wedgegirl
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Posts posted by wedgegirl
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The wedge is having an extra long hibernation in the garage. Sadly it is 20 miles away in my partner's parents garage, so I will not get to see it again for a while.
I had planned on taking it out for a drive next Thursday to coincide with my birthday, I am rather sad that won't be happening. Hoping the majority of the travelling restrictions will be lifted before the end of Summer.
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Looking great, I’m sure it’ll have improved the comfort. Good luck on the recovery, hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour soon!
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I will contribute to the effort with my Wedge.
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Hi all,
This is a long shot, but I am looking to see if anyone may have information on the TR7 I currently own. I'm attempting to build a proper history folder and I have some sparse details dating from the early 1990s to 2010 (information from the gentleman I purchased the car from suggests was that the car was SORNed from then and stored until recommission earlier this year).
The earliest paperwork I have is dated 1992, when the car was in Dumfries. In 1995, the car passed hands to another owner based in Inverness. The car was originally registed in Reading on the 2nd of July 1980, so I would like to know when it first came to Scotland, and to patch in the missing details between 1980 and 1992 if poss.
Apologies if this is not on the correct board, I assumed this would be the most appropriate place to post. Any leads on info are appreciated!
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Evening all,
Thanks for the kind words. As promised, here are some more pics.
I think it is going to take a while to get used to no power steering. Just moving it out and back into the garage was tough. We have noticed that the reverse lights don't stay on when the lever is at it's "resting" place, but do if I push and hold the lever slightly up to the left. Suspect there is a loose connection somewhere and hopefully there will be an easy enough fix.
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Around three years after I had originally planned to, I finally bought myself a TR7 on Sunday evening.
I will post more extensive photographs soon, but only have a couple of when it arrived on Tuesday. I have been informed by the seller that it had been stored for a while before recently being recommissioned. I've been provided with an extensive folder full of receipts for parts and work which has been carried out to the car, from the early 90s onwards, and a few photos of it in magazine/paper features (which I shall scan for your viewing pleasure!).
I'm currently busy attempting to buy a new house at the moment, so it looks like I might not manage to get it out much before it's time for it's Winter slumber. I am a little upset at the timing, but the car was an ideal opportunity that I did not want to miss out on. It is requiring some minor fixes on the paintwork, so I will get cracking on that and the other minor work that needs to be done.
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Hi all, just wanted to post a small update.
I've decided having both a TR7 and another everyday car is the ideal choice. Since working out the costs, I see it's going to be quite reasonable to run both, especially as the TR7 will most likely only be kept for attending shows and the occasional weekend drive. Now all I need to do is wait patiently until I have the money and find a decent one!
Thanks again to everyone for the invaluable advice.
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re insurance, as I understand it, classic insurance will probably require a "normal" car, will give agree value & may allow commuting (mine does), whereas normal insurance for a TR7 would probably value it as a worthless banger if damaged
I think I will have to phone up a few companies to see what the situation would be. I seem to be able to get a couple of quotes from classic insurance specialists online, noting that I would be using it as my only car, but I am skeptical of the prices. You are indeed correct about the normal insurance, the prices shoot up by at least £200 for me.
I have had mine for 9 years and while it has never been my only car it is used as much my modern car, This is for everything from shopping to commuting (when I was working 60 miles from home) & has clocked up 40k miles in that period. As mentioned above, rust is a problem so you really need to keep off the salted roads in winter - driving on snow covered roads is good fun though
Carry a tool kit with you and some basic repair items to get you home and enjoy.For what its worth, my recommend upgrades - all reversible are:-
- Uprate the brakes, if it hasn't been done already
- Fit MGF wheels with modern tyres. It improved the roadholding dramatically on mine.
- Polybush throughout.
