Triumph - That was a year that was..

[spartacus]

Good to see this thread on the front page again but sad to see the now almost inevitable outcome of the car purchase. I hope in some way it can be resolved.

 

[mitsisigma01]

3 hours ago, Bfg said:

I was reading TR action #185 from March 2003  (..thanks mitsisigma01  ) the other evening and happened upon a letter penned by Mr Dave Worne which may shed light on the issue of why Triumph crankshafts may require balancing, and how my own recently reworked crankshaft may actually be fine ..despite first impressions !  

Dave's letter (copied below) starts off by saying that his TR4's engine was fine.  The engine pulled well and was smooth running, but then due to an unfortunate error the crankshaft was damaged.  And after the engine was rebuilt with another crankshaft - the car just never felt right.  The crank was stripped out again and this time was balanced together with the flywheel.  However, the new balancing on the flywheel was obviously contrary to the original balancing (drilled holes). 

Mr Worne goes on to speculate that the Triumph factory balancing was done as a crankshaft and flywheel assembly, and when his engine's crankshaft was replaced - it threw the whole dynamics out of kilter ..and then a noticeable amount of metal had to be removed to get the new configuration back into balance. 

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This simple explanation may be nothing new to you guys  ..but I'd not read of it before.  Unfortunately Mr Worne's query ..regarding factory practice of balancing, doesn't appear have been answered in the magazine, but then I don't have all subsequent issues.

My own TR4A engine ; was not quite the same because the crankshaft has not been changed, but the principle of why it was so far out-of-balance might be ..because when bought it - it lacked the original flywheel.  I bought a TR3 flywheel (..because it's 10 - 12 lb lighter than a TR4A one) and had that converted to suit a TR4A starter motor and clutch.  The crank and the lighter flywheel were each individually balanced, and then balanced (together with the new clutch cover) as an assembly.   The machine shop expressed surprise at how much out of balance it was. And on seeing the amount of metal they had crudely removed - I was led to question whether their balancing had been done correctly. But because of the lock-down I have not had the opportunity to have it checked.  

But I'm thinking Mr Worne's supposition might be both insightful and logical ..after all if Triumph could get away with balancing the rotating assembly once, rather than piece meal and then again all together - it would have been simpler logistics and a useful cost saving.  And insightful for us to also know., because if he is correct - then either changing the crank or fitting a non-original-to-that-particular-engine flywheel, or lightening one - necessitates the whole assembly to be re-balanced  ..which is what most gurus say  (but without their actually explaining ' why ' ..when the parts were originally balanced).

Furthermore, I now wonder if balancing the crankshaft individually was counter productive, insomuch as it may have resulted in more metal being carved out of the crankshaft than might otherwise have been necessary  ..had it only been balanced as a complete assembly. ?   

Of course, if buying an engine individually / loose - it would be really worthwhile to ensure you get the original flywheel to that engine.   

And then there's that old chestnut of broken crankshafts being attributed to removal of the mechanical cooling fan and its extension piece.  Well I must admit that cast-iron piece on my own engine wasn't even true / turned in a lathe to be symmetrical.  And it, its central bolt, the pulley & the fan all together weighed over 3kg.  So sure - if it was likewise factory balanced as part of ' the assembly '  ..then when removed - the crank's balance might be thrown way off. And more so on some engines than others because there had been no effort to make it symmetrical so no two would be the same.. Lighten the flywheel at same time as fitting an electric fan and.. hey-ho the dynamics would be all over the shot..

I'll leave the thought with you.

Pete.

Posted in Triumph - That was a year that was..

"" I was reading TR action #185 from March 2003  (..thanks mitsisigma01  ) the other evening....  ..... regarding factory practice of balancing, doesn't appear have been answered in the magazine, but then I don't have all subsequent issues.""  I've just uncovered the other boxful of TRaction to see which editions I still have.....

[mitsisigma01]

I have another 40 editions ??????????

[mitsisigma01]

 

Hi Pete, I've just been scrolling about wasting time, I Googled Dave Worne TR register , it came up with a bloke in Chesterfield and a member of the TR register, but hasn't been active for a few years, hopefully he hasn't posted his last thread, some say there was a dispute on that website that sounded like a falling out of members. A bit like on here. Are you a member of the TR register, sounds like there is many a useful post/thread/knowledge input on there. 

I'm reading through the TRaction magazines at the moment ??

[Bfg]

I've just put an offer on another TR4A project.  It's a rusty old thing but on my budget I can't afford a nice car - I'll have to build one.    ..in my spare time

I'll let you know what the seller says when he gets back to me. 

He actually has two for sale ..and I'm going for the one in seemingly worse condition. My reasoning is that he wants to sell them both and if he feels he can get a better price on the other one then he might just accept my offer on the lesser. 

And if he does accept my offer - then I'll be shopping for a replacement (used) chassis.

Pete

[Bfg]

TR4 engine rebuild quick update..

You may recall, although I must admit pre-corona-virus activities do seem another life ago,  I had been stripping and cleaning the spare TR4A engine I'd bought, and I'd taken the crankshaft and cylinder head into the machine shop for regrind and balancing, lightening the flywheel, and for the cyl.head to be converted to unleaded.  Upon subsequent receipt of those parts - I was concerned because the crankshaft had been excessively and very crudely angle-ground in an attempt to balance it, which at the time I couldn't understand  ..and so I wanted to take it to another machine shop for a second opinion. The covid lock-down prevented that happening and so the parts were wrapped up and put aside while I got on with rebuilding vintage motorcycle engines.  

However,  just prior to the shut down -  my friend Rich, from the East Saxons group, had kindly lent me a mandrel for positioning the crankshaft's rear scroll seal onto the cylinder block.  I'd not yet used it but John, I think also from our group, wanted to borrow it for a rebuild of a TR2  engine I believe.  So on Saturday morning I pulled the cylinder block out from under its wraps in the back of the garage and set-to quickly doing this task,  before wrapping and dropping that mandrel in for parcel delivery to John in the afternoon.

The following is a comic strip of my fitting the crankshaft's scroll seal on the block . . .

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^ the mandrel I borrowed off Rich.  It's in aluminium so it's relatively lightweight to post but vulnerable to getting scratched or dented. Handle with care.  On this one, although seemingly otherwise new there were a couple of snags sitting proud along its edge.  With a fine file I very locally redressed those to be level with the adjacent surfaces.

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^ the original scroll seal (grey) versus my new scroll seal (anodized cyan blue) with its evolved design to also take a Land-Rover type lip-seal (made of viton).  NB. Before fitting I did run around the new scroll with a craft knife blade to remove a very sharp burr. 

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^ ..first up the engine stand prevents getting to where the rear crankshaft seal bolts onto, so that had to go. 

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^ After inverting the crankcase I used the overhead winch (from my garage roof beam) and strops to lower the engine case onto a wooden block. The winch remained in place as a safety guard but the weight rested on the timber ..which also stopped the engine swinging about as I fitted parts.  The mandrel serves as a substitute for the crankshaft and whatever sized main bearing shells might be used ..so it just sits into the rear main bearing seat without shells.  I pre-cleaned the seat and surrounding faces and oiled them, and the mandrel, before positioning it.

