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TR6 Help with a TR6

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Tanzier

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Greetings,

I'm glad I found this site. I figured there had to be a community out there. Took me a while to find an active one though.

My father owns a 1974 TR6 which he bought new. He doesn't get 'the whole computer thing', so I'm here on his behalf .. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The car is original, unrestored, and is, for the most part, in very good shape. However, rust is starting to get the better of the body work - mostly on the rear quarter panels (fenders, wings .. whatever). It's been fixed and sanded and painted I don't know how many times, but it just comes back faster each time.

Anyways we'd like to look in to getting replacements and I thought I'd hit the net looking for recommendations. He's always had a really difficult time finding parts for the car.

Where do you look? Who makes the best quality for the best price? We're in Canada. Finding a canadian source would be fantastic to keep the shipping costs down, but US is ok as well.

This is really a beautiful car and I would love to see it back to a better shape. The rest of the body is fine, and mechanically it's top notch. I'm sure I don't have to mention how much fun it is to drive .. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Thanks in advance!
 
I bought my TR6 in Vancouver, B.C. and the previous owner gave me a parts catalog from Octagon Motors, which is in Canada www.octagonmotorgroup.com. I've found everything I need through the "Big 3" myself, plus eBay. Either way, I think your dad's days of not being able to find parts are over since the above mentioned suppliers can practically provide you with everything you could possibly need to build a Triumph from the ground up! (except that doggone courtesy light and buzzer door jam switch for my '71! The last remaining part I need to be complete!) Good luck!
 
Hi,

You mention that the car has had rust repair done several times, but it keeps coming back.

Basically, TRs rust from the inside out. If the repairs were run-of-the-mill body shop work, they might have only worked on the spot from the outside, used a rust killer and sealer on it, then primed and painted. That leaves the rust on the inside to again work it's way out.

The key to preventing rust on TRs is to remove the fenders and seal the insides with a good coat of rust proofing (or seal the insides of new fenders, before installation). Then use a seam sealer during reinstallation.

All this is to minimize water and mud from getting into all the possible recesses. Once in there, it stays damp and can rapidly eat the panel from the inside out.

The factory service manuals have a section devoted to sealing up the cars to help keep them in good condition. Heck, if anyone should know about keeping water out, the British should!

I can attest sealing the backside of the panels and seams works. I did the procedure on my TR4 in 1977 when I rebuilt the car after a major accident. That car was driven daily until 1986, then stored until 1999. I pulled one front fender off today for the first time in 28 years. I only found very minor surface rust in a few places. This was in spite of a thick layer of dirt (mud when wet) that was trapped between the lower fender and the rocker panel. I also happened to notice at least 3 inches of dirt accumulated inside the front frame rail (which is open on a TR4, but not on a TR6 fortunately).

Also be sure that all drain holes and air holes are open, allowing things to dry out. You'll find drain holes on the bottom of the rockers, on door bottoms, etc.

A final consideration is to use something like Waxoil in all the inaccessible areas. These include the rocker panels, inside of the frame rails, inside the a- and b-post bases, even the window mechanisms and parking brake mechanisms. To put Waxoil inside some of these areas requires drilling 1/2" access holes, spraying it inside and then sealing the hole back up.

Be sure to check the frame over closely, too. It's also prone to rust from the inside out. Similarly, plugged up drain and breather holes often cause accelerated corrision. A particular problem place is the diagonal brace behind the front spring tower, that angles down toward the rear. At it's base, just above the main frame rail, there was never a drain hole installed in these and there should have been. Over time, dirt and moisture often rusts these out from the inside. If it's still sound, it's easy to drill a 1/4" drain hole right near the base where it is welded to the main frame rail. I recommend putting it on the inside (engine compartment side). I bet if you do you'll find a bunch of rusty powder comes flowing out!

There are many TR and LBC specialty vendors out there who can get you parts. In fact, it's far better today than it was in 1977, thanks to the Internet! (I waited a year for a manifold, now can find it in minutes and get it delivered to my doorstep in 2 days!)

I suggest you look for a Canadian Moss distributor. Distributors buy large quantities at wholesale prices, pooling orders from several buyers together. Also, Moss has a European division, which might be a better deal for you than for me here in the U.S. Try Rimmer Brothers and TR Bitz in England. For more performance-oriented stuff, check out Cambridge Motorsport, Revington TR, Racestorations in England. Here in the U.S., British Frame and Engine and TS Imported Automotive offer some of the performance stuff. I'm sure someone is doing the same in Canada.

It seems to me TR6 parts are more available now than any other TR, and TRs in general are pretty easy to find parts for.

