ianc
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Posts posted by ianc
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205 is too wide on a 5.5" width rim (normal fitment on TR6) - maximum should be 195. A 195/65 looks good because it is almost the same overall diameter as the tyre which would have been fitted originally, which means that the speedo will be pretty accurate.
Cannot advise on cheap tyres, as I buy boots appropriate to the performance of the car (Pirelli P6000 195/65-15) and replace them after about 7 years.
Make sure the speed rating is appropriate for the car's performance - I am not certain, but I have a feeling that it might be a Road Traffic offence to fit a tyre which doesn't have a sufficiently high rating. Perhaps someone from traffic police or the garage world could advise?
Ian Cornish
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As far as the drains from the bonnet are concerned, you can seal the two holes which permit the water to discharge into the inside of the wing.
Neil did this when he rebuilt my car 15 years ago, and I don't notice any difference when driving in heavy rain - and we do seem to get very heavy rain in summertime these days!
Obviously some water will accumulate at the rear corners of the bonnet if the car is stationary and on level ground, but will drain away along the gutters to the front of the car if the car is pointing down a slight slope. If the joints are sealed properly and the paintwork is in decent nick in the two corners, one doesn't need to worry about rusting.
Ian Cornish
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Of course, I really meant the Triumph Day on 10th February at Stoneleigh.
Ian Cornish
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Points are simple and reliable. BUT, as soon as you start to use the car, the timing starts to change as the heel of the points wears (the part which presses against the cam). One doesn't notice the reduction in performance because it is so gradual. With an electronic ignition unit, you set and forget. Only wear in the main body of the distributor will upset things, and that takes place far, far more slowly than the wear on the heel.
On the points, one gets a pip building up on one of the contacts (and a corresponding pit in the other), and this can change the timing.
Lastly, electronic gives a better spark at cranking sppeds, so aids starting under difficult conditions (especially in the depths of winter, when cranking speed is likely to be reduced for a number of reasons).
The timing on my car was set on a rolling road in June 1995, and it still goes like stink because I can still get real leaded fuel!
Ian Cornish
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You should find at least one supplier at Stoneleigh this coming weekend. UNF and UNC items will be for sale because that is what Triumphs and Standards used.
Ian Cornish
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In theory, the shield should reduce the chance of small stones getting into the gap between pad and disc, but if a stone does get in there, it could be more difficult to get it out - normally reversing the car and putting the brakes on should throw a stone out.
My TR2 (converted to discs before I bought it), which covered some 60,000 miles in my hands, never had shields - in fact, I didn't realise that shields were a normal fitment until later! Both my TR4 and Citroen have shields, and I have twice had stones jam in the disc when driving on the Continent in the Citroen. Most disconcerting when you are in the middle of nowhere (we drive on the country roads), but fixed in both cases by reversing the car.
Unless you are really using the brakes really hard, I don't think you would ever notice the difference in performance under normal road conditions in the UK. Not sure about the descent of long Alpine passes - that would be a real test!
Ian Cornish
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Have a look at the bowl of your fuel pump - is it full of muck at the bottom? If so, load your Technicalities CD and read my article from TRaction 144 about Slosh Tank Sealant!
To whet your appetite, my engine would lose power and stop because all the rust particles from the petrol tank had been forced upwards by the petrol flow so as to block the gauze at the top of the bowl. But, when the engine stalled and the particles had dropped to the bottom of the bowl, all was well again. On the way to the International at Shepton Mallet that year (1997) the engine stopped about 5 times, and each time, the distance to the next stall decreased! I wondered if I would make it - but did!
Good luck,
Ian Cornish
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There's an interesting article on page 25 of TRaction 223 (December 2007) - it has graphs comparing power and torque using a conventional distributor and an Albertronic 123. The writer, Roger Ebdon, concludes thus: "no matter which program we ran (on the Albertronic), we could not match the original figures for bhp or torque; proram 7, as recommended, gave us the best figures".
What I found most alarming was that maximum torque (at around 3000 rpm) was about 8% lower with the Albertronic, and that's the area where one wants the torque for swift overtaking (on a road car - I'm not talking about competition cars). In fact, the conventional distributor gave more torque from 2250 to beyond 4500 rpm.
