Triumph - That was a year that was..

[Bfg]

Just a few more . . .

 

    .. and now the same on both sides !

 

Almost all looking good to me..   but the gearbox-damper clamp, on the end of the gearbox by the UJ, is to be turned around.

Pete.

[Bfg]

Quick update from Mark on Tuesday ..

 

   

Body tub back on and I'm told all the body-mount holes lined up beautifully ..and with even shimming its sitting nicely square.

Oh dear, Katie  looks to have lost a lot of weight.

^ Doors being fitted and carefully aligned.

I'm to give Mark a call this morning, and hopefully he'll share further news of excellent progress.

Pete

[dean36014]

Looking great, doing a cracking job on that. Are you going to inject the chassis with some form of waxoil or are they pretty rust resistant?

[SiC]

Bet you're looking forward to getting this back now. I know if it probably feels a bit gutting to have to do all this, but at least you got the car at a good price. There is a very good chance that if you paid good money or even top money for a car, you'd still need to be doing this work.

I much prefer buying a fundamental good car cheap and then forking out the difference to a more expensive car to get it properly sorted. Doing this step yourself you know exactly what has been done and that it has been done properly to your standard, not someone elses.

[Bfg]

2 hours ago, dean36014 said:

Looking great, doing a cracking job on that. Are you going to inject the chassis with some form of waxoil or are they pretty rust resistant?

Thanks, yeah I'm pleased with the chassis mods and now how it's coming together. 

Once everything else is done, they're going wax inject inside the chassis and places like the sills with a rust deterrent / wax product from Wurth.  Personally I don't know one from another but I've read that Waxoil is no longer regarded as the best., and that Dinitrol and Wurth are highly recommended.

Pete 

[dean36014]

I've used dinitrol and have to say it's very easy to use and seems to last well.

[Bfg]

On 7/2/2021 at 2:21 PM, SiC said:

Bet you're looking forward to getting this back now. I know if it probably feels a bit gutting to have to do all this, but at least you got the car at a good price. There is a very good chance that if you paid good money or even top money for a car, you'd still need to be doing this work.

I much prefer buying a fundamental good car cheap and then forking out the difference to a more expensive car to get it properly sorted. Doing this step yourself you know exactly what has been done and that it has been done properly to your standard, not someone elses.

Personally I was hoping for a pretty decent car for what was a huge amount of money to me. But hey shit happens to most everyone ..and then we just have to deal with it as best we can.    I'm thinking though that I was really fortunate in being recommended to M&T.  Sure they're a 340 mile round trip from here, but Mark has always be ready to answer the phone and to discuss things with me.  He's been exceptionally compliant to the changes I wanted done, and he and his lads have done a first class job in executing those tasks.  

When I bought my '66 S-type Jaguar, I was shocked by invoices from a professional restoration outfit ..paid by a prior owner, exceeding £20-grand ..for what essential came down to changing a head gasket and fitting an ugly radio inside the glove box using crappy crimp-on connectors.!  

Thankfully I've found someone whose price is not cheap enough to need to cut corners, but also not at all a rip-off.   The car will be much more expensive than I might possibly have imagined but again I was fortunate in having a gift of inheritance at the right time, and as you rightly say - the work is being done to a standard I can live with.

To "know exactly what has been done" is again important to me.  Swapping the chassis is just one part of what I'm paying for here. 

• The 'usual' TR mods (reinforcing the suspension mounts) had not been done on my old chassis, but were included in the cost of this one.
• checking out why the NS door fit was so awful, and hopefully going some way to rectifying that ..without delving into the realms of a full restoration which would had necessitated the crippling costs of a respray.  Investigating this, revealed that the sill was loose from the A and B posts, and its ends were rusted. The sill will be replaced and the body's structure will be made good again.  The offside was professionally repaired a few years back and is 100% better than the nearside was.
• The additional chassis-stiffening mods I asked for were important-to-me. Not least because they represented better value and making it all more the worthwhile ..whereas with just swapping the chassis for another the same - I just saw as a horrid bill.
• Those mods included strengthening to the chassis' rear legs for when I fit a towing bracket, and they've included additional (TR6) body mounts, just in case I want to fit a roll-over bar into the car.  These mounts tie that structure directly to the chassis.  I've also had extra thick plates fitted under the chassis rails - where the car is jacked up.
• The chassis was grit blasted, to be inspected and professionally repaired as necessary. It now freshly repainted.
• The chassis and sills will be wax oil injected.

And then there is a list of other jobs being done, which are cost effective while access is good. These will save a whole lot of work later on.  And these will make the car an all round better driver. . .

