Chris Mountford
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Posts posted by Chris Mountford
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Hi John,
Great news.
Lets hope the new owner wants to find out more about its history.
Chris
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Hi John,
I now have a copy of a photo of the car and owner in (probably) the late 80's driving the car. It was taken on the A34 between Congleton and Stoke on Trent.
I won't post the owners name on here : Message me for it if it will assist. The owner bought and sold it in the condition you see it in the photos
I have confirmed that it was black when I last saw it - it always looked very smart and apparently in good condition. It had the red trim but it wore chrome spoked wheels at the time. If it's the same car it seems an almighty task to completely change the colour, although I noticed that the last time it was taxed and tested in the UK it was listed as 'Green' with the DVLA which suggests the colour change was done prior to export. The photo shows it had the chrome trim around the air intake.
According to the DVLA the road tax expired in January 2003 so that might give some idea of when it was exported, probably within the previous 12 months.
I'll see what else I can find out. It's up to you guys to decide, but either way..... this is TTT 257 as it looked in the late 80's !
Chris
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Hi all,
If its UK registration was TTT 257 I have access to photos of it (it belonged to a friend).
I don't think my friend will have access to the TS number to positively confirm it's the same car
I'm sure it was painted Black when I last saw it - if it is the same car of course.
Chris
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On 8/17/2021 at 7:12 PM, Peter V W said:
David, This is my original TR5 dash, don’t think the colour has changed.
I did change it to a burr walnut dash, but kept the original dash for originality.
Peter
Hi Dave,
This is exactly as I recall my dash in terms of colour and sheen. Peters also has the traditional 'cabinet maker' joint in the centre where the veneer is opened out giving a symmetrical pattern on both sides of the dash. To the best of my knowledge only '5s had this feature as I've never seen a TR6 with anything other than one piece of veneer going straight across.
Not declaring the above as gospel, but just my experience.
Cheers
Chris
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Hi both,
Stuart - you are quite right, over the years I have collected more than my fair share ! SWMBO reckons more work than I can complete in my lifetime.
Roy, - I have a 3A and a 4 under rebuild at the moment, so no time to start anything new just yet. I must get my original 5 rebuilt though. It was a scrapper even at 11 years old when I bought it, but i managed to do a BOC rebuild as a novice in the 80's and it gave me another 15 years before the chassis disintegrated.
Sorry for the hijack Dave, I am really looking forward to reading about your progress and am rooting for you all the way.
Chris
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Hi Dave,
Great to see you have started on the long anticipated rebuild.
I always remember it as a really good car and the picture shows what a great starting point it is. You will recall that most years in the 80's and 90's we used to meet up at the Lakes and the International to discuss the merits of Royal Blue TR5's when they were just 'old smokers' and the upwardly mobile types had TR6s.
It's great to know that we have held onto them for such a long time (the date in my logbook says I took ownership on 23 March 1979 !) and of course our very infrequent meetings have gone on for so many years.
I have a couple of projects on the go at the moment so am not in a position to start mine but you've certainly focused my mind on what will be a massive rebuild.
I will watch your posts with interest and I must admit a little envy !
Chris
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Hi All,
Sometime between 1979 and 1983 I was trying to buy some original black seats for my 5 and went to Ron Hopkinsons in Derby who was a breaker of MGs and TRs. The back yard to his large terraced was full of scrap - all MGs and TRs in two rows all down the garden.
He said; have a look in that pile of seats at the bottom of the yard..... I said; there are a couple in that Blue 5 piled up with junk at the back of your house.
Sorry you can't have those, that car is CP1 ...... the registration looked familiar to me from the books I'd read as a kid.
Anyhow I found 1 drivers side and 3 passenger side in the mountain of seats and he charged me £35 for a pair - I still have the seats (and the car).
I wished I had asked how much CP1 was....... although it wouldn't have mattered as I was broke after buying my 5 for £375...
Halcyon days
Chris
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I take your point Rob but (assuming the engine is running) how would it go into bottom gear with no clutch ? More info required ?
I would still fix the hydraulics before taking the gearbox out.......
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Hi Mick,
Just spotted your query.
It looks like the clutch slave cylinder has failed. It's on a bracket on the bellhousing (follow the pipe from the clutch master cylinder).
They are relatively cheap to buy (£20?) and replace once the car is off the floor and you can get underneath.
I recommend you check the clutch master cylinder at the same time and change it too if it looks iffy. - again not too expensive.
Hope this helps and for the record this is one of the simplest and cheapest jobs to do on the clutch...... so you can now breathe again!
Chris
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Hi,
My money would be on a Universal joint breaking up. The rollers start to climb over one another causing the them to make a cracking sound ....
When all the rollers in that cup have broken up and fallen out it all goes quiet again.
I got home from the middle of France (circa 500 miles) after all the rollers had gone, My guess is it'll be the UJ inside the trailing arm (wheel end) that is impossible to grease without taking the driveshaft out.
Chris
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Hi Ian & Ralph
Thanks for your input regarding the lower steering shaft length.
