WWWedge Ezine
It's here to help you
Current readers: 207 July 15 1998, Year 1, no. 8
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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.
You can subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter at
http://www.team.net/TR8/mp
For comments, articles, etc. send an e-mail to
workshop@voskotan.demon.nl
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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.
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
It's holiday time, at least I think for most of us. I have started my
4 weeks off. Meaning that the edition for August might come out or
not!
Since I'm a big soccer fan, and yes we Dutchies have reached the
semi-finales, I had to watch a lot of tellie the past 4 weeks.
Unfortenately we were beaten by the Brasilians :-(
Never mind this edition is again packed with interesting material.
My last request in the previous edition didn't worked out as planned.
Where is my input? Come on guys and girls with over 200 readers there
must be something worth telling to us. Grab your wordprocessor and
type a (short) story and send it to workshop@voskotan.demon.nl .
In the past I had problems with sending my Ezine to the readers. The
software just wasn't capable of doing it. This edition is send away
with another software program. I hope this will work better than the
previous one. It's a nice CGI/Perl program running from my own
private domain.
Thanks!
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TOPICS
o LeMans Rally Car (correction previous Ezine)
o The SAGA
o Bluey
o Trunk support for later TR7s and TR8s
o TR7 Frenzy
o Tech Tips (high speed idle, heater with A/C)
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LeMans Rally Car
In the previous Ezine there was a story submitted by Graham Gay
(Aus). The header of that story was 'OOM512R' (which is a works rally
car). Unfortenately their was a mix-up of two stories namely the
LeMans rally car and OOM512R. The correct title should be 'LeMans
rally car'.
Therefore the story at the WWWedge website has been changed and
updated with the correct pictures. Take a look because the pictures
are really very good to look at.
Johan Vorsterman van Oijen.
Webpage: http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/lemans.html
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THE SAGA
For a long time, I have wanted to restore a TR7. Recently, after
months of searching for a good rust free example, I finally found the
ideal candidate.
Re-imported from Arizona 2 years ago, much money spent by the
previous owner, and almost no rust. The only obvious problems were
some light damage to the front panels from a front end collision, and
the fact that it was a non runner, due only, I was assured by the
dealer, to the starter motor having failed. Because the previous
owner was not technically minded, and had no time to spare, the car
had simply been stored for about a year, awaiting repair.
I wanted to get the car road legal as quickly as possible, so that I
could enjoy driving it this summer, and start the rebuild in the
winter. It seemed so simple. Change the starter motor, replace all
the fluids, and disappear into the sunset. Unfortunately, as seems to
be usual in these stories, things were not so simple as that.
The one thing I failed to realise, and I suspect that I’m not the
only one here, was that storing a car involves more than just parking
it in a garage and walking away, especially an old car.
So, for anybody else who may be contemplating buying a similar car,
or who may be about to bring one out of storage, here is a brief
account of the work that I have had to do to make mine driveable
again.
The first job was to replace the starter motor. While removing the
exhaust manifold, I discovered it was damaged - one bolt was missing,
and I found a crack on top between 2 and 3 cylinders. Back to the TR
shop for a replacement second hand manifold.
Once the starter was in, and the exhaust back together, it was time
to start the engine. This is where I found what was to become the
first of many wiring problems - the starter motor was intermittent,
with chattering starter relay. I finally traced the cause to a high
resistance connection on the main red power cable from the battery -
the cable was rusting away inside the insulation. Back to the shop
again, for a new cable, and a new starter relay, just in case.
Once the cable and relay were replaced, the starter turned, but the
engine would nor fire. There was no spark. After removing the
electronic ignition unit, I found that the wires were all brittle,
and making bad, or no, contact. I replaced as many wires as I could
find, and tried again.
Success! The engine fired on the first turn of the starter, with no
choke. However, the engine sounded very unhappy, and would not run
evenly at all, with lots of backfiring. Thinking I might have some
dirt in the carbs., I removed them and cleaned them thoroughly. I
also replaced all the fuel lines, which had all perished with age.
After this, the engine seemed to run better, but still not right.
Some head scratching later, I thought it might be wise to check the
HT leads. This was when I discovered that they were connected in 1234
order. Oops. Once I changed them round to the correct firing
sequence, the engine ran perfectly.
