150 HP Triumph for sale

[Tinster]

Now this is a Triumph that I could easily take
in trade..... for delivering the Crypt Car
to the Crusher as per Wendy's wishes.

150 HP engine, new interior, no hidden bondo,
10 year warranty, superior gelcoat, no DPO hidden
time bombs, no Lucas Prince of Darkness electronics
to contend with and no breaking down in the middle
of a busy street or breaking down in the middle of the
night.

$28,000. Just insert key, add some fuel and bikini chicks
and we're good to go!!

Looking mighty grim for the once again dead Crypt Car.


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[bravenrace]

It doesn't come with the bikini chicks? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jerrybny]

How much for just the chicks? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[kc_doyle]

Too old for chicks. Besides my wife wouldn't let me drive one.

 

[Tinster]

I already got the wife's approval!!

Conditional upon the Crypt Car no longer being
a part of our lives.

I really have to give this one some serious
consideration.

The reality being my 1969 TR6 was simply nothing
more than a broken down, "parts car" that a slickster
put a $700 Earl Shibe paint job with clear coat
and sold to Wendy for $10,000. as a "almost 100%
restored ,antique British sportscar".

I don't believe it is possible to convert a
"parts car" into a streetable auto with any
kind of reliability factor. $22K in repairs and
the car cannot complete a simple 8 mile drive
without falling apart and stranding me?

Gotta give this one some serious thought.

dale

 

[trrdster2000]

Dale, if you can hold off just a month or so, I feel the cold weather will get to some of our Northern most folks and for room and board they will work all day just to be in the warm. Hang in there, I'm sure we would all like to be there to help. Wayne

 

[Guest]

Hey Dale, You are asking a partisan crowd here. You are going to hear a lot of people say keep it.

The reality is that you need to think about what's going to make you happy. If you drop another 10-15k into it and it's then reliable is that ok, or are you always going to look at it and think about all the grief it caused you to get there.

I was feeling like you do now a couple of weeks ago. I decided to give it one more chance, but it was a close run thing. If this doesn't work out it goes. No ifs ands or buts.

I think you need to take a step back and cool off. Don't act in haste or while angry; but if you decide enough is enough, no-one will blame you. If you decide to go on with it, everyone will be wishing you luck.

Personally I hope you go on - hearing about your trials helps me put mine into perspective...

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[brdave]

Will they take the crypt car on trade?

dave

 

[Guest]

Insure it for a whole bunch of money, wait for the next hurricane and roll it to the beach. Take lots of "before" pictures, from afar. You already have a ton of receipts.

 

[R6MGS]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Dale, You are asking a partisan crowd here. You are going to hear a lot of people say keep it.

The reality is that you need to think about what's going to make you happy. If you drop another 10-15k into it and it's then reliable is that ok, or are you always going to look at it and think about all the grief it caused you to get there.

I was feeling like you do now a couple of weeks ago. I decided to give it one more chance, but it was a close run thing. If this doesn't work out it goes. No ifs ands or buts.

I think you need to take a step back and cool off. Don't act in haste or while angry; but if you decide enough is enough, no-one will blame you. If you decide to go on with it, everyone will be wishing you luck.

Personally I hope you go on - hearing about your trials helps me put mine into perspective...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said....I've been there a few times, and as time goes on my pateince for these things is getting less and less....I've actually threatened to sell my entire fleet multiple times, but the wife and kids won't stand for it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif

Tinster, just step back for awhile....you see to really like the little car, enough to get it this far. Remember there can only be so many things wrong, and the more of it you do yourself, the less $$$$$ it costs you.

 

[DougF]

Dale,
If it makes you feel any better, in 1988 I bought a '74 TR6. Within a month of ownership (two weeks of driving time) the car rolled down a hill under it's own power, I don't want to get into how, and ended up at the base of a walnut tree. The tree won.
At purchase, I had replaced the exhaust to get it road worthy. After the accident, I took my insurance check and started buying parts. I should have bought a new car, but I was young and determined(stupid).
Everything from the fire wall forward was either replaced or rebuilt. New floors, frame, engine, tranny, differential, interior, dash, top and top frame were some of the major expenses. Thousands more dollars were spent on other stuff. This of course is in 80's dollars and the parts were considerably cheaper. I remember about $180.00 each for new quarter panels of which I bought four.
I had a car that looked presentable, but quite frankly, I hated it and drove it that way for 8 years.
I put many miles on the car, had fun at times, but never really considered it to be a true example of a TR6. One friend forbid the car to be parked anywhere near his driveway because of its many break downs while travelling to his house. The most exciting was total loss of brakes. Fortunately, he live on a hill. With my current TR6, which has many parts from that old car, I have discovered what a 6 is supposed to be like.
Unfortunately, it took a number of years and dollars. It has been quite an education. But this car has presented me with a number of problems in the past year. We have to remember that these cars are at least 30 years old.
I don't know your car. I only know what I have been able to read from your postings. Keep in mind that very few cars that are for sale have no faults. They have been inexpensive means of transportation/fun for many years and unfortunately we are now paying the price.
If you sell your car right now, you will be taking a big hit.
I guess I am reiterating what has already been said. Many of us have been through the trials that these cars throw at us. It all depends on your breaking point. I must have a very high pain tolerence or I am a very slow learner.
Do what ya gotta do.