As I said earlier my car was completely in bits / in boxes when I bought it. The P.O, may well have known it was a standard TR7 shaft but I wrongly assumed it was part of a 'fit and forget 'kit'. However, once I realised that it was the lower shaft that was causing the problem (Thanks Mick) I went back to first principles and marked it out as fitted to my car. I cut the shaft in two, fitted both ends with the pinch bolts in place and laid both ends of the shaft side by side. This then gave me the correct length, and as per Ralphs suggestion it was approx 30mm too long. I then cut this piece off, slid a steel sleeve over, clamped the assembly in a v block and welded the shaft back together and then slid the steel sleeve over the joint and welded it around both ends. Not an ideal situation but I couldn't find one to buy.
I suppose if someone needs one in 25 years time and this post comes up on a Gurgle search engine, at least they will know now that if they cut 30mm out of a TR7 steering shaft then it will do the job...... Assuming of course that you can find a TR7 lower steering column in 25 years time, or even that anyone will care.
Thanks everyone for your contribution.
Chris
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Hi Mick,
I think you have confirmed what we had suspected. You quote a measurement of 330mm between the UJ centres on the lower shaft on your car. On the shaft I have, that same distance between UJ centres is 367mm, so there is the problem.
It explains why my steering column sits too far out of the dash, and why there is no room between the top UJ and the bulkhead support bracket / rubber gaiter for the horn and indicator conversion 'drum'. I believe the shafts included in the rack kits were originally cut down TR7 lower steering column shafts. The shaft I have is brand new and of 'factory' appearance shaft so may be a standard part.
At least I now know for sure where the problem lies.
Thanks everyone for your input, it really is much appreciated - it just goes to show what this Forum can achieve!
Chris
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Hi again,
Firstly I must give a big thank you to Stuart who rang me to try and help when he saw my post. As ever, above and beyond ! - Milky Bars on me at Malvern.
Thank you Ian and Roy for your contributions (Roy; Hope to see you at the Equipe GTS race meetings over the Summer)
We are minded that the lower shaft is too long for this application. I have no idea which supplier it came from but if it was shorter the problem would be resolved. Having said that, it goes against the grain to cut it down especially as it appears to be 'factory style' and not a cut and shut piece.
Anyhow its length is @465mm (it's on the car so not easy to measure exactly as the end is cranked) Any information on lengths gratefully received.
Best regards,
Chris
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Hi all,
It's been a very long time since I posted..... the backbiting became too much. so I decided to be 'read only' .
Anyhow, I could do with some help and as the irritants no longer post, I decided it's about time I became a contributor again.
I am building a '59 3A which I bought totally in bits, largely original bodywork but started life as LHD and the new holes for RHD had been cut before I bought it. Many of the original parts had been disposed of or lost and I had hundreds of new parts in MOSS / Rimmers / TR Bitz + others bags. I have some experience of early 2, plus 4,s 5,s and 6,s but the split column TR3A is new on me. The rack conversion brackets (bolted in the chassis) didn't seem to be the best and I struggled to get the rack to lie parallel to the chassis as it was 'up' at the RH side. I corrected this and went about fitting the rest of the oriental parts. I think it's a mini steering rack). I recently purchased a 'Bastuck' horn and indicator conversion to fit to the lower end of the 'new' upper column. I also have a bulkhead clamp bracket to secure the lower end of the upper column.
That's the scenario of what I have, however there is no room to fit the 'Bastuck' nylon drum assembly between the rubber gaiter+ bulkhead clamp and the lower end of the upper outer column. The inner part of the steering column is pretty much fixed all the way from the rack as the clamp bolts on the UJ's all pass through 'cutouts' in the splines. On my car this puts the steering column / wheel about an inch further out from the dash from where I think it should be.
Sorry it's so complex a description but there is something fundamentally wrong somewhere and as all the parts are 'replacement' I have no genuine datum to work from.
It may that the steering conversion and 'Bastuck' adapter are just not compatible. Photographs are beyond me too I'm afraid!
Thanks in anticipation
Chris
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I'm interested, like everyone else subject to cost.
Chris
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Nigel.............
''Don't worry, I won't be selling the TR just yet''...........
thank goodness....... I was really put out when I read your original post.
If it was only about winning neither of us would have done our formative competative events in our 'original' competition steeds......least said about some of them the better. So, come on, buck up and get back to sorting that misfire.
I'll get my coat
Chris
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Roy,
You say;
The car has had 'new ''Bosch'' ancillaries fitted. and ........
'' after 40 miles the pump gets really hot, starts to make a bad noise and then the car stops''
Seems to me that it still has a ''Lucas'' pump and that is the reason for your troubles. I reckon the brushbox assembly is arced out, or the oilite bearings have had it, either way its getting far too hot resulting in the 'cavitation' that the other respondents are referring to.
I've not seen a Bosch pump that gets really hot unlike a Lucas one that can become too hot to touch......just before the car stops normally !
If you could positively identify the pump to the contributors I'm sure you would get a fix for your problem without wasting a lot more time (and money).
regards,
Chris
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Hi Malcolm,
I'll sort the gear selectors for you, no problem.
