-
Hi Guest!
If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Hello I'm new to Triumph Cars
- Thread starter Zitch
- Start date
Share this page
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
I second what Randall has said. I believe he has a very accurate and reasonable view.
I really enjoy both working on and driving these cars. If you are interested in doing both, nothing better.
$3500 is a good price. Keep in mind there are a couple of ways to go with the car. I have owned 5 triumphs including 3 TR4's. They are great cars. By getting it running and driving, the value will increase. If you think of hobbies in general, they require both time and money but it is done because of the fun involved. Your level of interest would be the main reason to go ahead. Looking at British vs German, if you are interested in working on the car yourself, British would be the better way to go. Much easier to work on, and parts would be much less expensive.
If you are open to doing most of the work yourself, then the investment is mostly with your time.
A key thing that I would like to point out is the level of help and knowledge the Triumph folks on this forum provide. I have had to work through fuel issues, timing issues, and electrical issues while getting a TR3a back on the road after sitting for 10 years. I received extremely helpful input from the forum. I can not say enough regarding the time saved based on the extremely helpful info provided. The forum's level of knowledge is very impressive.
I just received from Moss Motors, their winter catalog. There are a few articles from some folks that have gone through restorations. They really provide a great perspective on how much they enjoyed getting their cars back on the road and why.
One more comment, getting a car back on the road vs doing a major restoration can be a very good way to get started and involved in the LBC hoppy.
Steve
I really enjoy both working on and driving these cars. If you are interested in doing both, nothing better.
$3500 is a good price. Keep in mind there are a couple of ways to go with the car. I have owned 5 triumphs including 3 TR4's. They are great cars. By getting it running and driving, the value will increase. If you think of hobbies in general, they require both time and money but it is done because of the fun involved. Your level of interest would be the main reason to go ahead. Looking at British vs German, if you are interested in working on the car yourself, British would be the better way to go. Much easier to work on, and parts would be much less expensive.
If you are open to doing most of the work yourself, then the investment is mostly with your time.
A key thing that I would like to point out is the level of help and knowledge the Triumph folks on this forum provide. I have had to work through fuel issues, timing issues, and electrical issues while getting a TR3a back on the road after sitting for 10 years. I received extremely helpful input from the forum. I can not say enough regarding the time saved based on the extremely helpful info provided. The forum's level of knowledge is very impressive.
I just received from Moss Motors, their winter catalog. There are a few articles from some folks that have gone through restorations. They really provide a great perspective on how much they enjoyed getting their cars back on the road and why.
One more comment, getting a car back on the road vs doing a major restoration can be a very good way to get started and involved in the LBC hoppy.
Steve
Old British cars are a hobby (or obsession); never a sound financial decision. The cheapest way to have a "restored" car is always to buy one that someone else has restored.
That said, doing your own work on them and driving the results is satisfying, rewarding and FUN. If you think you can handle the work (and these cars are mostly very easy to work on) and there are no major rust issues or missing parts, then I'd say $3500 is a Good Deal. I paid more than that for my TR3 and it was disassembled, in primer and missing some parts. And I still think I got a good deal on it.
D
Deleted member 12521
Guest
Guest
Offline
Sorry to hi-jack the thread, but Randall, i'm curious what the switches mounted under the speedo and tach are for.
On the topic of the TR4, I feel guilty for saying: I think they're the coolest-looking Triumph. There, I said it, no taking it back now.
On the topic of the TR4, I feel guilty for saying: I think they're the coolest-looking Triumph. There, I said it, no taking it back now.
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
I'm not entirely certain. The previous owner had removed the original control head and added the (optional) heater without using the stock heater control, so I am guessing that one of them was the horn switch and one was the heater switch. You can see the turn signal switch that he added, to the left of the speedo. (Strangely enough, he drilled a new hole for it, right between the original holes for OD & heater.) But I wasn't happy with either his choice of modifications, or the quality of the work, so I pulled it all back out along with the wooden steering wheel., "turned metal" instrument panel and aftermarket radio.
