John McCormack
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Posts posted by John McCormack
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I don't think estimating overpricing by dealers is a good gauge of prices. The long-door TR2 that went up for auction (TS 3044 at Charterhouse auctions) got a high bid of 16k pounds, which was even below estimate of 18 - 20k. I think there is some softness in the market right now.
Dan
Agree that dealers prices are not the best guide, nor are private seller advertised asking prices. The best guide is information on actual sale prices.
However, that Charterhouse car is very rough and non original in a number of areas (brakes and high port head for starters). In reality it probably requires a body off rebuild. 16,000 pds was a very good price for it. I paid 7,000 pds equivalent for a better more original car, although a non driver partially rebuilt.
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Hi John that first Link looks like that Car is in Italy but will it sell for that Price it’s also LHD so suitable for for the European Market so a bigger Customer Base.
The Second One is RHD and at £57,000 I would think expensive,Dealers seem to ask for Big Money but do they actually Sell at the Advertised Price,if you scroll down on the second link I think the prices are more realistic,just my opinion.
Yep, dealers will always build a fair bit of fat in to give them bargaining power.
I have seen a fair few RHD cars advertised at high prices, two a couple of months ago one for 80,000 euro and one for 85,000 pds. I would expect maybe 20% fat built in to these prices.
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I’ll start the Ball Rolling at £40/45,000 if it’s as good as your saying,don’t forget about the Japanese Market for RHD Cars and high end Collectors.
I have seen some long doors advertised in the UK and Europe in the 50-75,000 euro region. They are in broadly similar condition to how I expect mine will turn out.
https://www.classic-trader.com/au/cars/listing/triumph/tr-2/tr-2/1954/137649
https://www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/detail/triumph-tr2-582518
Do you feel these are actually selling for the £45,000 mark?
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I suspect very few early TRs are still using standard heads, cams, carbs, engine capacity etc and fuels now are vastly different to the leaded fuels of yesteryear. In my view the factory settings are a guide only.
With the TR2 I get considerably more performance if the timing is set to just stop any pinging.
So set the timing to about 10deg BTDC and go for a drive. If it doesn't ping advance it bit by bit so that it just pings.
Stop and retard the vernier very slightly. If it doesn't ping that is the best setting, if it does repeat the process until it doesn't.
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My TR2 is a daily driver and club car. If they get used all the time they just keep going.
We obviously get pretty hot down here and the idle suffers. Warm in normal use she idles steadily at 800rpm, when hot say after a long high speed drive the idle is a bit lumpy and down to 700rpm. On the really hot days, over 40degC, she gets very lumpy and idle drops to 600rpm. Nothing to do for it on those +40degC days but blip the throttle at the lights/in traffic.
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Still on original pawl on my 4A after nearly 48 years and over 200K miles. I rest my case.
Tim
The TR4A has a different handbrake to the TR2/3/4. I rest my case.
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This problem would not arise if drivers only used handbrakes in the right way, NOT allowing the pawl to ride over the ratchet and therefore avoiding any wear. For our fly-offs of course this means NOT depressing the handbrake button when applying, whereas for a conventional mechanical hand brake the button should be depressed to apply. I wince every time I hear a handbrake applied incorrectly.
Tim
I don't press the button but I still need to replace the pawl every few years. My car does a lot of miles.
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I don't read it as idling over 2,000 rpm but as the engine will run over 2,000 but not at lower revs.
If this is right -
Nearly all problems are electrical. If the car has points replace the condensor and if no improvement the coil. If it has electronic ignition make sure all the connections are ok and, if you can, have it tested.
Plug leads, plugs and distributor cap are also problem areas.
I carry a spare of all these items in my TRs, they keep you going in the vats majority of situations.
If it isn't electrical, best of luck.
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I’ll start the Ball Rolling at £40/45,000 if it’s as good as your saying,don’t forget about the Japanese Market for RHD Cars and high end Collectors.
I'll be in Dublin in August. Is there anything on with TRs?
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I am undertaking a complete rebuild of TS3732O, a September 1954 long door. Once finished I will probably need to sell it as I already have a TR2, a TR6 and a yacht. My wife has only so much patience.
