marko Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 Hi all, Does anybody know if the sills on a TR5 should be black or body colour? Looking at Bill Piggott's book on the original TR4/4A/5/6 is looks like they should be black.... Can anyone confirm or give their opinion pls. Thanks in advance.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Marvel901 Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 Hi Marko, Though I have an idea that TR6 sills were black under the chrome flash, I am pretty certain that TR5 sills are body colour. Does anyone else agree with this.. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonlar Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 Hi Marko, in Bill Piggott's book "Triumph TR, the last of the traditional sports cars" published by Haynes, there's a mix of black and body colour sills. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rex Wyer Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 Marko, Bill Piggots book original triumphTR4 etc, page 15 states ' matt black cills ' Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duncan Jolly Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 I can confirm they should be black. It was one of the styling changes made for the TR5. I should have known this, but had it confirmed in a conversation with Roger Ferris as having just had my car painted guess what I left the sills body colour - daaah! Duncan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jean Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 IMHO black sills on a light colour paint alter the relation hight to length in a positive way, they make the car smarter, the same goes for the TR6. Jean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marko Posted July 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Thanks everyone - I suspected they should be matt black - mine are now body colour - D'oh! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rex Wyer Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Marko, they should only be matt black below the chrome trim line Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Thanks everyone - I suspected they should be matt black - mine are now body colour - D'oh! Does it matter? Paint them the colour you like - just because Triumph painted them black doesn't make it better. There are loads of 4s, 5s & 6s in body colour that look fine. There is an arguament that painting them black looks, at least from a distance, that they've been covered in underseal to hide rust & filler! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Red5 Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 I haven't bothered to fit the chrome strip to my car. Best to leave them off and keep to the body colour. It leaves the area easier to clean, inspect and not having the chrome strip reduces the risk of rust. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cp25616 Posted August 4, 2005 Report Share Posted August 4, 2005 Lets just see all the stainless steel strips and black sills please because it certainly helps the look. TR4 and 4a's looked a little slab sided compared to the TR5 and TR6 for this reason. Just before I get loads of emails from "angry not-so-young men" the above is my opinion on this subject. Alan X755 with correct s/s strips and black sills. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Marvel901 Posted August 4, 2005 Report Share Posted August 4, 2005 OK I concede that, as the first respondant to this thread I was obviously wrong, BUT, I did a little investigation at Malvern and found only 1 TR5 with black sills. Moreover, if you look at Bills book closely, most if not all cars featured have body coloured sills. XWA 550G, winner of AutoGlym and many other concours events (probably never seen a road) also has body coloured sills... so how come it won on such a lapse??? I think all this a little bit too anorak and thats pretty rich coming from me. There is not an original TR5 in existence as far as I know (not to mention many other models before it) . You build according to what you think is appropriate but even the concours builders get it wrong. Is this their fault or that of the judges??? My view is who cares, if you are building a concours car, (ie one like it left the factory) then surely you will need to stick to an exact reproduction of the car, that is, with poor panel fit, irregular door gaps, rusting chassis, erratic electrics, orange peel cellulose paintwork. How many concours cars have cellulose paintwork (its all 2 pack now but cellulose then). How many accurate concours cars would win that competition I wonder?? And the shade of paint, well if an unfaded original were available I might suggest many scientific tests that will easily distinguish even minute variations from the original. SO black sills.. if youve done em that way great if you have not dont worry .. who cares even the judges clearly dont know if XWA is anything to go by. Mine will be body colour without doubt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted August 4, 2005 Report Share Posted August 4, 2005 One could just paint the body black... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saffrontr Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 Ian, Not sure which copy of Bill's book you have but in my copy of "Original TR4/4A/5/6" all of the TR5's, 250's and 6's have the stainless steel strip and black sills. As noted by Alan this was a styling touch by Triumph to reduce the slab sided look of these models and call me an anorak if you like that is how they were built and how they look best to my eye. Must agree with you that concours cars should try and follow as closely as possible how the cars were built originally however I don't agree with you when you say that they all had poor panel fit, orange peel paint, rusting chassis etc that's certainly not my recollection of TR's when they were new in the showroom. Regards why XWA won the concours without the black sills it may well have been marked down on this point and someone should raise the issue with the concours judges to get their views. Just my three pennies worth. Derek Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 I've been pondering this too as I've got one in the throes of an extreme makeover. What to do with the underside of the wheel arches, inner fenders, footwells, etc. - body colour? clear undercoat? black undercoat? As for the sills, for me it's down to clear undercoat over body colour or black undercoat. The proper "shade" of black merits discussion, since I remember originally it was rather greyish rather than black black. ??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cp25616 Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 Ian wrote:- XWA 550G, winner of AutoGlym and many other concours events (probably never seen a road) also has body coloured sills... so how come it won on such a lapse??? Yes Ian I would like to know that as well. It is more likely to be the case that with such a variety of models entering major concours events the depth of the judges knowledge on each is limited. On XWA 550G there is also the upper front valence area behind the grille that is body coloured and certainly on a lighter coloured car (wedgewood for example) should be black. There is also the case of the TR6 plenum chamber fitted on XWA which was most certainly not the case--it should have been a TR5 item. I have proof in black and white that the TR6 type air bleed was never fitted to the TR5, only the factory approved but dealer fit air bleed valve that picks up air from the modified air filter housing bracket. I totally agree with your point that its down to the owner what he wants to build but when building what is evidently a top notch concours winning car then it has to be right all the way. BTW I am not just taking a pop at XWA as its truly superb example but merely using this as an example that correctness should mean correctness especially at this exhalted level. Alan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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