TR7 - Classic Choice
The following is excerpted from an article in the August 1990 issue of Thoroughbred & Classic Cars titled "TR7 - Classic Choice", written by
Graham Robson. I've sent the entire article (with pictures) to David Huddleson for possible future publication in the TR8CCA newsletter. Thoroughbred & Classic Cars is the American name for the British magazine
Classic Cars.
What to look for
Although the TR7 has been out of production for nine years, we have not heard of a restoration specialist.
Enthusiasts must rely on Rover dealerships for parts
supply, and on fading memories for restoration expertise.
Charles Golding of Dennis Golding Motor Engineers, Chingford (tel. 081-529-7979) not only used to run the workshop at the old Triumph-London service
centre on Western Avenue, but has rallied an ex-works TR8 and has worked on many other TR7s in the past few years. His TR7 experience is both good, and bad...
Bodywork
"Except in isolated
areas, the TR7/TR8 monocoque structure seems to last well, until rust takes hold in several important places. Coupes and convertibles have a similar corrosion record and there are some awfully rotten TR7s about these
days, since the oldest UK market examples are nearly 24 years old. Although the whole car is susceptible to rust when it gets older - none of the shell is galvanized, or treated with ultra-efficient corrosion proofing
material - the worst visible area of the shell is the seam at the rear wing/sill junction; it's external, and open, and can rot right through.
The biggest potential structure problem is where the rear suspension
trailing arms pivot from the underside of the floor; at this point there is flexure, which tends to rot. To spot corrosion signs slide the seats forward, lift up the carpets and look at the floorpan from inside the car.
Dennis has actually seen this section pulling out of the floor.
The semi-trailing arm locations, on the other hand, are higher and better protected, and rarely give trouble.
More potential trouble spots are
the front suspension turrets, which are heavily stressed, and the front and rear wings (inner *and* outer, where there are water and filth traps). But here's a cautionary comment - not only do rear wings rot, along with
the inner panels, but replacement parts are no longer available from factory sources. The headlamp pods are cast aluminium and regularly shed their paint.
The panel at the base of the screen, when removed,
exposes a water trap which may have attacked the whole of the bulkhead. The bonnet and boot panels, where double-skinned, can start to blister through. Any car offered with filler at the corners can be hiding real
trouble elsewhere.
The entire front suspension and steering is supported by a sturdy sub-frame, which looks expensive. Unlike those fitted to Minis, however, these seeem to be very robust and should not have gone
seriously rusty."
Original authors: Lawrence and Tim Buja
Original HTML Markup: Bryan Oakley
New HTML markup: Johan Vorsterman van Oijen |