I would be interested in an idea of what these cars are actually selling for in the UK and Europe where they are much more sought after than they are here. I have looked at the advertisements but am not sure if asking and selling prices are different beasts.
The car was imported to Australia from the factory and soon after its original owner bought it to Sydney where it was raced until 1966. The 2nd owner started a restoration but got distracted with other cars, bikes and family.
He restarted the work about 10 years ago and after fitting new floors, getting the panels beautifully aligned, acquiring many new parts and completely rebuilding the engine he got ill and couldn't finish the job. He rang me and subsequently I bought the car to do a full concours restoration (I say full concours but that will depend on my ability to source the right bits and if we discover any issues).
It will be in its original birth certificate signal red, brown leather and fawn weather equipment.
It will be a 'new' car when finished with the original bits like starter solenoid etc provided with the car. It has 60 spoke wires (acceptable for concours here) with Dunlop Roadspeeds and 5 body colour steel wheels with road radial tyres.
It has an original wiring loom, bought by the previous owner in 1967 and stored in its original packaging. It is in perfect condition now. Original tripod headlights in good condition.
The chassis has been finished in POR15 (KBS Coatings here) with all new brakes, suspension, shock absorbers, rebuilt original steering (Revington top on the box). It is a matching numbers car having only been used for 11 years.
It currently has a high port head but a low port is on its way. We ran the engine in the chassis and it ran very nicely with 70 psi oil pressure cold and hot and no noises. The previous owner spent $7,000 on the engine 5 years ago. It is effectively a new engine.
The gearbox and diff (Lockheed) have been overhauled.
A few photos attached.
I will be finishing the restoration and then probably offering the car for sale. I would appreciate any feedback on actual sales of this sort of car.
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Hi john,
it you think it is metal to metal further forward then you need to get looking for some bright metal where t has rubbed.
Check the engine bat=y as well.
Roger
Thanks Roger. It has new engine mounts but you are right, I need to look everywhere.
I get annoyed with myself when I say 'but I have checked everything' (which I feel I have) because obviously something is not right.
Apart from the vibration the car is a delight to drive; tight, very few rattles, no squeaks, good power and handling. I got 25mpg today over about 150 miles including about 15m in heavy traffic.
I just have to sort out this vibration problem, or ignore it till something gives.
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As Andreas has noted, propshaft ?
Lever arm shocks, I fit longer bolts then nylocks to secure.
Good luck in finding it.
Regards Harry.
Thanks Harry. The vibration was there before these shocks and mounts were installed.
It does have new telescopics mounted on solid reinforced brackets. There is no sign of any rubbing or looseness. The shocks appear to be doing their job normally.
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I definitely spoke too early previously. I took the TR6 on a 250km run today on the freeway and a winding country road.
The vibration in the car is pronounced in these circumstances:
Hard vibration on tight left hand bends under lots of power.
Medium vibration when accelerating hard in 3rd and top especially on uneven roads. But intermittently, sometimes on smooth roads there is no vibration when giving it a gutful in 2nd or 3rd.
Light to no vibration on a trailing throttle on left hand bends.
No vibration on right hand bends both under power or trailing throttle.
No vibration on smooth freeway conditions at speeds up to 130km/h.
There is no noise with the vibration, it is just a vibration through the body.
In summary, a combination of power and left hand bends is the worst for vibration.
Before todays run I have:
replaced the new right hand CV axle with another new one. Little if any improvement.
swapped the new hubs left to right and vice versa with no effect.
swapped the wheels left to right and vice versa with no effect.
changed the exhaust hanger bolt on the diff mount, it was too long and was pressing hard against the spare wheel well. I was hopeful this was the problem so am pretty disappointed it made no improvement.
I am now thinking it isn't the back end at all causing the vibration. Vibrations can be caused in one area and be felt in another.
My thoughts are it could be the gearbox mount, which might be suspect.
By my reckoning the engine torque will twist the gearbox to cause it to move right. When combined with a left hand bend there is enough movement to cause metal to metal contact in the gearbox mount or the tail shaft.