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^  The cap / other half of the main bearing seat was likewise cleaned and oiled before being carefully placed.  With no seals in place - I used the two bolts (alternatively) to pull it down into place by hand.   Tip -  I often use this swivel on the end of the socket's extension bar as an easier-to-grip handle ..to finger tighten bolts rather than using a ratchet. This way I can feel that things are running in squarely and smoothly.  The cap / half seat was pulled down and its rear face leveled with the crankcase before the bolts were finally pinched up tight using the ratchet handle (but not fully torqued up for this operation).  That done, the mandrel was accurately located and pinched in place.

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^ The rear gasket face of the seat halves were smeared with Wellseal gasket compound and the first half of the new scroll seal was positioned and loosely held in place using the standard bolts. I also used a smear of Wellseal on those bolt threads ..because they go through into the crankcase.  Note. the Land-Rover type / lip seal is not fitted while the scroll seal is being positioned. 

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^ The other half of the scroll seal was likewise positioned and loosely bolted in place.  It's nigh on impossible to get a feeler gauge inbetween the mandrel and the scroll seal,  and any slack in its bolt holes is very little anyway. However I did gently tap them together and sideways so they were tightly aligned to one another (I could feel no step between one and the other with my finger tip running across the split / join).

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^ I tried using a powerful LED light array, with the garage doors closed and lights turned off, but could see no light coming through between the mandrel and the scroll seal.  I guess that must be pretty darn close and so tightened up those eight fastenings.  These are only 1/4" screws, fastening against aluminium with little lock washers, so they don't need to be brutally tight.

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^ Job done. The scroll seal was accurately positioned and now bolted in place on Wellseal compound. I released the two rear main bearing bolts just a little and slipped the mandrel out from the end. 

The cap / half seat will have to lifted off to fit the crankshaft at some time ..but for the time being - the cap can stay put to protect the scroll seal from getting knocked before that task is done.    In my own circumstance I'm not sure when that will be as I haven't yet had the crankshaft checked.  I've also been given short notice to vacate the house (and garage !) I live in. So for the time being this engine's reassembly is low priority.  The outside of the crankcase is painted, and all other bare metal faces inside and around the block have been coated with oil to protect them from humidity / corrosion.  The crankcase is back on its engine stand and then the whole case has been wrapped in plastic bubble wrap to keep the worse of the dust and moisture out.  If I get a chance I'll get the crankshaft in asap but if not then it'll have to go into storage as it is. .

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.. That's All Folks ..for today    

I bid you a good one and good health. 

Pete.

[Bfg]

Just playing around ..

I was hoping to buy a basket-case TR4A from the USA. The car’s seized engine had been unceremoniously dismantled some 20-years previously ..and that as the expression goes “is far as it got”. Ever since it’s been in bits and open to Arkansas humidity. So, while awaiting for it and the numerous other loose bits to be packed inside the rolling shell for shipping across the Atlantic - I attempted to jump-start the project from this end ..by buying another engine. The plan was to rebuild that and have it ready for when said project arrived in the UK. However after a full 12-months of waiting and gently prompting - I politely pulled the plug & walked away. So now I have an engine and no car. Hey ho. !

I also bought an alloy rocker cover. The reason for doing so was threefold.  1. the rocker cover supplied with the ‘spare’ engine was off a TR3 and cosmetically scruffy.  2. finding another very-nice condition steel rocker-cover was likely to be pretty expensive (reflecting the high cost of good quality re-chroming), and  3. I personally find the pressed-tin rocker cover to be somewhat utilitarian looking and not at all stylish for what has again become a prestigious sports car.

I do tend to prefer the softer complexion of polished aluminium over the harsh reflections of chromed steel, so when a stall-trader at Stratford IWE was asking £50 for brand new alloy ones - that seemed the way to go. And then I deliberately selected a TR4 one without the breather pipe rudely poking out of its side.  However., and for me there is very often a however., the alloy cover is a bit of an overly square block.

It did cross my mind to cut n’ shove (reweld) the casting - to be of lower profile ..but then I thought the better of it (rewelding a casting is not always successful). No., I can probably live with its monolithic stature.

And then, despite prolific engine cooling fins being all the rage way back when, even on ‘tuned’ Ford Anglia’s and Mini’s, to my eyes their style (..early 1970’s to me) seems a little incongruous for an early 1960’s Triumph 4-cylinder.  So I considered removing the cooling fins all together ..to leave me with a clutter-free but nicely polished alloy cover. But then decided against it ..because, with just two central bolt fastenings I suspect the underlying cast-aluminium shell would be too weak to withstand being effectively tightened. 

But if., I were to just leave the fins / external stiffening ribs along its centre - then I’d lessen their dominance.  The rocker cover’s style would then reflect “form following function’ rather than trend.  Certainly it was an idea worth playing around with. I did a bit of design review (using Photoshop on the computer) and decided on the route I’d try. I was going to take my angle grinder to the task, but then by chance I overheard a tidbit of conversation between my friends Rich and Mike at the TR group’s club meeting in the Alma.

Mike has a milling machine and was helping Rich with an engineering task. I approached Mike to ask if he might consider doing this little job for me, and as always - incredibly amicable, he proposed I bring the rocker cover along to the next meeting so he might have a look. Mike kindly undertook the task and Covid couldn’t halt progress within his workshop. At the informal ‘takeaway’ June meeting of East Saxons at the Alma, I received the result of his fabulous work. . .

^  Just as I had requested .. Mike has very carefully (and one shouldn’t underestimate the precision and extreme care he took to cut far enough ..but not cut too deep) to remove three of the eight fins, and the superfluous short ones around the back of the filler cap.   

^  He’s done it so well the amount of final hand finishing would be minimal. And to be honest on seeing this done - I simply could not have got into those corners around the filler &/or to do anywhere nearly a good job.. It really is brilliant craftsmanship / machining. 

A little subtlety was to lower the height of the remaining fins, and then also to lower those either side of centre a little more, so their projected height lessens. Excellently done ! 

Huge thanks to Mike.

I did the hand finishing over a couple of evenings and one afternoon at the weekend.. a very useful distraction to all else that’s happening in my little world at this time. 

^ I started off with fine abrasive on power tools, and then wet and dry paper, to take off the slight highs and to round off the edges. . .

I was happy with what was evolving.

^  The left side (with one fin removed) is polishing up nicely.   Already looking more prestigious

Having had a fair amount of experience in polishing motorcycle alloy cases - things went well.  Castings can sometimes be problematic because just below the surface can be pin holes &/or discolouration of the alloys. As bought, there is a little veining evident in this cover’s deep sides ..but where those fins were removed it’s all very good.    

^  Working into those corners was the most difficult parts of the job. On the left-hand side, where two fins had been removed and where there’s a tight corner at the filler, I reworked this little area several times more after this photograph was taken ..to get rid of the scratches I’d made in cutting out the last ¼ mm of one of those fins.   

It’s a time consuming task but satisfying to see the results becoming better with every effort made.

^  Early on I’d started with a round file to roughly shape the intersection of the now-lower fins with the filler neck.

^  But now with the outside corners smooth and shiny, I again reworked the tops of those fins (..rounding them so they looked as if they had been cast to that height) and addressed the last of the awkward hard edges with a needle file. As you can see my fingers are a little large to be get in to such details and to get their reflections fair.  But we do this sort of thing for fun..!