If I were you, I would get a new or refurbished distributor from Martin Jay (Distributor Doctor - see his advert in TRaction) fitted with whatever electronic ignition package you and he agree would best suit your needs. All references on the Forum to Martin's service have been highly complimentary, so I am not saying this just because I have known him for some 16 years. Whilst you are at it, get a couple of his rotor arms - could save you a lot of grief (I have had two of the genuine Lucas rotor arms fail unexpectedly and it is very inconvenient!).
I have been using a Lumenition (now called Piranha, I believe) electronic ignition pack for more than 14 years and can say only that it greatly improves starting (on a modified engine with CR of over 10) and has never missed a beat either in hot weather or in the 9.5 hour crawl to and from Worcester in July (couldn't swim to Malvern!).
Ian Cornish
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I fitted a Racetorations split cover to my TR4 a couple of years ago - it worked well. To ensure the bolt holes were in the correct position, I wedged the covers in the required position, then drilled pilot holes upwards from beneath the car - the covers were then removed and the holes increased in size to give an easy fit over the bolt thread. I seem to remember that there were two holes where access from below was not possible (could be because my competition chassis has a great deal of strengthening) - so I measured the position of the holes by triangulation, then placed the cover in position, marked the positions, then drilled pilot holes. If the position is not quite right, it is posible to use a small round file to make any correction.
Darryl supplied me with self-adhesive foam strip, which sealed the covers to the floor, to the opening over the top of the gearbox, and between the front and rear halves of the cover. I cut a hole for access to the gearbox oil filler and used a rubber bung to seal it (on the 4, it's on the left, so not hot round there). One has to make a cut-out for the speedo drive cable - a bit fiddly, but worth getting it right. I also made a cut-out, covered with a contoured steel plate, to permit me to change the overdrive solenoid more easily - over the years, I seem to have done that rather a large number of times! Where one is screwing the rear cover to the front cover with self-tapping screws, it is worth using those special metal clips on the underside in order to provide a permanent metal thread into which the screw can lock.
Ian Cornish
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As I have said more than once before on this Forum, external clamps are useless and exceedingly dangerous because the force locked up in the spring is considerable. The simple threaded bar, shown in the preceding photos, will serve as well as the Churchill tool (I have both, as my brother made a tool for both of us back in the mid-1960s, then later I found a brand-new Churchill tool). It is not worth risking life and limb (I am not joking), let alone the bodywork of your beloved TR by taking chances.
Would you crawl beneath your car if it were supported solely on a hydraulic jack? I would hope not - axle stands (or something similar) are vital, as one cannot guarantee that a seal won't blow on a hydraulic jack.
Be safe and live to enjoy your TR!
Ian Cornish
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A V-shaped cut might be even better, as it would tend to prevent movement in either direction (towards or away from the brake backplate). These bump stops are now available in polyurethane as an alternative to rubber - see Revington's website. Cable ties are much better than wire, as one can get a really tight binding and they look neater.
Ian Cornish
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Wellseal for the cylinder head, because of the high temperature in the combustion chambers. Red hermetite or modern sealants for most other joints. If your petrol pipe weeps at the joints with the pump and/or tank, I suggest you try Loc'n'Seal (from Loctite - make sure you get this and NOT Super Glue!) on the threads and leave for a few hours before use.
Incidentally, I use Loc'n'Seal on ALL external screwed connections other than those with nyloc nuts - it saves a lot of bother, yet does not make it difficult to undo the threads at a later date.
Ian Cornish
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Don has the right idea, except that I would not bother to tap a thread into the casting - it is not necessary and it will produce some swarf, which is not desirable.
Find a brass plug with an outside diameter very close to the inside diameter of the bypass hose, and an overall length of half an inch (12mm) or so. As described by Don, drill a small hole through the middle of the plug to permit air to bleed through it when filling the system. Slide the plug into the top (thermostat) end of the bypass hose and it will get stuck at the bend. For safety (to stop the plug moving), place a jubilee clip round the outside of the hose at this point, and tighten to lock the plug in position. Replace the hose.
If you live in a very cold climate and use the car a great deal in winter, you might not wish to restrict the bypass in this manner, but for the majority of us, this restriction will not cause any problems.
Ian Cornish
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How much is your life - and that of others - worth?
Bite the bullet - a new chassis from CTM (Colin Matthews, who has been doing this for some 15 years), properly waxoyled, will last for ever (certainly for your lifetime!). His TR4A/5/6 chassis have all the normal additions to prevent the suspension parts ripping off, and he will build-in any extra strengthening which the two of you agree is necessary for your particular sort of motoring.