Probably should have kept the wheel, as I later discovered that it was a rare period accessory; but I traded it to a friend for some other TR stuff. He built a really cool control head to go on it, though, so maybe I'm just jealous
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
OK, I know you are planning to buy, just the same If also wanted to add some more regarding your new car.
1) Looks to be a very original and complete "early" TR4. All Triumph TR's are good from my perspective but wanted to point out a few things I noticed about yours (see #2 below).
2) It has the original gear shift knob. Even if it is not what you end up using, I would keep it for when you decide to sell the car. There are many Triumph folks that like the original bits.
3) Same with the steering wheel. I also have an earlier TR4 that came with the same wheel which I believe is period correct. I did replace mine during the restoration, but also kept the original. I am now very glad I did keep the original and plan to restore it. If you are up to cleaning it up, it should look really nice.
4) The early TR4's had the same seats as TR3's with a slightly different fabric pattern. The later TR4's seats were different. I really like the looks of the original versions that your car has because it really reflects the look of an earlier 60's british sports cars. Also, I like the earlier TR4's with the SU carburetors and long neck radiator that were also used on the TR3's.
5) One thing I noticed is how complete your car is. What can cause some problems if the previous owner (PO) either took the car apart and/or replaced with non original parts for a "quick fix" approach. Your car looks to be very original and when items were replaced, were done with original parts. This is good.
6) One last item, I noticed on the steering column, opposite the turn signal, there is a round rubber item hanging there. On the early TR4's like yours, this is where the OD (Overdrive) switch was located. It looks just like the turn signal switch except on the opposite side of the column. It might be that you car has OD with a broken switch. If you have OD on your car, the value definitely goes up. One way to check is to look at the serial # of the car. It is located close to where the picture you showed with the body # aluminum tag. My serial number is something close to 16xxx LO. The key is the LO or really the O which signifies your car originally included the overdrive option.
After closer looking at your potential purchase, I would definitely go ahead as planned unless the car is so rusted out to be unsafe which it does not appear to be from the pictures. It will be a good purchase in my opinion.
Steve
1) Looks to be a very original and complete "early" TR4. All Triumph TR's are good from my perspective but wanted to point out a few things I noticed about yours (see #2 below).
2) It has the original gear shift knob. Even if it is not what you end up using, I would keep it for when you decide to sell the car. There are many Triumph folks that like the original bits.
3) Same with the steering wheel. I also have an earlier TR4 that came with the same wheel which I believe is period correct. I did replace mine during the restoration, but also kept the original. I am now very glad I did keep the original and plan to restore it. If you are up to cleaning it up, it should look really nice.
4) The early TR4's had the same seats as TR3's with a slightly different fabric pattern. The later TR4's seats were different. I really like the looks of the original versions that your car has because it really reflects the look of an earlier 60's british sports cars. Also, I like the earlier TR4's with the SU carburetors and long neck radiator that were also used on the TR3's.
5) One thing I noticed is how complete your car is. What can cause some problems if the previous owner (PO) either took the car apart and/or replaced with non original parts for a "quick fix" approach. Your car looks to be very original and when items were replaced, were done with original parts. This is good.
6) One last item, I noticed on the steering column, opposite the turn signal, there is a round rubber item hanging there. On the early TR4's like yours, this is where the OD (Overdrive) switch was located. It looks just like the turn signal switch except on the opposite side of the column. It might be that you car has OD with a broken switch. If you have OD on your car, the value definitely goes up. One way to check is to look at the serial # of the car. It is located close to where the picture you showed with the body # aluminum tag. My serial number is something close to 16xxx LO. The key is the LO or really the O which signifies your car originally included the overdrive option.
After closer looking at your potential purchase, I would definitely go ahead as planned unless the car is so rusted out to be unsafe which it does not appear to be from the pictures. It will be a good purchase in my opinion.
Steve
TR3driver
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
That is true; but there were also some cars that had overdrive installed by the dealers. So it may have had OD originally (or now) even without the 'O' in the commission number.