 

[prb51]

If accesorized as pictured dump the car and buy the boat.

 

[NickMorgan]

Dale,
I can only sympathise with you. For $10k you should have had a car that was 100% reliable. I have bought two "restored" Triumphs and they were the worst Triumphs I have owned. Triumphs are generally very reliable, it is what POs do to them that cause unreliability. I find it is best to buy restoration projects and then at least you won’t be disappointed by hidden horrors.
I ended up re-rebuilding my TR4A that had supposedly been rebuilt before I bought it. The rebuilt Herald turned out to be so bad that I scrapped it!
You can get to the stage where you have sunk so much money into a car that you just have to continue. I suppose if you gave up now you will have lost $32k and have nothing. You could keep going and have a good car for only a few thousand more. It is never an easy decision.
I notice here that so many people sell their (normal) cars just after a major repair as they say it has become very expensive. Surely they have just spent the money and now they should keep it and enjoy it!
It is a real shame that this community is on line and that we are not local to you. I am sure we would all have your car up and running in no time!
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[roofman]

Nice pit crew, do they know anything about Triumphs? No, ok!

 

[Tinster]

Hey Nick!!

Normally I would agree with you 100% were it not
for the fact that brand new, no mileage components
are now failing. I don't think I have 25 miles on
the new clutch master, slave, hoses, arms, etc.
And it all blows up on me and leaves me stranded in
the middle of the night? ( Clutch stuff Professionally
installed at a small $$ fortune.)

Burning up coils at a rate of 1 per 17 miles with a
brand new Dan Masters Power Block entire car wire
harness.

Starts some days, doesn't start other days. Running fine
at 9:00 PM and then refuses to start at 8:00 AM the next moring.

Does anyone know of a similar "parts Car" that was
actually successfully restored to a streetable, reliable
auto? I would have great interest to speak with him.

I'm not sure throwing more money into a "parts car" will
ever yield a reliable vehicle. My wife has stated with no
room for doubt, she will never take a ride in the car
unless it within the confines of our neighborhood,
where she can walk home when it breaks down.

d

 

[JamesWilson]

Of course it's also said that a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into.

At least a dead LBC lets you walk home....

These are both expensive hobbies, and no car or boat will be immune from problems, er, challenges.

I'm 5 years+ into what I thought would be a much simpler and straightforward restoration. I've been frustrated, and aggravated, and there've been times when I just walked away from it for a couple of months. But I'm doing the work myself and know what I'm getting; and once it's all over, I think I'll enjoy having done the work as much as being able to drive the car around.

If it wasn't for that I'd have been better off cutting my losses and parting it out years ago and finding something less demanding to play with.

How much is it worth now? What will it be worth when its 100%? What will it cost to get there? How much pleasure, or how much pain, is the getting there worth to you?

Not everyone's cut out for LBC ownership, and, sadly, not all LBCs satisfy their owner's expectations. A good one is a great joy, a poor one can be just one costly mess after another.

 

[tdskip]

The car won't cost you monthly slip fees....

 

[R6MGS]

Well if it's any encouragement(maybe this is more of a discouraging thing to bring up?) But I've made some VERY poor cars reliable again with very little investment. The key, I think, is to set tiny goals and to tackle things as they come....don't get caught up in appearance or "might as well jobs" until you've got the car reliably driveable. I had a really buggered 77 MGB a few years back; got it as a non-running parts car....started diagnosing problems and as I fixed things...more and more problem popped up, this when on for months. But I eventually got the car up and running, and as able to turn a very good profit by selling it. I do all the work myself(at least the vast majority of it), and I try my best to shop around for parts to keep costs down.

 

[NickMorgan]

Dale,
My first TR3 was a rust-free California import. Well there was rust in the floors, boot, sills and battery compartment, but that was nothing compared to all of the other problems I came across:
bent chassis,
bent body to match,
engine had been run without thrust bearings so was beyond repair,
two bent wheels.
The interior was rotted out, the paint had been hand applied many years earlier and was peeling off, the choke cable was a six inch nail and length of wire, the suspension bushes were lengths of garden hose pipe, and much of the front was distorted.
It took me nine years to restore and I enjoyed every minute of it. I had professional help for the metal work and the paint, started with a replacement chassis and engine and rebuilt just about every other component. All of the chrome, wiring, rubber items, grille, lights, interior and gauges were replaced.
In the end I only drove it for 300 miles and sold it the day I finished the restoration. I had decided that as it was in A1 condition it could only deteriorate and I felt much more relaxed driving my scruffy TR.
I hope you are going to take the Crypt Car straight back to whoever rebuilt the clutch hydraulics. You seem to have been unlucky with the other items too. One thing I have discovered to my cost is that if you modify one component it often has a knock-on effect with another component.
Maybe you should buy the boat and tow the Crypt Car out on a raft and have a ceremonial burial at sea!

 

[Tinster]

Nick.

I like the Viking concept better.

Set fire to the barge at night and push
it out into an outgoing tide!!

d