 

And so., after a lot of effort on Mike’s and my own part, we end up with a subtlety different style of rocker cover . . .

^  It is of course still a big square box, but to my mind it better reflects a 1960’s vintage.

Imo, the result is visually more tactile, and its further exposed polished alloy is a compliment to other shiny & polished-alloy components in the engine bay, like the carburettors & thermostat housing  ..and/or whatever other bling I might yet introduce.!

Possibly not to everyone’s taste ..but hey.,  it’s good to celebrate our differences.!  It’s what makes us and our cars all individual.

I owe Mike  BIG THANKS for helping me make this happen.

Pete.

- - -

[Bfg]

On 1/16/2020 at 1:51 PM, Bfg said:

. . also delivered yesterday.

^  194.2g including its hardened rubber, the four steel spacer tubes, and 3 out of 4 steel washers.  If I recall, the original tropical fan blade was 910g, so I'm happy with this plastic one and its refined aerofoil blade shapes. 

 

Positioning is different to the original in respect that the new would mount onto the end of the extension piece, whereas the the original blades sat further back towards the engine.  Not having a car here, I don't know if the 20mm difference will position it too close to the radiator ?  If so, then someone has suggested using the shorter extension piece off the TR6.

 

Different number of blades but very similar in diameter.  The perspective from it being in front of the original fan makes it look bigger in comparison, but its radius / each blade length may be perhaps 1/4" (6mm) more.

Pete

Hi All, 

Even though I was stopped with this spare engine's rebuild - by not being able to take the crankshaft to another engineering company, thanks to the Covid shutdown back in March, and so went back to work on my Sunbeam motorcycles ..and have since then been moving house - I have not just abandoned the TR4 engine nor my plans to buy such an excellent driver's car.

Indeed I went to the local TR Register group meeting on Tuesday evening and collected another part that I've had specially made.  It was the replacement fan extension piece, whose purpose is to take the drive directly off the front end of the crankshaft and convey that to the cooling fan which it positions very close to the radiator.  On all the Triumph TR's this extension piece reaches over the chassis cross-tube and steering rack and so it is some 4-3/4" long.  The early TR's still had starter-crank-handles and so this extension piece was robustly made (in cast iron) and its 7" long x 5/8" dia. central fastening bolt featured dogs for the starter handle. 

The facility to hand-crank start the engine was deleted by the TR4A but these parts remained pretty much unaltered.  Similarly the fan itself was heavy, because although it had short aluminium blades - its hub was made in hefty steel.   Back in January I'd bought a lightweight in plastic fan (see previous post)  from the TR6,  but my further intent was to significantly reduce the imbalance and mass that literally hangs off the front end of the crankshaft.

Mike, who is an extraordinarily kind member of the East Saxons TR group made this possible with his time and superb workshop skills.

These were the component parts as was, and as will be  . . .  

^ The fan fitted to this engine when I bought it was the optional 'tropical' specification six blade item, and so perhaps a little heavier than the standard four blade fan, but I think the rest is of standard spec.  For scale reference the central fastening bolt seen to the left is 7" long x 5/8" diameter.  The plastic fan, the new aluminium extension piece and the narrow fan-belt pulley (also in aluminium) are all noticeably lighter and intrinsically better balanced than their original counterparts. To the right is the original spigot-adapter which fits onto the front end of the crankshaft and also a washer, more on this later - but it facilitates my now using a bolt which is one-quarter of the original's length.

Below is the aluminium extension piece that Mike turned for me . . .

Beautifully made from a solid ingot of aluminium - it is 10mm shorter than the original, because the plastic fan has a different offset, but otherwise interchangeable. You can see something of the inaccurate shape of the original versus the turned and therefore inherently In-balance shape of the aluminium.  

^ again the inside of the original is a rough and slightly askew sand-casting versus the turned and perfectly true centre of the aluminium part.

What difference does it make ?  Well the figures below compare their mass..

•                                   Original                 New
• Pulley                       388.8g                  228.6g   (originally for the wide fan-belt made as two part steel pressings - v -  turned aluminium sized for a narrow fan belt) 
• Extension             1155.9g                 514.8g
• Fan                              914.9                 155.7g
• Central Bolt            321.6g                   80.0g   (estimate, as I haven't bought it yet)
• Washer            Not applicable             36.4g
• TOTALS :                   2.78 kg                1.02 kg

The savings (of spun mass) speak for themselves, and when at xxxx RPM., the new parts should be very much better balanced.   Will it be felt ?  ..with the overall weight of this cast iron lump - perhaps not,  but even that close to the axis - the original out of balance mass would surely have been like a tail wagging the dog ..on in engineering terms flexing the crankshaft.!

Oh, the new washer ?  well that is simply to adapt the crankshaft spigot for a short bolt. . .

^ My thanks to J.D. Robertson, the machine shop in Colchester for doing this neat little job for me. The washer they made from scratch. And they modified the crankshaft's pulley spigot with a rebate to take that washer. Now a suitably short bolt can be used to fasten this spigot to the crankshaft before the fan extension is fitted (via its peripheral bolts).   

The fan and the narrow fan-belt pulley were the first & easiest steps in weight saving.  Modifying the spigot to use as 75% shorter bolt saved another lump ..but that fan extension in polished aluminium, turned from a solid block is both a work of fine craftsmanship and it offers the intrinsic balance I particularly sought.  

My  BIG, BIG THANKS  to Mike for that. 

Pete.

[Asimo]

I like this sort of detail:

When I removed all of the air conditioning parts from my Renault Alpine I had the unwanted air-conditioning pump part of the crankshaft pulley machined off. This revealed how eccentric the inside diameter of the pulley casting was and it irked me that I didn't then take it back and get it bored out to be concentric. If something can be improved, improve it!

[Asimo]

Somewhere to put that lovely engine?

“Triumph early tr4 rust free virtually mint rolling chassis plus a doner R/H drive body inner ”

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-TR4/133525650498?hash=item1f16bfbc42:g:Rl4AAOSwX1pfaLnV

[PhilA]

If everything is well balanced you'll notice a difference. Maybe not at face value but during slightly more spirited driving certainly- the light blip of throttle on a downshift will come more easily, piston slap is reduced so take-up on the clutch is more smooth and general engine longevity will all be improved with balancing work.

A well balanced engine- particularly a 4-pot where you have primary and secondary vibrations inherent in the design makes a notable difference when all in sync at high RPM. You hear the note change from a warble to a much more dull tone. Audibly it sounds less interesting but the physics improve. 

Every little counts.

 

Phil

[Bfg]

On 5/12/2019 at 11:35 PM, Bfg said:

That was a year that was..

This was the year in which Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral took place in London.   This same year,  Lyndon Baines Johnson had been sworn in as President of the United States following the assassination of John F. Kennedy (a tragedy which had occurred some fourteen month earlier).

