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'66 TR4A - my first Triumph


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Decided to go to a Land Rover service here in Belgrade, they have RTC3458 UJs which in fact are HS195 or GUJ116, so should be a straight fit - at 10 pounds a piece and 0 hours delivery waiting, not bad :)

 

next job - get the axles rebuilt

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Short update - got the springs installed, sandblasted rear drum plates and painted them in high temperature paint, installed new wheel cylinders, hoses, new shoes, new front discs, front hoses and new calipers, rebuilt brake master cylinder...

Brake bleeding to come as well as flushing the lever arm shocks and putting them together - oh, and new ujs to fit to driveshafts...

And then oil change, radiator flush, compression test...

 

Holy cow... It was: "i'll just sort out the brakes and rear springs, a weekend should do it..."

Ten days later...

 

http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv78/LBulatovic/Triumph%20TR4A%20IRS%201966/A6E0AC38-DB03-450B-9E85-AF4EB5B8F02C_zpskw3jbmey.jpg

 

http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv78/LBulatovic/Triumph%20TR4A%20IRS%201966/94655B7A-2441-4487-83F6-ECB8B3EF66A9_zps6iatqx0q.jpg

 

http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv78/LBulatovic/Triumph%20TR4A%20IRS%201966/840098FB-19EF-4500-9160-8D5FF3CB0572_zps9cbyymoe.jpg

 

http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv78/LBulatovic/Triumph%20TR4A%20IRS%201966/C768AD59-EB80-46C6-A633-D7E6B22156F0_zpswdhawhft.jpg

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  • 9 months later...

After a rather short season of 2016 due to lack of time and most of the nice weather spent without rear wheels, a cylinder head rebuild and some minor tweaks it's ready for this season!

I've decided to go the other way - i won't be doing any performance upgrades, as i plan to keep it originalas much as possible, which brings me on to the next question - wire wheels 60 spoke - chrome or painted?

As it left the factory with wire wheels and Michelin X tyres (that's XAS 165sr15 i guess, and not XZXs?) is there a way of knowing were the wheels bright chrome or painted? I've seen that there were 4 options regarding wheel finish - matte/shiny-painted/chrome - but would like to know what was it fitted with originally.

Any help on determining this would be much appreciated :)

 

Ps. The original wheels i believe are the ones still on the vehicle, but are badly pitted and at some point sandblasted and painted silver. I've seen a photo of the car prior to its so called restoration, and the spokes looked very corroded- it does seem to methat they were painted originally, but who knows...

Cheers

Luka

Edited by Bulatovic
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Luka

 

Chrome wire wheels look good and lots of people go for them, but the problems appears to be one of rust and corrosion which can appear all too soon, almost irrespective of how well you look after them.

 

There is however a halfway house solution which is to get your existing wheels refurbished and finished in a chrome effect paint - it's not quite as glitzy as chrome itself, but is fairly close, yet you have the benefit of a painted and therefore better lasting finish - nearly the best of both worlds.

 

Tudor wheels in the New Forest do these and advertise on ebay this service at £60 wheel - I had a set done and was very pleased with the result - no other interest other than a satisfied customer. Not sure if anyone is doing this nearer to you.

 

Hope this helps

 

cheers

 

Rich

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Guys, cheers for the replies!

Indeed it's a TR4 grille... unfortunately the car was involved in some kind of a crash at least 2 decades ago in the US of A, so i guess that's all they found over there. It does look a bit stupid with double side lights, but since 4A grilles are awfully expensive it'll have to wait until i got all the mechanics sorted (front suspension next, then the gearbox and axles). - oh, yeah, another thing you haven't noticed is that the headlights are actually made in CCCP (USSR) and come from either a Lada or a Moskvich ????. The original ones were Lucas, right? (And a Cibie would be a massive improvement?)

I am leaning towards painted for a few reasons - chrome looks a bit aftermarket to me, too much show oriented and blingy - although they look amazing (and match the chrome trim better than painted), but painted ones apart from being significantly cheaper and easier to live with seem to suite the car better. I'd leave chrome for jags, astons and perhaps even big healeys.