However,....the deal is though.... you sort MY car out for the trip!
I would tolerate it until we get back unless its choking you - should be OK as its 'tops off' for the week. I booked the weather before I booked the ferry and accomodation!
Suppose I'd better get back to it.
Chris
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Hi Odd,
Thanks for the info re. the injection tanks and caps.
I have tried to keep the recessed area around the neck area free draining but it is impossible to tell wether it is actually full of water when in use as the neck is 15 - 20 mm below the level of the surrounding bodywork.
I don't suppose I have to consider it any more as the water MUST be getting in around the filler as the tank is in reasonable (external) condition as proved when I took it out to clear the water last year. I also tried to get a proper sender unit for it whilst it was out but was told it was NLA. Seem to recall the original had a flow and return built in although I'm a little hazy on the detail.
In the short term I really need a new cap without a keyhole !!!! in the top. Any idea if it is a standard early / late cap or is it anything unique to US cars. Mine was built as a US (Calfornia Inj Man 3.5L) spec car in JAN 80 but wasn't registered by BL Cars Ltd until Aug 81. It was never exported. It must have been some sort of factory development or runabout car?
Thanks again,
Chris
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Hi,
Was there in my 8 convertible.
It did the Harewood hillclimb twice on friday, my daughter kept it on the straight and narrow on her run but I managed to send it across the grass to much applause apparently. It also started to splutter and misfire towards the top.
On Sunday my daughter did the autosolo in it and posted some reasonable times. Two of 'our group' were deadly serious in the competition and duly won the 4 Cylinder and 8 Cylinder classes.
On the 120 mile journey home the misfire became much worse and eventually wouldn't rev above 1500 RPM. On emptying the fuel filter (new last year) I found that I had 'water injection' Again...... same happened last year. Eventually we managed to get it home after cleaning the filter out, but must admit its spoiling a really enjoyable car.
So, yes we went in our 'Wedge' and had a great time.
Anyone got a california spec (injection) tank in good condition and a cap that will fit the neck properly?
regards,
Chris (Sometime wedge pilot)
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Hi Scott,
The overdrive badge was only fitted from new if overdrive was fitted at the factory.
Its a simple job to 'retro fit' as the overdrive badge fixes on the same 2 pins that fix the 'TRIUMPH' badge.
If you look under the 'TRIUMPH' badge you will see a cutout that allows the overdrive badge to fit underneath.
Hope this helps.
Bye the way, the 'TRIUMPH' and 'TR5PI' badges have metal prongs on the back which push into plastic inserts on the bootlid. They are very fragile and difficult to repair if broken - push them from inside the bootlid rather than levering them off from the outside.
Chris
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Hi,
Overdrive will always add to the value of the car regardless of it being an original fit or a retro fit. Note; it should be an 'A' Type to be 'as original'.
Early 5 engines were suffixed with an 'E', later 5's and all UK 6's were suffixed 'HE'. Just a guess but think the 'H' signifies a high (9.5 : 1) compression ratio to differentiate the engine spec from the lower compression USA bound engines.
No guarantees, but thats been my experience.
Chris
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Hi Steve
The fibreglass back light we have is an unknown make but seems to fit to the car OK.
We have an original steel lid which fits on OK but the curve on the top of the backlight is a different (flatter) curve to that on the steel lid. This has the effect of leaving a big gap in the centre when viewed from behind.
When the soft panel is in place none of this is noticeable.
Hope this helps
Chris
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Jamie,
If I am looking at the photo correctly the gearbox crossmember bracket looks to be fitted upside down
(The part that bolts to the chassis and the rubber mount then sits on it.)
It looks like it will compound your exhaust problems but I suggest you check it against your manuals.
Regards
Chris
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New Heritage TR4-6 Outer Sills
in General TR Technical
Posted
Hi all,
I may be able to shed some light on this although I have yet to see the sills 'in the flesh.
Some time ago - (just pre Covid) I loaned the MD of BMH Ltd some original 'British Leyland' sills that I had owned for years. I think I had 3 for one side and 2 for the other albeit someone had cut off the front 200mm of one to use as a repair panel. Having said that, the parts you can see when the wings are in place were still untouched. So, effectively there are 3 sills from one side and 2 for the other as patterns.
I confirmed that they were for 'non destructive' or damaging pattern making before I let them go. I was told that whey were to be scanned and a tooling press made from the data.
The communication was all done through the 'Equipe GTS' racing fraternity with which my family is involved. Sadly I've not had any direct feedback as Covid has also disrupted that activity.
So, I've not seen them as yet (although I've been promised some) but they were made from my original sets and they were undamaged, dimensionally correct, 'brown' BL originals still carrying the original stickers. They should have the 'dimples' in either end that act as a 'stop' for the end caps. Fingers crossed.
To my mind some of the most important pressings for years, as the fit of the sills on many restored cars leaves a lot to be desired, and in turn then compromises all the adjoining panel fit, such as doors and wings. I really hope they are good !
Chris