Searching for a Triumph ?
Try searching Hemmings Motor news classified ads. This is the best place to find what you are looking for. Type in the make and model of car and immediately find dozens of cars to choose from http://www.hemmings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/classifieds.main
Also browse the car listings of the Vintage Triumph Register http://www.vtr.org/ads/index.html
A word about Originality
Unless you are looking to acquire a concourse car, don't be disappointed because the car you are looking at doesn't have the proper originally installed equipment. Recently a guy rang my doorbell because he spotted my TR3A in my garage and told me that he owned an early TR3 which he had purchased the year before but hadn't taken it out of the garage because he was ashamed that he had been cheated. When I insisted that he take me to see it forthwith, I found a car that was in fact a late TR3A which had had a "nose job". The front pressing had come off an early TR3, the hood had been modified to pin locks, the carbs came off of an I don't know what, the passenger door was TR3, the drivers door was TR3A late and the seats were TR4A. Mechanically the TR4 engine was a bit tired and the brakes had welded brake lines with rubber hoses!. Of course the TS plate came off the TR3 donor car so he'll never know his real TS number but all is really irrelevant. We are now getting the car mechanically safe and it will be back on the road shortly with yet another beaming and proud TR driver behind the wheel:}
If you are looking for an original car, then I would suggest that you get a copy of Bill Piggots "Original TriumphTR2-3/3A" book or the one for the TR4/4A in which you will find tons of material on what constitutes an original car.
OK so now you've purchased that old sad looking bag of bolts some call a car - What to do next?
First thing to do of course is to figure out what exactly you've purchased..........Hopefully
you can Identify the car from it's TS number which can be found on the plate (if it's
still attached) on the passenger side of the front wall of the engine compartment.
Generally it's a aluminum and black rectangular plate which says Triumph Sports on it. The
number begins with TS .........
- Tr2's number between 1 and 8636 - distinguished by it's recessed small grill, body
colored beading and painted hinges on bonnet and boot (trunk fer all us
north American types)
- TR3's number between 8637 and 22013 - distinguished by a larger grill, no exterior door
handles
- TR3A (Early) Number between 22014 and about 58000 - distinguished by the large mouth
grill with turn signal flashers, exterior door handles and lockable trunk handle and
chrome license plate light. Center dash plate painted black instead of interior color
-TR3A (Late) number 60001 thru 82347 ...distinguished by Raised embosses beneath hood and
boot hinges, Seam in rear body panel forward of trunk above rear wheel well, electrical
components under hood (ie regulator) mounted perpendicular to previous models, Spade
terminals on regulator.
TR3B The numbers begin with TSF1 thru 530 and TCF1 thru TCF 2804 these cars were
produced strictly for export to the USA market and are very much identical to the late
TR3A's
-TR4 Instead of TS, CT starting from number 1 thru 40304 - Body totally redesigned
from the TR3 but mounted on the same tubular "cruciform" frame. Major changes to
TR3 suspension system and front steering
TR4A CTC 50001 thru 78684 Walnut dashboard instead of painted, center console added
There are sometimes letters which follow the TS number
"SP" refers to Speed Models
"L" refers to Left hand Drive
"O" refers to Overdrive
Ok so now hopefully you've figured out what model treasure you have purchased.... WHAT DO I DO NEXT?
Next you call 1) Roadster Factory 800-234-1104 2) Moss Motors 800-667-7872 3) Victoria British 800-255-0088 . Call all three and have them send you a free parts catalogue and price list. (I think today you may even be able to download these from the net ) There are good reasons for doing this as A) These folks are the biggest mail order catalogue parts suppliers B) Along with the parts description are invaluable exploding diagrams of all the various components of your car C) When inevitably you will have a problem and require parts, you will know how to refer to them by name instead of "thingamajig next to the thing I push down on when I step on the brake" D) these catalogues are free and when you own an old car never refuse anything that is free (except for free advice)
OK so now I have figured out what model I have and I have all these catalogues what do I do next?