Next job was to replace the brake and clutch fluids. Once done, start
the engine, and see if everything works. Straight away I noticed that
the clutch made a loud clunk every time the pedal was released with
the engine running, and the brake pedal traveled all the way to the
floor. The clutch problem I assumed was probably some rust on the
plates, as it worked fine, so I left it alone, hoping it would clear
up with use.
The brakes, however were a different story. To cut a
long story short, the master cylinder seals were all shot, the piston
was badly scratched, and the whole cylinder was full of rust. Oh,
yes, and the servo had sprung a leak. This was when I discovered
which two parts are the most expensive to replace on a TR7!! While I
had the brake system apart, I also replaced the brake pads and the
rear cylinders for good measure.
Next problem was with the front suspension legs. The rubber boots had
perished, and had to be replaced to pass the safety check. As this
meant stripping down the whole front suspension, I thought it
replaced all the front bushes at the same time, as they had also all
perished. Finally I had a car that would run, and perhaps more
importantly, would stop. Before taking it in for the safety check, I
drained the coolant, and fitted a thermostat, as the DPO had removed
the last one.
It passed the check first time. Now I could legally drive!
Since then, I have been steadily replacing all things rubber, as I
think the Arizona climate has not been kind to this material over its
life, and I have also replaced almost the entire wiring loom piece by
piece.
There are still a lot of things that need doing, but they are all in
the category of ‘Not important at the moment’, so they will be seem
to when I start the rebuild, but the majority of things seem to have
been caused either by bad, or lack of, maintenance over the years. I
suspect also that moving the car from a warm, dry climate, to a cold
damp one has a negative effect on perishable components.
So, has it all been worth the effort? Most definitely yes. Now I can
enjoy top down driving for a long time to come. The only sad thing is
that here in Holland we are having the worst, wettest summer I can
ever remember. Just because I bought a convertible……….
David Parnham ( david@eleftheria.demon.nl )
Webpage: http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/saga.html
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TR8CCA 15th anniversary celebration.
August 6-9 1998
at the Roadster Factory (TRF) summer party. Call TRF for party
registration 1-800-234-1104 (USA)
Thursday, Aug 6th, Dinner at the Coventry Inn, 5-10pm 3rd floor
(order from menu, no rsvp needed).
August 7th, dragstrip and the picnic begins!!
Motel: Twin Pines - 724 465 6161 (FULL!)
Intowner - 724 463 8726 (vacancies)
LETS TRY TO HAVE THE MOST TR8's IN ONE PLACE!
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BLUEY
This is Bluey, my RHD 1976 Coupe, registration number MHC 381R.
There isn't anything out of the ordinary about her (no customisation
etc.) except that she is a very early UK example, VIN number ACG1998
with the 4 speed box and the reversed steering column stalks found on
early British Leyland cars with the indicators on the right and the
wipers on the left.
She (and myself) reside near Stourbridge, West Midlands, UK. The
paint is Tahiti Blue and actually in a lot worse condition than this
somewhat flattering photograph makes out. Please note that the
headlamp actuators and that front nearside slow puncture are now
fixed!
I bought her when I was at University last year as the result of a
childhood obsession with TR7's. I remember as a very small boy
watching the local TV news when they were showing live the very last
TR8 leaving the Solihull plant and in my class at school, all the 7
year-old lads were distraught at the end of what we then regarded as
THE coolest car on Earth. Over fifteen years later and some of us
still haven't managed to lose that strange personality quirk!
Bluey nearly became (probably) the first Wedge in Dubai - the
previous owner was moving out to the Middle East to take up an
engineering post and was going to use his advance to finish doing her
up and export her, but changed his mind and sold her to me instead.
Possibly a very good move as not long after the authorities in Dubai
starting flogging motorists for speeding.
Sadly a variety of problems all at once (carbs, seats, rear brakes et
al) have put Bluey off the road since late 1997, but after a bit of
saving cash I'm now ready to get my hands dirty and aim to have her
fixed, re-sprayed (same colour) and out on the local country lanes
before the end of the year.
Owen Cooper ( o_cooper@yahoo.com )
Webpage: http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/bluey.html
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TRUNK SUPPORT FOR LATER TR7s and TR8s
The boot lid supports for later TR7 and TR8 cars after vehicle ID
#402001 are two gas struts instead of a support bar or single strut
as found on earlier models. The inclusion of state of the art trunk
supports bring along with it the need for replacement when they wear
out. Failure usually is found when the boot lid falls on your head at
the most inconvenient time.
