Hi Mike,
I'm not an expert, but used to be involved with vintage
racing. In fact, that's where I found my TR-4 which is
currently being actively raced as an autocross car. What
follows are my opinions, and I hope they'll be useful.
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> From: "Mike Engard" <mikee@home.bellatlantic.net>
> Organization: Ragtops & Roadsters
> I am purchasing a 1960 Triumph Italia 2000 GT
Cool, those are neat cars.
> My questions fall into two basic groups; How do I prep the car?
> and where do I race, ie; which sanctioning body, what class, what
> tracks, etc.? I realize the answers of each question affect the
> other.
Very much so. You'll need to determine which group you want
to run with and see what they allow.
> On prepping the car; since the chassis and drive train are
> strictly TR-3 I would think that there is a wealth of information
> concerning mods and improvements, but I don't know who to talk to
> about it.
Yup, exactly.
> Anybody currently racing one?
Lots of people still do, both as vintage race cars, SCCA road
race cars and autocrossers.
> A possibilty would be to buy a 3 or 4 currently set up and just
> swap the body.
You could do that, but I wouldn't unless there's a good reason to.
> I'm not sure about what is and is not allowed by the
> rules in the different groups concerning originality both from the
> idea of a chassis that didn't belong to this particular car or an
> upgraded chassis, ie TR-4 rack and pinion instead of TR-3 cam and
> lever.
Probably not legal with most clubs, but check...
> Since I have a shop I'm inclined to do the work myself (promotion)
Yup, that could be good advertising. A friend out in Colorado
with a machine shop did that, and got quite involved in race
prep after that. Two good places to start looking for information
about car prep: first, get a copy of the Kas Kastner "Competition
Prep Manual" for the TR-4 (available from TRF, for example); second,
give Ken Gillanders of British Frame and Engine in Temple City, CA
a call. He's a wizard with these cars, and is one of the best
sources of specialized race parts.
> but I would certainly consider buying a purpose built motor from a
> reputable builder.
That's certainly a reliable, but expensive, way to go. Depends on
whether you've got more time or money <grin>
> What about all those things I've
> always heard of like Alfin brakes,
They are nice to have; as a side note, wiht only minor mods, the
aluminum drums from Datsun 240-Z's substitute quite well.
> close ratio gearboxes?
Depends on track you're running. Some of us are discussing this
among ourselves. My take is that an O/D gearbox, with a bit
of tweaking by J.K. Jackson, and a higher numerical ratio
rear end (like a 4.11 or 4.55, depending on the track) is a
better way to go. Others like the close ratio box.
> What size tires?
This may be mandated by the sanctioning body. If you're vintage
racing, you may limited to something resembling the sizes that
they came with. I'm currently running Goodyear 23.5 X 9.0 X 15
race slicks...
> Wire wheels are a strict no-no?
That's my opinion, especially on such a heavy car; others do
run them however, and they do look nice. For safety reasons,
I think I'd go with something like a Panasport wheel, which
looks "period" but is much stronger.
> Since this is a coupe do I still need a roll bar? A roll cage?
It may or may not be required, but I'd run one. This is for
two reasons: safety, of course, being one, but they also have
the added effect of stiffening the chassis and reducing flexing.
> but since weight is such a factor(it is isn't it?)
Of course, but safety is not a place where I'd compromise.
> What are the different gruops and what do they allow/require? I
> noticed at the Philadelphia Grand Prix (VSCCA ?) that there were no
> Triumphs but there were several Triumph-powered Morgans ???
Yup, they're snobs who just won't allow the "plebian" Triumphs
to play with them.
> Different gruops run at different tracks(?)
Yeah, that's basically it. Most clubs travel to several tracks,
but each event is sanctioned by one group or another.
That's about it for now, feel free to come back at me with
more questions and I'll see what I can do. These are fun cars,
and there's a lot of us around who play with them. Good luck
with your project and have fun with it.
cheers,
John Lye
rjl6n@virginia.EDU
http://avery.med.virginia.edu/~rjl6n/homepage.htm
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