The TR6 is one of the best looking 4 wheel Triumphs IMO. Personally I think the OEM steel wheels suit it better than wire wheels which belong in an earlier era. Both the TR and the Stag can be reliable motors but require regular maintenance to keep them tip top. In the 70's, Triumph cars came under the British Leyland mantle and we all know the problems that beset the company. As regards the age/riding thing, I'm 64 in a couple of weeks and while I'm not without health issues, I hopefully have a couple of decades left in me ! I have a small gym in the garage with a bench, pulldown machine and free weights which I use 2-3 times a week and still enjoy it although not with the same vigour of 30 years ago! As well as physical benefits I find weight sessions a great stress buster. There's nothing like nipping into the garage and throwing some iron around if you've had a bad or stressful day!
Heaven knows what Triumph (BL) were thinking with the TR7. I saw a TR8 in a supermarket car park a while back which did sound nice and probably went well but still looked crap. I'm not sure if it was a factory car as relatively few were made and most were LHD. Conversions of the TR7 are more common.
I am waiting for some supplies before I can go any further on this project. I plan to adjust it's valves later this week. I stripped out the goofy vacuum retard on the distributor last weekend. It was required for emissions in the past, but the car is now exempt. Someone in the past has already installed an electronic ignition upgrade. I will be careful to get its timing advance correct because of the retard system being removed. It should run great. Also working on sorting out it's title and insurance requirements. ...J.D.
Is it a carb or a FI model? The were two versions of FI, 125 and 150bhp. A workmate of mine had one of the 150 models back in the 80's and really "drove" it without any engine issues. The only problem he had was a recurring one with the overdrive unit. It was his only car and I remember him selling it for something more practical and he regretted it almost immediately. Sadly he passed away a few years later from MN disease.
All the US delivery ones had carbs. There were a lot more TR6's sold over here than in the UK for some reason. ...J.D.
The California DMV and CHP are making me jump through some legal hoops to get this licensed. Their computer system has problems if the VIN# is not the standardized 17-digit VIN. These old Triumph have a 7-digit VIN. In the process of bringing this in from Florida, somehow the nationwide database has lost this car. I am going to have to get it inspected by the CHP before I can get it registered. Before I do that, I have to fix a bug in its lighting system. I have no low beams. I took my meter and checked it out today. I need a new dip switch before it will pass inspection. I did its ignition timing today. It runs MUCH better now. So goes the adventure. I am enjoying it. ...J.D.
All the workouts and exercises are not going to help. You just have to be realistic. Saturday was cold and windy, and the wife was gone, so I spent some time in my cozy heated garage adjusting the valves on the TR6. Hope to have it nice and fresh when the weather warms up again. ...J.D
The TR is in "drydock" this week. Got it up off the ground inspecting its underpinnings. This car is not a restoration, so there will be issues. I see a few minor leaks, but someone has put new bushings in the rear suspension. They were into the rear brakes too. I see new parts, but something is not right there. I will have to check that out. New parts on order too. Maybe I'll post some pictures soon. Barbara is frying chicken. Time to hit the shower. Goodnight. ...J.D.
It might be kind of tough after being shipped from Southern California . But yes, one of my wifes best. ... J.D.
Work is continuing on the TR6 project as time permits. I explored the rear brake issue. Looks like the new brake shoes were installed, but not correctly adjusted. I had to order a proper tool to adjust them, and due caution will be taken the first time I drive this thing. A nasty habit of marking it's parking space with a puddle of oil was solved by installing a new oil pressure switch for the idiot light. I also decided to install a battery cutoff switch because this will be a summer only car, and I added a whip to connect a battery maintainer. Still have to sort the headlight wiring and tune it's carbs. Oh well. I have all winter. Well if someone keeps reading, I'll add more later. ...J.D.
I had a repair kit on order to fix my missing throttle shaft bushings. I got that installed today. The other day I added a upgraded ignition coil with a ballast resistor. It has a 60,000 volt secondary. No hard starting with that setup. The PO had already converted the distributor to electronic ignition, so no more adjusting points. I have been very pleased. So far parts have been very easy to get, and for the most part very affordable. The PO was just way behind on his "too do list". I am also thinking about my bikes. I need to sell some stuff. I am out of garage space. Maybe I'll keep just one. ...J.D.
My son has promised to come over and help me with the headlight wiring. I cannot see well enough under the dash due to wearing bi-focal lenses. He is an aircraft mechanic, but is kind of busy at work right now. I have also found an adjustable rod to replace the original fixed type rod for the clutch slave cylinder. No adjustment was provided on the original one. This part is on back order. Moving ahead slowly, but making progress. ...J.D.
We have been a bit sick for the last couple of weeks, so I haven`t made a lot of progress. I have been buying a lot of parts, and some speciality tools for this car. To give credit where it is owing, Barbara never complains about the money I spend [this is not a cheap project] or the time in the shop. She has never ridden bikes, and the few times I had her on board, I could tell she was uneasy. However, she loves to drive my other sports car. I usually let her do half the driving on our trips to our mountain cabin. She never says much but handles the curves and the 5 speed with passion. This new project is something I can share with her. Top down. Exhaust growling. 4-speed it hand. Got to keep the wife smiling too. ...J.D.
I have wanted one of these since they came out in the late 60's. At 78 yrs. old, I think I am overdue.
A huge + with cars from this era is comparatively simple electrics and mechanics. No ECU's crammed with electronicery and bespoke software locked down to dealer only servicing. I wonder about the reliability of some of the stuff appearing on modern cars and bikes when they're of a similar age. A ticking time bomb of electrical misery.
@Pegscraper, sometimes I "joke" that we are driving and riding computers...but I'm not sure it's really a joke.
Yeh, no computer stuff on this old girl at all ! I had to dig deep to remember how to do some stuff. I had not worked on any of this technology in 50 years. I even had to replace some of the old tools I once had. Great fun to work on though. I am now checking out its numbers to get it certified as original. From what I can tell from my limited knowledge it is a matching numbers car. ...J.D.
