ianc
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Posts posted by ianc
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Wing mirrors were not a standard fitment back in the 1950s/early 60s, so not an MOT requirement. Same goes for seatbelts - if none were fitted, they are not required - if fitted, must be in a satisfactory condition.
Ian Cornish
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I'm no expert in wheel technology, but I have a feeling that one would not be able to reproduce this design in alloy as there would be insufficient "meat" to support the rim. Steel is a great deal stronger and therefore doesn't need the depth of metal one sees on alloys to obtain the strength required.
I think that the American magnesium alloy rims (5", I believe), fitted to 3VC and 6VC when they went to America for the Shell 4000 Rally in 1964 and still in use for Historic rallying today, look smart. In theory, they are a fire hazard, but not that bad really.
Ian Cornish
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As an additional mirror, I tried a suction type, but it kept falling off the screen, especially in warm weather.
There are various other Triumphs/Standards which have fixing holes the same distance apart, but a longer drop from the mounting. It's a matter of measuring the distance between the holes and calculating the length of arm required to get the mirror low enough, then wandering round the autojumble with a tape measure. Alexandra Palace this weekend, perhaps?
I have replaced my original TR4 mirror with one from a Dolomite, which is a little bit wider. In theory, it has a dipping mechanism, but that has ceased to function. However, the extra width is well worthwhile (and thanks to Roy Macgregor for the tip-off).
Ian Cornish
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I have been using Revington's Intelligent Overdrive Logic Box for the past 3 years - marvellous! I wrote an article about it for TRaction, probably in 2005.
Don't attempt to go backwards with overdrive engaged - it could be a VERY expensive mistake, for the reasons described above!
Ian Cornish
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Wire wheels can look quite smart when they are clean, but for how long do they remain clean, for how long do the spokes remain correctly tensioned, how much do they cost to re-build, and how many hours are required to clean them?
On the other hand, steel wheels should last for years and years and years, and can be cleaned in a matter of minutes - no contest as far as I am concerned (and I did run on wires in the 1960s until I bought a set of TR5/6 5½J wheels for about £2.50 each).
Ian Cornish
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A live axle TR4A is a bit of a pig's ear. Basically, it has the waisted chassis of the TR4A with semi-elliptic springs. That chassis is not as stiff in torsion as the conventional TR4, because it is narrower (waisted) in the middle.
I have always thought that the addition of 2 universal joints, 2 sliding splines, fairly dramatic camber changes under acceleration and braking, and more complex hubs are all things I would rather do without.
The TR4 can be made to corner as well as an independently-suspended TR (I won't make comparisons with more sophisticated types of IRS), and the rear wheels will always be upright!
Ian Cornish
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To avoid the need to remove and drill the top cover, you could mount a microswitch behind the reverse selector rod (the leftmost of the 3 rods). You would need a switch with a changeover contact, so that as reverse is selected, and the rod moves forward, the switch will be de-activated and the "normally-closed (NC)" contact will close to supply power to your reversing lamp.
Ian Cornish
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Qoute: "I vented the rocker cover with a plain piece of hose down past the carbs having blanked off the hole on the manifold".
I'm not happy with venting on the carburettor side of the engine, because the exhaust manifold lies beneath the carbs, and the exhaust can get very hot! I think this could be a fire hazard.
On my TR4, I route a rubber tube from the rocker cover outlet, over the top of the rocker cover and down the left side of the engine, where I have clipped it to the crankcase vent. That way, I have two vents for oil fumes, any water vapour in the rocker cover is driven off (so I don't get that horrible foam up there), and any drops issuing from the rubber tube would be lost safely.
Ian Cornish
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If you have a look on the Technicalities CD, you'll find my article on this subject from TRaction of several years ago - you might find it helpful.
Ian Cornish
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To find out what Bill would charge, e-mail him via the Office. It depends to some extent whether you take the car to him, or he comes to you.
