[TR Office]

Not sure if I am going over old ground but.....

I am the membership sec of a largeish (800+) motor club (Wigton M C) and when I inherited the job it was quite an onerous task at renewal time. All renewals were done manually ie by post, sending out 400 letters....I only did this for 1 year then found a company called Membermojo. They provide software for club memberships of all sizes and incorporate an email system. The rate depends on the size of the club...free for small numbers, £140 pa for up to 999 members, around £250 for over 1000, etc. It accomodates new members, different categories ( free for u25s, etc),automatic renewal reminders by email, no password (email sent with link). GDPR compliant. Payment can be by any method but we use Stripe (like paypal) who take around 1.5% per transaction and make a rolled up monthly payment so bank statment is not a mile long! Can add posh membership cards  at  additional cost or just do your own for members to print off.

It takes some time to transfer all of the old data but life is now much easier for me at renewal time.

I have no connection with Membermojo other than as a satisfied customer,  feel free to take a look at the Wigton Motor Club web site and its membership section. 

Hope this may be of some help in smoothing the workload or other members of other clubs may find it useful.

[TR3 rough running]

If the car has not been used for a while and/or the choke has been used to aid starting then check that the jet is not sticking open when the choke is released.This happened to one of my H6 carbs after lack of use over winter, jet stuck down leading to very lumpy running and wet plugs. I try to remember to open and close the choke every week to prevent the jet sticking to the cork seals.Cue discussion on viton/teflon vs cork seals........

[TR3a video]

 

Thanks for the replies.Using the escort as it has all of the equipment necessary for a slow time.....cage, firewall, strut brace, etc!

Trying Barbon, local track and it will all be over quite quickly as it is the shortest (?) in the country. 

[TR3a video]

Out of interest, and self preservation,  as someone about to do their first hillclimb,  what was the tyre pressure and what should it have been?

[New surrey top]

Bush end, rubber item 59 with Moss (aka Welsh ladies hat).

With luck it may fit the end of your bolts....gaffer tape alternatively.

6 hours ago, Alan B said:

I have had this car for 12 years and the previous owner spent a lot of money having the interior done very nicely.  I don't know where the work was done. I do know the dash panel came from Rimmers in 2004 and cost £165 + vat.  The seats were also in black/green leather but I recently replaced them with MX5 seats which have headrests - this was prompted after being hit quite hard from behind.

The hood frame side arms were about 2cms too long so I had to cut them, flatten the ends in a vice and fit small bolts to act as lugs to fit into the top rail. Thank you for the tips about welsh ladies hats -  unfortunately I don't know any welsh ladies.

Thanks also for the comment about the front of the roof being too narrow.  We did unpick the original front of the roof and sew on a new vinyl front strip which was then glued and riveted to the top rail - we did this quite carefully.

 

 

[New surrey top]

Not sure if they have been removed but the front two legs should have rubber end caps in place which secures the legs in the header.

Stops rattles and wear.

They are shaped rather like the traditional hats worn by Welsh ladies.....or a truncated witches hat.

[Car not starting]

Had same problem on one carb.

Sorted by replacing dried out cork seals with new cork seals soaked in oil for a day or two.

My undersranding was that folk used the teflon rings to get a better longer lasting seal, not because of ethanol.....Wine bottles are sealed with cork and some of them have over 10% ethanol, hic.

Check your needles are inserted correctly.

Check your jets are set to the correct height below the bridge, have a look with the filters off.

Check that when you release the choke that the jets return to the correct height....again look with filters off.

The SU web site has excellent diagrams and info for assembling the carbs.

Good luck, you will sort it eventually.

John

 

[Car not starting]

Ian Vincent,

See BlueTR3as reference to the SU bible.

It is too easy to insert the needle too far into the piston and nip it up which results in running rich as the needle then sits too high in the jet orifice.

I found that if you hold the needle between thimb and forefinger, at the shoulder of the needle, you can then lower the piston on to it and tighten the wee grub screw to hold it in place.......then all you have to do is set the jet height correctly (SU sell small spanners to adjust the jet height which makes life easier).

John S

[Car not starting]

Assuming H4s are much the same as H6s....

I had trouble starting the car after sitting for a while  last winter.It would turn over but sounded rough as a badgers...the cause was the choke skicking open on one carb....the jet is lowered when you pull the choke which allows more juice to flow.Mine stuck open due to dried out cork gaskets sending too much juice when not required, a new SU kit sorted the problem.You can check with a mirror if the jets return once the choke is released or perhaps easier to see if filters removed.Take a plug out and see if it is wet.

Also if you fit new needles they are not meant to be seated in the piston before tightening up the screw...apologies if too basic.

[swinging arm bushes]

A suitable G clamp with a big socket at one end and smaller (reversed if necessary) at the other.

May need additional leverage to turn the clamp screw once the pressure is on.

[3a - 4 inlet manifold]

Hi Ralph,

Heat shield already fitted by the engineer who rebuilt the car.

