My mechanic is 55 and he is the type who really believes in trying to
rebuild things that can be fixed if they're not completely broken.
He's the type that is always reluctant to just replace things before
really understanding what's wrong. He's from the middle east where
mechanics can keep a car running for ever, making parts as needed. I
should also add that two years ago, he became my neighbor completely
by chance when I moved in next door. He keeps his Hondas in tip top
shape, and he knows Honda cars through and through. He is the most
honest mechanic I have ever known, and he has saved me tons of money
through the years, so that's saying a lot.
As for his skills, my brother and I have watched him and he's quite an
artist when doing brake work, and other mechanical engine work. All
that said, it doesn't make him an expert on whether I should use all
anti-freeze or a mix this spring/summer. That's what I need you guys
to advise me on.
Lastly, he had an MG in his day, so he has a little LBC knowledge, and
he is mighty impressed with the mechanics behind the TR cars.
As for oil, like Randall, he believes in running sythetics in these
cars. To this end, I took Randall's advice and when I change the oil
in a week or two, I will put some expensive Valvoline synthetic oil in
the engine. His castrol stories give one for pause using that, so
I'll gladly pay for some good V'line synthetic oil.
As for the engine's history, it was completely rebuilt, head to toe,
in 1981-82 by my dad, and I have all the receipts for the countless
parts he replaced, parts that were sent out to the machine shop, etc.
The engine started right up in 2004 after sitting for 22 years, but
the engine will need running-in this spring. Should I go easy for the
first 1000 miles, or do I need to go easy for 1500 miles? What rpms
and speeds constitute a good break-in?
In any case, I've got a ton of anti-freeze which I haven't yet done
anything with. Should I use a mixture, or how do you proceed with
prepping these cars for spring/summer driving?
Thanks to all!
Ted Liberti
66 TR4A
On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 17:20:55 -0500, Ed Woods <fogbro1@comcast.net> wrote:
> Ted,
>
> It's time to change your mechanic. Seriously.
>
> Ed Woods
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ted" <triumphcars@gmail.com>
> To: "Randall" <tr3driver@comcast.net>
> Cc: "Triumphs" <triumphs@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 4:03 PM
> Subject: Re: Transmission oil
>
> > Speaking of antifreeze. Quick question for these sleeved engines and
> cooling...
> >
> > My local mechanic recommends running pure antifreeze in any and all
> > cars. Not only does he believes running 50/50 is a gimmick that leads
> > to a need to more quickly change coolant, but he believes it causes so
> > harm to the engine.
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