Ian Cornish
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I don't need to obtain a valuation from Bill each year, solely when the market (i.e. sales through auctions and elsewhere) suggests that the value of the car has increased. As you can imagine, any ex-Works competition car is likely to be valued at a level where Towergate/Allianz Cornhill requires an independent valuation. Since Neil and I have cars which are part of the same "set" (i.e. Works Rally TR4s), I can't obtain a valuation from Neil - that would be viewed as very dodgy as he could not be considered independent in this case as he has an "interest". We have to seek someone independent, and Bill is viewed by Towergate as being just that.
I have to say that the extra cost involved in insuring such a car through Towergate (including reinstatement option) is extraordinarily reasonable!
Ian Cornish
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Bill Piggott (Registrar - see contact details at back of TRaction) will provide a valuation which Towergate will accept without any problem whatsoever. Of course, there is a charge, which depends upon the distance Bill has to travel to inspect the car, but this cost is small when compared to the value of the car.
Bill has been providing me with valuations for many years past, and I get the impression that values are rising (like the art market). This may be nice in some ways, but what of the future - how are youngsters (and we do need young people to be joining the movement) going to be able to afford the cars other than by inheritance from their parents when the latter either become too decrepit to drive any more, or drop off the twig?
Ian Cornish
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According to Bill Piggott (see page 48 of his book, "Original Triumph TR4/4A/5/6"):
"a major change [for the TR4A] was the use of polished wood veneer for the dashboard, giving a considerable upgrade in quality - so much so that many TR4s have had the TR4A veneer dashboard retrospectively fitted. In fact, the veneered dashboard (part number 903508) was actually available as a special order on left-hand drive TR4s from the autumn of 1964, but no equivalent right-hand drive part was listed. It is possible that that the wooden dashboard was even standard on the last few months' production of TR4s for the American market".
Whether the change from paint to wood veneer was really "a considerable upgrade in quality" is a matter of opinion, of course. Sunlight and damp do nasty things to wood veneer, but paint is pretty resilient.
Ian Cornish
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If you are going to the Triumph Show at Stoneleigh this Sunday (10th Feb), you have a very good chance of finding what you need.
Ian Cornish
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The P6000 is a good tyre, looks good (overall diameter very similar to original), rides well (65 profile on that size means you still have plenty of rubber to absorb shocks from the potholes which are everywhere nowadays), and that's a very good price. Well done, I'm sure you will be satisfied with them.
Ian Cornish
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When my car went back on the road in 1993, I had chromed (TR6-style) wheelnuts fitted - but over the years, they started to rust and so I changed in 2000 to stainless steel. These are not as shiny (particularly the flats on the hexagon), but they don't rust, so look as good now as they did in 2000. Mine came from Revington, but might have been sourced from Moss.
Ian Cornish
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Bump stops are also available in polyurethane (from Revington). Whether rubber or poly, secure each with a pair of cable ties. There is a recent and useful Thread on the Forum on this subject.
If the pinion has lost teeth, the crown wheel will have been damaged. Need to be fitted as a pair, and a special tool is required to spread the casing in order to get them in. It is very important to obtain the correct engagement of the gears - get it wrong, and the gears will eat one another!
Ian Cornish
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The tramp bars (I'm sure that's the reason for the brackets) should have run forward to brackets mounted on underside of the chassis in the vicinity of the front mounting of the rear springs. In that configuration, the springs are put in tension and the tramp bar in compression when the clutch is dropped. By this means spring wind-up is eliminated (or very much reduced) at the expense of reduced ground clearance at the forward bracketry - not much of a problem on a road car, but a headache on a rally car!
Ian Cornish
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Dear Jon NZ,
Roads in the UK are getting worse and worse, especially at this time of year. Repairs are temporary bodge jobs which can only withstand the passage of a few big (38 ton) arics before disintegrating and revelaing the original hole. The amount collected in taxes on fuels, vehicle duty, parking fees, congestion charges etc rises annually, but expenditure on maintenance of highways seems to shrink annually. I think we shall have to invest in half-track vehicles in a few years' time!