Be safe!
Ian Cornish
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Surely, if you are having a bar fabricated locally, it cannot be an original Triumph bar, so how do you maintain 100% originality?
Ian Cornish (a.k.a. the Devil's Advocate!)
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Although access to the engine of a TR2/3 is not brilliant, it is a good deal better than with an MGA.
The TR boot is not large, but it IS a boot and IS lockable - the MGA's "boot" has to be accessed from the cockpit and is not secure.
The MGA has two 6 volt batteries located behind the seats - although it must improve weight distribution, all owners seem to curse the arrangement as being prone to problems. Likewise, the SU electric petrol pump, but the solid state conversion (replacing the contact) solves the problem.
The Achilles' Heel of the MGA is its front suspension - in common with all BMC cars of that era (from Morris Minor upwards), it can collapse without warning at the borrom pivot. Again, I believe there is a modern solution for that.
Basically, the cars are very similar in concept: take parts from existing models as far as possible, uprate where necessary, create a simple body etc.
Although it is possible to give the MGA the performance of a TR2/3 (usually by boring to 1800 cc), it will never have the the low-down torque nor the long-legged cruising of an overdrive TR.
The MGA's handling was rated as better in the 1950s, but the handling of a TR2/3 can be improved vastly nowadays.
I think the MGA looks quite pretty - a term I would never apply to a TR!
The really good thing is that so many of both marques have survived, have very strong support, and the rivalry is friendly!
Ian Cornish
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Martin Jay (Distributor Doctor - see advert in TRaction) is THE guru for distributors.
Ian Cornish
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The rear drum brakes will always work as well in reverse as in the forward direction because one shoe is leading and the other trailing, whichever way the drum is rotated. This is not true of the front brakes on a drum-braked car (e.g. TR2), which has two leading shoes - in reverse, they become two trailing shoes and retardation is much reduced. However, unless you habitually drive your TR2 at 50 mph in reverse, you are not likely to notice!
Ian Cornish
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As a TR4 owner, I am surprised that there is no access hole (closed with a large rubber plug, about 2" in diameter) in the left side of the gearbox coverl opposite the filler plug, as would be found on the TR4/4A. Had Triumph omitted this as well as the filler plug on the differential?
If there is such an access hole, filling is relatively simple with the use of a squashable container, but it is worth having some old newspapers under the gearbox area, as spillage always occurs. Also, warm the oil as much as possible, as it is pretty viscous and in this weather flows very slowly indeed!
Ian Cornish
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I believe such a conversion was made to the TR of the late Dave "Lightning" Brown, but I have no details. Dave suffered, in later life, with severe leg problems.
Ian Cornish
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Revington and Moss have them for TR2/3/3A, but not listed for TR4. Might be worth a call to see if production is planned for the near future.
Ian Cornish
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Slide inside the gaiter a couple of thin, aluminium shoe horns, coated with grease and disposed on opposite sides - these form a slide up which the gaiter can be pushed to get it over the knuckle. In fact, any thin sheet of metal would help.
I agree - it is a sod of a job!
Ian Cornish
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I feel sure I have seen information previously on the Forum concerning the method of fitting of Mazda seats into a TR4, and I am pretty sure someone was offering steel (painted) bracketry for the job at a not unreasonable price - try a search.
Ian Cornish
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I can endorse the choice of Mazda MX5 seats, having travelled to Sicily and back in June 2005 as passenger in Roy Macgregor's TR4 equipped with such seats, in fabric and with headrest. Despite the tremendous heat (well over 37 degress C in the shade), we were able to cover up to 450 miles in a day without any backache - and both of us are OAPs! Roy had fitted a roll-over bar and full harness seatbelts for each seat. If you can find a pair, grab them!
Ian Cornish
engine cutting out after driving approx.4 -5 miles continued
in TR4/4A Forum
Posted
Very glad to hear the problem has been nailed!
I hope you bought TWO rotor arms from Martin (Distributor Doctor) - one as a spare. Although his rotor arms are unlikely to fail, it's always a good idea to carry a spare, if only to cover the possibility of mislaying or damaging the thing (it's so small, one might drop it and be unable to locate it)!
Ian Cornish