John McCormack
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Posts posted by John McCormack
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1 hour ago, ianc said:
Back in the 1960s, my daily-driver TR2 on its standard (but well worn) engine with 1.5" SUs, was capable of pulling from 800 rpm in overdrive top gear (3.7 axle) and accelerating gradually up the slope from Wandsworth to the Common.
It ran out of puff at about 4500 on the motorway (no speed limits then) and would cruise the M1 at 4200 rpm - a genuine 100 mph.
Consumption was about 30 mpg, which, given the high speeds often used, was good.
It had been converted to disc front brakes (would not have bought it otherwise), so could stop - unlike my first TR2, which was on drums and was very scary!
Ian Cornish
Both my TR2s have drums. They both work fine. The daily driver will pull a bit under brakes when stopping from high speed, above 100 km/h. Around town the drums are excellent if a bit maintenance intensive.
Yep, the 1 1/2” SU equiped car pulls from 800 rpm in overdrive even up slope. I haven’t gone over about 85 mph but it has heaps left. Revving through the gears 4500 is quick and easy. In 2nd it will go from 4 to 5,000 in a couple of blinks.
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10 hours ago, DavidBee said:
Spot on, John!
We could begin by making the distinction between three "goods":
1. The good of as near original as possible and restored to Concours standards as defined by judging criteria.
2. The good of a restored vehicle for use on modern roads and in modern traffic. In this case, a car not fitted with overdrive when new, but fitted with it at a later date, is "good quality", because you can enjoy the benefits of lower rpm when touring. Or one might consider all the sidescreen TR 2s and TR3s fitted with 1 3/4" H6 SUs instead of the factory-fitted 1 1/2" ones, or even HS6s, with the advantage of spring-loaded, self-centering needle.
3. A genuine barn find which was never rebuilt and which, though rusted in the usual places, is nevertheless an original, numbers matching car with "patina" (a term borrowed from art historians to signify that the vehicle shows its years in the same way that an unrestored 19th or 20th century painting will typically be covered in a layer of dust and other substances, due to its age).
I found a rather illuminating post on this topic, written years ago:
- "Back in the early Seventies value and appearances weren't too important, as it was all about driving the thing" (Kalamunda, 2013).
Interesting comment about the 1 3/4" versus 1 1/2" SUs.
My long door TR2 came with a high port head and 1 3/4" carbies. It was a totally rebuilt engine so I left it like that for 1,000 or so miles while I ran the engine in.
As the car is otherwise a concours standard original car I then fitted a rebuilt low port head and 1 1/2" SUs. The improvement in performance with the smaller 1 1/2" carbies was pronounced.
Some authors have noted that the 1 3/4" carbies and high port head were introduced primarily for top end performance not usually used in road driving. The smaller choke of the 1 1/2" delivers a higher velocity mixture and therefore better burning, so the theory goes.
In my experience the 1 1/2" carbies provide much better torque especially low down and don't reduce power until above 4-4,500 rpm. Even then it wasn't really noticeable.
And I have a spare 'new' condition high port head and rebuilt 1 3/4" SUs left over as spares for my other TR2 which has that configuration.
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13 hours ago, billy l said:
If it's only done 1479miles since it was "thoroughly restored" and it's a "beautiful restoration" going by the underside I would suggest that they were a very hard driven 1479 miles. To me it looks like it's been tarted up for sale, it's not for me. Cheers, Bill
Quite possibly. There is a Triumph owner working with the Melbourne Shannon's team who advises it is a good car. You could ask what is the definition of 'good'? Maybe for the guide price it is 'good'.
An interesting discussion on what is good and value, but if anybody has any further knowledge of the car it would be great for our records.
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1 hour ago, DavidBee said:
How good is good? This one seems gooder than good.
If I hadn't bought my TR3 at the beginning of lockdown, I would be seriously considering this one.
Body looks totally rebuilt. Some scrapes on the chassis, new tyres, you could live with. Hardly a fault that it now has overdrive.
David
No no fault having overdrive, just not original.
I have updated advice it is a good car. My earlier advice was awry.
Interesting to see what it sells for.
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Yep, an overhaul of front and rear bushes and dampers I am sure will reap great rewards.
