Triumph Mayflower Restoration Project

[JamesChalk]

Hello everyone! 

I recently purchased a 1953 Triumph Mayflower that is in need of a bit of TLC. The previous owner had the car for 25 years and it sat in a garage for most of that time. He used to drive it as a daily, but the engine needed some attention. So the engine was removed and taken to a machine shop for an overhaul (which it received) but was never put back in the car! 

I have been looking for a project Mayflower for a few years now and I am delighted to have this in my possession - as you can see by my face! Most of the parts seem to be present, and there is a large amount of spares that came with the car. 

My plan for the car will be to get it back in to running condition so I can pootle around the village I live in. I don't intend on respraying the car - only to address any surface rust as needed. On the whole, the car is very sound though.

I hope to share my progress as the project moves along. I have joined the Triumph Mayflower Owners Club but they do not have a forum currently. I know the Mayflower is a bit like marmite - you either love them or hate them!

 

[Paulfc]

Hi,

I hate marmite but the Mayflower is a different matter! Good luck with the restoration and, yes, please keep us posted.

Paul

[Badwolf]

Looks lovely. 

[Chris A]

Looks very good. What's the inside like?

The car is the same age as me and looks to be in better shape.

Definitely keep us informed on progress

[Pete Lewis]

they were on the heavy side  due to thick metal panels but looking thats a good bit to survive the years without  tin worm attacking 

Pete

[JamesChalk]

Thanks for the warm welcome. 
 

I have attached some pictures of the inside and the engine bay.

Last weekend I decided to take out the old carpets, vacuum everything out and have a better look at the floor. Respirator was imperative! I will need to take the seats out as they seem to be fastened through the carpet. The plan is to wire brush the floor, then POR 15 the floor and the engine bay to tidy it all up and to capture any rust. That is all on order along with some leather cleaner and restorer. The last picture is of the carpet removed. As commented, the gauge of steel used is pretty beefy so everything is very solid and just seems to be surface rust/pitting. 

[Badwolf]

I can almost smell the old leather from here. That is going to look so good when you finally get it all sorted.

[Peter Truman]

My friend last year sent a Mayflower back to his brother in law in the uk from here in Aus was in good condition no rust 

When he got it had a Datsun 1200 engine and auto box, he rebuilt the original engine box was ok but the column to gearbox selectors had him beat for quite a while

Have a pic somewhere of it being loaded onto the low loader for shipment I believe it’s had a colour change from green to black over silver.

A ex club member had a Ute version perculiar to Aus made by Standard Aus by cutting the roof and bringing the rear window assembly forward.

[Josef]

Nice to see something a bit different from the usual 60s/70s Triumphs! How will you get that squaretail Spitfire hardtop to fit though!?

[JamesChalk]

33 minutes ago, Josef said:

Nice to see something a bit different from the usual 60s/70s Triumphs! How will you get that squaretail Spitfire hardtop to fit though!?

Interestingly, I got the hardtop as a freebie and will be using it on my 1975 1500 Spit! 

[Bordfunker]

Looking forwards to seeing your progress on the Mayflower.

We don’t see many on the forum, and even fewer restorations.

Karl

[JamesChalk]

In true keeping with a Mayflower, the pace is slow. The first month I have gone around almost every aspect of the car to look at what needs replacing, what I may be able to make myself (I run a manufacturing firm) and what needs immediate treatment to prevent further deterioration now it is out of a garage and on a drive.

First... I had to do something about the interior. Not the typical place to start but the smell was ripe and I wanted to see if there were any nasty holes under the carpet. As the rubber has perished everywhere, with the autumn approaching I am bound to get water ingress into the vehicle in some corners. So if I can treat the floor with some decent paint this will stop any rust running away from me. This would also allow me to clean the leather seats and replace the foam as needed.

So... seats out! On both seats there are two screws and two bolts that go through the floor into square nuts captured in a thin gauge metal box. Quite a simple design that seems to have captured most road grime. I got 3 out of 4 fixings free on either seat without drama but resorted to getting the angle grinder out on the last ones. I will probably replace these all with riv-nuts.

The carpet seemed original. Although that is only a guess based on how deteriorated it is and the materials it was made out of. There was a receipt/label (I believe installers label) stuck to the bottom of the tar like layer beneath the carpet which, I assume yet again, is sound deadening material. Most of it had turned brittle but some of it was pretty firmly stuck to the floor. 

I found all sorts of other treasures under the seats such as a 1/2 penny from 1971 and a number of 90s tax discs. 

Finally, with the carpet out I could see that, aside from one tiny weld and some pitting in the driver/passenger footwells, the floor was in very good condition. 

I scraped as much sound deadening material and lose rust away as I could and painted it with matt black POR 15. Before anyone tells me I missed a spot, I prefer to paint section by section, mainly for ease (try crawling around inside a car with wet paint everywhere!) and also, where possible, I would like to try and maintain the original paint and patina. In this case, as the floor pan is out of sight and under carpets I was not too precious. Voting for longevity over appearance. The car came with a new set of burgundy carpets so I can get those back in and trick my brain into there being more progress than there truly is. 

I considered doing the same to the engine bay, but there is hardly any rust (just surface rust) and so I think I will go for a clean/degrease following by a few layers of wax to capture any rust and protext the patina as much as possible. I have a few test bottles/containers of wax to try to see which produces the best results. 

Till next time! 

[Qu1ckn1ck]

At least your Mayflower is getting more love and attention than this sad specimen:

 

 

 

[Josef]

Think we can still buy petrol from those pumps at period prices!?

[steveo]

There is a Mayflower a few miles down the road from me, think it's a daily driver, been there for years.

Looks better in black, good luck with the restoration, looking good so far!

 

[Bordfunker]

Steve, is that the one in Porthtreath?

I saw it earlier in the year when I was on holiday in Porthreath, and had to go and have a nosey.

Karl