidity and blowing sand is not the readout of my TR3's engine gauges, but much more the status of the local weather here in Dubai. I'll put it in easy words... it's just bloody hot!

I've taken a few goes on working on the Queen, but beleive me the heat is a killer. The interior needed some cleaning up and I've managed to get things underway. To my surprise there are a list of parts missing, that the bodyshop seems to have misplaced. Hope they can find them. My first tasks will be to get the dashboard etc back together and the engine running nicely again before completing the final touches, like lights and bumpers etc.

Although we'll be traveling quite extensively until beginning of August (1st wife got some priority over 2nd wife - smile) I hope to get things ready by latest end of August.

Best regards from hot, humid and sandy Dubai.

Tani Rieben

After having revisited the bodyshop a half a dozen times, we managed to decide on final coating, interior coloring and how much work they will do and how much I am bound to finish.

A delay of almost 5 weeks occured when the red carpeting they wanted to install was not available. Could've well ordered the proper carpet kits from the States in that amount of time, but hey I was getting a great deal of work done for a very low price.

So the well awaited phone call came in last week that I can come and take a final look at her before she gets ready to ship back to my home. Beautiful paintjob, great work on the interior, everything had been rechromed and to my huge surprise they even made a new white roof without charging me! How's that for good service, especially taking into account that I have paid USD 2700.- for the complete off frame bodywork with repaint and another USD 800.- for the interior work (carpets, dash etc.) Not quite sure if that's a good price in the Americas but hell in Europe I'd have paid 3 or 4 times that! Oh and not to forget the free new windshield they had made for me.

Well, after only 24hours she has arrived at my new home in the southern district of Dubai (Green Community). We had justed moved house a few weeks back and so I can well imagine me getting in a lot of trouble with my wife, when I end up spending hours on end in the baking hot garage (currently about 120 deg F) instead of unpacking the last boxes, but hey I guess that's a risk I have to take :-)...

... Tani Rieben and TSF465L, I now officially pronounce you husband and wife (good thing I live in the UAE where I can have more than one wife - smile)

Today I managed to take a drive to Sharjah. It was a bit of a mission but it was worth it.

I was expecting the bodyshop team to do a minimal repaint with some small bodywork. When I arrived all that was there was a chassis with an engine on it! The body itself had been taken off and is being done very properly in another part of the workshop. Absolutely amazing.

Looks kind of scary at first sight to see everything detached and hanging around like that, but wow am I amazed at what kind of work they have been doing! In about another 2 weeks I can go take another look and by then they should be finished with the bodywork and ready for the paint.

All in all I am very happy on the progress and very excited to get everything together again.

More to follow...

After taking apart the dashboard as good as possible (couldn't get the Temperatur Gauge out) I couldn't get the car to start anymore. I didn't have enough time to find out the cause of the problem, but I'm sure it won't be that much trouble when it comes back from the bodyshop and I put everything back together.

The recovery service came by yesterday to pick up "The Queen". She was taken to a bodyshop in Sharjah. Sharjah is in another Emirate and about a 40 minute drive from where I live in Dubai. After inspecting the car, they expect the bodywork and the paintjob to take around 6-8 weeks. I suppose I rather have them do a good and clean job than rush it.

Anyways, as previously mentioned "The Queen" will be repainted in black and here in the UAE for a car to have its color changed you need Govt approval. So in the meantime I've been down to the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) and received the approval for the repaint.

So I guess next time we see her in paint, she'll be black instead of white.

Today we took apart the carburators and leaned them to run nice and smoothly. The engine ran beautifully, besides backfiring once the accelerator was pressed. After adjusting the timing as well, we finally figured out that the Nr. 2 spark plug was not working and therefore it was only running on 3 cylinders! Why hadn't we thought about that before?... Down to the local Bosch dealer to get 4 new sparkplugs (W7BC) for $8.- and guess what... She now definately runs beautifully and purrs like a kitten.

The brakes work, but not quite as good as I hoped them to. But the bodyshop recovery vehicle is coming tomorrow to pick her up. Looks like the brakes etc. will have to wait untill she comes back.

Her Majesty "The Queen" is being reborne!