• Gearbox rebuild (after the clutch, thrust bearing and release forks were done the gearbox still whirred, which I'm advised was the lay-shaft bearings).  The gearbox was also leaking oil.
• Differential's front seal was weeping, needed replacing.
• Differential mount rubbers to be replaced with polybushes. The old rubber mounts were perished. 
• Clutch slave cylinder is weeping. Requires a repair kit fitting or it to be replaced.
• The wheel studs have been replaced so that I can now fit steel wheels. These are lighter weight than wire wheels and their adapter splines, they are easier to clean, and usually rounder and easier to balance.  I was also keen to tone down the car's flashy looks, and so I wanted steel wheels.
• the brakes' flexi pipes have been replaced
• the gearbox mount has been replaced
• a gearbox vibration damper has been supplied & fitted (this is to counter vibration harmonics around 70mph).
• the road springs have been replaced. The old ones were 54 years old and tired, and so the car leant to one side by 1/2" ..which is a lot on a car only 49" wide.  One of the rubber seats, onto which the spring sit was found to be missing, so spring harmonics would be transmitted directly through the chassis.  
• the body mount spacers were incorrect and their rubber pads were perished and compacted. New (plated) bolts and body washers have been fitted. 
• two exhaust straps were missing and a third one bodged. These have now been corrected. The brackets and new straps have been fitted. The exhaust gasket to the cylinder has been replaced. 
• one rear suspension bump-stop had crumbled. Both have been replaced.
• all the suspension joints have been apart, checked and correctly reassembled with the appropriate lubrication. Naturally things like the steering trunnions have likewise been checked and greased.  (The suspension has poly-bushes throughout, as are the steering rack mounts). 
• The suspension bolts and their nylocs have been replaced. 
• all the wing fastening screws and their clips have been replaced.
• drain pipe fitted from scuttle vent, led forward to come out under the wheelarch.
• door check straps replaced.
• another mod I've asked for is to remove the hump in the rear 'seat' area. This was a left over from the TR4 body shell where it provided space for the live axle's diff on full suspension.  Of course on the IRS cars the diff is fixed and so doesn't need that clearance bulge.  It's just a small detail but having a flat floor / shelf space back there rather than a bulge is easier to live with when touring. 
• The car is being checked and assembled by professionals who specialise in Triumph TR's, but who also restore higher value cars like Jaguar E-types to show-winning concourse standard.
• Gearbox, overdrive, diff, and all hydraulic fluids have been changed.
• Brakes checked and adjusted, tracking done, etc. 

There may be a few more that I've missed, but I'm sure you get the idea.  With the work I'd already done ; new clutch and release mechanism, all the heater and cooling pipes replaced, new tyres all around, steering rubbers replaced, front engine mounts replaced..  If the car doesn't drive so much better for all this, and will be reliable for all the checking and servicing ..then I guess I ought to give up and buy a horse n' cart. 

Of course when I get the car back I'll still have to refit (replace) the interior, and refit the bumpers.  I'll also want to go through all the wiring connections, and then I have the Surrey Top yet to fit.  And the steel gearbox cover,  and ....   well  it should be good to go by my 90th birthday

Pete.

[Bfg]

Friday update  from Mark and his Team . . .

^ drain pipe fitted and led through the front wheel-arch splash closure.  x4 wing fitting kits include new bolts, the correct clip-nuts & seals.

      

^ Door hanging and panel alignment, relative to the sill and each other.  The check strap has been replaced and it now clicks to hold the door open. That's a nice bonus

^ Chassis rear legs are sitting evenly level, both relative to datum floor and to the rear valance panel.

I might add that a whole bundle of work has happened ..but was barely noticed or reported on, such as correctly greasing each suspension and steering pivot and their reassembly with new bolts ..fitted with coppaslip.  Similarly refitting the whole IRS drive-train and the brakes happened in a blink - even though the cut-short wire-wheel studs were replaced, which necessitated the brake calipers coming off.  Those have of course been refitted as have the hydraulic systems. And when did any of those jobs just take five-minutes ! ?  

All in all steady progress has, and is constantly being made, but most of that work is in the smaller details.  I'm really glad to have a conscientious mechanic, who is experienced with TR's, ensure things are in both good order and done correctly. 

Bidding you a good weekend,

Pete.

 

[Bfg]

Good morning all,

earlier in the week, Katie  was reassembled enough to have been restarted again.     I did have a call from Mark to clarify elements of this car's non-standard wiring. This came down to a stray earth wire not having been noted when the car was stripped, and the hi-torque starter motor having its own solenoid, so the original one on the bulkhead is redundant but for its role as a connection (all wires going onto one just terminal).   Later in the day he had the car driving around the yard, albeit without panels or door on the near side.  That was to check the functional operation of everything mechanical, fluid and electrical.

The very uneven (14mm top - 3mm bottom) near-side door gap was where I'd started my investigation, which led me to note the cracked chassis.  With the body tub now correctly fitted to a solid chassis, Mark and his team are tackling that side's sill..  it having rust, being in slightly the wrong place, it being detached from the foot-well side panel, the A-post and B-posts, and its rear corner gusset plate being cracked. . .   We made the decision to cut this side's outer sill off ..to see what, if anything else, needed repair or replacing.

   

^ 20 years ago, was polyurethane foam (cavity wall insulation) thought to help keep water out, and so rust at bay ? ..or was it in there as an attempt to stiffen the structure, or to lessen noise transmission ? 

  

^ The front end cap had rusted through and then of course any road-water spray goes inside the sill.  The car's footwell / floors have a down-turned flange which serves as the lower half of the inner sill, and being thin sheet steel that's been welded - is a place to rust quickly.  From under the car it didn't look at all too bad, but I knew they would need cleaning up and probably patching sometime soon.  There was of course under-seal to conceal the worse. I do hate that stuff.

Mark sent me these photos yesterday evening together with the note ;

" Removed old sill, door jam stiffener and end caps, cleaned up edges and inner sill treated and etch primed.  As thought it will require bottom 1 inch on inner sill and rear pillar bottom repairing but other edges all pretty good."

Having seen what was what he could then give me a fixed cost for this work.  We spoke this morning to confirm what was needed. . .

   

^ I don't have the budget to replace everything and so the bottom 1" or so of the down-turned flange will be replaced with new steel, as will other localised areas.  The rest mostly cleaned up OK, and so M&T are treating them for rust and applying etch primer. 