Here's a useful Triumph Links page (not just Spitfire as it first appears)... https://www.teglerizer.com/triumphstuff/favorites.htm
Here's a general British car links page (based in Canada)...
https://www.britishcarlinks.com/

Hope this helps!

Alan
 
Hi Tanzier.....
Welcome aboard to you and your father.
As you can see I'm located "just up the road" in Edmonton.
I get most of my stuff through the big three outfits listed by jsneddon above.
I can get most mechanical parts from an Edmonton outfit called "Brit Bits" at a bit of a premium but he doesn't stock body parts.
There's almost surely a Calgary outfit if you check out the yellow pages. You should also talk to the guys at Vintage Sports Car Club of Calgary for leads.
https://www.vsccc.ca/
 
Hi again,

First of all, the item you pointed to on eBay is a fiberglass fender, no doubt made by someone in the aftermarket since Triumph never put f'glass on the cars.

There are pluses and minuses to these. One big minus is that it probably lower the value of the car in most cases. Buyers generally avoid fiberglass reproduction parts. Plus, aftermarket parts like these can vary alot in quality and fit, from great to pretty poor. Well-made fiberglass parts are strong and hold up well. F'glass does dry out over time, though, so usually isn't as long-lived as properly protected 18 gauge steel. And, there is always the concern about how to join fiberglass parts to metal parts. Not a major problem with a bolt-on fender like this, but anything that would normally be welded will need to be riveted or use some other means of fastening.

On the plus side, concerns about rust are reduced by using fiberglass parts. Fiberglass is also relatively easy to repair or modify, if that's important. It is also lighter weight, which is why you find it on many vintage race cars.

As to using eBay... Whew! Short question... Long answer!

I've had hundreds of transactions there over the past 5 or 6 years, both as a buyer and seller, mostly of car parts, motorcycle parts and collectible cameras and lenses. 99% of sellers and buyers are easy to work with and totally honest. Out of maybe a total of 1000 transactions, I can only point to one or two where I suspected someone was deliberately trying to rip me off.

There are few problems and the overall system is easy to use. eBay uses "feedback" as a rating system, where sellers and buyers both usually receive and leave comments about each other after each transaction. This shows up in each item a seller lists, and let's you know their track record. Always look closely at this before bidding! A lot of negatives might indicate a problem to be avoided!

Many eBay sellers are small businesses, dependent upon their auctions for their income. Their feedback rating is their reputation and they work hard to protect it while increasing the postive responses. If you ever have a problem, try via email or whatever means to resolve it satisfactorily before leaving negative feedback. Once it's left, it cannot be retracted!

Beyond feedback, a seller who abuses the system badly can be banned from eBay entirely. For many, this would mean they are essentially "put out of business" or "fired from their job"!

When you are brand new to eBay, you will have a "zero feedback" rating, which might concern some sellers. They may ask you to get in touch before bidding, as reassurance that you are serious, know how the process works and have done the necessary preparations.

Speaking of which, one thing to do to prepare to bid and buy on eBay is to figure out how you want to pay for items. Sellers expect winning bidders to pay in a reasonably short time, say 3 to 10 days. So, that means using something like PayPal, which costs buyers nothing (but does charge sellers, so some don't use it) or planning to go get a money order and mail it promptly.

Communication is key. I've mentioned using emails to pre-clarify several things already. It's also very important after winning an auction to quickly get in touch and make arrangements to pay for the item.

Once an auction is won, there is no turning back and you have commited to follow through on the purchase. Failure to do so will get you negative feedback at least, and possibly banned from using eBay entirely, if it happens repeatedly.

One concern, many sellers don't have very detailed knowledge about the items they sell. Many buy at a local auction or estate sale and simply turn around and market a wide variety of things. Some will even tell you so right in their listings! They might give incorrect, incomplete or misleading information, throwing you off. Look at photos closely and email with questions before bidding. It's great when you come across a private party who is personally knowledeable about the stuff they are selling, and gladly shares that info. But, that's really pretty uncommon.

Watch out for high shipping charges, too. Many sellers make up for low, low prices with added "handling" fees. If they don't tell you how much shipping will be in the listing, email in advance and find out before bidding.

Because you are in Canada, you might especially be concerned about shipping. I understand, for example, that one major shipper (UPS?) is ruthless about charging fees to cover your country's import duties. Others are more reasonable (US Post Office?).

Some sellers try to avoid "international" sales, too, and usually say so in their listings. But, often you can email them, they might bend their rules if you ask.

In general, I usually don't bid on something I'm not totally familiar with, until I've seen a few transactions and/or carefully explored how much it might cost me elsewhere. Sometimes eBay prices are higher than local retail!

Hope this helps!

Alan

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What kind of luck have people had on Ebay? thinking specifically of this:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...;category=36475
 
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