WWWedge Ezine
It's here to help you
Current readers: 258 January 24 1999, Year 2, no. 14
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The purpose of this newsletter is to give (technical) information
about the British classic cars Triumph TR7 and TR8.
To make this newsletter a success, I need your HELP:
o Let me know if this newsletter contains the information you're
looking for.
o Let me know if you want to write a feature article.
o Let me know if you have suggestions, improvements, etc.
o Let me know if you find this newsletter useful and practical, and
if there is anything you would like to see covered.
For comments, articles, etc. send an e-mail to
workshop@voskotan.demon.nl
WEBSITE at http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/ezine.html
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THE WEDGE TEAM
The WWWedge website is entirely maintained by volunteers.
Johan Vorsterman van Oijen is responsible for the design and the
daily updates. Mark Elbers is fully occupied with the Registry pages.
Eric Teunissen is responsible for the TR Scale Models pages.
Russell Silverman is the newcomer! He will co-maintain the WWWedge
Webpages.
The WWWedge Ezine newsletter is moderated by yours truly (Johan
Vorsterman van Oijen) and my native language isn't English.
But I'll do my utmost to create readable articles.
To save me from the biggest spelling mistakes, David Parnham (an
Englishman in Holland) will check the Wedge Ezine. Great huh?
To get started, the WWWedge Ezine newsletter is heavily based on
the Wedge Tips collected by Philip Johnstone from Australia.
Another source is the TR7/8 mailing list. I will extracts threads
from this list and publish them in this newsletter.
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INTRODUCTION
This Ezine is in it's 2nd year and I have some really good stories
for you. A article by Richard Moon (I met him very briefly at the TR
Register meeting UK 1998). I have seen his car with my own eyes and
wish it could be mine. A really good wedge in mint, no TOP condition.
Just read his story ... pictures included in the webpage.
Pictures of Odd Hedberg's discovery; a TR8 cruise stalk. Thanks Odd.
The scoop: Barry Clarke's NITROUS TR7V8.
Furthermore for the next Ezine I hope to receive stories of two
readers who are restoring (body-off) their wedges. I hope to make it
a sequel.
Johan Vorsterman van Oijen.
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TOPICS
o Total restoration
o TR8 cruise stalk
o Nitrous
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WHAT DO YOU DO ON SUNDAYS?
David Parnham, Netherlands
Check out the webpage http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/ezine.html
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TOTAL RESTORATION
It all started by looking at several project TR7's for restoration.
The previous owners had already started the dismantling process in
most cases, which from previous experience always makes work more
difficult. The cars were overpriced and I was losing interest, when I
received a call from a friend. There was a sorry looking TR7
Convertible with two wheels, a cracked windscreen and a body full of
dents lying dormant in the compound next to his works.
It transpired that the car had fallen foul to vandals whilst the
owner was storing it there. A closer inspection revealed that other
than the the two missing wheels, the car was complete, and even had a
current MOT! A deal was struck with the owner and the car was duly
trailerd home. A pair of wheels were acquired from the local breakers
yard, making the TR7 mobile once more.
The following months were spent carefully stripping and labeling
components from the car. The engine, subframe, front struts and rear
axle with suspension were removed and stored for refurbishment.
Eventually the TR7 became just a bare shell. A body roller was
constructed out of building trestles, angle and scaffold poles, which
enabled the shell to be revolved through 360 degrees. It was now time
to revive the bodywork of the vehicle.
I removed the front offside wing first, which revealed corrosion just
taking hold on the lip of the inner wheel arch. The actual inner wing
and suspension turret was very solid. A repair panel for the edge of
the inner arch was bought from the chaps at Robsport, which proved to
be an excellent fit, and was duly welded on.
I then proceeded to the sill. Both ends had started to go, so the
shell was braced properly with some stout angle iron, before the
laborious task of drilling out the numerous spot welds began. Severe
corrosion was apparent in the rear strengthening plate of the inner
sill, which had started to spread into the inner rear arch. I decided
to cut away the rear wing for better access to this area. New sill
panels, front and rear wings and hours of juggling with clamps, self
tappers and a welder, resulted in the drivers side being completed
other than the door. Both of the doors were pretty ropey.
I decided to repair the drivers side door frame, but opted for a good
second hand one for the passenger side. Both frames were then treated
to new skins. The floorpans were actually very solid, only needing
minor plating to the jacking points. The final job on the shell was
to fit rear quarter sills.
The shell now being complete was flipped upside down once again and
given a good going over with the Schultz gun. This was in turn primed
and painted over in body colour. Whilst the car was upside down I
refitted the refurbished fuel tank and new brake lines along the
transmission tunnel. It was finally time to dispatch the shell off to
the body shop for painting. I decided not to carry this out myself as
felt two pack paint would give a stronger finish than traditional
cellulose, and for obvious reasons cannot be sprayed without fresh air
breathing apparatus.
With the shell being away, work started on the engine. A strip down
showed that it was in good condition, but as it was apart I fitted
new piston rings, bearing shells and a timing chain and tensioner.
