Doug,
Hopefully you got responses prior to looking at this car, but I'll add my
$0.02 worth.
TR6's have a lot of potential problem areas. The fact that the current owner
mentioned rusty suspension mounts most likely means that there is frame rot.
The TR6 frame is a boxed section frame with baffles that separate the long
sections. The rear trailing arms bolt to one of the box sections. The most
common problem with these frame members is that salt and water can easily get
inside the frame member and rot it from the inside out. The problem first
shows up a "blisters" along the seams where the frame sections join together.
If this car has that problem, do not consider buying the car for any reason
other than a parts car. You can spend a lot of money trying to fix it, and
unless you pull the body off, you cannot fix it "right". The exception to this
is that the frame shows signs of rust but is still structurally sound. If the
frame is unsound, you will notice problems with sagging sills and doors that
are tough to open/close.
Frame issues aside, TR6's have other interesting problems. The rear hubs
are a common malady. The bearings for the rear hubs are sealed bearings (in
a sense.) There is no way to lubricate them, and they can fail for a number of
reasons. At any rate, if you catch them early (when they start to slop a bit)
then you can get them rebuilt by a competant shop (with experience!!!) or
places like TRF and Moss. If you don't catch them in time...it's in the bin
with them! Expensive! Don't try to fix them yourself, or you will repeat the
story that a lot of TR6 owners tell of a shop that wrecked a set of hubs. There
are special tools required to do the hubs right as well as above average
machanical skills. Farm out hub rebuilding!
Differential: the bearings are ball bearing type. They can fail. Failure often
results in major differential failure that is remedied by replacing the diff.
Also the ring and pinion can break for any number of reasons (not the least
of which would be smokey burnouts ;-(.) Rebuilding TR6 diffs requires special
tools too. Farm the work out.
U-joints: There are six U-joints on the TR6. The factory installed units were
permanently lubricated. This means that they fail after a while. If they have
been replaced, they might have grease nipples which if used to grease the
u-joints will aid in longevity.
Motor: The motors are pretty strong, and can go long without any major overhaul.
When they start to get tired, they can be easily reconditioned by a competant
overhauler. If the current owner said that he/she rebuilt it, do not consider
the part to contribute to the overall value of the car. The sole exception to
this rule is that the mechanic is/was a real TR mechanic.
TRansmission: The transmissions on 6's are pretty good. If they make noise
in any gears, the overhaul can be expensive. WRT the unit being rebuilt, if the
current owner rebuilt it, do not consider this piece in the overall value of the
vehicle. Also, make sure that all gears shift smoothly. Bad synchros and
slop in the shift mechanism can make the best transmission beat itself to
death in very short order!
Front end: the front end on a TR6 is pretty strong. Most of the parts are
easy to replace given time and patience.
Body: Any surface rust will indicate that there is 5 to 10 times more rust
lurking beneath the body panels. Most parts can be repaired/replaced, but if
you go that route, either learn how to do it or contact your financial wizard
to insure a steady cash flow between you and the body repair person. Also note
that even though the TR6 has a frame, the body unit works with the frame to
produce rigidity in the car. Thus, some body rot can seriously weaken the
overall structure of the car. TR6's bodies aren't as critical as the Spitfire
or GT6, but rust can be a serious issue on TR6's. Also note that if you
consider this example for a frame up type project, make sure that the sills
and floorpans are intact and in really good shape _before_ you try to remove
the body. Otherwise, you could fold the body in half. Major bummer.
All that considered, even if the car is very tatty, it can be worth a lot
in parts. So, even if the frame is toast, I'm sure there are other TR6 fans
in your area that will pay going rates for the parts... the key here is
convincing the current owner that the car is worth say $100 as opposed to $1000!
However, if the car is reasonably sound, they are fun to drive!
Despite the length of this message, it is not at all a complete, comprehensive
list of TR6 issues, but it does reflect my experience of around 20 years of
TR6 knowledge, both personal and observed.
Good luck, and let us know how you make out.
rml
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