Open Road

Anyone here own or are interested in the Triumph cars?

Mine is a '74 TR6. Was a restoration done prolly 20 years ago now.

Very simple cars... fun to tool around in... classic looking and at one time was a choice of inexpensive club racing.

Replaced by Mazda miatas, decades ago.

And yeah, Achilles heel, Lucas electrics.

Gretch wrote: ↑Fri Jun 30, 2023 4:16 pm Anyone here own or are interested in the Triumph cars?

Mine is a '74 TR6. Was a restoration done prolly 20 years ago now.

Very simple cars... fun to tool around in... classic looking and at one time was a choice of inexpensive club racing.

Replaced by Mazda miatas, decades ago.

And yeah, Achilles heel, Lucas electrics.

Had a GT6MK3 through High school and college.

Fun to drive, easy to work on, always getting practice at the later so you can do the former.

Had a 78 Spitfire back in the early 80s, once I got rid of the original ignition system, it ran great.
Rear suspension sucked, but it was fun to drive.

Greg

This one I have does have an electronic ignition and an alternator. Also has the aftermarket Ansa (sp?) Dual exhaust.

It is a cute, simple little car.

I need to get it out and drive it more...

I tried to buy a '68 GT6+ as my 1st car when I was in HS, but my dad put the nix on that idea....so I ended up with a Pinto
Still, it beat walking or riding a bicycle!
We've never had a British car of any kind to this day, but can take some solace when we drop the top and blast around in our S2000

My dad put the nix on a well worn 240z, then I got the GT6 (73 model in 78)
Caused quite a stir when I blasted through the Bus Lane to pick up my girlfriend (now wife) from her high school.

The "second time" she had to drive me the second 1/2 of the way to work (83), she insisted a get new car ( Martini 924), and said we could not have any more British cars.

Somehow in 90 she got a Range Rover.
(Apparently the limitation on British cars was for "me" not "we".) (Undefeated)

My first car was a "bugeye" AH Sprite, second car was an MGB. Neither was trouble free, but they were still a helluva lot of fun. No Triumphs though.

Get out an drive it, Gretch! I'm sure it's fun and some regular drives would keep it healthy. And remember to always carry some of this:

jcnesq wrote: ↑Wed Jul 05, 2023 12:19 am My first car was a "bugeye" AH Sprite, second car was an MGB. Neither was trouble free, but they were still a helluva lot of fun. No Triumphs though.

Get out an drive it, Gretch! I'm sure it's fun and some regular drives would keep it healthy. And remember to always carry some of this:

Just remember, while 530433 is a direct replacement for Under the Dash smoke, and can be successfully used as a substitute for the no longer available 530434 Behind the Taillight smoke, it can not be use for 530666 engine wiring harness smoke.

I had the predecessor to the TR6, a TR-250. Lots of fun, and a good car to learn how to do stuff on as there was always something to do.

Great sounding exhaust Gretch, drive it !

A TR-6, “the shape of things that come”? I figured you as more of a Citroen kinda guy…. Lol

Edit: I am thinking of the TR-7, I believe…

sh944 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 05, 2023 10:49 pm A TR-6, “the shape of things that come”? I figured you as more of a Citroen kinda guy…. Lol

Edit: I am thinking of the TR-7, I believe…

Yes you are.
And the only thing that came was the TR-8.

jcnesq wrote: ↑Wed Jul 05, 2023 12:19 am My first car was a "bugeye" AH Sprite, second car was an MGB. Neither was trouble free, but they were still a helluva lot of fun. No Triumphs though.

Get out an drive it, Gretch! I'm sure it's fun and some regular drives would keep it healthy. And remember to always carry some of this:

A buddy in high school had an AH bug eye Sprite. 950cc engine he could pull out of the car by hand.

Anothe good friend had an MGA. At the time I was driving an Opel kadette. Fun, cheap beaters, all three.

I want to get the TR out this summer... it is stuffed in the back of a barn right now and getting it out is a ridiculous chore of minute moves...

I remember I would turn on the left directional signal on the TR250 and the windshield wipers would take a swipe.

ny991 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 8:58 am I remember I would turn on the left directional signal on the TR250 and the windshield wipers would take a swipe.

It is supposed to do that.

That way your windshield is clear so you can see oncoming traffic before a left turn.

On my GT6 the Hazard lights never worked.

I bought a new switch. Still didn't work.

Got out a tester and traced the wiring. There was no way to make them work the way the car was wired.
My guess is they never worked, even when the car was new.

Gretch wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:59 pm
I want to get the TR out this summer... it is stuffed in the back of a barn right now and getting it out is a ridiculous chore of minute moves...

It's July, summertime! Get that little bitch on the road!!

amdavid wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 5:32 pm

Gretch wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:59 pm
I want to get the TR out this summer... it is stuffed in the back of a barn right now and getting it out is a ridiculous chore of minute moves...