All the suspension components were wire brushed and given coats of
black Smoothrite along with subframe and axle. The Brake and clutch
components were either renewed or re-bushed, and all the electrical
components and loom were cleaned and checked in preparation for
refitting.
The bodyshell returned looking magnificent in BMW Mauritius Blue.
At long last the time had arrived for re-assembly! I started with
the front subframe and struts and rear axle. Spax adjustable dampers
and springs were fitted along with uprated suspension bushes and an
anti dive kit. The brakes were uprated with new vented discs and
rebuilt calipers from a scrapped Capri. A local machine shop turned
the spacers to give the correct clearance for the caliper between hub
and disc.
The trim and electrical components were refitted after the completion
of the mechanics. A new carpet set was used, but fortunately the
majority of the interior trim cleaned up OK. A new blue mohair hood
and a set of MGF 15" alloy wheels completed the car.
The car was finished in April '98, four years after starting the
project. A month of fettling and fine tuning prepared the car for
its first major outing - The Le Mans 24 hour race in June '98.
Unfortunately the car is now for sale, as my wife and I are expecting
our first baby in May!
Richard Moon (UK)
See the webpage at http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/ezine.html
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TR8 cruise stalk
Friends,
This might be interesting for those of us living in countries with
long travelling distances, good but boring roads - and really no
traffic to talk about... And! This is strictly for those of us who
might even consider wanting to fit a cruise control in our Wedges, in
spite of no such gadget being offered [to my knowledge] by Rover
Group originally. [You Brits might as well stop reading now. I've
tried Your roads. They are by no means deserted and suitable for CC
driving... ;-) ]
I've found that the DRC3122; "Cruise control stalk" for the Rover
SD1 VIN no 288121-298523 [1983-84 something] looks _very_ similar
to our 1979 onwards Wedge indicator and wiper stalks. The main/
visible difference is that the stem of the stalk is _slightly_
thinner on the Rover item [easily fixed with a suitable coating
in shrinking tubing...].
Makes the fitment of a cruise control look much more original for
the car I think. What remains then is mating the stalk harness to
the harness and functions of the chosen cruise control kit, but I
doubt if that should be so hard to handle...
I found a NOS DRC3122 at Rimmer for GBP 19 + transport and taxes.
[That's roughly 27 Euro or USD 31, + t&t...]
No financial interest etc. This was just FYI...
The stalk itself is, as I said earlier, intended for the SD1 and
on those cars it is fitted to the left side of the cover _behind_
the horn/lights stalk in the upper half of the cover. That's not
a good idea in our cars since there's things inside the cover
preventing such a fitting [the electric end of the ignition lock
among other things]. Since the markings on the CC stalk is in
plain text and not in pictograms it needs to be fitted to the
left side of the cover in order to get the text right.
This leaves only one possible option and that's on the left side and
in the lower part of the cover - and if aligned correctly there's
nothing inside the cover in this location...
Enjoy it my friends, and remember the parts number for the stalk is
DRC3122 intended for Rover SD1 VIN no 288121-298523...
Regards
/Odd
--
Odd Hedberg
Pomonagatan 4 International liaison secretary,
S-74236 sthammar Triumph Club of Sweden
Sweden '70 Spitfire Mk3 FD82497LO Signal Red
'80 TR8 EFi DHC TPZDV8AT211468 Midas Gold
E-mail: odd@triumphclub.se / odd.hedberg@bigfoot.com
Club URL: http://www.triumphclub.se/index.htm
Home Phone/Fax: Int+ 46-1731 7131 / 46-1731 8131
Geographical Position: N 60deg 15min E 18deg 23min
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See the webpage at http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/ezine.html
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Moderator: I received the following email.
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Johan,
Please excuse the way I've been sending the photos. I just got a
new computer and scanner, and I'm trying to learn all the new software,
along with getting familiar with windows98. I'm still on the steep part of
the learning curve. I have a lot of literature I've collected while
owning Triumphs over the last 26 years, including factory training
books, dealer brochures, and showroom materials. I also have found
some Euro dealer literature (from Belgium, Germany, Italy, and
England) here in the U.S. As I learn how to use this new equipment,
I'll send along scans of anything you feel you could use in the Ezine
or WWW.
Gary Valone (USA)
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Moderator: I already received some good stuff and I have made a
couple of those scans available at the WWWedge website. It's great to
get help from our readers. There's plenty of room at the WWWedge so
keep sending stuff to me!
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NITROUS
Date sent: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 04:44:24 -0000
I'm new to this list and just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year to all you 8 fans...
Barry Clarke
81 Nitrous TR7V8 DHC.
Yep, that's how Barry introduced himself to the list. If you read his
signature carefully: NITROUS TR7V8 DHC.
A nitrous TR7V8, and of course this Ezine has the scoop. Pictures of
his car available at the WWWedge.