^ a replacement outer sill, end caps and rear corner gusset will be fitted.  These are better quality replacement parts rather than NOS original Stanparts ..which are beyond my budget. 

Mark sounded surprisingly confident that they'll be able to get the sill and door gaps as even as the other side, which he says are just a little big but within 1mm or so of being even. I'll be very happy with that ..as it avoids their reshaping panels, including the doors &/or wings, which of course would soon run up the costs and necessitate repainting too. 

Mark is on holiday next week, for one week, but this and other finishing up tasks will done by their team while he is away. All being well we're looking at the car being done and ready for collection or about the 20th of this month.

Pete.  

 

 

  

[dean36014]

That is looking fantastic Pete. Going to be a very nice example when you get it back. Have you made a final decision on the steel wheels yet?

[Bfg]

Thanks Dean, 

On 6/21/2021 at 2:03 PM, Bfg said:

I drove down to Chelmsford to buy and collect them. Their condition is fine for my purpose of having a nice driver rather than show car. . .

^ I'm going to fit these in place of the wire wheels.  They're lighter weight than wire wheels, and tend to run truer and balance better.  And just as importantly for me is that I want to tone down the flashy look of my (bright red sports) car. 

^ The standard pressed steel wheels on a 4A, with no hubcaps look more purposeful to me.  I do have a set of half decent chromed hubcaps, with the Triumph globe emblem on them, which I do like on the earlier TR4 ..so I have the option once I see them on the car, but my present thinking is without ..and possibly without the bumpers too.  

As you can see the wheels do have the studs for mounting hubcaps, and so there are four holes missing. I'm want to try sticking a black disk in those places so they'll then look more like the Dunlop Jaguar D-type wheels I so like (very similar used on the MGA twin cam cars which had pressed in holes rather than straight punched).

 

 

 

[Crackers]

This is bloody awesome this.

M & T, I had a quick google, are they near Brands Hatch? If their rates and service are good I'd half tempted to give them a squizz about a couple of bits on the P6, I'd rather drive a little way and give it to someone decent than chuck it the the nearest spanner monkey.

Also, this:

On 08/07/2021 at 13:09, Bfg said:

polyurethane foam

...would most likely be noise cancellation, I'm not sure what benefit it would have in a small tinny convertible but effectively PUR foam is the same basic product we use in car manufacturing today for noise suppression. The current products are pretty far departed from cavity wall foam, but at the crux of it, yes, it is the same basic concept. It wouldn't be for structure stiffening as it is still a foam product, acoustic foam is fairly flexible and would offer no structural benefit. I also highly doubt it would have been used to keep water out - the foam does not* completely fill the cavities and leaves plenty of pockets where water could sit if it got in.

[Bfg]

18 minutes ago, Crackers said:

This is bloody awesome this.

M & T, I had a quick google, are they near Brands Hatch? If their rates and service are good I'd half tempted to give them a squizz about a couple of bits on the P6, I'd rather drive a little way and give it to someone decent than chuck it the the nearest spanner monkey.

Also, this:

...would most likely be noise cancellation, I'm not sure what benefit it would have in a small tinny convertible but effectively PUR foam is the same basic product we use in car manufacturing today for noise suppression. The current products are pretty far departed from cavity wall foam, but at the crux of it, yes, it is the same basic concept. It wouldn't be for structure stiffening as it is still a foam product, acoustic foam is fairly flexible and would offer no structural benefit. I also highly doubt it would have been used to keep water out - the foam does not* completely fill the cavities and leaves plenty of pockets where water could sit if it got in.

M&T are Wolverhampton, not many miles from J.10 on the M6, so quite easy to get to even though I'm on the other side of the country.  How far they are from Middle Bottom I really couldn't say !    Mark and his team are old school and so don't strike me as having a website, let alone a glitzy one.  And if they did then they'd soon get annoyed at junk mail and non-specific enquiries.  They get their work through repeat custom and recommendation.  If you think you might use them PM me and I'll send you their email address and phone number.

Re. PU foam, I'm guessing the prior owner used cavity wall insulation in these sills 20 years ago, and not the stuff used in car manufacturing today,  but otherwise I'd say your summary of the hoped-for concept would be correct.  I might also confirm that it didn't fill the cavity tightly enough to keep water out.  On the contrary it prevented air circulation via the big vent holes through the inner-sill panel ..and so contributed towards the corrosion.  I'm very glad the car was 'cherished' inside a dry integral garage these past 22 years, otherwise Katie would have been in a terrible state by now.

cheers, Pete   

[Tickman]

Pete, this is looking like excellent progress.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

It's reassuring to see the TR looking solid in other places such as the inner wings and floors. Great work so far, and kudos for making subtle modifications to suit your requirements on a car that some would be scared of making changes to. The steel wheels look infinitely better than the spoked variety. I always loved the deep dish steels on GT6s and these don't look world apart from those. 

Home straight now!

 

[Bfg]

Friday update from Mark., showing the replacement outer sill now welded in place, which will hopefully align the door to sill and door to wing gaps very much better. . .

 

   

 

   

Next he says " Will get filler work done, re-prime and seal joints"

Mark is now away for 10 days holiday, so his team will be getting on with this, and getting the door and panels, including the bonnet, back on and adjusted as correct as they might (..without getting into reshaping the doors or wings).  Then it's things like the rear lights, gearbox tunnel cover, and a dozen or two of minor details, plus of course wax injecting inside the structure, to ready the car for collection on or soon after the 20th.  For budgetry reasons, I'll paint the sill and the door shuts when I get the car back here.

