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TR6 16y.o. First car- Triumph TR-6 Advice???

Slasher

Freshman Member
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Okay Son just bought his first car... this Triumph




It needs a bunch of work...but have always thought I should go to the experts for advice, so here I am... It has lil rust issues.. but the pans, trunk have minimal rust in front of floorboard corners behind the seats.. a couple lil blisters on passenger door... rust in rear deck at back edge... A great father/son project!!!I have had old cars and understand that cutting and welding, sanding and POR-15 are our friends!!!



No blue smoke, but I am sure it burns a lil oil... It sure does leak a wee bit... Runs rich...


Found a bent frame once we got it home... One front tire is about two inches lower than the other side...Took to collision center, will get on the end of this week...

steering wheel has big wobble on deceleration, yet hit acceleration it is stable as can be. I can move the steering column/wheel up and down about an inch so Iknow a bushing is in order... But drove it home 45 miles and it runs pretty strong!!!

But at the price, I say we are doing well

What manual to use?

Whats best place for electrical trouble shooting turn signals?

a good floor jack as my floor jack is for a Bronco.. not lil english sports cars- it wont fit...

Source for sheet metal..Need new deck skin or patch panel if available..

any advice is welcome!!!

Also if you'd pm what a fair price guesstimate on value i'd appreciate it as I have a wife that has concerns... but I have seen many project cars at higher prices...
 
Congratulations TO YOUR SON. I am betting that he just wants to drive the car and do a bit of cosmetics as you go. My advice would be to make sure the car safety issues are all good and let him drive it a bit before you tear into any body /rust issues.
If you have a Harbor Freight store nearby you can get a low profile floor jack that should fit underneath the car very nicely. Be sure to also get jack stands and not rely on the jack alone when under the car.
These cars are relatively simple. As to the turn signals I would start with checking for a bad bulb. Amazing how one bad bulb messes with the whole system. These cars use standard color coded wires so tracing wiring to things like turn signals is easy.
For value go to Hagerty.com and use their value calculator.
As to parts there are two major parts suppliers in the U.S.A.. they are The Roadster Factory and Moss Motors. There are others but watch out and realize to often you get what you pay for. On ebay you can find replacement panels , doors, etc..
Enjoy.
Charley
 
The more manuals the better; but if you have only one, I'd suggest the factory workshop manual (or the Bentley reprint of it). You can download a PDF at
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2H2NJt34OffZTJaeXJhWllGWnc/view?usp=sharing
or the usual suspects should sell a paper copy. There are a few more odds and ends that might be helpful at
https://drive.google.com/folderview...yMy00ZDhkLTliOWEtOWU1OWRhNDZhYmRl&usp=sharing
(but obviously most of them don't apply to TR6)

For electrical, the first thing to do is get the appropriate wiring diagram from
https://www.advanceautowire.com/schematics.htm
If that isn't enough, then I suggest "Triumph TR250-TR6 Electrical Maintenance Handbook" by Dan Masters. It covers each circuit in detail, with both theory and step-by-step troubleshooting; and is intended for the car enthusiast that knows little or nothing about electricity. Available from the usual suspects, flea-bay, etc.
https://trf.zeni.net/novelties/21.php

A warning about eBay : Be very sure you can recognize the part that fits your car. Many sellers advertise a wider range than the part actually fits, and not all TR6 parts fit all TR6. There were a lot of changes over the years, especially the emissions equipment which was different almost every year. By the same token, the information in the manuals isn't always exactly right for your particular car.
 
Welcome, Not a bad 1st car. It was my first also...39 years ago. Be sure to have the frame checked over well. They are known to have some issues. The rest can be delt with.
 
The more manuals the better; but if you have only one, I'd suggest the factory workshop manual (or the Bentley reprint of it). You can download ....

Thanks!! I did not know about that site - tons of great stuff there!
 
One more major supplier https://www.victoriabritish.com

Also TRF used to have a deal that if you invest $5000, you get a good return plus you get 30% or similar discount as long as you leave your initial $5K with them.

nfi - I use all 3 major suppliers.
 
Until you buy a manual, you can find a wiring diagram for your car at the link below.
https://www.advanceautowire.com/schematics.htm

If you go to Harbor Freight for a jack as suggested above by Charley, also buy a multimeter if you don't have one. Even the inexpensive ones are useful and I have one in the boot of each of my British cars.
 
Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice and reference materials!!!

Harbor freight multimeters work fine for 95% and I bought 4 of the to keep in the house, in toolboxes, on work bench etc.... Cheap jacks work great to raise and lower light wt vehicles like the TR6 and my DD Yaris, but my wife's Excursion or my 78 Bronco, spend a few extra $ for a Torin.

What I must do first is power my shop/barn. I've been wanting to since we bought the place, but try to figure out how to set up lighting 120/240v circuits for wood working and automotive is tricky....I am sure it's going to cost a pretty penny as well, but my CFO has relented and has approved fast track$$$ to make it happen.... What I never understood is who builds a shop like this and doesn't power it?





Thats 30x60 shop and 30x60 covered...
 
Here are some more good links, https://herald-tips-tricks.wdfiles....art0/Lucas Fault Diagnosis Service Manual.pdf
This is a great site for tech tips on rebuilds of the parts that wear out and such: https://buckeyetriumphs.org/technical/technical.htm

Make sure the rubber isn't old, tires have a date on them, google how to check it, some say 7 years or so is as old as you want, but certainly after 10 or so you may want to replace them, many times they have great tread, bit since the cars don't get much use they get old, same with brakes, I usually replace brake hoses and hydraulics if I don't know how old the components are.

You might also flick the hazards off and on a few times if the turn signals don't work, the all the wiring for the turn signals goes through that switch, and if the contacts are iffy they will quit.

Edit: We cross posted, dang, power or not, I have some pretty serious shop envy going on right now.
 
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Thanks Glemon

tires need replacing before he gets the keys.... There are two that match and one of the tires actually says cargo (trailer tire)

I pulled a connector under the hood and saw the terrible green corrosion, so early start will be some contact cleaner, some brushes/ sandpaper and dielectric grease and work our way through the systems....
 
Sounds like you are on the right track, good learning experience for him, and a cool car as well, have fun!
 
It's about 100yds, but the neighbors power line runs about 10yds from the back corner...
So we'll have a separate meter installed... I don't have room in the box for the house... And I don't want to deal with updated codes on my home...
 
Lots of good advice given so far on manuals, parts sources and links. Buckeye Triumphs is particularly useful for tech advice and walk throughs on various projects. One thing that I've been trying to figure out, where was that last picture in your first post taken (street, town/city since there are so many around here)? It looks so familiar to me, but I just can't place it.
 
The pics in the first post...
Are my barn, my front yard, and outside the car dealers garage...
They'd taken it in trade Thursday eve and I took that picture around noon Friday.... Then went and got no.1 son and wife so we could drive it home
 
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