John Dizer of Utica, NY has rebuilt, restored and modified many cars over the years. They range from a 1921 Essex and a 1941 Packard to several Triumphs. As you can see in the picture of John and his extended family, these are all cars he has restored and that are still in the family. In the picture, John is standing (from left to right) next to the third TR3 in the front row. This is John’s red 1962 TR3B. John’s license plate reflects exactly what his car is. The plates read 62TR3B.

 

John’s association with Triumphs began is 1968. Unknown to him, his sons Tom and Bill made a barter arrangement with a neighbor to paint their home in exchange for a 1964 Triumph Spitfire, that was in need of much repair.
Since then, John has restored 12 of these British sports cars. Most of John’s projects have remained in the family. In fact, with one exception for his daughter Ann, John has given his other four children a restored Triumph for each of their college graduations. When asked about Ann, John said, “She wanted an automatic transmission. This was something I could not do.”

The Dizer family car collection is extensive. It includes:

• For son Tom – a 1962 TR3 (owned for 33 years) and a TR6 that started as a 1975 that is now powered by a 1971 engine.
•  For son Bill – a 1958 TR3, 1966 & 1967 TR4As and 1925 and 1926 Ford Model Ts.
• For daughter Jane – A 1961 TR3, that has been driven to Houston, TX and back.
• For daughter Mary, a 1958 TR3.

John‘s car, as previously mentioned, is a TR3B. John said, “The difference between an A and a B is the piston sleeve. On a TRA it is 83-mm. The sleeve on a TRB is 86-mm. I built my car with an 87-mm piston sleeve. The other difference is that TRBs have synchro-mesh in first gear.” John also added cruise control to his car, which is unknown on these small cars.

In addition to internal combustion engine locomotion, John has a wonderful collection of turn-of-the-century and early 1900 bicycles. These have been restored as flawlessly as his cars. John has completed five Century rides (100 miles in a single day) on these bikes. This was done in his seventies. One was completed on his 1883 high wheeler and others on his 1894 Crescent and 1896 G & J ‘safety’. These are single speed bikes and one has solid rubber tires. At 81, John is planning another Century ride in July. He adds, “If my knees hold out.”

Travel over water has not escaped John either. He has two fine antique wooden boats that he has restored.

John is not about to stop doing what he loves. He said, “I’m happy to be able to get in and out of a Triumph at 81.” He indicated that his next project would be the restoration of his son’s 1926 Model T. It is encouraging to me to see the energy and enthusiasm John has for this hobby. When he is not working in his garage, he is writing college textbooks. He has two written and a third planned. The books are related to children’s literature. John has a large collection of over 8,000 children’s books that provide the material for his college textbooks.

It was interesting to me that John names his cars, since I have always named mine. One of his cars was called Archie (Arch de Triumph) another was named Henry. This was the eight car he completed (Henry the Eight).

John does all the work on his project cars in a 24’ x 44’ garage attached to his home. He said, “Sometimes the paint and other smells would seep into the house. This was not very pleasant for my wife.” John has a PHD in Mechanical Engineering and is the retired Dean of Engineering Technology & Business at Mohawk Valley Community College. He is the first to say that there is a big difference between mechanical engineering theory and hands-on application experience.

From what I saw in his completed cars, bicycles and boats, John has mastered both and his children are the beneficiaries of his fine work.