Again it's looking good, but now it'll be much better held together, which of course relates both to safety, the general feel of driving the car ...and to lessening the number of rattles !

Two more new Continental tyres arrived here yesterday so I now have a full set of five.!  Those are to fitted and balanced onto the pressed steel wheels I bought. And I'll take these up with me when I go to collect Katie  and will swap them over before we drive back.   I once bought a pair of motorcycle tyres (at the same time), but this is the first time I've ever bought a full set, or owned a car with new tyres all around.  

I guess I really ought to contact the insurance company to advise them of the chassis mods too ..and possibly to discus a change in insured value.

Bidding you a good weekend ..and some nice weather ?

Pete.

 

[Bfg]

17 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I always loved the deep dish steels on GT6s and these don't look world apart from those. 

GT6 Mk3 wheels are indeed nice looking . . .

^  13" on the GT6, whereas the TR4 has 15" wheels.   I'd not noted those hub centres before though, so I'll have to see if they might possibly be made to fit the TR's wheels.

Pete.

[Bfg]

  Sunday 11th ; a little bit of tarting up . . .

^ As bought, and you can see my replacement wheels look pretty tidy, however you might also get an indication of the (minor) cosmetic damage ..not least from being put down on concrete and leaned against a brick wall (by the seller) !

Typically their condition was a little chipped around the edges and where balancing weight clips had ripped off the clear lacquer and the odd area of surface rust . . .

  

^ This and another wheel had black specks (more apparent in life than in this photo) and a couple of places needing a little cleaning up inside and around the tyre rim.  Overlaid paint where necessary was single pack ; Zinc + a couple coats of metallic paint + clear lacquer. Hopefully this should keep rust at bay at least for the lifespan of their new tyres.

The worse condition wheel was what was presumably latterly used as the spare . . .

  

^ this had no lacquer on it, the rim edges were each well and truly chipped and with surface rust, and the inside (after cleaning) was again craving a little tlc. 

I've only done a quick job of washing with detergent, wire brushing the chips and rusty areas and giving a good wipe over with thinners, before rattle can painting . . . 

   

^ without even rubbing them down in preparation ..it's only a tarting up job, but I think respectable enough, and a close match to the others, to use on the car as is.  Actually this wheel is in really good shape, and better than another, so I think I will use it on the road rather than as the spare.    

That's all for today.  I'll let the paint harden for a day or two and then have the new tyres fitted and balanced.

Just a little progress ..but in the right direction.  

Bidding you a pleasant Sunday evening,

Pete.

 

[Bfg]

It's been a while, but Mark was away on holiday for a week and to be frank things have slowed down a lot.  That was not a problem for me because I was feeling burnt out with the TR saga, and also the trailer I'm making not going to plan (leading me to build a weather shelter to work and keep things under) ..so I've not been chasing M&T.  So after the photos received on the 9th July it wasn't until the 26th that I received some more showing the replaced sill now in primer and seam sealed . . . 

      

^ Because of my limited budget I asked them not to top-paint the sill, I'll do that myself. 

M&T therefore set about reassembly on this side of the side  . . .

^ They've added a drain pipe (on both sides) from the fresh-air vent plenum's drain, forward to exit under the wheel arch, rather than for that drain to dribble down on top of the sill as it originally was.  I might add that they've very kindly done this as a matter of good (restoration / preservation) practice and have not charged me to do it.  It may only seem like a little detail, but there are many such little details which they've attended to in their own time ant at their own cost, which all together contribute to a better than expected service ..whereas my usual experience of garages and in particular 'restoration services' is that they like to charge-through-the-nose for every tiny thing. 

The driver's side sill is in good shape and more or less in the right place but the top flange had opened up.  M&T drilled and plug welded this up for me. . .

^ I enquired why it hadn't been re-spot-welded which would have been neater ? and the reply was that the metal surfaces to be joined have to be very clean for the spot weld to work well (I'm guessing that's because the electrical current has to pass through where metal is being pinched together, and any paint or even light surface rust prevents that).  Because access inbetween those faces was quite impossible to clean out properly the strongest way to rejoin it was to drill and plug weld the flange.  This has since been cleaned up and primered so once top coated painted (by myself and under the door's weather seal it wont be seen.

Moving on., and while access was good, before the bonnet was refitted, the headlamp, side lights, indicators and other wiring needed to be reconnected. . .

^ I'd advise Mark not to worry at all about the wiring connections.. as I plan to go through every one of them on the car - to get rid of the poorly done home blue and yellow crimped and to otherwise clean and Vaseline every connection. Again it may only seem a little thing, but for those poor connections they had to pull apart - they've replaced the crimps with brass bullets, soldered on.  And they've also provided new bullet connector sleeves ..at their own cost.  Mark said that they couldn't just put it back together as it was, it was against the grain. 

 

^ The car now running around the yard to check the mechanicals & systems.  Presently riding very high on (standard) suspension springs and poly-bushes, not least because as seen there's lesser weight without bonnet, weather gear and interior trim, empty fuel tank, etc.     

Then it was "simply a matter refitting the panels for best alignment (as well as those panels might fit without being reworked and repainted). . 

   

 

 

          

^ Yet again Mark has done more than I might have expected.., insomuch as I'd previously reported the rear hood bow hinge brackets had broken off both sides.  I've not driven the car with the roof on yet and so it wasn't of major concern but a job I'd do whenever I next had my welder out.  Instead M&T have made those repairs and the hood is serviceable again.  

Thanks Mark and the Team 

Pete.