Stanley Mathews played in his last 1^st division game, and the unmanned lunar space probe Ranger-8 crashed onto the moon.  The USA sent their first 3,500 combat troops to Vietnam and instigates Rolling Thunder (almost 3-years of sustained aerial bombing).  While back home in Alabama - State troops lay mercilessly into a peaceful protest march (known as Bloody Sunday).  Ironically this happened on the Edmund Pettus Bridge which was named after a former Confederate Brigadier General,  and also Grand Wizard of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan.  Following graphic television coverage of that event,  Lyndon Johnson implemented a Bill of Rights for American Negroes.

Russian Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov leaves his spacecraft for 12 minutes to becomes the first man to walk in space.  ‘My Fair Lady’ wins 8 Academy Awards, and ‘Mary Poppins’ takes five Oscars.   Intelsat-1 communications satellite is deployed - marking a turning point in television, telephone, radio, internet, and military technology.  While down on earth - the Pennine Way is officially opened.

Racing driver Jim Clark wins the Indianapolis 500, and then goes on to win the Formula one championships.  Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston in a world heavyweight championship rematch, while the Rolling Stones “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is released. The Beatles second movie Help!  premieres and they perform the very first ‘stadium concert’ playing before a 55,600 audience at Shea Stadium in New York City.  

 

 

Cigarette advertising is banned on British television, and Singapore is expelled from the Federation of Malaysia. And then recognised as a sovereign nation.  After almost two years the Auschwitz War Crimes trials in Frankfurt are concluded. 66 former SS personnel receive life sentences and 15 others receive lesser sentences for their doings.  Bob Dylan releases his influential album ‘Highway 61 Revisited’

Incredibly all of the above happened in the first 8 months of that year ..even before Tom & Jerry or the Thunder-Birds were first aired.!  

 

But then.., around about this same time a small sports car was sold ..to an American working in England.  His name was E. Crawford Morten. And he came from New York State. At that time, he was assigned to work in Britain & Europe for the International Paper Co. of  Ticonderoga, NewYork.  

The year was 1965, and so this particular story starts some 54 years ago.  The car he chose  was British Racing Green with a light tan coloured hood and leather seats. It was the new independent rear suspension Triumph TR4A.  And aside from its Laycock type-A overdrive, and it being a Left hand drive car delivered to a customer in England - it was unexceptional. 

Well that is as ‘unexceptional’ as any gleamingly brand new TR4 sports car might be ..when owned by a wealthy American living in Britain during the swinging sixties.  So, Crawford (as his family liked to call him)  took the car to Standard-Triumph’s authorised specialist tuners ; SAH of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire ..for a few ‘enhancements’.   

 

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/classic-car-images/sah.jpg

Sid A. Hurrell  (SAH)  had made a name for himself preparing and successfully racing a TR2,  indeed his performance tuning parts were used in Triumph’s work’s cars, with aspects of those carried into subsequent production.  The Triumph TR2 soon made a name for itself in both club and International racing events, in sprints, hill climbs, and in rallying.  SAH had a catalogue of special parts for the Triumph Herald (which made also quite an impact within international rally circles) and Vittesse (competitive in saloon car racing).  Parts were developed for the 1300 and 1500cc Triumphs, the Bond, and for the Triumph 2000 and 2500 models. Naturally each model from TR2 onwards were tuned, tweaked and lightened..  If you're not aware of SAH., they later became Triumph-Tune.      

E. Crawford Morten was a great enthusiast of motor racing and whenever an opportunity arose he would take off to a Grand Prix event ..anywhere across Europe.  Apparently he was not only a spectator but according to his nephew Fletch  “Crawford never raced that TR, but he was a very fast and skilled driver who used all of the cars capabilities on those lovely New York Adirondack roads” 

Clearly a man of discernment who also appreciated the advantages of  lightweight components in racing &/or in a true seat-of-the-pants sport-cars, because one of the things Crawford really wanted of  SAH was a set of their knock-on  JA Pearce magnesium-alloy wheels (Magna alloys).  A set of these make wire wheels, alloys and even the works perforated-steel wheels appear heavyweight and/or fragile.

This is a TR4,  so not the same car but coincidentally is in the same colours and with (bolt-on) magna wheels.

Of course, as the car was to be left with SAH  anyway -  then the engine might also be tuned, an oil temperature gauge, cooler, and filter fitted.  A Girling ‘brake booster’ and additional driving lamps were also fitted.   It is believed the engine received a Stage-1 tune : for fast road use.  In petrol-head terms that’s raising the TR4A's standard 104bhp to a modest 135bhp - without loosing around town low rev’s driveability.  What’s that 30% more power ?

This was achieved mainly through camshaft and cylinder-head re-work, carb jetting and filters, ignition electrics, and the standard exhaust manifold being swapped out for SAH’s four branch extractor pipes.  It is probable that the engine was also balanced for endurance ..to survive his high-speed jaunts to GP events across Europe.

What's certain is that the wheels and tyres selected to transmit this performance potential to the tarmac were of wide profile.  And, for road use throughout Europe, that meant the wheel-arches needed extending.  Remember we’re talking about a brand new car here.  Incredible as it might seem nowadays - Crawford had SAH replace the TR4’s four wings with fibreglass ones.  These not only had extended wheel arch brows but I understand saved about 15lb in weight ..off each panel. 

That weight saving may not seem very much, but from a standing start in a quarter-mile acceleration run ; a 30lb weight saving would equate to 0.1 seconds difference. Again seemingly not worth the effort, but.. with two otherwise identical cars side by side - the lighter one would be 12-foot in front.!  And aside from aiding acceleration - such weight saving at the extremities also help to centralise the car’s mass for crisper handling. 

These Triumphs aren’t a heavy car anyway,  the weight distribution is also pretty good on the 4-cyclinder model,  and then of course the C of G is very low too.   With IRS and a 30%  increase in power ..and also factoring considerable weight saving in having magnesium-alloy wheels and a little tweaking of the suspension parts, then we’re beginning to talk about a road car that not only performed exceptionally well but also handled better than most any other on the road at that time.   Jaguars and Astons would have had much more power but a lightweight TR  might well take the inside track ..and be whole lot more fun as well.

Anyway, I’m rambling..   not least because much of this SAH special equipment has been lost to circumstance and the financial needs of the car’s more recent owner. 

 

Unfortunately this car’s history, subsequent to Crawford,  is at present a little vague - except that there were three further owners, and whatever we might gather from a bumper sticker, believed to be a pass to a military installation - dated 1982.   So let's fast forward to  June 1998  when the present owner - a Mr. Raymond Lucas Hatfield of  Little Rock, Arkansas  bought this very same TR4A.    " I rescued the car from what was basically a junkyard - a garage that had many old cars abandoned behind it.  My wife said the I was giving it a second 'chance' at being used, and the name stuck ".   Apparently it had been there as junk for years. 

“ Mr. Crawford passed away before I bought the car, but apparently he told the second owner that he had rallied the car in England for several years before returning to the United States, bringing the car with him.  There is evidence on the car that it had been driven hard at some point and suffered some damage ; dents to the frame, some holes and dents in the body.

 I spoke to the second owner, who states he only drove it on the road until about 1980 when he started tearing it apart to rebuild it.  The rebuild stalled and he finally sold it to the individual I bought it from in 1991.   There it sat until 1998 when I bought it "  . . Judging by the bumper sticker,  that might have been 1982 or 83 when he started 'tearing it apart'.  Perhaps this was the last time the car was together and on the road.?

