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TR6 First 24 hours of TR6 ownership: head comes off

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sammyb

Luke Skywalker
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I've learned a bit about the '74 TR6 I just bought yesterday. It's officially a Pimento Red and Chestnut-colored car...and it has a broken spark plug that won't budge no matter how much heat and bolt-extractor torque I throw at it.

When I took off the valve cover to give a little more room to maneuver, I noticed just the slightest bit of frothing oil on two of the lifters. Given the situation, I decided to simply remove the head. It would have gone much faster if I had my full toolbox up at my other garage, but even with only a few wrenches and a couple sockets, I only have three more bolts to go. (I ran out of time.) I kept thinking to myself that although the bolts are very easy access - it was taking me longer than when I removed the head on my TR3. It then hit me that the extra two cylinders translated to exponentially more nuts and bolts.

I haven't done inventory on the spare parts, but I wonder if there's a head gasket kit in there? In any event, I'll get to inspect the cylinders and have a professional machine shop inspect the head and make sure it's level. Once it's off the car, I should have a much easier time getting the spark plug threads out...and if not, the machine shop can probably do it in five minutes.

I just keep laughing to myself that I just spent money on a car and I'm taking it apart not 24 hours later.
 
Just keep reminding yourself it could always be worse!

I bought my second Stag some 2000 miles from home, and tried to drive it back. Just a few hours after picking it up, I was sitting in a Walmart parking lot, alternately buying tools and trying to get the rear brakes unstuck. Finally got them loosened up with liberal application of the biggest hammer that Walmart had (figured if the drums broke then the brakes would be free) and drove on with no rear brakes.

Then coming out of Phoenix, the front brakes locked up and ...

Fortunately, I got the fronts working again :smile:

Good luck with the seized plug.
 
TR3driver said:
Just keep reminding yourself it could always be worse!

I bought my second Stag some 2000 miles from home, and tried to drive it back. Just a few hours after picking it up, I was sitting in a Walmart parking lot, alternately buying tools and trying to get the rear brakes unstuck. Finally got them loosened up with liberal application of the biggest hammer that Walmart had (figured if the drums broke then the brakes would be free) and drove on with no rear brakes.

Then coming out of Phoenix, the front brakes locked up and ...

Fortunately, I got the fronts working again :smile:

Good luck with the seized plug.
Click to expand...

I drove my Herald home the day I bought it with a failing master cylinder (you needed to pump it two or three times for the brakes to catch) and leaks in the rear brakes so they were fairly useless. The engine was overheating most of the way and as I later discovered instead of a head gasket, it had a sheet of newspaper and rtv rubber. Frighteningly, it had passed safety inspection the same day. I sort of wonder how much the previous owner passed under the table to get it to pass inspection.
 
That's why I never take an old car on a road trip home. Luckily, in this case, I bought the TR6 knowing the spark plug was broken off in the head. I just didn't think I'd need to remove the head to get it out. Still, it's all good, as getting the head off of an old-school pushrod inline six is a cakewalk compared to anything modern.
 
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