Barry about his car:
The engine has been bored from 3.5 to 3.9. A Holley 390cfm carb was
fitted along with an Offenhauser (is that how you spell it?)
manifold. Next I swapped the existing heads for stage2 heads and
fitted a road/race cam (not sure on the make). This proved too much
for the clutch so a 10.5" Mcleod performance clutch was fitted.
I kept this setup for a while, but then I heard that nitrous oxide was the
cheapest bhp increase, and it doesn't really matter about the compression
of the engine. I bought a Super Powershot kit from NOS, which adds
between 100 and 175 bhp depending on the jets you choose to use. Just
to be on the safe side I swapped the std pistons for a set of forged
pistons. Now the performance of this old beautiful classic can whoop
the pants off anything, and it still looks like a pretty standard TR7
with a bodykit !!!
One problem that I have now is I'm unable to use the nitrous in 1st
gear as I don't have enough rubber on the rear wheels. Does anyone
know of a thinner rear axle conversion or a similar remedy to this
problem.
If you're going to have a nitrous conversion, you'll have to modify
the fuel line coming from the tank, as it's too thin. The best way to
do this is to add a separate fuel line and pump designated to the
nitrous system running at 6psi. I also recommend a cutoff switch
which shuts the solenoids if the fuel pressure gets below 5 psi with
an in-dash fuel pressure gauge.
Barry.
81 Nitrous TR7V8 DHC.
Webpage at http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/ezine.html
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Well, to boost my energy to keep this Ezine going, I'll publish a
couple of reactions by Ezine readers.
I'm a subscriber of your newsletter and enjoy it a lot. I think your
last one commented about how even non Triumph owners subscribe.
Although a former owner of 3 Triumph's years ago, up until today I
was in that group of non-owner subscribers. Today I drove an over 600
miles round trip, and brought home a gold TR8 in excellent condition
with only 40,111 miles. It even got 21.75 mpg with a Holly 4 barrel
carb. What a wonderful sound, and oh so much power. Keep up the good
work and thanks for reminding me monthly about my dream to have a
TR8.
Bill Davis, FL USA.
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In a word, T H A N K S!
Hal Blankenship. P.S. Happy Holidays.
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I am opening your e-zine at 11:30 PM on Christmas Eve here in the
Pacific Northwest of USA. I've just finished wrapping the last of my
Christmas presents, & am looking forward to seeing what you have
compiled. In this season of giving, I enjoy your mag. as a gift each
time I receive it, & wish you the best this holiday season.
Thanks, Ron Shaw.
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Have a merry Christmas and a joyful coming new year.
You have done well with the introduction of the wedge Ezine
over the past year, and to gather so many readers in this
space of time is a credit to you and all the other
volunteer's, plus the readers articles...keep up the good
work
Kind regards.............John S.
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Hello. We are the owners of two TR8 convertibles, one we have owned
for almost 12 years and is still left hand drive, injected. The
other we imported in 1996, and have been converting to right hand drive.
We are in the process of building a right hand drive power steering
unit, as we have been unable to find any that were made. We also own
and race other Triumphs. Both TR8's were bought in California.
Sue & Gary Tansey, Dunedin, New Zealand
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I've got a 1979 TR8 FHC that I've owned since 1981. I live in
northern British Columbia, Canada. During the 80's I slalomed the car
extensively, and it's been modified to some degree.
9.75:1 pistons (Rover Vitesse)
Crane "High Intesity" cam (HI-216)
Offenhauser intake manifold
Edelbrock/Weber 500cfm 4bbl carb
Buick (Delco) Distributor with Mallory Unilite ignition
Koni front struts with 200 lb. springs, uprated anti-roll bar,
anti-dive kit, hard bushings, Spax rear shocks with 200 lb. springs,
hard bushings, AP Racing vented front disks with 4 pot calipers
Compomotive CX 3pc modular wheels (6.5 x 13)
The car is part of the family, I've had it longer than my kids. I
once drove it 7,000 miles (11,000 kms) on a holiday with my wife
(before kids!).
Thanks for all the effort!
...Brian Munro
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I would like to be subscribed to the TR-7 e-zine. Also, I am starting
to get pretty heavily into a 1980 TR-7 Convertible restoration and
powertrain swap (to a Buick V6 w/ manual transmission). I would be
happy to write up my progress and provide pictures for an on-going
article.
Roland Schaer.
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Nice collection isn't it. I wanna be fair. If I get a NEGATIVE
reaction or whatsoever, I will publish that too ;-D
So don't hesitate to write to me. I don't have always an answer to a
technical question but I can dig into a really big electronic archive.
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WWWedge Ezine is a free email newsletter for anyone who is interested
in the classic car Triumph TR7 and TR8.
Please note: the list of subscribers will not be shared with anyone.
The information is used to distribute the newsletter. This newsletter
is not SPAM. It's sent to you based on your subscription.
Advice, articles and opinions are offered 'as is'. The publisher
cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.
The newsletter may be freely copied and/or distributed in its
entirety.
(c) 1998-1999, The World Wide Wedge (http://www.team.net/TR8/)
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