The car when bought by Mr. Hatfield was collected from Birmingham, Alabama  (some 375 miles away from Little Rock, Arkansas).   Unfortunately on the way home, with the car on a tow dolly - it dropped off its rear right wheel.   “While loading the TR on the dolly,  I noticed that the 'spinner' was missing off the right rear wheel, but thought it of no consequence since I  (and the seller)  were under the impression that these were bolt-on wheels.  In all fairness, I do not recall seeing any part of the spindle showing on that rim to clue any of us to the fact that it was a knock off wheel.

…    I'm quite sure that all of you know what happened now. I made it from Birmingham, AL to about 50 miles from my home in Arkansas before that wheel came off. As it came off, it tore the fiberglass rear fender off.  Fortunately, that was the extent of the damage to the TR, but now I am stuck with the car on the side of the freeway in the middle of the night! "

 

Raymond in his forum posts and in correspondence with myself tells us that the "engine was seized up from being parked in a junkyard for 10 years".   In due course the motor was removed from the car and stripped down,  with the offending piston released from its bore ..courtesy of a big hammer smashing the cylinder liner.

On the four banger TR’s these are wet sleeve (dry on the six cylinder), and rather than simply replace the liners, the owner acquired another short-block TR4 motor.  But in his heart of hearts - he hankered for a Triumph TR5 with its smoother and more powerful six cylinder sea anchor.  And so is found investigated, on American brit-car forums, the options of a more powerful engine to drop into Chance.  

V8’s as well as straight-six Toyota and the 2.8 ltr BMW motors were each considered for  “a sleeper Vette killer”.  At the same time he was also considering selling the overdrive transmission in favour of a modern five-speed box.,  but after much deliberation he opted to buy a six-cylinder TR6’s engine.  In the same transaction came a TR6 chassis - which still appears to be in good shape.  The replacement 4-cylinder short-block was sold on, and the original engine remained in bits.

 

 

Over the past, almost 21 years of present ownership, the car’s  Second Chance  hasn’t yet come to realisation.  The front brake callipers have I’m told been swapped out for Toyota four-pot items, and the rear suspension has modern shock absorbers in place of the original Armstrong lever arm types.   Raymond  has his own TR enthusiast website which recall some of this car's history (last updated  c.2005 ).   Unfortunately  there is not one photo of the car nor any part of it.   

Below is a recent photo from the for sale advert to which I replied.  

The exceptionally lightweight and strong knock-off Magna wheels were sold for $800, to an English guy in 2003.  And bolt-on Mustang Bullitt (c.2001 model) aluminium alloys fitted instead. The Englishman who bought the wheels was a Mr. Roger Butt “who then restarted the company and made new wheels on the same pattern. The company he worked for (Rotex Developments) had a factory/warehouse here in Arkansas” 

Tidbit : Roger Butt was Company Secretary to Osprey Marine Ltd between February ‘94 and March 1998.  He was appointed Director of Rotex Developments Ltd (Company status : Dissolved ) in August ‘05,  and again appointed Director of J.A. Pearce Engineering Ltd  (Company status : Dissolved )  in 2012.   The latter is of course the same name as having originally made racing and sports wheels.

 

The car has been stripped out of its interior.  I’m told the original leather seats didn’t withstand being out in the elements ..so they have gone in favour of a pair of high-back Mazda Maida seats, not yet fitted. The dashboard timber, light-tan door cards and carpet set have been replaced, but again not refitted.  The black steering wheel looks like an SAH one (it’s leather rimmed with slotted aluminium spokes). And little niceties like the SAH embossed ashtray and the engine’s SAH cast-alloy rocker-cover have also gone, as has the car’s oil cooler, temp gauge setup, and quick change filter. Non have been replaced.  

 

 

The fuel tank  and under-bonnet space are also stripped out, but most of those parts are with the car,  albeit in unknown condition after having been stored for the past 21 years,  plus another 10 years " parked in a junkyard".

From what I can see in photos and has been discussed in email correspondence with Raymond, around the bulkhead’s battery tray is rusted,  as is the lower forward edge of the boot floor and spare wheel well.  These have in part been patched by one of the interim owners,  as has one sill.  Both sills have holes to their inside rear corners, and the floors show sign of nature’s aeration.  The paintwork is scruffy, apparently looking better in the photos than in life.  And the bumpers, like pretty much everything else, are off the car and have seen brighter days.  Most probably there are numerous minor bits missing or beyond repair,  but as an optimist - I’ll presume 90% of the car is there and might be reusable,  if enough time and money is spent in their recondition. 

Oh btw.,  the car is still in Arkansas, which in case you are unaware is 450 miles sorta north of Huston, Texas and similarly from New Orleans.  This being west across state from Memphis Tennessee  ..so not exactly close to any coastline or shipping port.    So, as a largely dismantled non-runner, the overland transport and shipping freight is going to cost £-thousands.   However, even factoring in the transport cost - this TR4A is as cheap as I could find (..cheap is a relative term !).  And unlike most cars from the States ;  it does has an interesting history.  Although not at this time paper-documented ;  the (three remaining) flared grp wings and other remaining SAH parts, as well as email correspondence from the nephew do confirm the story.   Accordingly,  a week last Friday I put a bid on it.  And then I had a counter offer, which I accepted on condition that he’ll prepare and pack the car (together with the 'spare' chassis)  for transport (my proposal below) .   Last Monday evening I received an affirmative response.  

No, I promise to NOT paint this TR4 red.!

So there we are,  I have to sell a motorcycle or two and my Ami-super  but.,  despite it being ridiculously too small a car for someone as old, or tall and broad as myself (6’-5” with the accumulative effects of gravity for 60++ years) - it is what I hanker for.  And if I don’t do it now then I don’t suppose I’ll ever have the chance  again.  

BUT.,  Is this too fashion-taxed a topic for ye  Autoshiters,  or would my reckless abandonment of any last remnant of common-sense ..and the consequential issues I’ll have to deal with over the next couple of years be of some passing amusement to you all. ?

Bfg 

 

p.s.   This restoration / recommissioning will be a diy job on a very tight budget.   As mentioned I'm also very tall,  so concessions to those factors override any idea of originality.   I also have no qualms at all in using second hand seats out of a Triumph Herald or an MG.,  or an Austin 7  for that matter ..if they are suitably period styled, available cheaply,  and better accommodate my freak-sized frame.   So, this will not be a car for the TR purist. 

Two years later..,  1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on a Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1967th year of the common era (CE).  The Doors release their début album, (ironically entitled ).. the Doors.   The Vietnam War Operation Cedar Falls started on January 8th, and NY Times also reported that the U.S. Army is 'conducting secret germ warfare experiments'.  The world is so beautiful that Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with the intent of future resuscitation (I wonder how he's doing ..and whether he is now the oldest man alive ?)

In Munich, the trial begins of Wilhelm Harster, accused of the murder of 82,856 Jews (including Anne Frank) when he led security police during the German occupation of the Netherlands during the second world war. He is eventually sentenced to 15 years in prison (which on the face of it seems very lenient ?).  U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee are killed when fire breaks out in their Apollo 1 spacecraft during a launch pad test.  While in New Orleans, District Attorney Jim Garrison claims he will solve the John F. Kennedy assassination, and that a conspiracy was planned in New Orleans.  The Dutch government supports British EEC membership, and the first North Sea Gas is pumped ashore at Easington, East Riding, Yorkshire.

Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana defects to the United States, and nine executives of the German pharmaceutical company Grunenthal are charged for breaking German drug laws because of thalidomide. The supertanker SS Torrey Canyon  runs aground between Land's End and the Scilly Isles and spills huge amounts of oil, while the SEACOM Asian telephone cable is inaugurated.  Martin Luther King Jr. denounces the Vietnam War during a sermon at the Riverside Church in New York City. And Puppet on a String  performed by Sandie Shaw (music and lyrics by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter) WINS the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom.!  Yeah ! 

In the Academy Awards, hosted by Bob Hope - Best picture goes to A Man For All Seasons, where Paul Scofield plays the obstinate Sir Thomas More, while in Texas - Muhammad Ali refuses military service. He is stripped of his boxing title and barred from professional boxing for 3 years.  And Elvis and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in Las Vegas.

Harold Wilson announces that the United Kingdom has decided to apply for EEC membership, and in May the UK and Ireland do so.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience release their debut album Are You Experienced  (Come back Davy Jones all is forgive ..we love the Monkees !), and The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band  nicknamed in the US as "The Soundtrack of the Summer of Love" ..it was number one on the albums charts throughout the summer of 1967 (..up the Hippies ! ).  Oddly, so I am told, 1967 was also a short year for new vehicle registrations in the UK. 

And Where, you might ask, is this leading us ? 

. . .

. .

.

Well to June 1967 of course

..when this particular car was first registered. . .

Yep, after almost two years from starting this particular thread.., I'm finally getting one. 

 

I had placed an advert in the TR Register's magazine way-back last summer ..after a year of waiting - the green basket-case-project TR4 car from US came to nothing. I then considered a number of other project TR4 / 4A's,  but when unexpectedly given notice to vacate my home (of the previous 16 years), which was an old farm house - i realised I'd also loose my garage, the space and the facilities to restore a car.  I guess, at much the same time, I also recognised that I'm also getting a bit too old to start another long term restoration project (..when I already have others on the go !) and that I would actually like to drive a car once in a while.!   And perhaps equally as relevant was that I'm also getting too old / lazy / comfortable to bother clobbering up with riding gear and tent for touring on a motorcycle.  Instead perhaps with a little lady and a happy dog ..like a spaniel, might be an altogether pleasant traveling experience.  

So I restored and sold 'Katie ' my 1948 Sunbeam S7 motorcycle to fund my buying a roadworthy car, thinking a driving / rolling restoration was the best I might afford.  But then, during the preamble of moving from a farm house to an apartment, I was faced with the question of whether I should junk most-everything I owned and just go and live on my boat.  In the end I decided "no bollocks.. I'll have the boat and the car I really want and I'll buy a shipping container to keep my tools and whatever else from my home in."  ..even though other things will have to go to pay for &/or make room for what I now want.  A change of direction perhaps but a direction to set course on.

That was great in theory but of course my buying that container, paying rent to store it, and the cost of moving - took a bite out of the money I'd put aside for a TR.  Only then, thanks to magazine lead in times, do I start to get response from my magazine advert.  But they were either too expensive or projects that needed total restoration, so then things went quiet again. 

And then out of the blue, in September, just 11 days before my deadline to vacate my home and move, I get a message from a Mr Bob Bell (..in response to that advert in the magazine).  As I said to him at the time "sorry but I cannot afford it, and even if I could - I couldn't do anything about it because I'm right in the middle of moving house" ..on my own, during a pandemic. 

I thought that was the end of that, not least because I was absolutely exhausted and frustrated., and so perhaps a little abrupt I fear.  Possibly a month later, a couple of weeks after I'd moved I dropped him a line and we talked, he sent me photos, and so I was keen.  The car is a TR4A with Independent Rear Suspension (rather than leaf springs) and overdrive, and was perfectly roadworthy ..albeit due for maintenance and checks due to hardly being used.  Importantly she is very much the spec I was after. 

We arranged a date for me to go and see the car (last October) and despite drizzling rain he drove me around the housing estate where he lived. The ride was a little odd insomuch as he seemed to be trying to impress me with the performance, and the steering ..up to 30mph.!  I held on.  The car was in much better condition than I dared hope, but still over my budget.  I might stretch but for the fact I'd spent a good percentage of the money I'd put aside for such a car - on buying a shipping container.!  

Tantalisingly close Pete.. but no coconut ! 

However....... as it happens..... I was also anticipating a gift of inheritance  ..pending the sale of my Aunt's home.  I explained the situation, and Bob incredibly kindly held the car for me, as he was "not using the car through the winter anyway'".  It's taken months, but now I've finally managed to get all me ducks in a row, and to pay him, this past Monday ..some 23 weeks after he first dropped me a line.  Surely that is above and beyond the call of duty ..even for a Triumph man Bob. !  The log book has now been transferred into my name and I have taken classic car insurance through the TR Register.  With the aide of my good friend Rich Crewe-Read from the East Saxons TR Register group, I hope to collect her on Monday or Tuesday next week, when the current covid restrictions are eased a little.

So there we go, this car, coincidentally also known as 'Katie ' thanks to her registration, was I understand first registered in June 1967 and was British racing / Triumph green.  She was being restored through the late 1990's and Bob bought her as an unfinished / being abandoned project.  He finished the task and had her painted red, with a black interior and varnish dashboard.  The work must have been well done because she still looks great from pretty much any angle.  The mileometer reads 37,900 since being put back on the road in 1999.  He tells me that the interior and a few other jobs need doing, and she could do with a tune-up, but that other tasks like poly-bushing and gaiters, fuel pump, etc, and also some re-chroming have not-long-since been done.

Naturally, I feel like a schoolboy awaiting his birthday in springtime ! 

Pete.

[GMcD]

What a great outcome. Dreams can come true! Well in to the seller too, seems like a proper gent.

What a spring/summer you're going to have! 😎

[Mrs6C]

Huzzah!!! Fantastic news!!! I am so pleased for you!

[SiC]

Wow! Wasn't expecting to see this outcome. Really pleased you've got one that you can pretty much start enjoying, rather than having to bust a gut before you can. 

[Rod/b]

I’ve missed this thread somehow. My father in law has had a red TR4 for the last 30 years. It’s a lovely thing.

[mitsisigma01]

Well done Pete, good things come to those who wait 👍. 

Have you collected Katie yet, if not whereabouts is she? 

Definitely an essential journey worth doing 👍 

Now you have to rent a garage to keep her in... 

[Bfg]

The plan is to collect on or after next Monday's first stage in easing of covid restrictions.  She's still safely tucked away in the seller's garage.

" From  8th March, some of the rules on what you can and cannot do will be changing:

• you will be allowed to spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble. This means you can sit down for a drink or picnic. You must continue to maintain social distance from those outside your household. This is in addition to outdoor exercise, which is already permitted "       < gov.uk  Here >

For the sake of just another week to wait.  And then surely driving a classic sportscar is for 'recreation'.