The later cars use two supports, one at each hinge, and these gas
struts are not readily available at this time.
Luckily your local NAPA dealer can provide replacements which work
very well and will return the lid operation to normal. The NAPA
struts have ball sockets ends and there are stud mount ball sockets
available which fit directly into the clevis pin holes for mounting
the replacement struts.
Ask for the following parts at your NAPA dealer:
2 struts (power lift) 819-5582 (approx. $20 each)
4 ball studs 735-3608
4 nuts, 6mm to fit studs
The old struts are easy to remove if still the factory type. Remove
the clips on the left side holding the trunk liner in place near the
hinge and peel back the side sections which cover access to the
struts. There is also a piece of foam to remove. The right side liner
is similar, but may not have a clip holding it in. Each end of the
strut is held in by a clevis pin and clip. Remove the clip from the
clevis pin at each end of the strut and remove the struts, washer,
and clevis pins. Note that the striker plate for the trunk light
switch is held in place by the pin on the left hinge. Install the
ball studs into each of the holes with the balls facing outward.
Don't forget to put in the sticker plate back on the left side.
Install the strut onto the ball studs and slip the locking clip over
each stud. Put the trunk liner back in place and you're done.
You may able to just replace one strut. When you remove the struts,
check to see if there is still good tension in them.
Although we haven't tried, Moss' TR7 catalog indicats that the two
strut replacements will work with the 1979-1980 single strut version.
The parts for both sides should cost less than $60,00 USD and get
your trunk lid working like new again in about an hour's time.
This article is courtesy of Ragtops & Roadsters, 203 South Fourth
Street, Perkasie, PA 18944. Tel. 215 257 1202, Fax. 215 257 2688
http://www.ragtops.com, info at info@ragtops.com
The article was also reprinted in TR8CCA newsletter #49.
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TR7 FRENZY
This is an extract of an article from the magazine 'Practical
Classics' (November 1995). I didn't ask permission so I'm probably
violating their copyrights. So as a compensation; Pratical Classics
is a very good magazine ;-D.
I'm not going to quote the entire article just the interesting (IMHO
;-D) parts.
"Who says it's only early Triumph TRs that give you a hairy chest? It
doesn't take much to beef up a TR7, as these four very different
examples prove. David Lillywhite reveals his chest wig.
After years of abuse and mockery from owners of 'real' Triumph TRs,
enthusiasts of the TR7 are fighting back. 'Fine', they say to the
claims that their cars aren't powerful enough, and don't count as
classics, 'if they're not classics then no-one's going to moan when
we tune and modify them, are they?'
Probably not, especially when you consider the cheap prices asked for
TR7s. Even a near immaculate fixed-head model won't fetch much over
2000 GBP, and you can buy decent convertibles for 3000 GBP or so.
Thankfully the bargain basement values haven't resulted in the Kev
and Tracey brigade taking the TR7 as their own. Most have been subtly
tweaked by sympathetic owners simply to overcome the model's inherent
shortcomings, discussed later in this feature. If you don't believe
that, take a look a the four we have here.
We start at midly modified, go on to a 16-valve Dolomite Sprint
engine conversion, then a Rover V8, and end up with an interpretation
of how the TR7 could have been developed to sell in the 1990's. Not
one of these machines would be turned away from a classic car show.
The difference between the four cars on the road are staggering, but
before getting too excited about them it's important to understand
the strengths and weaknesses of the standard TR7. To do that, forget
everything you've heard about them -- the loudest voices have always
belonged to TR6 owners, and that's one car the TR7 is absolutely
nothing like -- hence the TR enthusiasts' disgust when it was
launched in 1975.
No, where other TRs are cast in the true mould of classic British
sports car -- buckets of raw power, lots of noise, rock-hard
suspension and wet-weather handling as hairy as their owners' chests
-- the TR7 is more civilised. It's also stronger, much quieter and
arguably less exciting, but significantly more comfortable and safer
than its prececessors. It healthily outsold the TR6 by over 20,000
units.
What the TR7 did have in common with its earlier brethren was a fair
share of shortcomings -- suspension was soft, brakes faded with hard
use and the 2-litre overhead camshaft engine ran out of breath a
little early in its rev range. Coupled with an appaling build quality
in its early days, the TR7 was scorned for years.