I used superpro bushes throughout the suspension and in the front differential mounts. We used rubber in the rear diff mounts for smoothness and that they have little load on them.
My TR6 is effectively rattle free, handles nicely and is all round great to drive.
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Thanks gents. I understand from someone who has looked at it it may not be as good as the advert indicates but it looks to be an OK example.
Good roadgoing TRs here are selling between $35-55,000. The relatively low auction estimate might reflect its actual condition, that the recommissioning was only an oil change and fresh fuel (no hydraulics or rubber components) and the tyres are 'as new' meaning they are probably 16 or more years old. It has overdrive now but not from new.
We are endeavouring to get the auctioneers to include a TR Register brochure with the car.
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Hi all,
Does anybody know anything about this TR2 (TS6885) for auction here? Apparently imported from the UK a few years ago.
We have no details on it in our Register, totally unknown to us.
https://shannons.nextlot.com/public/sales/94211/lots/19611343
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My aeroscreens don't have a groove in the bottom so gluing an old lower windscreen seal won't work.
I used some 3mm thick rubber cut and glued to the inside lower edge.
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On 6/6/2021 at 3:36 PM, Teher said:
Hi all, my name is François, I live in Toulouse in the south west of France and I have been practicing English cars, and Triumphs in particular, for a long time…
I started with a 1958 TR3 in 1991 that I kept until 2017. 26 years of regular annoyances, small breakdowns, various misfortunes which means that I can say that its normal state was the breakdown and that between two inevitable breakdowns, she agreed to take me for a ride…
When it left, I replaced it with a Caterham 120, which I appreciated everything except the gearbox and it only remained for a year, replaced by a 485S, bestial, violent and very irascible…
At the same time, I was lucky to buy a Lotus 111R that I regret every day so much I loved everything about it…
But certainly, I missed the antiques and after having sold everything, I bought back last September what for me was my Holy Grail : a TR2, but not just any one: a BRG long doors with overdrive !
Just arrivée from L’os Angeles, not or very little restored and in rather very good condition, although some care needed to be perfect…
I undertook to coursify it in the spirit of the 1955 Le Mans TR2s.
No more chatter, here is the « bolide » :
Very nice. I'm a TR2 person, one short door car and one long door car. The TR6 is mine but is just a ring in.
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18 hours ago, stuart said:
Leave the stanchions on as you'll never be able to slide the rubber in, start at the middle and get one side of the "T" into the channel and using a blunt screwdriver press the other side in working out from the middle, not forgetting to get the rubber the right way round I.e. leaning towards the rear. let it settle and then get the securing plates fitted and then trim the ends to suit.
Stuart
That was pretty straightforward. Once I started it all came flooding back.
Now for the top one, after a rest. I haven't done a top one before but think I'll try doing it the same as the bottom rather than sliding it in.
Both seals are Moss, the bottom one fitted nicely.
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1 hour ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:
Aeroscreens are really the business for wind in your hair driving.
At Malvern International meet last Saturday I saw no other TR arrive sporting aeroscreens. Was I really the only one who drove there with them fitted? If it rains you get wet, so dress correctly as the two wheelers do.Peter W
Some years ago I was aeroscreens only for about 15 years. My windscreen was badly crazed and replacements weren't available.
This time it is just because I felt like experiencing the sportiness of it, and the car looks great.
But I might as well put new seals in while the screen is off. The lower seal is a poor repro and I have spares of both the lower and upper so now is the time.
Yes, my wife's screen is on now too.
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I've decided to join the aero screen club for awhile with my daily driver TR2. We are in lockdown so no daily driving except shopping etc.
While I have the windscreen off I thought I'd replace the upper and lower rubbers which luckily I have in my spares.
Does the windscreen need to be totally dismantled to fit the lower seal or can it be fitted just with the stanchions removed. I can't remember from last time. -
I'm not overly experienced at suspension mods of this scope but I wouldn't drive a car like that without a specialist suspension/steering/brake engineer checking it out.
Who knows what the geometry is on any point of steering, braking or cornering? Is the trunnion seizing up on braking as the angles are wrong? What will happen if you need to brake in a corner?
I'm looking forward to finding out the outcome of this modification.
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8 hours ago, 2long said:
Would the skinnier 155 tyres on my TR2 warrant the same pressure as a 165? I use 30 psi.
