Prospective New Owner - what to look for

[Terry Field]

I have just joined the register and am on the look out for a TR6. Although I am reasonably handy on routine maintenance (brakes, wheel bearings etc) I am definitely not an engineer!

I would like a 150bhp PI model and could probably stretch to about £20k in the hope of getting something which is already well sorted.

 

What would be the top things which you would look for when buying a car at that price? I'm thinking fuel pumps, injection meters, suspension, plus all the other things I don't know about! I would certainly have a pre purchase assessment done.

 

Any thoughts welcomed.

 

Terry

[stuart]

Buy the best shell and chassis that you can find.

Stuart.

[TR5tar]

Hello Terry,

Welcome to the forum.

You've already done one of the most important things in my opinion and that's to join the TRR. You'll find many friendly and extremely knowledgeable people here on the forum and before you buy try to get along to your local group meetings. You'll almost certainly find someone there with knowledge who would be happy to look at the cars you are interested in buying. With £20K to spend, you should be able to get a very nice, well sorted 6.

Stuart (above) is a professional in this field, so rely on his and others with similar experience for good advice. I on the other hand am a novice on the mechanical side of things, so can only tell you what I've picked up along the way. Good chassis and body is most important, as other things are easier to fix (if you know what you are doing). As I understand it, panel alignment and gaps is something to pay close attention to, as of course is checking for rust.

Here's the TRR's buyers guide that might help . . . http://www.tr-register.co.uk/tr-buyers-guides/triumph-tr6

 

I'm sure that before too long you'll get a few replies that are much more detailed and knowledgeable than mine, so take it all in and buy armed with information.

 

Good luck with your search.

 

Cheers, Darren

Edited June 14, 2016 by TR5tar

[Drewmotty]

Welcome to the Forum and the Register.

You need to look for your local group meeting and find a mentor who is familiar with the TR6.

You may well find a suitable car for sale through your local group before it gets advertised.

What part of the country are you in?

[Terry Field]

Hi Andrew,

 

I'm near Taunton, so hope to get along to the Somerset Triumphs meeting next month

 

Cheers

 

Terry

[JohnG]

Terry

Hi, and welcome

 

Just to reinforce some of the things already said;

- The TRR is a must . . . .everything you will ever need to know is right here

- Listen to Stuart . . . .best body possible, the mechanicals can be fixed, a rotten body is a bu99er.

- Visit your local group . . .lots of useful people with a willingness to help.

 

Don't be afraid to ask.

Unlike some forums (is it forums or fora?), the TR Register crowd go out of their way to help and say it how it is.

Some waffle a bit, others come across real short . .but they are all helpful, offering a number of potential solutions to every problem

 

And finally;

They know the answers because whatever your problem, they have suffered it in the past!

[Drewmotty]

PM sent

[Peter Douglas Winn]

I found that the most important thing was :- All the extras like chrome, badges, bit and pieces should be there, a parts manual helped. These things as in my case added up and were in the total more expensive than things like G/B or O/D. Nowdays one can get a rough idea of the prices and availability from various supplier's internet pages.

[marki]

Hi Terry.

I'm part of the Somerset Triumphs group, a very friendly and knowledgable group they are. Please come along and have a chat.

I'll look forward to seeing you there.

Mark.

[simonjrwinter]

Hi Terry,

 

+1 to what Stuart said. Body and chassis are everything....

 

Simon

[TRTOM2498PI]

As above, chassis and body are everything, and where the majority of cost is.

 

 

Good luck.

 

Cheers.

[Andrew Smith]

Hi Terry,

 

Welcome to the Register and Forum - chassis, body, history and provenance - mechanical can be relatively easy to fix. Check also for a clonking diff in fwd gears and reverse as this may mean the diff has pulled through it's mountings; not so easy or cheap to fix.

 

Also, determine what spec of TR6 you want and what sort of driving you want to do i.e. touring, a bit of go-fasting or, more likely, a combination of both.

 

Good luck in your search.

 

Cheers

Andrew

[colin_c]

.. look for a known TR6 expert you can take with you who knows the weak points to look at immediately (chassis, body) and preferably for that money a car with new (CTM) chassis and proof of total body restoration. Don't buy anything till you and your expert have had it up in the air and inspected underside. You'll be amazed how much can rot. Don't be taken in by shiny outer skins.

 

Colin

[Terry Field]

Hi Andrew,

I'm coming from 16 years of Caterham ownership, so the 'go faster' bit is a given. I'm looking for a good tourer so that I can entice my wife to join me on longer trips, but with plenty of oomph in reserve. So, yes, a bit of both.

 

My main concern at this early stage of TR involvement is reliability. I recognise that the 6 is almost 40 years old, but I am looking for something that is well sorted so that, apart from routine fettling, I would feel comfortable about setting off to the middle of France in it.

 

There is no rush (apart from my natural impatience), so I can wait for the right car to come up.

 

Cheers

Terry

[Peter Cobbold]

Overdrive was not standard - and makes for relaxed touring I find.

Watch out for thrust washer wear - can wreck block and crank.

But avoid anything rusty like the plague.

Peter

[Alec Pringle]

For longer distance trips you may well prefer a nearer standard to an 'uprated' suspension package for passenger comfort considerations . . . . . and for relaxed autoroute cruising you may also have a preference for the taller 25% or even 28% overdrive ratio as opposed to the more usual 22%.

 

It is well worth having a proper inspection by someone who really knows their IRS cars - money well spent.

 

Cheers

 

Alec

[Andrew Smith]

Hi Andrew,

I'm coming from 16 years of Caterham ownership, so the 'go faster' bit is a given. I'm looking for a good tourer so that I can entice my wife to join me on longer trips, but with plenty of oomph in reserve. So, yes, a bit of both.

 

My main concern at this early stage of TR involvement is reliability. I recognise that the 6 is almost 40 years old, but I am looking for something that is well sorted so that, apart from routine fettling, I would feel comfortable about setting off to the middle of France in it.

 

There is no rush (apart from my natural impatience), so I can wait for the right car to come up.

 

Cheers

Terry

 

Hi Terry,

 

If you have recently joined the TR Register you may have missed the February TRaction. In that publication there was an excellent 7 page article comparing a standard TR6 to a very nice modified one (for fast touring) - if you did miss it, you could phone Jo at the office and ask her to post you a copy as they may have a few left over.

 

Here's the Feb cover:

 

 

 

Cheers

Andrew

[Terry Field]

Thanks Andrew - a good recommendation.

 

Cheers

 

Terry