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RE: OD issues WAS What speedo do you have

To: "INTERNET:quirt@sk.sympatico.ca" <quirt@sk.sympatico.ca>, Triumph List <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Subject: RE: OD issues WAS What speedo do you have
From: Tony Rhodes <ARhodes@compuserve.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 09:31:05 -0500
Dave, 

You make great points.  It is funny that there is so much controversy
regarding what parts were available in what way!  We are only talking
35-40 years here, not 240!  It tells you something about the woeful record
keeping at Standard-British Leyland, etc.  I suppose that with all those
changes in ownership, no one ever thought that anyone would CARE what
differential was available and how many were actually fitted.

You are correct, the 4.1 came from the factory with OD fitted only.  Your
experience indicates that they were delivered to the customer, and
presumably, that car was fitted with 4.1/OD from the factory.  BTW, my
TR4A manual does not say that the 4.1 was OD ONLY, it does not comment
at all about the combinations possible from the factory.

You could also get the 3.7 with OD fitted too.

I guess that there were 3 factory diff/OD combos:
     3.7/no OD
     3.7/OD
     4.1/OD
Now the dealers and owners could fit ANYTHING they pleased after the
factory was done with the car, but I agree that it was probably an unusual
request.  In my limited experience, the rarity of used 4.1-calibration 
speedometers tells us that the factory 4.1/OD option was rare.

You are correct, there were 4 (or 8 if you include KPH) speedometers,
two for 3.7 and 2 for 4.1.  This depended on your selection of Michelin or
Dunlop/Goodyear sizes.  The 3.7-calibration (especially 1184 (Dunlop/goodyear))
are plentiful.  I have 2 sitting right here on my desk.

Your input tells me that the 4.1 appears to have, in fact, been available
from the factory to the US.  Too bad we will never know _how many_.

I'd love to get the proper speedo for the 4.1, unfortunately, even that
would be slightly off due to the 185 tires, but it ought to be closer (at
2.38 % high) than my 1280 partially refurbished mbg innards(at 4.76% high).  I
of course really need 1344 wich might have been fitted to SOME smiths/jaeger
speedometer somewhere/sometime!
-Tony
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/arhodes




Message text written by INTERNET:quirt@sk.sympatico.ca
>
But, there were two distinct choices for TR3/4 speedo (OK, four if you
include the kph versions). I only have my TR3 books handy, but they show
that the 4.1 axle was factory optional and was offered as "BEING ONLY
SUITABLE FOR CARS WITH OVERDRIVE". Part of this 'high speed' kit was the
suitable speedo. The parts are as follows:

3.7 axle: crown wheel & pinion set #502127; mph speedo #108192; kph
speedo #108193. No speedo tpi numbers given.

4.1 axle: crown wheel & pinion set #505014, 41 tooth crown wheel
#202579, 10 tooth pinion #202580; mph speedo #113631 (service manual)
[the parts book, 4th edition, says #113637 but is likely wrong]; kph
speedo #113632. No tpi numbers given.

Note that for the TR3 (and TR4??), tire sizes were limited and speedos
weren't available for different size tires.

My TR4 was a '65 and had the 4.1 gears with overdrive. I was the third
owner (from 1973 to 1976) and I believe that the gears were original. 
Interestingly, as I was just out of high school and living in Ottawa, ON
at the time, this car was not a Canadian version, but came from
Rochester, NY (I still have the licence plates). So, I don't know if the
car was actually shipped to the US with FACTORY 4.1 gears or whether
they were fitted by the dealer, but the car certainly was delivered to
the original owner with those gears. It also certainly had the proper
speedo which was not likely a recalibration (unheard of in my area at
that time), but part of the original 'high speed' kit. Unfortunately,
not having the car anymore, I can't be TOTALLY certain about the speedo,
but I believe that the car had the full 4.1 kit, including speedo.

Dave Q.
'61 TR3A
(now in Neuhorst, SK)
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