- Replace standard rear view mirrors with convex ones (they look identical to the ones that are currently available)
Other worthwhile changes I have made were:-
- LED lighting in the instrument cluster
- Electronic ignition
- Stiffened springs (I discovered that the standard springs currently available go soft after 3/4 years of regular use)
The car cruises at 100mph on the autobahns & still stable at 110
Cheers
Howard
All good to know! I have added the modifications to my list of considerations.
Thanks to everyone so far who has provided input, it was been very helpful.
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I used my first TR7 2 Litre as an everyday car for years, clocking up over 40,000 miles in 3 yrs. It is perfectly do-able but it will break , often and it will rust, even more often so you have to condsider whether you have the skills at home to be able to fix it on a regular basis. Not that there is anything wrong with a TR7 over other classics and indeed out of all the TRs it is by far the most practical and reliable for everyday use but like any classic you have to be prepared for regular spannering sessions and time laying underneath re-applying underseal and waxoyl.
My advice would be that if you can afford to keep the Punto as your daily car then do. Also buy the very best TR7 you can afford, preferably one that has had a full programme of restoration and corrosion protection already done, otherwise some panel replacement and/or weldong will be required fairly soon. Halogen headlamps, rollerbearing strut tops and electronic ignition to replace the points are all very good upgrades for regular use (the distributor is a pain to get at).
Parts are easy to obtain and readily available BUT they will be mailorder unless you live in Royston, Bacup or Lincoln! So if something breaks on Friday and you need it for work on Monday you had better be prepared for a long drive to get parts or plan ahead so they are ready at home.
My abiding memory of using my TR7 as a daily driver was swapping the cylinder head in -6 degrees, snow on the ground and working through the night all weekend in order to have it ready for Monday morning to get to an important work engagement 3 hrs drive away! It could be nerve racking at times...
Then there was the engine swap 2 weeks before the TR International Weekend, the water pump failiure meaning a collegue had to come and fetch me for work ... I could go on!
Wouldn't have changed it for the world though, great experience and happy memories in hindsight :-) Now I run a TR7V8 monster but not as an everyday car and on insurance limited to only 6000 miles a year.
(Founding member of the Youth Group) ;-)
Ah yes, I believe you approved my request to join the group
I really enjoy anything practical (and always seems like anything "hands-on" is my forte), so doing some work on the car would be almost a pleasure. I have some very basic knowledge about cars and I have lots of literature worth reading through that would probably help me learn a bit more. I'm not expecting to be able to do major work all by myself, but I expect I will possibly at least be able to work out how to fix basic problems.
I have my Punto taxed and insured to August next year, so I will have that kicking about until then regardless of whether I have the TR7 at that point. I have also found out that I will be getting put down as a named driver on my mum's car, so will probably have a car for any emergencies if I decide to go with the TR7 alone.
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Hi I was pleased to hear you are saving up to buy a TR7.
These cars are much under rated.
Having used ours as a daily driver, living outside, for many years it proved to be very reliable and comfortable.
I would suggest you buy the best you can afford requiring the least amount of bodywork possible.
Mechanically, electronic ignition would make the car more reliable and keeping the coolent a very strong mix of antifreeze is a must.
Of all the TRs the 7 is the nearest to modern day driving although still no power steering so parking can be a good workout.
Peter is right about the spares situation but the specialists have lots of used parts available if all else fails.
Go for it and keep another 7 on the road for all to enjoy. Laurence.
Great to hear, Laurence. I'm willing to spend as much time and money as is reasonable on finding the "right" one. The bonus is mine will be sleeping in a garage rather than being outside, which will probably help it survive a bit better.
The power steering went on one of my old cars, that was an experience... At least I am not as weak now as I was back then!
Whatever you decide, good luck with your search. Funnily enough, I just got a copy of Roger Williams' The Essential Buyer's Guide Triumph TR7 & TR8. Might be worth you getting a copy.
Picked up a copy relatively cheap on ebay, waiting on it coming through the post right now
If it is going to be used on a regular or even daily basis, it needs to have the mega-service before you start running it, and then servicing and maintaining on a regular basis . . . . . there is no way you can run a 40 year old car on once-a-year servicing, and you need to budget for that.
