Social Scene 324
Neil Pinto writes:
As I write the mercury is just over 30C, and the forecast indicates a few more days of this temperature before the inevitable thunderstorm.
Jane Mould is one of TVG members, having owned a 1969 TR6 for some 23 years. She very proud of her car. She’s got a few problems at the moment with a dodgy rear axle and the battery is flat! She’s planning to take the car to Hardy’s for them to fix the former. It also seems that some vermin have also taken to the car and is looking for ways to get rid of them – any suggestions? Hopefully we will be able to get a further photo when all the work is completed, and the rats have gone!
One of the issues with TRs – and Stags – is cooling and high ambient temperatures can test the system to the limit, especially if the cars are driven hard. The first job which I did on my TR6 when I bought it some years ago was to replace the belt driven fan with an electrical fan made by Revington. This is a “pull” fan – located on the engine side of the radiator. I know that others favour a “push” fan, and some TRers have fitted this in addition to the belt driven fan! I don’t think that there is any discernible improvement in fuel consumption resulting from installation of my electric fan – but then again we don’t buy our TRs with fuel economy in mind. I fitted a manual override switch so that I do not have to rely on the operation of the thermostat located in the top radiator hose. We have also had a discussion within our group on the merits of waterless coolant. Mervyn Rogers – who has put in stalwart service to the Register and to the Thames Valley Group – is a big “fan” (!) and notes how his temperature gauge is rock steady even in the most onerous conditions. Others are less convinced, citing problems if there is a leak in the system and there is a need to top up water if that’s all that is available. There are also stories as to potential corrosion issues. I’m sure that there is not a right answer to this – part of the fun of classic car ownership is in working out the solution which best fits your own requirements.
Clarkson, in his column in the Sunday Times last weekend, admitted to a yearning for classic car - “being distracted by the idea of a TR6”. Other candidates included a BMW 3.0 CSL, an old Mini Cooper, a Lancia Fulvia or Montecarlo, an Austin-Healey 3000, or (top of his list) a 1963 Alfa Giulia Spider or Montreal. To my mind the TR6 stands out from this list as being both affordable (Alfas cost big money these days) and fun (what’s better than the roof down on a sunny day. TRs also have the merit that, when you turn the steering wheel, the car goes in that direction! The BMW 3.0 CSL is a very beautiful car, though…..
By the time this edition of TR Action hits our doormats such issues will be long past, and how to keep warm will be more of a problem. It is to be hoped that Covid 19 also be a distant memory and we will be able to resume a more normal life, meeting up again as a Group. In the meantime, however, our evening meetings at the Stepping Stones pub in Westhumble, Dorking (RH5 6BS) on the third Wednesday of each month from 20:00 continue to be cancelled, as do our Sunday lunchtime meetings on the last Sunday of the month at the Surrey Oaks (RH5 5DZ), starting at 12:00.