[Bfg]

In the meantime, around about the middle of the month,  I phoned the TR Register's insurance agent, and told them of the chassis change, plus the usual strengthening mods and that I've had additional stiffening added, including along the rear rails for when I fit a towing bracket.  I explained that this work was done by M&T Classics, along with all the suspension parts being dismantled and regreased, new bolts, poly-bushes throughout, etc. Also that the gearbox has been rebuilt, the clutch replaced, along with all the rubber parts like heater & coolant hoses. Again that I'm changing from wire wheels to standard 4J x15 steel wheels, which now have new tyres, and that I'll be fitting new carpets. 

Citing someone on the TSSC forum who values Triumphs for their insurance scheme., that the car seemed A1+ in most areas, I've raised the insurance value of this car to that proposed by the TSSC. The insurance company will require another set of photos, which I suggested I'll send them at the end of next week, and an additional £21 (inc a nominal £5 admin fee).  But otherwise the gentleman (insurance broker) didn't seem to flinch when I mentioned the new value, indeed he pointed out that a TR4 was presently advertised on C&C for the same and that very recently a dealer was asking £5 - 6k more for a 4A.  It all seems like Monopoly money to me and inconceivable that I might possibly own a car of this apparent value.

On the other tack, yesterday I had the new tyres fitted and balanced (stick on weights on their insides only) . . .

Little by little I'm making progress..

Pete

[Bfg]

Moving on..   a couple of days ago Mark sent me their latest photos ..as the car now comes to completion. . .

^Not the best of photos, but aside from the primer colour of the sill, were now looking at door gaps.. which as you can see is now much better at the top rear corner (where it was 14mm tapering down to 3mm). The gap along the sill is also even.  This is pretty amazing considering nothing has been done to the door or wings, only the sill.

     

^ whilst not perfect, it's probably as good as the factory ever built the cars to and very respectable for a driver's car that was mostly restored 22+ years ago  (..most of what has recently been done cannot now be seen).  Once I spray that sill red., these door gaps will hardly be noticeable.  To achieve better still, would have involved M&T reshaping the door skin and rear wing (which Mark tells me have been replaced at some time) and possibly cutting out and moving the A and B posts too.!   and that sort of work would necessitate a respray ..and cost a whole lot more.

    

^ Driver's side is a little larger than Mark's ideal, but again perfectly acceptable in my opinion.

^ All back together and on the road.  Indeed the car is being used on the road this week, its tracking is to be done and then will be taken for an MOT.

^ so to the tail end of the chassis swap.    The car is yet to settle onto its suspension but is near ready for collection, which I'm hoping to do next week. 

I think you'll agree the work done by M&T has been great, not least because of my limited budget they've empathically worked to.  Fortunately, the overall cost, although a bitter pill to swallow, was workable (at this moment in time - thanks to a gift of inheritance from my aunt) ..and since I've sold the car's original chassis and wire wheels. 

I've now got a car which has been thoroughly been attended to (chassis strengthening, suspension & pipes, body rubbers to door gaps) and so ought to good to go touring in, and which have invested in the value of the car.   

I look forward to seeing the pressed steel wheels on her, and then having a really decent driver where all the maintenance and jobs are done.!

Cheers, Pete

 

[dean36014]

Some fantastic work gone on there.  It's going to look fantastic when you've done the paintwork.

[Mrs6C]

4 hours ago, Bfg said:

Once I spray that sill red

May I suggest that for the likely sum involved in painting that quite small area, you ask Mark to paint it for you after all, ideally before the car goes out on the road again? With the quality of his work so far and his ability to do the job indoors in a fairly controlled environment, with the right kit, I'm sure he will make a great job of it. That will finish off the bodywork on the car for you, so that you don't have any further jobs to do on it. You can then enjoy driving it without thinking 'I need to do that paintwork'.

[Bfg]

Thanks and I do very much agree with you ..but the bill must be stopped somewhere. Those ..just another £2-300, keep adding up and the tasks have already escalated into so much more.  As has the cost ..to now be 140% of the original 'chassis swap'.  Being a sill, on a driver's car rather than show queen, and already primed, seam sealed and wax injected, I'll just have to live with what comes out of a rattle can.  It'll certainly not be as good as Mark's team might have done (before the wings were refitted) but I don't think anyone will really notice.  I still have a lot more to do to the car anyway ..and she'll never be concourse, nor do I want her to be.

I'll not be going to to the Triumph and MG international at Malvern in a couple of weeks time, but hope to make the TSSC club meeting at Duxford in September ..once I've got the car back together again, bumpers on, etc, and with the wiring checked, the gearbox cover replaced, the interior re-trimmed, surrey top fitted, and of course a towing hitch.   Then, I'll still have to check the engine, carbs, distributor..  In short, the car is still the same as it was, it's now just got a better foundation to build upon. 

Pete

[Tadhg Tiogar]

That car is stunning  just as it is. 

[Bfg]

Two weeks later . . .

Since the encouraging photos of the door gaps and news that the car was back on the road..  it was mostly a matter of doing a 50 miles shakedown before I collected it and drove off down the M6.  In conversation, Mark spoke of having it pre-MOT checked, just so an independent mechanic might look over the car, so I suggested we get a full MOT.  That was done on the 30th . . .

• Date tested 30 July 2021 - Pass
• Mileage 38,458 miles

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

• Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
• Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Oddly, the fact that those tyres are 27 years old doesn't warrant an advisory.  In any case the replacement pressed steel wheels and new tyres are ready to be fitted when I collect.  Nor does the MOT mention that there's only one seat (and one seat belt), or the fact that the bumper over-riders are in the boot so there's no number plate illumination.   Still if anything was just slightly amiss then Mum's the word and things would have been quietly rectified, while anything more serious would have been noted. So I guess all is well. 