Ian Cornish
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Dear Brian,
Just note any identification data on your distributor, then e-mail Martin for the answer!
Ian Cornish
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The float takes up so much space that the level of the petrol in the chamber with the float removed is no real guide at all to the state of things when everything is assembled. If you are uncertain as to the dynamic level, it might be worth replacing the valve and checking it as specified in the manual. The modern valve assembly is better than the original, and you are unlikely to see a step (the result of wear) in the moving part, as always used to happen in the old days!
Ian Cornish
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The restrictor valve can be a real nuisance. I dismantled mine, removed all the internal parts, then replaced it - that saved me having to make a new (longer) bundy pipe. At the same time, I fitted braided brake flexible hoses, and that has improved the feel of the brakes.
Ian Cornish
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The "genuine Lucas ones in the green box" are those which fail with no warning whatsoever! The last time it happened to me was when we were doing a photo-shoot for a French magazine at Revington TR in May 2006. I drove 4VC across the road to Neil's new premises and positioned it where required for some shots. I was then asked to move it so that 6VC could be photographed. The engine turned over, but didn't fire, so we pushed the car across the yard and I got out my tools. It was a failure of the rotor arm! That's when Martin, who was still working at Revington, told me about the problems with the Lucas part!
Since then, Martin has had rotor arms of the correct pattern manufactured, and I purchased two. One has been fitted, and the second placed in the kit of electrical spares which I carry in the car. The "genuine Lucas" rubbish went in the bin! Well worth the 2 x £5.95 for peace of mind - a TR isn't really a TR if it can't run!
Ian Cornish
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Back in the '20s, the "hammer" was heavy (much heavier than hammers I have seen being used on TRs) and had a large lump of solid copper sitting in a steel surround. The copper is comparatively soft and does the minimum amount of damage to the chrome on the spinner, and the weight ensures that one doesn't have to whack the spinner as many times. For my wire-wheeled TR2, I always used the hammer which my Uncle used on his 1925 3-litre Bentley.
Ian Cornish
Left hand or right hand alternator?
in TR4/4A Forum
Posted
When 4VC was re-built in the arly 1990s, I decided to fit an alternator. Let me quote from the article I wrote for TRaction in the early 1990s, and which can be found on the Technicalities CD:
Mounting - a great many alternators hang from the mounting and have their adjustment - for belt tension - below (see Figure 1). The TR2/3/4 has the adjustment above. Hence, although the EE alternator is to mount on the right-hand side of the engine, you need a Left Hand (LH) Fixing alternator (try inverting Figure 1 to show how the alternator would be mounted on a TR). From Joe Lucas, the choice includes: LRA101 (34 amp rating), LRA104 (28 amp), LRA105 (45 amp), LRA113 (36 amp, heavy duty bearings - mainly used on tractors & trucks). A TR6-style unit, which peaks at 28 amps (34 amps from 1973) is unsuitable as supplied, because it is Right-Hand (RH) Fixing - even though it sits on the left-hand side of the TR6's engine (isn't life confusing!). However, I'm assured that it can be converted to LH fixing by removing the back cover, withdrawing the three through-bolts and reversing the front bracket.
My personal choice (in 1992, remember) was the Lucas LRA101 (or the equivalent, Unipart GXE8210) unit, as fitted to the TR7 (keeps it in the family, so to speak!). This unit has a peak output of 34 amps, which means you will scarcely ever overload your ammeter or your wiring (only if your battery is absolutely flat or - very briefly - immediately after starting the engine; such brief and small overloading is unimportant). In addition, it is comparatively short without having a mammoth girth (about 115mm diameter, against 100mm of the dynamo), and - because it has machine-sensing of voltage - requires no additional wires.
Of course, there are many more compact alternators now available for TRs, so if ever mine were to pack up, I would have to decide whether to fit the brand new spare LRA101 which I bought at Malvern about 6 years ago (something of a bargain at £25 late on the Sunday afternoon!), or fit something smaller in size.
Hope this helps,
Ian Cornish