THE MIDLY ONE
The modifications to this car are basic. A sports exhaust system and
manifold, plus K&N air filters, allow the engine to breathe more
easily, particularly at the top end of its rev range, releasing an
extra 10bhp on top of the standard engine's 105bhp (home-market
version). On the suspension side, the car is equipped with lowered
uprated springs, Spax adjustable dampers and harder suspension
bushes. Harder front discs pads (Mintex M171s) reduce fade, but the
rear drums are standard.
The changes are immediately apparent on the road. While a standard
engine feels like it's being trashed when you push it, this modified
unit is more willing, without losing any of the low-down torque that
makes the standard TR7 so good to drive.
Unmodified brakes don't worry Steve Gales, owner of the
Sprint-engined TR7, though, and for reasons other than a monomanical
refusal to slow down: 'Mine are standard,' he explains, 'I just
replaced all the parts, and they're prefectly adequate.' The same
goes for the suspension.
Steve has owned his silver convertible for 12 years, but didn't fit
the Sprint engine until five years ago. 'I fancied more performance,
but didn't want the hassle of fitting a V8', he syas. Those 16V extra
valves improve the flow of gases into and out of the engine,
increasing power output to 127bhp (against standard 105bhp). In a
TR7, that 127bhp is usually improved upon by around 10bhp because the
Dolomite's restrictive cast iron exhaust manifold won't fit, and a
more efficient purpose made tubular manifold (sold by specialists)
has to be used.
The Sprint engine is so more responsive, more so even than the
modified TR7 engine, with enough power to make extremely rapid
progress. It's still relatively economical despite the high power
output, as Steve proved by winning the TR Register's economy run
(29mpg round a variety of town and country roads).
But that's enough of four-cylinder engines. Now we're onto the
man-size V8 car. This V8 converted TR7 convertible is a little
special in other ways, having been built to celebrate the TR
Register's 25th anniversary. S&S Preparations (UK) provided their
labour - 700 hours - for nothing, and most mechanical parts at cost
price. Rimmer Brothers (UK) supplied panels free of charge.
Throughout the summer, the car has been on the show circuit as a
raffle prize (presented at the National Classic Motor Show). The car
has new sills, wings, floors and doors and been converted to
virtually standard TR8 specifications.
Driving the V8 after frenetically revvy four-cylinder cars was almost
a disappointment for the first few minutes.
There's little gearchanging needed, the engine will pull from
tickover even in fifth, and very little effort is needed to drive the
car smoothly. It seems so relaxed, even around the twisty lanes that
in previous cars had caused extra-ordinary rushes of adrenaline.
It takes a while to sink in that you're travelling just as swiftly.
Sure, the excitement levels are lower, but you could keep up rapid
progress on any kind of road for long periods without feeling tired
or stressed.
Of all the cars, this is the one that felt the most solid, but then
it's the one that has covered the least number of miles since being
rebuilt.
Now close your eyes and imagine that British Leyland (now Rover
Group) had continued producing and developing the TR7. Simon Carr and
Steve Wilcox of S&S Preparations did just that, and the yellow
convertible is their interpretation of a TR7 for the 1990s.
It looks very different, to the extent that it needs a least a second
glance from many to work out what it is, yet the body modifications
certainly don't look out of place. This TR7 would give a Toyota MR2
or Mazda MX5 a run for its money in a beauty contest, and in
performance terms it might even outrun them - under the TR's
retina-burning yellow bonnet there's a modern 2-litre, 16-valve
fuel-injected Rover 820 engine. Inside, luxurious leather trim and
Jaguar quality carpet abound. Wow, what made you do it Simon?
'We just wanted to show what could be done to a TR7 - it would cost a
customer around 5000 GBP to have one of these built by us, and what
new car can you get for 5000 GBP? A Skoda!'
It wasn't an easy conversion, despite Simon and Steve's years of
experience with TR7's. Engine mounts were specially fabricated and
the unit was matched to the TR7's five-speed gearbox via a Sherpa van
clutch and bell-housing, but it was the fuel-injection system's
plenum chamber that caused the most trouble, having to be extensively
modified to fit under the bonnet.
As a everyday sports car, this conversion would be hard to beat.
Performance betters the Sprint's, with 150bhp on tap and around 10
percent more torque. A modified injection system and K&N air filter
are responsible for the increase of Rover's original 136bhp.
Keep the revcounter needle swinging towards its red line and you'll
fly. Okay, the V8 is far more relaxing, but this is serious fun.