It's July, summertime! Get that little bitch on the road!!

amdavid wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 3:27 pm

Naaaaah, it’s already autumn ;-)

lupo.sk wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 3:58 pm
Naaaaah, it’s already autumn ;-)

The honey do list was long this summer.

I have a love/hate relationship with Triumphs. I helped my dad restore a '76 TR7 way back in '85/'86. It had sat next to a car that caught fire and the paint was bubbled down the driver's side.
He bought it for $500. He passed on a 914 in favor of the TR7. He always had a penchant for oddball cars including El Caminos, etc.

We sanded and painted the TR7 then got it running.

That 2L four cylinder sounded sooooooo good with the Monza exhaust. The twin Zenith Stromburgs..... another story entirely.

As Gretch states..... Very simple cars and easy to work on. Parts are still floating around.

I do catch myself admiring the TR6 cars from time to time. A classic, proper British roadster.

the TR6 2 liter engine is a 6 cylinder, not 4. I do not remember what they put in the TR7, which in my opinion was among the ugliest cars ever out of British motor works.......

And I have not managed to get her out of the barn yet this season, though i have checked on her, my two P cars and the Harley, several times this summer.

TR-7 was a 4, but not sure what it was from.
The TR-8 was the Rover/Range Rover V8

N_Jay wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:53 pm TR-7 was a 4, but not sure what it was from.
The TR-8 was the Rover/Range Rover V8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_slant-four_engine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_B_engine

The slant 4 article says that the V8 version was used in the TR-8,
But almost every reference to the TR-8 says it uses the Rover V8, an evolution of the Buick 215.

N_Jay wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:00 pm The slant 4 article says that the V8 version was used in the TR-8,
But almost every reference to the TR-8 says it uses the Rover V8, an evolution of the Buick 215.

That is correct, Triumph (apparently out of pure hubris) did develop their own V8....but it only ever was put into the Stag.

NSXguy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:46 pm

N_Jay wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:00 pm The slant 4 article says that the V8 version was used in the TR-8,
But almost every reference to the TR-8 says it uses the Rover V8, an evolution of the Buick 215.

That is correct, Triumph (apparently out of pure hubris) did develop their own V8....but it only ever was put into the Stag.

Funny, I just saw a TR-8 at the gas station yesterday. Sounded pretty mean.

He was probably gassing it up to put it away for the winter

ny991 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 9:43 am

NSXguy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:46 pm

N_Jay wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:00 pm The slant 4 article says that the V8 version was used in the TR-8,
But almost every reference to the TR-8 says it uses the Rover V8, an evolution of the Buick 215.

That is correct, Triumph (apparently out of pure hubris) did develop their own V8....but it only ever was put into the Stag.

Funny, I just saw a TR-8 at the gas station yesterday. Sounded pretty mean.

He was probably gassing it up to put it away for the winter

Yep, we're going through the same process now with our 'fun' cars....before the temps crash and the snow flies in MI

Have a friend that did the Buick V6 swap in TR7.

Made it faster, but did not cure the "fucking ugly".



Never did get the "Little Brit" out this year. She is tucked away for the winter now, along with the Harley and the German Ladies.

Their new home is under construction.

For those who like reading Peter Egan, he has some great stories about his TR3, and his best friend (RIP) who also had one.

There is a "side glances" column about how both he and his friend were both still married to their college girlfriends.
He attributed it to dating in an unreliable car. (TR3).

One of my later cars in college was a ‘65 Spitfire, replaced the exhaust with well pipe (correct diameter, you might be a redneck…). Once the clutch went out with some butt pucker moments driving downtown Columbus until I could get back on the freeway. Top was a pain in the ass with worn out snap fasteners; daily driver for the last 7 years, a Miata.

Went to help a friend buy a Spitfire back in HS when I had my GT6.

On a test drive (owner driving) we ended up upside down.

Damn lucky to be alive, still have the road-rash on my shoulder.

I put the top up once to drive my TR6, because it was raining.

Horrible experience and miserable visibility. Oh and wipers absolutely suck! They run off of manifold vacuum.

1960' Triumph is like a 1950's jeep

N_Jay wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:23 am Went to help a friend buy a Spitfire back in HS when I had my GT6.

On a test drive (owner driving) we ended up upside down.

Damn lucky to be alive, still have the road-rash on my shoulder.

Back when I was about 15, was riding with a friend in his right hand drive Austin Healey, speeding up a narrow canyon, another car was coming down and buddy lost control, I remember sky passing in my view and we went off the road into a shallow stream bed with jagged concrete blocks in the bottom. Thankfully wasn't wearing a seat belt. We both flew out of the car and landed in the bushes on the up-slope hill beyond the stream. Shaking ourselves off, our first words were "Oh shit, how are we going to explain this??!!" Talk about being lucky, we both should have died in that one, but ultimately walked away with nothing but some scratches.

Triumph TR3 Croatia 2009

terry997 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 09, 2023 10:39 am Triumph TR3 Croatia 2009

I know exactly where that is - Split harbour ;)