1) Get a proper servicing Manual. I recommend the Haynes manual but I understand that it's now out of print. The "original workshop Manual" is still being printed so it's the next best thing (even if it's a bit long winded) Even if you don't work on your car yourself, the person that will, will be greatly indebted to you for having a service manual available to him/her. (I have recently come across a supply of brand new Haynes Manuals, about 50 bucks CDN, so if anyone needs one just drop me an e-mail)
2) Find a garage that is knowledgeable about servicing Triumph sports cars. Don't have these temperamental babies serviced at your local auto mechanic unless he has a good understanding of this type of car. More damage can be done by a skilled professional than one can imagine! Remember your car is somewhere between 35 and 50 years old and whatever one touches unnecessarily usually breaks or falls apart shortly thereafter.
3) Ask lots of questions from others who own similar cars. - Anyone who owns this type of car is a glutton for punishment and most are extremely grateful to help others who are less knowledgeable. Unfortunately the advice can be sometimes bad. Fewer and fewer people have a good understanding of how these "simple" vehicles operate and how one goes about servicing or repairing them. Try to ask as many people as possible what they think and when you get more than 2 that agree then you can usually be assured that it's the correct way to go about the job.
4) Join a club - VTR (Vintage Triumph Register) is the largest US Triumph organization with about 2,500 active members and has "zones" in almost every area of the USA. Join up for 25 bucks a year and you can draw on their resources. They have specialists for every Triumph model, have book libraries, hold an annual National convention and various regional car shows which along with attracting owner members to display their cars at these shows, also attract many parts suppliers which you can source New or used parts from. http://www.vtr.org The TR Register is another National Triumph club which specializes in TR2 and TR3's. If you are planning to become one of the more fanatical TR owners then this is the one you will want to join!
Remember you are not alone, there is plenty of help if you need it!
OK so do I fix it or just go ahead and take my chances?
This is entirely up to you. These cars were made to be driven and sometimes the less you touch the better it will drive. I can assure you that the more closely you will look, the more likely you will find stuff that needs attention. If you simply want a daily driver or something to scoot about in on the odd warm summers day then do as little as possible cosmetically and concentrate getting the car mechanically shipshape. Fixing and restoring these cars can get pretty expensive and one thing tends to lead to another, so unless you have the budget for it don't go overboard. If you are planning to fully restore your car then rule of thumb is whatever price you figured on getting it done for at the beginning double by the time it's complete. Before taking anything apart, make sure that you have the resources to finish the job. The worst thing that one can do is begin a project which never gets finished because of lack of time or lack of funds or both. When planning on repairs concentrate on mechanical things first. It is far more important to make the car safe to drive and somewhat reliable (it will never be as reliable as your daily vehicle, forget those dreams!) than trying to make it look pretty.
What to look for when purchasing a TR4
First off the general condition of the car. This should be no
different than if you were going to buy another 2nd hand vehicle. You know
what to do.
Specific to the 4
- Check out the frame for any undue rust. Unless it's been thoroughly
undercoated I would expect to find some surface rust but no holes
or rot. If there is minor rust damage this could be fixed by a good welder.
- Check out the rockers. Are the cookie cutters (the end caps) in place
and solid. These are found at the front and rear of the rocker
panels. If they are solid no problem. If they are holed, particularly the
front one you probably will have to replace the inner and outer rockers.
- Floor panels, pull back the carpeting and check this out.
- The place where 4's rust first is just in front of the rear lights. The
inner and outer fenders come together there and it's a great place
for dirt, leaves etc to collect, stay wet and rust from the inside out.
- The top should be reasonably tight and reasonably water proof. Get
a hose on the roof and
look for leaks. Some is normal, particularly for a 39 year old British car. If there is it can be fixed. My 67 does not
leak at all.
- Engine, the 2.2 liter engine is pretty much bullet proof, it's a simple
design and very easy to work on.
- Transmission, any weird noises, clunks ?
- Diff, should be tight with no clunk when you move from reverse to
forward or the other way.
- Interior, this is up to you.
That's pretty much it, from a high level. If there is anything else let me
know.
Tom Tom Snabl <tom.snabl@eicon.com>
(Original Owner 67 TR4)