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Thermostat Housing for early TR2


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The TR Spares Development Fund (SDF) is delighted to announce that, following a considerable gestation period, the units are now boxed, in stock and on sale from Pete and Tom (his son) Cox at Pete Cox Sportscars in Redditch.

Full details can be found below , with the price and contact details for purchase.

Yet another success for the SDF, which exists to:

"Preserve the Marque and keep TRs on the road".

I must apologise that my attempts to upload a photo have failed - will try again tomorrow!

Ian Cornish, SDF Chairman

TR Spares Development Fund (SDF)

Early TR2 Thermostat Housing

The early TR2s feature a couple of items which have not been available for years, one being the double thermostat housing fitted before TS1201E, Part 201522/105584.  This assembly is pictured in the left shot on page 72 of Bill Piggott’s invaluable tome, “Original Triumph TR2/3/3A”, but depicts the housing with a blanking plate in place of a filler cap.  A filler was fitted to the housing on TS1 and TS2, the first left-hand and right-hand drive TR2s, but it was found unsatisfactory because the top of the filler lay below the top of the radiator.  Thereafter, a blanking plate was fitted to the housing and the radiator was provided with a rearward- and upward-facing projection to bring the filler above the top of the radiator.  Because these housings are well over 60 years old and were cast from decidedly inferior material, many developed leaks, and, even if they didn’t leak, some early owners decided to replace them with the later and more familiar unit, depicted in the right shot (Part 202033/203781).

As it was clear that there was a demand for the original housing amongst those keen on originality, the SDF decided to investigate re-manufacture, in superior materials and to a high standard.  This project has been the baby of Christoph Mathey (in Switzerland) and Pete Cox, to whom the SDF owes a deal of thanks for doggedly working for more than two years to bring matters to a most satisfactory conclusion.

The new housings have been cast in aluminium, which then has been machined.  The filler/neck plate is zinc plated; the bolts, nuts and lock washers are bright zinc plated. 

The studs are not coated, but only the tips are visible.  The units are complete with their 2 gaskets, studs, nuts, bolts and washers, and are boxed.  In addition, an extra two sets of (spare) gaskets are supplied in a small plastic bag in each box, plus (for those who may not wish to utilise the filler/overflow) a drilled and plated triangular blanking plate as shown in the photo in Bill’s book.

To minimise the risk of damage in transit, the filler/overflow has been rotated 120º anti-clockwise, the unit placed in a sealed plastic bag, and the box filled with lightweight packing material.  Thermostat and radiator cap are not included because purchasers will have these already, but Pete Cox advises that the cooling system of the 4-pot, wet-liner TR engine should have a cap with a rating not exceeding 7 lbf/in2.

The purchaser can decide whether to fit the housing as supplied, making the car appear as TS1 and TS2 were produced originally, or remove the filler/overflow and fit the included triangular blanking plate, as shown in the first photo from Bill’s book.

This reproduction is of a quality far exceeding that of the original, and can be expected to have a life of at least a hundred years, which should be good news to the great grandchildren of current owners!

Production has been limited to 50 units, and these are on sale as Part Number 201522KIT – it will be first come, first served, and when they’ve gone ..... 

The units are available from Pete and Tom Cox at Pete Cox Sportscars

https://petecoxsportscars.co.uk/ email: enquiry@petecoxsportscars.co.uk

Unit 25, Peltland Trading Estate, Padget’s Lane, South Moons Moat, Redditch, B98 0RB

Phone: 01527 522646 (Work hours), 07932 716229 (Tom)

and the price is £234 (£ sterling) plus carriage.

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Looks like a tricky bit of engineering. THREE CHEERS to Ian Cornish and Pete Cox and the SDF!

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Having bitched at a low level regarding the availability of the this part and

the protracted gestation period, I'd have to say that it looks superb, AND,

having already sourced an original item for my project, I shall be purchasing

one for the 'vital spares' box for my car.

Well done to everyone with a hand in it's manufacture, and to my mind, the very

reasonable price being asked for this vital and correct part.

 

Roger M-E 

 

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Looking very nice, and for anyone complaining about the price try buying parts for an Italia!

Stuart.

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FWIW dont forget with this type of housing the original top hose position in the radiator is slightly different being more in the centre of the rad top tank. You would need an early rad to suit and they are very rare.

Stuart.

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Yes, the gestation period has been long, but there are a number of different parts to be produced, and operations required to complete the whole assembly:

- two aluminium castings

- machining the castings

- drilling and tapping the castings

- sourcing suitable studs, bolts, nuts & washers

- production of the two special gaskets

- production of the filler/overflow assembly (3 parts), which is plated

- production of the blanking plate (included in kit, to be fitted if filler/overflow assembly not required)

- sourcing suitable boxes and filling them.

Pete Cox had to find all the various companies and persuade them to fit a comparatively small job into their more usual production runs - not easy and often subject to delays and long waiting times.

The SDF's committee is very pleased indeed with the result, and also with the sell price - as Stuart remarks, try buying something special for an Italia!

And we are very pleased that the product of Pete's endeavours is being sold through the company which he and his son, Tom, have set up - Pete Cox Sportscars - from their premises in Redditch.  Their workshop is not large, but compared with the garage at Pete's home, it is so much more convenient as there's room to move!

BTW, discovered today from the Doretti Registrar, Richard Larter, that some of those cars were fitted with this thermostat assembly.

Ian Cornish

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9 hours ago, stuart said:

FWIW dont forget with this type of housing the original top hose position in the radiator is slightly different being more in the centre of the rad top tank. You would need an early rad to suit and they are very rare.

Stuart.

But although not strictly kosher, the top pipe can be repositioned ,by your proper

radiator man, to suit.And you're right Stuart, I've never managed to source an original

rad.

Roger M-E

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