However, I am really in the dark on this and am clutching at straws.
What else could cause such a noiseless vibration if not the gearbox mount?
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The enrichment lever can be fully home but the mixture mechanism can still be on. Put your finger down between the block and MU and feel for the little screw that the lever acts on. Push it as hard as you can, if it isn't fully home it will snap back. As noted above, if it does this use lots of WD40 and move it back and forward until it moves freely.
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As posted elsewhere today I got the new choke cable into my early 1970 RHD PI.
The old cable was routed over the heater vent hose, which looked at first as the best route for it but it fouled the heater box. I rerouted it under the heater hose and while it now has a sharp bend upwards to go through the firewall hole, it works smoothly.
Each model type and RHD or LHD will change the best route for the cable but you might try to route it differently.
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I finally did as others suggested. I removed the radio, A frame and its mounting bracket. I got a thin spanner onto the nut by going up between the main dash support bracket and the dash section with the knobs. I couldn't get this latter piece off, It came free on the passenger side opposite end to the choke but the choke end was held firm by something I couldn't find.
I got the nut moving, only about 1/8 of a flat but enough to luckily move it with a finger.
The new one went in but I can't get the nut on the back on properly. Access is very poor with this model and I suspect the thread has been slightly burred in installation. As I can't get a spanner on it it only goes on a thread or two by finger. I spent an hour or more trying to improve it without success.
However, it is tight in the hole and as it works with little friction on the inner cable it works fine. After a lot of time adjusting the MU and fast idle ends to get the right movement on each it starts and cold idles nicely.
Yesterday I could have sold the car cheaply I was so frustrated with it. After the choke repair I went for a short blast. Smooth, fast and a glorious howl, its price just doubled.
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Malcolm,
I had a creak from rear which took me a while to locate, turned out to be a cracked diff mount.
michael
Me too. Not a expensive repair.
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The first TR2s were built in late 1953. My restoration car TS3732 O was built in September 1954. If these two are early ones they might have the bonnet prop bracket I am after so please let me know how you go.
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I'll swap the hubs over first. If the vibration goes to the other side the hub will be the problem.
If the vibration is still there as before I'll swap the wheels over. I can't see how the wheels could cause this but worth a try.
I will then look at removing the right side cv axle and putting in the original splined one.
If that doesn't fix it I'll give up playing with it until something breaks or it settles down.
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I need a bonnet prop bracket that bolts onto the front apron for a long door car,
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I spoke too early.
The car no longer experiences this vibration on the freeway BUT when pushing it through fast left hand bends and on bigger bumps this rear end vibration is still there. There is no noise with the vibration, there are no noises at all in any driving situation. It only occurs on left hand bends at speed and on bumps where the suspension compresses a long way.
As it isn't as bad as before the new CV axle was replaced with another CV axle, the obvious answer is the axles are the issue. I don't think this is the case as the new axle was checked thoroughly before installation and moved freely. The diff was removed as well in the repair to fit the new pinion seal.
I have removed the right rear wheel and checked everything is tight. There is no sign of any rubbing. I rotated the wheel and the hubs, new with the axles, are spinning freely and there is no noise nor is there any play in the hub or anywhere.
I'm stumped.
I'm tempted to ignore it and just keep an eye on the wheel and hub over time.
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I ended up removing the H frame and the small piece at the bottom of the dash that it bolts onto. I could then get a flat spanner in between the two panels and get a one flat turn on the nut. I could then get a finger in and eventually got the nut off.
I should be able to fit the new cable ok, I just to get some strong line to tie onto the cable so I can mouse the new one through the tube the two cables run through.
When I took the cable off the MU the fuel enrichment lever dropped down a long way. I have put it back in position and it has the same spring tension, but will it be a problem that it rotated back a long way?
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I have just read some old threads on choke cable repair but unfortunately they didn't solve my problem.
The car is a 1970 CP PI RHD. The choke cable to the throttle fast idle has broken.
I have a new twin cable to put in but haven't been able to get the old cable out. I don't want to destroy the existing cable as the fuel enrichment cable to the MU is ok so starting the car isn't a problem, it is just a nuisance in traffic until the engine has warmed up enough to idle.
