We’ve been working on a very clean TR6. We’ve removed the motor and transmission. The motor will be rebuilt and the factory transmission will be replaced with a Toyota five speed, an increasingly popular conversion. We just so happen to have a few extra that we’ve brought in for occasions like this, so contact us if you’re interested.

Is a Toyota Five-Speed superior to a factory box with overdrive? Frankly speaking, I never noticed any shortcomings with the standard transmission, but then again my experience is quite limited. The large majority of Triumphs I’ve ever driven have been Dean’s, who has the unusual habit of working on transmissions and enjoying himself at the same time. Consequently, the transmissions in his cars tend to work pretty well. I asked Chip to tell me the merits of one versus the other. I’ll summarize our conversation in a separate post in the near future so you can draw your own conclusions, and provide a link on This Week at the Shop to a conversion site for further information.

Let’s see the car… click any picture for a larger view.

Prior to engine/trans removal, guarded by Zeus

From the rear

As it sits now

Engine Internals

The block belted in for the ride to the machine shop. Safety first, doncha know.

I’ll make every effort to take pictures of the re-installation arrangement so you can see what parts are involved.

Smiling Face

When we last saw our TR3, it had no face. Now, it’s almost ready to go, save for the carbs that aren’t back from Gary Martin yet.  The motor is rebuilt, the trans is ready, the wiring is all tested.  Once we have a way to mix fuel and air, we’re in business.

Interior back together.

Psst, Hey Buddy, Can I borrow a carb?

Metal Conduit In Lieu of Factory Pushrod Tubes — Not A Successful Idea

One of our local TR4 owners had us take a look at his motor. We did and found, among other things, that someone had removed the pushrod tubes from the cylinder head at some point. Sometimes, this is no big deal, but those times coincide with cars whose cylinder heads have REMOVABLE pushrod tubes. TR4s do not. Technically, I suppose, they are removable, in the same way you can remove one of your teeth if you have to… but it will never be the same. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

If you double click on the photo, I labelled one of the tubes. The others are the same. The factory tubes were replaced with metal conduit. Yep, conduit. Can’t blame that oil leak on Triumph.

Combine that with problems with the block, and this owner is looking for a new motor.

Don’t misunderstand, I’m not casting stones. I am a guy who once hit an entire 50 cap roll of caps with a sledgehammer, rendering myself deaf for 30 minutes. I’m fully capable of mangling a cylinder head. We’re just here to educate. Don’t try this at home.

Rebuilt TR3 engine back at home

Waiting is a downer. Old cars just make it worse, because the last time I checked NAPA wasn’t stocking sleeves for a Triumph wet-liner four cylinder. When you get into the old iron, you don’t just wait on the mechanic, you wait on the parts, the machining, and sometimes the verification that the parts you ordered actually work. Heaven forbid they no longer make what you need. If keeping up with these things were as easy as speaking (as opposed to accomplishing) the necessary tasks, I’d have a warehouse full of old stuff. It’s magnitudes quicker to say than do.

Snapshot of some wiring harness progress

Such were my thoughts when I saw this TR3 on the lift with the motor installed. I’ve been looking at parts of it for a few weeks now while other parts got divorced and sent off for counseling. It’s a relief to see everything reconciled. Start up will be another comforting moment.

The front with no apron. With the apron and hood, it will look like a car again.

We have two TR4s in here now, so I suppose it can get confusing keeping them straight.  They’re both red, too.  And both have needed a bunch of metal.  The one in these photos has been here longer and was the subject of this earlier post.  In addition to the battery box, the car needed metal on many different parts of the body.  It had been repaired earlier using the “It’ll do for a while” method.  I find consolation imagining that it kept the car going long enough to get it here.  The following photos show the new metal in the floors, sills, and battery box.  It’s beautiful work done by James Bowler of Weldone here in Richmond.  The man can bend some metal.  Take a look at the finished product and the things we found in the car.

New Battery Box

New Floorpans

James’ Sill Work

Here’s A Sign We Uncovered and Removed from the Floor

Here’s the pile of rusted metal and fiberglass patchwork removed from the car.