Dan
I use 165 tyres on one TR2 and 175 on the other, both with 32 psi all round. These modern tyres have very thin sidewalls and low pressures allow them to flex too much. This will affect wear, grip and ride. Cross ply tyres, and early radials, had thick sidewalls and deformed less at lower pressures.
Importantly, as I discovered with the 175 tyres which I set at 24-26 psi to see if it would provide a better ride, I lost control on corners in the wet. Really lost control, the grip was almost non existent on corners above 60 km/h. I reset the tyres to 32 psi and the handling is great wet or dry.
When I buy new tyres they invariably inflate them to 36 psi, that is what modern tyres are designed for. Our wire wheels and suspensions do struggle at those pressures, but don't go too low as the tyres aren't meant to be at low pressures.
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Having the car detailed where I live means it has been thoroughly cleaned. Detailing has nothing to do with tuning or repairing the car.
Most TR problems are ignition so that needs to be sorted out first. Even with new parts the problem can remain because the parts are defective.
Once the ignition system is proven to be working correctly with timing right move onto the fuel system.
If the car has an original fuel pump it is unlikely to be a problem, possible but unlikely. Mechanical fuel pumps either work or they don't, if it fails there will be no fuel to the carbies and the engine won't go.
There could be blockages in the fuel lines preventing enough fuel getting to the engine to sustain higher power settings. The first check here is the fuel filter/s.
It is possible the carbies need a good tune. If they are running extremely lean you could be running out of puff at higher speeds. But you can't tune the carbies until the rest of the engine tune is correct, they are done last.
If you aren't handy mechanically either get a local owner with experience to help you, as we do here, or let the mechanics sort it out, just tell them the symptoms.
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13 hours ago, RobH said:
Are any of these any good John ?
https://www.autoelectricalspares.co.uk/pinions--drives-177-c.asp
WOSP seems to be the favourite for a geared high torque starter, going by comments in previous threads.
Hi Rob. Yes, I am just checking with them whether this one, 131723 Starter Motor Drive replaces Lucas TNB133 54240984 , M418G, is suitable for the M418G starter in the early TR6s. The part number on my drive is different but it might be OK.
$70 delivered seems reasonable.
Very valuable help, thank you
Having now disassembled the pinion/clutch drive I am not sure how the clutch works. I had the starter tested some time ago and the motor spun but the pinion slipped under load.
Now with the starter apart the pinion will lock one way but not he other, moving it by hand which isn't much load obviously. What I assume is the clutch, the bit with the long part number on it, spins freely in both directions.
Any advice welcome.
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Coming back to this thread my starter still plays up occasionally, spinning making a noise but not engaging. It hasn't got any worse or better over the 3 years since I first started this thread however I don't like it.
I have dismantled my spare starter motor and it looks ok except the roller clutch drive (integral to the pinion drive) spins freely in both directions. It is meant to be a one way clutch as per section 86.60.00 of the Owners Manual, locking when starting and then spinning in the other direction when the engine starts.
I am assuming the roller clutch in the starter in the car is also on its way out.
It seems to be a straightforward job to change it, if I can get a new one at the right price.
Does anyone know if the clutch/pinion gear is available anywhere? I checked Moss and TRF and no longer available. Rimmers say it has been superseded but they don't say by what.
My alternative is to install a new hi torque starter.
If I go this route which model hi torque have owners used they would recommend.
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13 hours ago, CP26309 said:
Yes! They can come off too, and cause engine fires, as mine did.
They can come off but as it is open to the tank there is almost no pressure in the line. Why it came off is a mystery.
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2 minutes ago, JohnC said:
FWIW, Peter Bower and his late father in law (Justin) recalibrated my MU many years ago, and it ran flawlessly after that. Justin also refurbished the throttle bodies, which was an important factor. Peter is indeed very helpful over the phone, to the extent that I feel a bit guilty whenever I call him! I know Peter has been reluctant to touch TRs recently. Twenty years later, I have now replaced all the 'O' rings & seals again, and all is good.