It is just a thin sheet of stainless , flat except for contoured (bent) ends, fairly simple to knock up I would have thought.

Usual mock up with a corn flakes packet and a bit of cutting ,filing and bending.

Thick carb gasket on the engine side and thinish paper one on the carb side.

Sorry for thread drift but it may help others who have, or think they have, fuel vaporisation problems.

[3a - 4 inlet manifold]

My set up with H6s and Kand N filters, fair bit of room and good bottom end torque.

Unfortunately for sale at present, too little use at 800 miles last year.

[Christmas Wishes]

Roger, over and in.....Merry Xmas.

[Flat out in Finland]

Certainly very quick but I wonder where the balance lies between the drivers ability and the cars electronic controls.....20/80?

I prefer the slower, older rally cars where the ratio is probably more like 60/40.

Having said that there are Mk2 escorts pulling 300hp with clicky paddle shifters but no clever electronic diffs so you still have to steer etc.

JS

 

[What other 'Sports' cars do you drive - new or old]

My 4 door, 70s saloon, 1600 push rod, sports car ( historic/targa rally image courtesy of Chicane media).

It handles like a sports car and is very chuckable....not sure I have the skills to get my TR4 back from such sideways action, although I have never really tried but others do rally 4s successfully.

[Where did you drive your TR before COVID]

To Croft Historic racing with fellow TRers Rex and John Morrison.....the latter spyed with the top off the white TR4 on the Carlisle bypass this very morning, 5C outside but he looked happy enough.

[Air filters]

K and N filters on H6 carbs (1962 TR4).

Clean with white spirit or petrol, then dry and oil with a 'light oil' or K&Ns proprietry stuff.

[Best jack etc.]

Following on from Mick Richards advice......if there is no kerb or suitable brick handy to drive over use the spare wheel to gain height to start the jacking process then remove when height gained.

I was using a scissor jack on a Mk2 Escort recently and giving it some beans to get it going when after a few turns the bloody end sheared off the 2 part handle.Car was partly up on the jack and blocking the entrance to the storage facility.Not at home so no other suitable Jack with me, rooted around and found an old short Phillips screw driver which fitted into the hole in the end of the scissor jack and by lying under the car (yes I know...) I somehow managed to get enough two handed purchase to lower the sodding thing.

Much prefer a bottle jack, ideally squat as Ian C says, most come in a tidy wee box for storage.Also carry a  bit  of plank to protect chassis.

[Happy Birthday John Morrison.]

All the best marra,  from West Cumbria.

[Mystery marks in fields. Anyone know what they are?]

I saw them last year when looking at the ariel view of Stoneleigh prior to attending Race Retro.....seems a long time since now.

If you look at the entrance you will see them to the south east, if you pan north they are continuous in a NW direction across many different terrain types.

Must be something to do with HS2 route or WE1 as I call it (w is for white).

[TR4 steel wheels]

Remember to mask the wheel nut contact areas. There are refs to nuts coming loose after powder coating which is quite thick. During lockdown I refurbed a set of Escort steel wheels with aerosol paint then did a targa type rally with them fitted.After the rally I checked all of the nuts,all still present but no longer what I would call tight.Took each wheel off and carefully filed the paint off the contact areas so the the steel nuts made contact with metal rather than paint.....sorted.I wrongly assumed that paint would not cause the problem reported with powder coating.

[Unbalanced carbs and red hot manifold!]

It is worth checking that the su needles are the same spec (mine were marked sm) by removing them carefully.

It is vital that when they are put back that you do not insert them all of the way into the recess but insert them so that the shoulder of the needle is flush with the base of the holder.Failure to do this results in the needle being too high which leads to a very rich mixture.

[Tr4A door mirrors - Again!]

Mr Sod and his Law dictated that my wing mirror has now worked loose, heaven knows how as I not been far recently.

I have attached a pic of how I managed to fix it which may help others in a similar position. The nut on the end of the mirror stalk, inside the door, had loosened slightly. It is very difficult to see the nut let alone tighten it up. After removing the door card, wind the window up, insert a light source in 1, peer through 3, insert small hand with spanner through 2, when spanner is on nut reach over the door and rotate the mirror until tightish then nip up with spanner. It is not possible to use a socket due to the mirror being attached on the curve of the door.

I have no idea how or if you can fit a mirror like this without the glass and winder mechanism being removed. Similarly if the nut had dropped off, to join the two mysterious washers in the door bottom, I would still be in the garage now.

[Blue interiors and soft top]

TR4 not soft top but comfy seats, not sure how to describe colour....darkish slatey blue?

Matching door cards and very dark blue, almost black carpets.

[Where are all the regularity rally drivers, here? "Show your cockpit"-PHOTO-THREAD]

My 62 TR4 dash was also turned, only concession to timing is the strip of double sided velcro for stopwatch.

I may also have attached a pic of my recently flocked escort dash as there was quite a lot of glare from the windscreen.This only cost a bit of time making paper templates and less than £10 for sticky backed velour.....hopefully removable at some point.