I defer to those who are more wordly-wise to the TR than me. I left ST and
BL in 1973 and certainly the TR had a column stalk until about that time.
That said, I do remember in my last month before leaving the company of
driving a TR6 with a colleague from London to Vienna and back in 72 hours.
This was a proving run for BL Austria and a pre-condition was the trip had
to be undertaken using only main roads, no autobahns and no tunnel under the
channel. The car was a standard UK spec taken off the line and had no
special preparation but it did have a lever mounted switch which I didn't
like. It occurred to me at the time that the TR was following the fashion of
all the other cars in having a lever switch instead of a stalk. Presumably
it didn't?
I've had a few other posts on this subject from people saying they missed my
original posting on why the stalk was moved to a lever switch. It was cost,
tooling and damage.
The lever switch was vulnerable to breakage and getting unnecessarily bent
through heavy handedness and things being caught in it. There was a multiple
requirement for differing types of nacelle between models, apart from left
and right steer (and there was more than one type of switch) for left and
right hand steer cars. The gear lever neither changed shape or position and
it was a cost-effective move to relocate the switch to that location. Long
term, the switch continued to fail through the effects of dirt ingress and
sweaty palms but as this was usually outside warranty, no-one was
particularly worried.
Jonmac
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Davis" <jdavis344@bellsouth.net>
To: "'jonmac'" <jonmac@ndirect.co.uk>; "'Randall Young'"
<Ryoung@navcomtech.com>
Cc: "'Triumph List'" <triumphs@autox.team.net>; "6 List"
<6pack@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 1:23 AM
Subject: RE: OEM shift knobs
> No US spec TR6s had the overdrive switch on the gearlever knob from the
> factory. All US TR6s had the switch on the left side of the steering
> column. All the rhd o/d cars I've ever seen (or have seen photos of) had
> the switch on the steering column also.
> All US spec TR6s had solid gearlevers, and I feel certain the rhd TR6s
> did also as Rimmer shows only one lever offered. Early and late TR6
> gearlevers had a slightly different mounting arrangement onto the
> topcover, but that has no bearing on our discussion.
>
> Jim Davis
> Fortson, GA
> CF38690UO
>
>
>
>
> The introduction of overdrive switches in the gear lever itself was a
> progressive introduction on all Triumphs from about 1968. It started
> with the Mk 2 2000 and 2.5PI - and slowly spread. I think the TR saw it
> from about 1972 onwards - at least, for the injected version. Don't see
> why it shouldn't have applied to US spec cars as well. I don't know why
> it took so long to effect the carryover on to TR because it shared the
> same gearbox with the large saloons. The reasons for this change were
> documented by me some months ago on either this list or 6 Pack. Don't
> now remember which one as I don't have the copy. Jonmac
>
>
>
>
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