Heading back to S&S through the twisty Lancashire A-roads the other
three cars got left behind; not so much due to the yellow car's
performance, but more because of Simon's demonic shouts from the
passenger seat. 'Don't brake, this is an 80mph corner,' or 'rev it
harder, it pulls well at the top end', are the ones that stick to my
mind.
TR7's were fitted with racks of 3, 3.8 or 4.5 turns lock-to-lock. If
you can put up with heavier steering, the 3 turn item is the one for
fast cornering. With Compomotive split-rim alloy wheels - 15in x 7in,
compared to a standard TR7's 13in diameter - and low profile
Bridgestone tyres, there's no shortage of grip. The suspension has
been fitted with harder bushes, 200lb springs (standard are 90lb) and
Spax dampers, and the brakes have vented discs, plus TR8 rear brake
cylinders. Next in line is a rear disc conversion, the latest
development of S&S.
Some will hate this car, others will love it, but you can't ignore
the attention it attracts wherever it goes - and that includes
several classic car shows. Like any TR7, it's perfectly suitable for
all-year-round, everyday use, but it stands out from the dreariness
of modern day saloons and hatchbacks.
Watch out for the TR7, it's teetering on the edge of becoming the
definitive modern classic.
David Lillywhite.
Webpage: http://www.team.net/TR8/mp/html/tr7_frenzy.html
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TECH TIPS
High idle speed
Try checking your vacuum advance/retard capsule on the distributor.
If this unit does not work, the spark advance will be controlled
solely by the centrifugal advance. I have a Mallory Dual Point
distributor (but not for much longer) with mechanical advance but no
vacuum advance or retard. It won't let the idle drop below 2000rpm
unless I drag the rpm down below 1000 with the clutch. Then it drops
to 850rpm. I'm planning on replacing the distributor with a stock
unit because the engine braking is pretty much non-existant without
any vacuum/retard control.
Tim Buja Rockford, IL.
This theory makes a lot of sense to me. Also, the plate for the
vacuum advance which is under the module, get really stiff over time.
The amp module should be removed and the advanced plate dismantled
and regreased to allow it to move more freely. Also, the centrifugal
weights could be sticking and causing too much advance (which caused
the engine to run faster) after the engine slows down.
Fred Smith, Brisbane CA.
Heater without Airconditioning
Have you noticed that warm air exits from the internal vent even when
all the controls are set to cold? The reason is that the heater core
always has hot water passing through it with the heat control
achieved by varying the amount of air directed through the heater
matrix.
This approach may have been OK in the cold UK but in other hotter
parts of the world the occupants will soon be roasted. The cure is
simply control the water flow with a tap in the heater water hose
leading from the head.
Inspection will show that this area is very confined with the
distributor, scuttle and duct all constraining the fitting of a tap.
A number of choices are open - a simple gate tap screwed into the
head or inserted in the hose either cable or vacuum operated. Both GM
and Ford have a number of types but note the diameter of the hose
fitting. The main problem is space. The simplest solution is a tap
available from your plumbing suppliers for less than $10. This has a
male thread on one side and femal on the other.
The male will screw directly into the head once the original outlet
is removed. This outlet can then be screwed into the female side of
the tap - no other parts are required. When removing the outlet from
the head a socket spanner will probably be too short so use a
correctly fitting ring spanner to avoid rounding the flats and
bruising your knuckles.
During installation of the tap it may be necessary to remove the
handle and shaft to ensure that it does not foul the distributor
while screwing it into the head. With the tap installed at a
convenient angle, cut off 30mm from the U shaped hose at the head
end. Before refitting interchange the two hose connections to the
heater at the firewall to provide more space for the U bend.
The purist may wish to fit an extension shaft to the tap handle to
avoid reaching down under the air duct. Replace the air duct ensuring
that both side seals effectively block out the engine heat.
Run the motor up to normal temperature with the tap open and check
for leaks. Because the heater matrix is now operating with a reversed
flow, the water should be drained completely and the system refilled
with clean water and rust preventative.
Finally why did Triumph make a heating system without a hot water
tap? Well actually those TR7s with fully integrated air-conditioning
do have a tap - mounted inside on the heater body but in the outlet
line with a thermostat responding to the heater core temperature. In
this situation the heater matrix will still tend to get hot after an
hour or so even with the tap off - a dubious triumph indeed!
Philip Johnstone (Aus).
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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, The World Wide Wedge (http://www.team.net/TR8/)
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