If it has not in the meantime gone to someone else, I did reserve a parking space in a barn, where other classic and race cars are stored.  I'm not allowed to work on it there but it is nearby where I live, and just £30 pcm to keep it out of all weathers.  I've bought a lightweight car cover (Aldi.. £20) for when it's parking in there "to protect it " .. well at least to keep most of the dust off.  And I now shop for a half-cover (covering just the soft-top roof and windows, down to the top of the doors) for when it's parked where I now live.

I've also lined up a local chap to check the car over for me and to do some servicing.  He's in his own workshop and so in exchange of paying him to work on the car - I'm hoping to go in there and help him &/or do other jobs.  If this works out then I'll be able to oversee what's done and let him do the bits I don't particularly like or which are much easier with his having a car-lift (such as dismantling and servicing the brakes). 

Once I'm satisfied the car is in good safe running order, then I'll be modifying the interior a little to better accommodate my 6'-5" size.  Initially this will be little things like ensuring the seat adjusts on it's runners freely and goes right the way back, and to remove the padding along the bottom edge of the dashboard (it's 1/2" lower than the metal behind it. That's not a lot but a little more space around the steering wheel, will help my legs get in there.!  I also hope to raise the windscreen by an inch, but that of course will depend on how much adjustment i can manage with the door glass and hood frame. I'd like to make my own roll-over bar for the car and to fit a steel surrey-top lid onto that. That panel I have been given but it needs collecting from near Heathrow.

All in all though the plan is to keep the car on the road and to enjoy her this summer ..rather than to dismantle or else spend my days working on it.

As my mother used to say .. "we'll see !"    

[Mally]

Being pedantic, strictly speaking, we should still stay at home until the 29th.

But I'd be  the last person to stop you, I'd have it home already.

[Bfg]

Yee ha !

We collected Katie today ( 8th) and I'm really very pleased. Drove back
open-topped, a little chilly but not nearly as bad as I had expected,
indeed very tolerable. Conversely the steering wheel shake at 60mph
is intolerable, as is the heaviness of this clutch
                                              ..but I'm sure I'll soon have those sorted.

On the way back from Bury I was compelled to turn off the A14 and stop,
as the temp gauge pushed close to the red. But as soon the car slowed
- the gauge went back down to a more normal reading. Yes plenty of
water in the radiator, and that was hot but not scolding or spurting.
Squeezing the top hose however indicated it was empty. The engine
hadn't been pinking or rattling from being overheated so, because we
had just another 12 miles to go and the weather was cool, we set off again.

Back on the road - the temp went up to the red line, and so just two

junctions further on, we stopped again ..and I removed the
thermostat. That's temporarily sorted out that issue. Huh !  :))


Once I write it down - I'll have a 'snag list' the length of my arm, but
for the most part they are minor tasks..so I feel I've a really great
base to start from. I'm going to have fun with this car :)))))

.. I'm so grateful to Bob for holding it for me until I could manage to
get me piggy bank open.   ..most urgent job I think will be to remove
the seat-belt's inertia reel from the floor, which stops the seat going
back. Then I can take my legs with me when I go out.

In the meantime Bob, tomorrow I think, is going to look at a
cream coloured TR7 for sale down in Essex.

Pete.

^ Katie's restorer and now prior  custodian Bob Bell and his dearest little lady Pat just before I headed off.

^ Arrived safe n' sound, to the most salubrious* 'Woodland Manor'. 

My apologies that I have no fuel station photo.. I was otherwise preoccupied with the temperature gauge bending its needle !

..  and a couple of photos taken for insurance valuation purposes. . .

 

 

 

Bidding you a very good evening.

Pete.

.

[Sham]

That's just lovely

[mitsisigma01]

 looks tiny against your Chrysler Fugly, are you sure 6ft 7in will fit! 

[Bfg]

 

What a beautiful sunny day yesterday wasn't it ! ?

..I drove MY NEW  TR  across to my container to tackle the first couple of jobs. (it's the only place I have to work on the car at the moment ..but it's a dust bowl there)

Job 1. Getting the seat to move back, at least as far as the wheelarch. . .

^ The issue here was mainly the location of the seat belt's inertia reel, which stopped the seat moving back by about 2 1/2".

 

^ I drilled a tight hole through the inner mudguard, and fitted a big backing plate under there (suitably paint protected). I happened to have a nut to fit onto the seat belt bolt, and another for bolting the belts tail-end back into the sill.  Aside from the fact that the seat belt is too long too retract all the way into the reel - it now works well with smooth tension, whereas as before it was snagging and wouldn't recoil.  I'll sometime fit something to stop the buckle from sliding down the webbing.

The pads on the carpet are because the driver's seat backrest is slightly more inclined than the passenger's, so 9mm reinforced rubber packing tilted the seat forward a little. But that proved uncomfortable with the backrests tubular seat frame pushing into my back ..so I took those out again on the (long) way home. 

Moving the inertia reel out of the way only partly worked because . . .

The inner seat belt mounting is on an angle bracket, and with both the seat belt's eye and the bolt's tread each facing towards the seat (which over time had chewed up the seats fabric) the seat couldn't push back passed this point.   That then had to be redone.

^ Job done and now the seat goes all the way, for its back to rest against the inner wheel arch. The seat runners themselves didn't need adjusting nor redrilling.

^ I don't think that seat will go much further back !  I did consider 'easing'  the inner mudguard back, ie., indent it with a softwood block and lump hammer, but as you can see that would not just be a very localised indentation ..and there's no point because . . .

^ with the seat right the way back - the folded hood frame is already poking into the driver's shoulder. And that discomfort would only be more pronounced if I sat further back.  Remind me not to wear a nice jacket without having the hood frame's cover on.  These hood frame joints are hard edged and presently dry, but once lubricated they would certainly mark a sleeve. 

My friend, Rich, has advised that this is a TR6 hood frame and so perhaps the above width issue is not normally an issue with a TR4A hood frame.?  Having said that the seat backs are very  tapered up their outside backrest bolster.

Anyway, SUCCESS  insomuch as I now have another 2"  to 2-1/2" of leg room length and arm length to the wheel.  Now I can get my leg down low enough under the steering wheel to take my foot off the clutch.  For the drive home yesterday I pulled my leg out sideways to rest against the gear lever, so that I could steer the car !   I'm sure this seat position will be easier for around roundabouts and corners when I also wish to change gear. 

- - -

Job 2.  was to make getting in and out of the car easier.  The issue here was that the driver's door didn't open fully, so getting my size 13 brogues up inbetween the sill and the part-closed door was not at all easy. The cause of that was something to do with the check strap.

I didn't know how to take the check strap out, but thankfully the phone sees where I cannot (watch out big brother is watching ! ) . . .

^ Having removed the carpet, over the lower A-post, and from the photo I could see that there was nothing holding the check strap in place, but its guides and the shut.  I thought the rubber bump stop on its end looked too big, and that was causing the check strap to be too short.  So I removed the check strap's pin, from the front end of the door, and pushed the check strap out through the A-post's square hole. I removed the rubber bump-stop pad, and tried it again but the door still wasn't opening nearly far as it might.  So after securing the door from swinging too far forward and buckling itself against the front wing, I measured what extra length was needed, with the rubber bump-stop back in place . . .