Collecting the car then ? 

Not quite yet, because as it turns out - the joint between the gearbox and overdrive has developed a leak (..the gearbox was rebuilt but not the overdrive unit). That can happen when things are disturbed. As it turns out the studs were odd and one or two have stripped out.  Why it wasn't spotted during reassembly, I don't know.  Ken at Classic Transmissions had the assembly back and oversized studs were ordered.  That was a few more days delay.

With new studs and gaskets - the assembled parts still leak ..but only when the overdrive is engaged.  Despite best efforts they cannot actually say where the leak is coming from, and Ken now suspects there's a hairline crack in the overdrive's casing.  There is however, an aluminium adapter plate between the two ..and it's quite common for these to warp when inappropriately tightened (according to a friend who knows about such things).  I asked if the flatness of mine had been checked, and apparently not.  Ken now has the gearbox / overdrive assembly back again, and I understand was to have the latter driven down to Overdrive Spares in Rugby, who will pressure test and generally check the unit over and, if required, rebuild it.  Mark has suggested that they will get that done this week.

The bills just keeps mounting., but everyone concerned is being very fair to me, insomuch as they appear to all be doing this at trade prices.  I cannot say fairer than that and really appreciate their kindness.   

In my opinion, no blame is to be apportioned on a car that was clearly a learning curve for amateur restoration 22 years ago.  All things considered, Katie's  done very well to hold together for this long, and that's probably down to Bob Bell (the prior owner) only very lightly driving the car.  Quite possibly this leak had been there all these years but was not an issue when the car was only used in fine weather to the local club meeting or shows.  A gentle amber through town and small country lanes, the overdrive would hardly have been engaged.  And so what if a 1960's Triumph dripped a little oil sometimes.  Most anyone who owned a 1960's Triumph motorcycle would know more about oil leaks !

 

I did anticipate things not happening quite as planned (..I have a lifetime of such experiences), and so I didn't make plans to go to Malvern Tiumph + MG international this weekend.   Tbh I felt too tired to be rushing around to meet the deadline which, although hopefully a really great event.. is not the only show to go to.

I'm sure the car will be ready for collection soon, in time for pleasant autumnal drives. 

Pete.

[Bfg]

The overdrive was delivered to OD spares, as planned, and inspected.  Apparently the leak is from a crack in the case by the solenoid mount.  My car's overdrive has now been replaced with an already rebuilt one that went to Malvern (displayed on the OD Spares stand) ..so at least part of the car made it there this year ! 

Katie is now back together again..  due to very quick service from Dave (?) of OD Spares, Ken of Classic Transmissions, Mark & Tom (M&T classics), and Keith (the mechanic who works for / with them).  

I hope to go up on Thursday morning to take the steel wheels up, to test drive the car for myself ..and to pay the bill !  Then., all being well, I guess I'll go up by train to collect her early next week. 

Pete.    

[JimH]

I appreciate that this may be cold comfort when you see the growing pile of invoices but you can take a lot of pride in leaving something in a far better state than when you found it. There are far too many heaps passed around from one bodge to the next and it takes a hardy soul to put it right rather than just pass it on and hope to do better next time.

Nice one.  👍

[Bfg]

The overdrive was replaced with a reconditioned exchange from OD Spares, in Rugby, and I went up to view and test drive the car some ten-days ago now.  I also delivered the pressed-steel wheels with new tyres, and other travel essentials (..like tools, oil & water, a cushion, a thick coat and a bobble-less hat). There still were a number of items yet to be addressed, which were checked out last week, so the car was ready for collection on Friday. The ride height I've agreed to sort out when I get the car back, most probably I'll start by refitting the original springs. 

I don't like to travel on Mondays or Fridays, and then it was a bank holiday, so I've now booked the train ticket (8am Ipswich-Wolverhampton 12:15) to drive the car back on Wednesday. 

Pete.

^  Mark of M&T Classics who have delivered the goods, done the deed, and made it happen in a most amicable way.. 

[Bfg]

Good morning,  and hey ho it's very nearly the weekend.. A couple of days ago, Wednesday, I collected Katie, from Wolverhampton.  Although not all as pre-planned. .

Having posted on the TR forum that I was about to, my friend Rich  from our local club group, who meet at The Alma, Copford, nr Colchester, once a month, dropped me a line to say that he would be glad to give me a lift up there and to be a shadow vehicle for the trip back.  He had a couple of stops to make to suppliers en-route anyway, and he'd enjoy the day out.  OK great, very much last minute but the prospect of not having to use a taxi and public transport to get up there, and equally having someone to watch our tail on the way back was very welcome. I cancelled the train tickets and got something close to 40% of their value back. That'll pay for lunch.  You've got to love the way the ticket office charge a five and half quid booking fee and then ten and a half quid cancellation fee !   Nevertheless, thanks to Rich I also saved a £10 taxi fare from my apartment to the station, and it meant that I didn't need to get up quite so early.  