Some spare parts are difficult, agreed, but not much by way of mechanicals is unobtainium . . . . . and regular servicing should provide advance warning of most needs, albeit not all. The Wedge fraternity can be more than helpful when it comes to helping younger pilots - via this forum, the TR7 Forum, and the facebook groups.
I am currently in the process of trying to work out what basic servicing costs would be like. All the other costs I have calculated so far aren't looking too bad, so keeping some money aside for any servicing and repairs is viable.
The forum seems very friendly from my limited experience! I have also joined the TR Youth Facebook group and will no doubt have a chat with some people there.
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I'm not so sure. Parts are getting tricky. There are only a few hundred 7s left running on UK roads, so the parts situation is unlikely to get better. A daily driver really needs to be reliable and with a prompt supply of parts. For instance wiper motors are not available from Rimmers so you'd have to scout around elsewhere, and all the time you have no way to commute.
Without a second car you cannot get classic insurance rates ( I think, but check), and classic policies may also forbid commuting.
Seeing your address I think keeping the Punto as a 'salt car' would be a very good idea. TR7s rust ferociously fast. You have to be certain any unseen internal areas have been religiously treated with anti-rust protection - since the car's 'birth'.
Expecting a 7 to be as reliable as a modern car is not to me realistic. It probably wont break down every few days, but when it does develop a fault it wont be so quick to repair.
Peter
Thanks for the input, Peter. Besides the general reliability, the potential for rust was a big worry. I would definitely avoid buying any car without and enquiring and checking out the rust-proofing beforehand. I am at least in a position where getting any repairs wouldn't be very expensive, as my mum is in contact with a few mechanics through work and at least one is more than happy to work with classics. It would only be sourcing the parts themselves that would be a problem.
On the insurance side of things, it seems there isn't too much of a problem getting classic car insurance (however, I know it will probably be subject to any modifications the previous owners may have had done, in which case it'll have to be normal insurance). It is slightly more expensive than what I am currently paying just now, but it is not too much of an issue.
The best case scenario right now looks to be to have the TR7 for jollies and have my Punto for commuting. I will have to consult with other people first before I make any final decisions on it.
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Hi, you might check this out first http://www.tr-register.co.uk/tr-buyers-guides/triumph-tr7-tr7v8-tr8
Check out insurance cover, and if you buy the right car and look after it there should be no reason why you could not use it as a daily driver, that is what they were designed to be - albeit almost 40 years ago...............
Price - depends on condition, and probably worth having plenty of anti rust/corrosion protection applied professionally, if not already done, when you get one.
Join the local group (find it here http://www.tr-register.co.uk/groups) and use their expertise to help.
A couple of respectable TR7 specialist dealers spring to mind, the nearest to you is possibly S&S Preparations, also Robsport, and there are several other decent experts/dealers out there.
I had a 1980 dhc for a couple of years, very under rated, and I have also had a TR3A and a TR4A for comparison
Good luck
Ian
Brilliant Ian, thanks for all of this.
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Hi all, this is my first forum post and I think this is probably the best place to ask.
I am currently in the process of saving up to buy a TR7, as I have been a fan of the wedge for quite a while. I am thinking about possibly having it as a daily driver, as I don't really want to have to faff around with two cars (current motor is a 1.4 Punto, so a large difference...
).Obviously I expect the driving experience to be very much different, but what I would like to know about is whether the car is going to cause me any major issues with reliability, etc. My driving consists of a short commute to work and socialising a few times a month, so at least it's not going to be thrashed around. I just don't want to have this as my sole car, only to have it break down every two days!
I'm also interested to know what kind of price range is approriate for these cars at the moment (considering the general condition).
Any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance.
KPF 464C
in TRs Re-United
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Good Afternoon all,
I received this message today through the Scottish group Facebook page. I am unsure if this car has ever been in the club at any point, but someone may recognise it?