Removing and replacing the MU is very straightforward. So is replacing all the Viton seals, providing you are scrupulously clean. David Clark stocks them all. I'd suggest replacing all except the two diaphragms (they are v pricey). While you have the unit apart, take careful photos of the MU diaphragm, as there is more than one type. AFAIK, there's only one type of CU (vacuum) diaphragm. Get yourself a copy of the Lucas PI handbook (plenty available online, or PM me if necessary) as that details the steps. It also describes how to check the non-return valves at the MU end of each injector line. If any of those need replacing, I'm not sure who can help locally. David Clark possibly, and Peter almost certainly.
As long as you don't mess with the datum track, max fuel, or control rings, your MU will remain calibrated. If you're still not happy with how the car runs, then is the time to send the unit off to Peter.
Hope this helps. Feel free to call - you have my number.
Cheers,
JohnThanks John. In fact the car runs superbly, David Clark reckons it is great as it is. It is just the fuel economy that is a bit higher than others say they get.
David has said don't touch it, it is working fine. The entire system was rebuilt by Peter Bower a few thousand miles ago but quite a few years back.
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3 hours ago, Mike C said:
I used Peter Bower from Bower Power Auto Tech.
You'll need to talk to him because his source for TR6 viton MU seals dried up and he only advertises Maserati under his Lucas services. If you can supply the viton seals he might still look at TR6 MU's. He has the original Lucas Australia service equipment which helps- the calibration charts he gave me for my equipment were in the same format as the Lucas handbooks.
To remove the equipment I labelled the cylinder number on each injector and its serial number , timed and removed the MU as per the brown book and shut off the petrol supply line valve I've fitted. A small crescent ring spanner helped in removing and reinstalling the MU.
If you post the equipment , like I had to, you'll need to drain the petrol from it and wrap it in old towels before putting it in a sealed express post bag.
If you have any problems Peter is very helpful over the phone.
Thanks Mike, I've met Peter. I can deliver the car to him if he still does the complete job.
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On 8/9/2021 at 11:08 PM, Mike C said:
I had exactly the same problem and accepted the smelly clothing,post drive showers etc as part of the Triumph experience. Tried fixing the boot seals etc but no improvement. Then I had my MU and injectors rebuilt and recalibrated due to damage from the newer generation of Australian fuels- and the petrol smell disappeared . And the car's performance improved so much it felt like a different vehicle.
Looking at the before and after calibration curves my MU was overfuelling by maybe 20% over much of the operating range. I'd suggest getting the MU and injectors rebuilt and recalibrated as a set.
Hi Mike, my car runs rich, I get 25mpg or thereabouts on a trip. Around Sydney I get much worse but then I live in the inner west so am effectively in the city traffic wise.
A couple of questions if you could thanks.
Who rebuilt your MU and injectors? Is there any issue with removing and fitting the MU, can it be cocked up.
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4 hours ago, Lebro said:
My thoughts are:
partial blockage in the fuel line
or ignition coil dying
Bob
I'd go condensor 1st, easy to replace, coil 2nd. If not fixed check fuel filters and fuel lines.
95% of fuel problems are ignition.
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Not a TR.
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I don't trust glass fuses. I take them out whenever they are suspect and put a new one in. I carry a half a dozen in my touring bag. I will test the fuse later in the garage and if it is ok I put it in a zip lock bag marked used but ok.
Ex UK TR2 for sale in Australia
in TR2/3/3A/3B Forum
Posted
I have experienced serious brake fade only once in 46 years of my daily driver TR2.
I had an apartment in Sydney and in the mid 70s one Monday morning I was running late getting to work at the Naval Air Station, Nowra 100 miles south of Sydney. Pelting down the Ousley Pass, google it, about 5 miles steep downhill from the plateau to the coast I applied the brakes at the bottom for the sweeping right hander. There is a side road to go into Wollongong which in those days didn't have islands or anything, just a Y junction.
At about 90mph after 5 miles high speed downhill I applied the brakes. Nothing. Pushed as hard as I could still nothing. I took the straight ahead side road and managed to stop a few hundred metres down. Lucky it was early on the Monday morning with little traffic. Brakes smelt something terrible.
It was early in my TR2 ownership and the car wasn't as well maintained as it is now.
Apart from that I haven't had a brake fade problem. The TR2s have wire wheels and I think that really helps with brake cooling. Disc wheels I expect lead to much earlier onset of fade.