Rich collected me and after a quick cuppa we headed off up the A14. Traffic when leaving at eight in the morning was pretty clear and our timing was to go around Cambridge just after the 9am rush hour had cleared.  All was well, but then there was a traffic accident ahead and we were stopped in the fast lane for the best part of hour.  No "leaves on the track" though.  According to my preferred schedule we got up to Wolverhampton, and their local pub (the Storehouse) for midday, just when it opens for lunch.  I don't suppose you can beat the value of two meals and two drinks for £13.50 in many places nowadays.  My chunky steak and mushroom pie with big fat crispy chips and fresh garden peas was excellent, as was I gather Rich's culinary delight.. faggots and mash.   I guess we arrived at M&T shortly before 1:00.  The car was outside and washed off ..so looking sexy in red, in the bright but hazy sunlight.

Rich took the opportunity to sort through and buy some more spares, while Mark and I discussed our way through our final job list.  Again all was well.. that was until I started the engine, and there was a loud whine from the gearbox or clutch.  What the..?   Well, it transpires that a similar but lesser noise had been apparent before but then had gone away again.  For some inexplicable reason, after the car had been stood for a week and then just been pulled out of the garage, that noise was now back ..but with vengeance.  Not a rumble, but a pronounced whine. 

I must stress that Mark's involvement in the gearbox and overdrive saga was that of being a very helpful third party, who had removed the 'box when the engine was lifted from the chassis, and then he delivered it to Ken @ Classic Transmissions for rebuild.  M&T refitted it again and the engine/gearbox assembly was fitted back onto the replacement chassis.  That should have been an end to it, but it subsequently leaked, which necessitated it being removed again ..this time of course from the reassembled car.  He then delivered it again to Ken to be checked over.  The gearbox was found not to be the cause of the leak and so it was again refitted.  Then the overdrive was removed and taken across to O/D Spares in Rugby.  That was found to have a hairline crack in its case, and so was exchanged.  M&T fitted that and again tested things.  Job done.  And in the spirit of providing truly excellent service ..they swallowed the cost of the labour (gearbox and overdrive in and out).  

Now with this noise, Mark was again caught in the middle. It was agreed that we would quickly run Katie  over to Ken (Classic Transmissions) for their appraisal, and Keith the mechanic would join us there to discuss what might happen next.  And so as Rich packed his newly acquired bits into the car, Mark and I amicably shook hands and it was time for me to take the whirring noise issue to Ken.  I followed Rich down the lane and up the road ..and before we'd gone a mile the noise stopped completely.   

Thankfully Rich was my witness ..that I wasn't making a big fuss about nothing, but still the noise had gone.  We put it down to the new thrust bearing supplied with the Borg & Beck clutch (I had fitted myself).  It was great to catch up with Ken though.. as it's been six years since I took my Jag gearbox to him for its rebuild.  At that time his wife had just died and his son was diagnosed with cancer.  Thankfully his son, who I met on this occasion was a picture of health.  More so perhaps because of his full head of hair and truly excellent wavy beard ..that he grew in defiance of the side effects of chemotherapy.  Apparently throughout the treatment he didn't suffer any hair loss at all.  Brilliant to meet him and great to now see his working with enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge alongside his father. 

I expressed my thanks and also to Keith who had been instrumental in the reassembly of Katie's  mechanicals.  And so again Rich & I hit the road.  Next stop., Birmingham to one of his suppliers.  Whereas I would have gone back onto the M6 and then down into Birmingham on the Aston Expressway, Rich was following directions given by Mssr Garmin which I guess was heading the most direct route ..though a host of traffic lights and the black country condominium of towns.  Bearing in mind that I neither knew where I was going (which turned out to be nearby Edgbaston University, to the south of the city), and am very un-familiar with driving this car, and perhaps a little anxious that everything was going to be OK..  We did well enough to arrive together.  

That business was soon concluded, and so we headed back into the metropolis.  After the sat nav took us around a roundabout rather through an underpass to the A38, I took the lead out to Spaghetti junction and the M6 home.  Katie  was running well, and quieter and smoother too, for the first time we were driving on her pressed-steel / balanced wheels.  I kept my eye on the minor ..but ironically more important, gauges to see that nothing amiss was about to happen and otherwise kept a listening watch for anything out of the ordinary.  There is a slight metallic chink over some road imperfections, but I couldn't say if that was from loose items within the car, or boot, or doors (no trim panels in place) ..or whether that noise was perhaps from the exhaust just flexing on its rubber mounts and lightly making contact with the chassis.  Gearbox and overdrive were each working fine, and Mark had again excelled in the detailing of his service by somehow minimizing the rattles from door mechanisms and side glass. 

I noted vibration from the rear end (a rear wheel or the drive train) at lower speeds, around 50mph, but this was all but undetectable at 65-70mph (2250 - 2500 rpm in overdrive) so that set my cruising speed.  Btw, I say rear end because there was very little wobble felt though the steering wheel.  I could also feel engine vibration, while at town traffic speeds, which I mostly attribute to the fan extension ..which is atrocious un-true on this particularly engine.  But on the whole ; the car was verging being an acceptable drive.  I wouldn't go as far as to say civilised ..and definitely not refined, but Katie  was at least revealing possibilities.  I'd had a taste of those way-back-when I drove MIke's (TR4A with surrey top)  and Rich's very own first-class TR4. That excellent occasion had been on a sunny summer's evening and along twisty country lanes, which of course is a very different environment to driving along one of the country's busiest motorways at 70mph, where the wind buffeting and tyre noise from all traffic is relentlessly intrusive. 