The rope used to hold the door from swinging too far forward.  Disclaimer : do not drive the car like this !

^ check strap extended. This in turn was drilled for the pin, to lengthen the check strap by another 15mm. Then of course I cut the length off and rounded its end, painted it and refitted. 

Task complete, aside from refitting the carpeted trim inside.

^ with the driver's door being pulled against the check strap - the door to wing clearance is still safe, but now the door opens another 15 or 20 degrees, which of course makes my getting in and out somewhat easier..  Perhaps the check strap's length is different between the TR4 and the TR6, and the wrong one was fitted.? 

4 hours work in total, so I was glad not to be paying a professional rate, but they were very necessary tasks for me to simply be able to get in and drive the car.! 

It was also very pleasant working out in the sunshine.

Pete.

 

[Mrs6C]

IIRC the seats were handed on Triumph Spitfires and that could be the same on TR4s. See if yours look handed and if so, have a go at swapping them over, then see if the seat then clears the hood frame...

[Bfg]

The TR4 / 4A seats are very definitely handed. I presume the same with the TR5. I'm sure they wouldn't go in the wrong way around, and if they did then they wouldn't tilt forward passed the hood frames. The TR6 seat back is more symmetrical and therefore narrower at the top.   As it is, the seats do fit in there, and tilt, but my shoulders are both broader and noticeably higher than the seat backs. 

^ TR4A seat

It would however be interesting to see if early spitfire seats would fit though because if I recall (from my youth) their seat backs and seat squabs were slim.

 

[Bfg]

Was discussing on the TR forum that my priority is to next address this car's extraordinarily heavy clutch action. 

To share what I had..  I photographed what can be seen ..the master & the slave cylinder and their assembly (if you're interested, I can share those with you here ?), and the outcome of that is that, just now, it's been suggested that the pin securing the clutch release fork has failed, or is failing. The fork swiveling around the shaft would account for the symptoms of its action being very heavy indeed and also only releasing during the last inch of lever travel before the bulkhead.  

In short ; it means the gearbox has to come out of the car.  As they say in the boating world..  Rowlocks !

I've booked the car in, a week on Thursday (subject to space availability), to tackle this.  In the meantime I'll do my homework and shop to get the bits in stock.  And I'll also consider what other jobs might be tackled while the gearbox is out.

Pete.

[Bfg]

Good morning all

The clutch release mechanism parts have been ordered and the car is booked in, for Thursday, to have the gearbox pulled and to hopefully sort the clutch fork pin. And hopefully put the slave cylinder in the right place.

Moving on in the meantime.. 

After the strong winds and rain we've had this week, today I went out in Katie for the second time .. to the farm produce shop ('Richards' in Westerfield) and then across to where my storage container is.  I had a few jobs I wished to do, or at least look at, a couple of which I'll come back to at another time.  But one little job was simply to check the cooling system, and to possibly to flush it out.  Let me share with you a few symptoms . .

• radiator coolant water coming out of the expansion bottle after a run. That water is a little frothy.
• emulsified water on the underside of the rocker cover cap.
• oil pressure 50 psi on the open road
• water level going down
• oil level rising

Let me also share with you . .

• rocker cover cap didn't have emulsified deposits when I viewed the car for purchase.
• oil is very clean, obviously recently changed although the seller didn't mention that.
• Oil and water level were normal at that time.
• Oil pressure was c. 60psi around the housing estate during the test drive, when Bob drove. 
• Bob has receipts for the figure 8 gasket and associated parts in April 2016.  Since then the car has done just 1100 miles.

Caveat Emptor

Together with the clutch fork this sorta bursts my 'Mr Happy bubble'. 

I will get over it because I do love the TR4, but I'm disappointed in finding myself so gullible.

Bidding you each a good weekend. 

Pete

.

[Bfg]

I know that Katie  could be a good driver's car once these issues are sorted out.  Despite ergonomic issues I love the driving experience and the car's style. I'm just disappointed that the seller appears to have not been up front with me. If he'd just said that " I'm letting you have the car at bottom dollar because of this and that", then all would have been fine. I would have made my purchase decision based on what he must have known about but preferred to conceal.

I also accept that It happens - the owner tootles about just to local shows and club meetings, and knows of the faults and the car's limits. But he's OK to live with them, and well as a long list of other 'foibles'.   A new owner comes along, and within the first 20 miles discovers the more major issues.  Knowing they are far from right, but not how long they've been like that - he fears the car is about to blow up and die.  He may even push the car a little more than it's been used to ..perhaps as insignificant as 70mph on the motorway rather than 60,  and things let go.  The seller will honestly tell you 'it never did that with me' and he may be right.

I'll first try to re-torque the cylinder-head bolts, I've also been advised that there's waterway blanking plug on the top face of the head, which have been known to corrode through. So I'll check that too.  But otherwise, because I now live in an apartment block and where my storage container is, is a dust bowl with sand and straw blowing around - I can't get into dismantling the engine.  So.., can anyone recommend a person, or affordable garage, near Ipswich, Suffolk who have good experience of the four cylinder TR engine ?  I very likely need the head lifted off and its cylinder sleeves set to the correct height for the figure-of-eight gasket to seal reliably.  Thanks.   

Pete

[Mrs6C]

Sorry to hear that there are issues with 'Katie'.

You could try Anglian Triumph Services in Ditchingham, Norfolk, which is about 40 miles from you. I don't know if Dave Aspinall still runs it, but certainly when he did, he was very decent and the place has a good reputation.
http://www.angliantriumphservices.co.uk/

A thought - how ready is your other engine, that you rebuilt? Is it at a stage of completeness where it could be installed and then you can dismantle the other one at your leisure? If the gearbox is coming off anyway then it's not that much extra effort to get the whole engine unit swapped over...

[Bfg]

Thanks Mrs6c.  I don't know Anglian Triumph Services but I'll check them out.

I hadn't noticed anything odd about the oil on the dipstick, only the emulsified water on the rocker cover cap.  Even peering down inside the rocker cover looks very clean, aside from around the cap's orifice.  I am of course hoping that the previous owner just forgot to re-torque the cylinder head bolts after he replaced the figure of eight gasket in April 2016.  As he's only done 200 - 250 miles a year since then ..and those being local club meets and shows, so just twenty miles now and then.. it's likely he just forgot to do after 300 - 600 miles.  I'm always the optimist !    

I dare not do the re-torquing today because of the sand being around the farm yard, where my container & tools are.  I was amazed yesterday, while greasing the king pins and wire wheel splines, how sand and straw was getting in my hair and literally collecting around to leave a silhouette of where I lay on the concrete. It's not the environment I want to take the rocker cover off in, but if the wind dies down for tomorrow - I'll tackle it then.   Stop press ; it's just started raining here.

No the other engine is in the same state as when I last worked on it a year ago.  I wanted to take the crank etc., across to another machine shop (near Woodbridge) but of course that was when we had the first lock-down.  So it never happened and I wasn't prepared to risk reassembling the engine without first being certain those things had been correctly balanced.  And then I was given notice to move house.. so the engine was wrapped up, moved and put on shelves.  Working in the container, with temperatures below 5 degrees over winter, just wasn't working for me. 

Pete