 

In the heritage certificate it says:

9. Destination (dealer) - personal export delivery to USA

11. Details of factory fitted equipment - Independent rear suspension, heater, 165x15 michelin x tyres, miles-per-hour speedometer, wire wheels.

 

So, no further details on wheels... and no mentioning of O/D - which would be a rather nice addition...

Edited by Bulatovic
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And a few photos of the last year's biggest oldtimer event i Serbia: 24 Hours of Elegance - official FIVA Concours d' elegance, where the winner was Corrado Lopresto's Alfa Romeo Sprint 2000

D12EC43B-1251-41B8-872A-5E73EFB00F1A_zps

B2AEAC1D-1E49-4246-8C92-34FD84D835B0_zps

725224B8-337C-4C1A-99DC-93AE59E14128_zps

6A96666B-961B-40BE-A846-68519ED603D2_zps

Edited by Bulatovic
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Thanks TT,

 

i've spent aaages trying to get the head off the block due to a single corroded head stud that grabbed so hard on the head hole that it took me 6 weeks to pry it off.. And then i've discovered a crack in the middle water way (between 2nd and 3rd cylinder), that has only just started to extend towards the head stud holes... i've replaced valve guides and springs, but in reality, the head needs to be replaced and piston liners reset to achieve the necessary height in comparison to the block - but for now it's working and working well - so it'll cover some miles before going out and for a full rebuild. - now i've got to tackle the sump - have the mating surface leveled and gasket replaced, but also find a snorkel for the block for the breather hole to reduce the oil leaks...

and then the front suspension, and then the hood, and the interior trim, and then chassis, engine full rebuild along with the gearbox and axles. Basically until everything is fully rebuilt it will remain a rolling project

 

But at least it's drivable and drives rather well. Plus, i already have a project - a full restoration of a 1966 Morris Mini Super Deluxe that i'm converting into a CRX89B Works Cooper S replica, so no full TR4A restoration at least until Mini is completed...

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Hi Luka,

that area between the water holes does crack. The material corrodes and becomes thin and then cracks.

If it was me I would use a rotary file (burr) and remove the crack and ensure the parent metal of the head has no remaining crack.

 

It would probably last many years.

 

Roger

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Now that's a great idea Roger - however it's late now - head is on :) perhaps after the season i could take it off again and have it worked on again. But, i'm more worried about the crack showing from the water jacket towards the head stud holes. I've put plenty of copper grease on the studs, and hope that deposits in the coolant would clog the microscopic crack and prevent the water getting to the stud area - in which case it'd take a bit longer than 6 weeks to get the head off :)

 

Cheers

Luka

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Thanks TT,

 

i've spent aaages trying to get the head off the block due to a single corroded head stud that grabbed so hard on the head hole that it took me 6 weeks to pry it off.. And then i've discovered a crack in the middle water way (between 2nd and 3rd cylinder), that has only just started to extend towards the head stud holes... i've replaced valve guides and springs, but in reality, the head needs to be replaced and piston liners reset to achieve the necessary height in comparison to the block - but for now it's working and working well - so it'll cover some miles before going out and for a full rebuild. - now i've got to tackle the sump - have the mating surface leveled and gasket replaced, but also find a snorkel for the block for the breather hole to reduce the oil leaks...

and then the front suspension, and then the hood, and the interior trim, and then chassis, engine full rebuild along with the gearbox and axles. Basically until everything is fully rebuilt it will remain a rolling project

 

But at least it's drivable and drives rather well. Plus, i already have a project - a full restoration of a 1966 Morris Mini Super Deluxe that i'm converting into a CRX89B Works Cooper S replica, so no full TR4A restoration at least until Mini is completed...

It is certainly possible to have the head welded, but as Roger says, grind out the rust first and then have it welded. Cast iron needs to be heated up before welding, but there are plenty of people who can recommend places to do the repair.

 

So you don't feel bad about the length of time to refurbish your TR4A, mine took 24 years!

 

TT

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