I don't suppose it's going to be pleasant in any 1960's open top sports-car, but still.. the M6 soon passed under the tyres, and off we headed east along the A14.  Totally unexpected there was a loud and distinctively metallic rattle from the engine. I happened to be in the fast lane overtaking, and Rich was following two or three cars behind me.  There must have been a guardian angel watching over us because I immediately spotted an exit ramp less than 1/4 mile ahead, and so after a quick check in the mirrors I slipped across the three lanes and directly off the dual carriageway.  Rich safely managed to do the same and followed me up the ramp as I coasted into a farmer's gated field entrance.  From the driver's seat, the engine clanking at tick-over sounded like a big-end had given up the ghost. Oil pressure was down to 20-25psi.  Rich was standing there alongside me even before I could find the bonnet pull.  And then again before I'd even lifted my bulk out of the seat - he'd diagnosed the water pump pulley was flaying around.  Too hot to put your hand on it Rich.! 

The immediate thought was that the water pump's bearings must have disintegrated.  Again fortunately, this water pump was of the bolt-on pulley type, so out with the tools (I had taken them up to the car on my previous visit).  Rich levering down on the fan-belt stopped the pulley from turning, enabled me to undo the lock nut.  The pulley pretty much fell off and Rich spotted a bit fall to the ground.  I marked the spot with a small socket and rolled the car back to see what we might find ..but there was nothing much there. Perhaps just a chipped off piece from the inside of the die-cast aluminium pulley.  The groove for the woodruff key in the water pump's spindle was full of black dust. Clearly there had not been a key fitted.  How it had lasted this long in service will remain a mystery, but the really quite extraordinary thing was that Rich had just bought three or four water pumps from Mark ..and had them in his car.  And a couple of those had bolt-on pulley wheels which had already been undone.   Katie's  water pump bearings were free running and intact, and it wasn't leaking.  Although the top face of the water pump had been well chafed by the loose pulley (..evident as the excessive rattling noise) the spindle itself was also fine.  

We borrowed another pulley off one of Rich's newly acquired pumps but unfortunately, with the roadside tools we had, we couldn't get its woodruff key out (without risking damaging it) so we likewise fitted this replacement pulley without one.. but with a thick washer and another nut.  Pretty soon we had things back together again. And as we sped off along the A14 again (next turning was the A1 motorway, so we had been lucky to find a solitary slip-road to pull off).. the car / engine was quieter than I'd previously known it.  So I guess that pulley had been turning but rattling a little loose since I bought the car.  

Next stop was a filling station, as the gauge was reading empty.  It had £30 of fuel in the tank when we left, but the gauge's reading is not linear and soon reads nothing.  During our roadside stop, I had spotted a drip of petrol from the pipe between one carb and the next, and so Rich secured it a little tighter with a cable tie.  Naturally, I cannot say how much petrol had been lost to the road since Wolverhampton.  Fuel pipes were on my list to be replaced anyway.!   The pulley had started to make a tinkering noise again so we pinched up that nut for the next leg of our journey home, via a quick diversion to Bury St. Edmunds to drop off some more bits to a local supplier.  While Rich was attending to that I removed the water pump pulley's nut yet again and this time also added a lock washer.  A more modest pace saw us to my home just as it was getting dark. Rich had another half an hour to go. 

It had been a long day,  350 miles would have been a long day in many a modern car, but with half of that in Katie  it was ever the more so.  Although we had just a few spits of light drizzle the weather had been overcast most of the day but very mild.  I drove back with the roof down, in a long-sleeve shirt and sleeveless quilted vest / waistcoat, and of course my bobble-less woolly hat. This was with the heater valve almost closed, and I was comfortable enough into the evening. 

All in all then, the journey bringing her home was a success.  Rich is good company to be with, interesting and knowledgeable, a reliable wing-man and a blessing when it came to roadside repair ..and parts supplies !  He's even allowed me to buy one of his water pumps at a very generous price.  Thank you Rich.. You deserve a TR medal for your dedicated help and support to new members / new owners.  

Katie  is now back to where we were three months ago ..save a very much more solid foundation to build upon.  Although most items on our job list are still to be tackled - there's a host of jobs now done by Mark and his Team ..that hadn't even made the job-list.  The chassis is reinforced, both in the usual places and otherwise where I wanted, there a jacking pads to protect the main rails from getting dented in, and it's freshly painted and wax injected.  The body is now sitting on new rubber mounting pads and is riding square, and the outer sill has been replaced, the body shell made solid again, and the door gaps very much better adjusted.  All the suspension has been checked, and although the ride height is still to be adjusted, it ought now be easy to do.  Many other jobs have been done, some of which I specifically asked for (like replacing every brake flexi-pipe) and others Mark has done or had done out of his own kindness to help me along the way (..door check straps, the drain pipes from the fresh-air-plenum, are just two items on what would be a lengthy list).  And he's gone beyond the call of duty (mostly providing the labour at his own expense) to help get the gearbox and overdrive rebuilt. I am indebted.   BIG Thank you to M&T, Keith the mechanic, Classic Transmissions, and also Overdrive Spares. 

Now it's down to me to both get on with Katie's ongoing recommissioning ..and to enjoy driving her - because surely that would be the best way to honour those who have helped me along the way. 

Pete 

       

 

     

  

^ Precision engineering .. roadside version.  I might add that the chunky molegrips and claw hammer were the tools Rich had with him 

^ Rich, wing-man, navigator extraordinaire, and able spanner man too  ..as I watch on from behind the camera !

 

^ The morning after Katie on her pressed steel wheels, sitting a little high, but we'll sort that out in due course.

First task is of course to fit a woodruff key to that water pump pulley and to order new E10 proof fuel pipes along with decent clips.

That's it for today.   Triumph Sports Six Club meeting at Duxford on Sunday 5th. 

Hoping to be there.

Pete.