The broken cable is a repro one and the knob is moulded on, it doesn't have a hole to a button to release it. I have to take the nut off the back of the dash and pull the whole lot out the front of the dash. See attached photo for the type of knob/cable.
I cannot for the life of me see a way to get at the nut on the back to loosen it. It is on tight and is deeply recessed in the dash framework. Removing the radio won't help, it is the metal frame of the dash that is in the way. The ring on the cable at the front of the dash is also moulded and doesn't unscrew.
I am sure others have done this and there is must be a technique to get at the nut with something to loosen it. Once loose it will unscrew pretty easily.
Has anybody out there with a similar car developed a way to get at the choke cable nut?
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There have been a few posts on here re misfiring, poor running and various break downs.
Down here in Australia we often drive long distances in our sidescreen TRs with little prospect of finding support in the country. Last year our National meet was in Tasmania which meant a 4,800km tour for us Sydney natives and much further for the members from Brisbane and points north. As any of you who have been here will know it can be a long way between drinks down here, even longer to any support for our wee beasties.
I carry a fairly extensive list of spares and tools which I used once on the Tasmania tour, a condensor, to keep my TR2 going. Other members used 5 other spares items I was carrying. We all like to be able to help others out but giving up your spare coil or carbie float needle or whatever means you are then vulnerable.
I drew up a list of spares I encourage our members to carry on longer trips. I thought some owners on here might find it useful.
I carry the less often used items behind the fuel tank cover in the boot, some in the spare wheel compartment and the rest in tupperware containers in the boot. If I have a Lockheed axle car on a tour, my long door being restored is still Lockheed, a spare axle can fit in the boot and maybe behind the cover.
They don't take up much room and will get you out of nearly every breakdown. With things like high tension leads, fit them to the new dizzie cap to save time in the rain or with trucks belting past at high speed.
Ignition - The usual cause of a fail to proceed is ignition related.
Plugs
Plug and high tension leads (have them fitted to the distributor cap)
Distributor cap
Rotor button (2) for your DM2 or 25D4 dizzy
Points (if fitted)
Condensor Bosch (2) GL103-c (if fitted)
Spare electronic ignition (if fitted)
Coil
Engine
Carbie needle and seat (for the float bowl)
Manifold gaskets
Rocker cover gasket
Head gasket
Top radiator hose
Fuel pump kit, or equivalent if alternative pump fitted
A litre of engine oil (can be used in gearbox if needed to top up).
Coolant (best in concentrate form)
Form a gasket or equivalent
A length of rubber fuel hose
Electrical
Globes for all lights
Thermal fan switch (if fitted)
A two way (on/off) switch (if a dashboard switch fails you can rig something up to keep going)
A three way switch to jury rig an indicator switch
Wiper blade/s
Electrical tape (get quality stuff, the cheap stuff will break and won’t do the job properly)
Electrical connectors
Suspension/Steering/Brakes
Front wheel bearings (good 2nd hand will get you out of trouble but new is better)
A hub with bearing cones fitted will save much time and angst if a bearing cone has welded itself to the old hub (Getting the bearing off the axle is another problem)
Front hub retaining nut and D washer (they can get lost if a wheel departs company with the car or in a roadside repair in the dirt)
Brake fluid
Tyre valve
Tubes if fitted. They aren’t readily available in the right sizes.
Various
Nuts, bolts, washers and screws
Fibre washers
Split pins
Thread tape
Rainex (for cleaning windscreen when the wipers stop working)
LOCKHEED BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER CHECK VALVE
in TR2/3/3A/3B Forum
Posted
A bit of a long shot but my TR2 restoration is in need of the little brake master cylinder brass check valve body. The rubber valve in the kit fit into it. It is part number 13 in the Moss brake master cylinder diagram.
The Moss's, Rimmers and TRF don't have them.
Any ideas please or maybe someone has an old cylinder with the internals who could send me one. I will be in Ireland for a few weeks from next week so could get it sent there.
Thanks in advance.