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
OK - Let me clarify. What I believe you have is a period correct wheel. I will see about researching. I have been a big Triumph fan my whole life and would check out cars when growing up. I have included a link to a bring a trailer TR4 that I knew well growing up. This black TR4 was in incredible original shape back when I would see it in the 80's. It was one of a very few that I would see that was in incredible condition. It has the steering wheel I believe is also on your car. It is worth keeping even if you decide to hang it somewhere. It uses the center horn section from the standard TR4 steering wheel. I will post another with a picture of the TR4 standard wheel. What I understand is that the wheel on your car was a popular option available back in the 60's.
https://bringatrailer.com/2007/12/17/well-documented-black-plate-1965-triumph-tr4/
Let me if you are able to check out the link. If not, I was able to find it by doing a google search titled "TR4 Steering Wheel Pictures".
https://bringatrailer.com/2007/12/17/well-documented-black-plate-1965-triumph-tr4/
Let me if you are able to check out the link. If not, I was able to find it by doing a google search titled "TR4 Steering Wheel Pictures".
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
I checked back on the other TR4 Bring a Trailer thread where I attached the URL. The wheel is referred to as "This Les Leston is our favorite steering wheel for this car."
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
HerronScott
Darth Vader
Offline
According to the TR4 SPC, the "Veneered Fascia Panel" was special order for the TR4 for what it's worth.
Scott
HerronScott
Darth Vader
Offline
Yes, the stock factory steering wheel was the same between the TR4 and TR4A (304988). Both also list a wooden steering wheel as special order (307245).
Scott
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
OK, I found another picture of the Les Leston installed on a TR4A. The owner had an original picture of the car from 1967 as well on the website. He mentioned that the Les Leston steering wheel that was installed by the dealer. I also checked and found that there were a number of different Les Leston steering wheels for various cars including Porsche 356's. It was good to check this out because I was thinking of restoring my wheel that came with my TR4 though I did not restore back when I restored the rest of the car.
Attachments
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
Thanks for the confirmation Scott. I was never able to confirm the wood wheel was an option but always noticed on TR's with other options including OD, wires, and sometimes also the surrey top.
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
This is where all the fun begins......if you like hunting for parts. There are what looks like a couple of items needed. What you see with the Triumph logo is the same horn section from the standard wheel. I would start by checking the Triumph parts folks including Moss and the others.
Sitting between the horn and the steering wheel is an aluminum spacer. This is something that might take a little work to track down. I would start with ebay to see when something shows up.
I would first check and see from the folks you are buying the car from to see if there is a box or boxes of parts included with the purchase as these missing items might be included.
Good luck!
Steve
Sitting between the horn and the steering wheel is an aluminum spacer. This is something that might take a little work to track down. I would start with ebay to see when something shows up.
I would first check and see from the folks you are buying the car from to see if there is a box or boxes of parts included with the purchase as these missing items might be included.
Good luck!
Steve
SteveBones
Jedi Trainee
Offline
I checked the Moss Catalog. The horn button is available for if I recall is for $39.00. I also did a search on eBay to see what was available. There were a couple in original, OK, condition. If you want to go with Moss, I would call and check with them to see about the logo type on the horn button they sell. The later TR's did not have the Triumph emblem and instead had "TRIUMPH". I would check with them to confirm they have the correct version for the TR4.
The bigger challenge will be to find the base piece that fits between the steering wheel and the horn. I noticed a NOS kit that was sold recently that including all these fittings for this steering wheel brand. I am not sure how often these parts show up on eBay. Depending on what you want to do, if you want to do a Google search on the wheel, I found a a sight and business that restores. It might be worth checking to see if they have and would be willing to sell the spacer you need.
Steve
The bigger challenge will be to find the base piece that fits between the steering wheel and the horn. I noticed a NOS kit that was sold recently that including all these fittings for this steering wheel brand. I am not sure how often these parts show up on eBay. Depending on what you want to do, if you want to do a Google search on the wheel, I found a a sight and business that restores. It might be worth checking to see if they have and would be willing to sell the spacer you need.
Steve
