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Engine renovation/revamp


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After a lot of deliberation I bought my TR6 last year. 1973 CR model in Carmine red with 80000 miles - seem to be genuine. It looked OK and ran pretty well so I was just planning some cosmetic upgrades, but as I took more bits off and spoke to other TR owners then, as could have been predicted, I have ended up with a fully dismantled car about to start a full restoration. The body and chassis are about to head off for a heat stripping and then some repair. I have the engine on a stand now and would very much value your collective thoughts on what repairs/improvements/revamps etc I should think about for it.

I have some obvious bits to change - spin on oil filter, 123 electronic distributor, new fuel pump but not sure what other bits I should consider checking or upgrading. The engine runs OK - good starter, tick over a little uneven but fine, oil pressure fine. Any advice or hints would be gratefully received. I am based in Tayside. 

Thanks

Andy

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Andy,

first, if your engine runs ok, I would not completely dismantle it.

If oil pressure, oil consumption, compression are ok and no strange noises, I would just take the sump off for a good clean, and also the externals like throttle bodies, dizzy, starter motor, alternator for cleaning, inspection, repair.

Waldi

 

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Hi Andy,

Depends what you are looking to achieve. I would put a fast road cam in and get the head ported and polished. This will make a noticeable difference in performance without making it difficult to drive. Going to cost you £1000 but well worth it.

Colin

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Worth checking the main and big end bearings while the sump is off. Mine was running fine with 50 psi of oil pressure when the rear crank oil seal failed. It had done a similar mileage, but a lot of the bearings were through to the bronze backing.

I had caught it before the crank was scored and a new set of bearings lifted the oil pressure to 75psi hot.

Neil

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If they have not been serviced for a long or unknown time: certainly (and the list grows....).

The rubber components may not be compatible with modern ethanol containing fuels. I did send my pump, prv, mu, plastic fuel lines and injectors to Neil Ferguson for servicing, well worth it.

Also inspect/replace all rubber pipes in the fuel system, especially the 2 high pressure hoses.

Waldi

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Hi Andy

My car sounds similar to yours - a '74 CR with 83k miles - I went through the same thought process as yourself but decided on a rolling refurbish until I get to a point when I can no longer live with the less than concours paint work & other bits & pieces. My thinking is I want to drive the thing during the Summer & fettle only during the winter or if its impacting on the safety or enjoyment of driving. That said cars of this age & mileage (or neglect!) seem to be on the point when everything is worn such that the car still runs ok but is not functioning at 100%. The danger is mission creep takes over & before long the whole thing is in bits & your facing a huge amount of work, time & expense. I try to be selective , even if it means I will have to revisit things at a later date.

  In addition to the previous posts here are some more items worth checking.

 If its still running with original system, I would also check the throttle bodies & spindles for wear as this could be contributing to your uneven idle. Wear causes air leaks which then makes the idle lumpy. The CR throttle linkages are different to the CP type but similar in that they can be a pain to set up & balance. Most of the info on the forum is around the CP type. Ive just been through this process & have compromised as best I could as I haven't yet resolved the wear issues.

I overhauled the original Lucas fuel pump. Its not difficult,reasonably cheap to do & has reduced running noise & eliminated a smell of petrol in the cockpit.

Another item Ive just finished is a refurb of the pedal box. This can make a huge difference to the drivability of the car. The pedal shaft, bushes & pivots wear & affect clutch, braking & acceleration operations. A bit of work & some low cost parts have made a real difference to the car.

Other items Ive tackled so far are new door seals, glass alignment & soft top frame 'adjustments' to try & reduce noise, gaps & leaks - still work in progress & suspect it always will be! My frame is a basket case of worn rivets, bent brackets & various nuts & bolts acquired over 45 years by PO's   

Next up for me is suspension rebush & overhaul.

Good luck with the project.

Alan 

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Thanks Alan. Plan to look at throttle linkage rod so hopefully will make balancing bit easier. Thanks for advice re pedal box. Will look at that when I eventually get to the point of putting it back. 

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Andy -whilst you are checking out the fuel system, don't forget your fuel tank - if it's an original, it's likely to be getting on for 50 years old - carefully look inside to assess it it's rusty and also carefully check around any sound deadening material/foam as that has a habit of trapping moisture and the tank rots out underneath it. 

Rusty innards can be contained up to a point with good filters but will eventually cause serious problems, and you don't want those happening after you have just overhauled your expensive injection system!

In a similar vein, thoroughly check the cooling system and get your rad pressure and flow tested - any deterioration, in my view, is not acceptable if you want to avoid overheating issues, and bear in mind newly rebuilt engines tend to run a bit hot till they have loosened up - find a local old fashioned radiator rebuilder and if you need a new rad, get them to rebuild it with a higher capacity core - some people plump for an alloy rad, and there has been lots of discussion on the forum about the merits or not of those, but if you are tempted, I suggest you avoid the cheap ones on ebay which don't last, and invariably don't fit.

Also, take the opportunity to assess your clutch, maybe lighten your flywheel, and check out your gearbox - do you have overdrive, because if you haven't, thats well worth having in most peoples eyes and also makes the car most saleable at the end of the day.

Get your chassis repaired and strengthened first before you prep it otherwise you will ruin the finish when rebuilding the body on it. There are lots of threads on the forum about how to do this, but pay particular attention to the rear area and the diff mounts and the lower wishbone mountings. If you are already familiar with all this, then apologies for preaching to the converted.

There's lots of potential help on here, so keep on asking, and you won't make quite as many mistakes as I did in my first restoration!! If you want to chat through any of this in more detail, I have PMed you my contact details ( click on the envelope icon, next to the bell icon,, at the very top of the page as this is where the messages go)

Cheers

Rich

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Ben,

some of us (like me) are not on FB.

maybe you can reduce the document size?

Thanks,

Waldi

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