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In the dark days of the restoration....

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ELTGuy

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So a few years ago I decided that the 1969 Triumph TR6 I inherited from my father needed a going over.

The paint was faded and chipped

The interior was shot

The suspension was feeling like a rope and pulley system...


you get the idea.

I knew what I wanted to do... get the head rebuilt. Go through the suspension and replace the worn (all) items and take care of some electrical issues.

These dedicated tasks evolved into "since-I-was-there-anyways" refurbishments.

Now the car looks more like a pile of parts than a car. Things at work have picked up and I go to college, so little time and more importantly ... money... has been available to get the TR on the road.

I have to force myself to go into the garage sometimes and look at the thing. I live in a Townhouse with a one-car, so I can easily go months without entering. Last time I drove it... May of 2003.

I know many people have been in this spot. I've been watching eBay lately and see that selling it would be more of a hassle than I would get financially due to it being an erector set.

So... I guess I'll stick it out. This school thing will hopefully be finished in a year, then I can spend my nights and weekends working on a machine instead of reading about it.
 
Restoring any car can be an overwhelming task. Time, commitments, money and frustration all enter into the picture.
Fortunately, you have the memory of driving the car. This can give you the motivation to see the project through to the end.
So many people buy a car and immediately want to tear it apart. They don't get the car on the road to see if they enjoy it and to find out what it really needs.
I think many of the cars you see for sale that are mid stream in a restoration belong these people.
I believe you will enjoy your 6 again one day. Hey, you've got a lot of people on this forum behind you.
 
Treat each system as a seperate project. Start it, learn it and complete it. In time the car will emerge, amazingly intact. Patience is one of the key tools in the box. That and a determination to be unbowed by leaving a task undone. We old people refer to that as "regret"...

Keep that in mind as you age. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
My TR3A sat in my garage for 17 years, then one day, I said I'm going to do it. It took me 3 years. I still had a day job at the time, but it was the right thing to do. I finished it in 1990 and have had 16 summers of driving fun. I have driven it over 94,000 miles during these last 16 years.

I bought it brand new when I was 20 and I still feel like I'm 20 every time I drive it.

Go for it !

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A

https://www.triumphest2006.com/images/clubcars/30donelliott'str3.jpg
Photo at VTR in 2001
 
Patience is probably the biggest lesson these cars can teach us. You've got the car you want, so the restoration will happen, one bit at a time. There are no deadlines, just a few things to tick away at until all of a sudden you have a complete, running car.

I get frustrated sometimes as well, and I'm new to this (I've had the Tunebug about a year). When it seems overwhelming, I just try to remember that it all can, and will, get done. If it needs to be parked for a while (as yours has been) then that's just fine as well. They're remarkably patient, these little cars. You won't regret it.
 
I've owned my '71 TR6 for about ten years and have driven for only a couple of those early years. What started as a piecemeal rebuild blossomed into a full-blown frame off restoration. Throw into the mix moving four times pursuing the career and storing the car in various places it was a challenge to hang onto the vehicle. But as mentioned concentrate on single projects and eventually you will reach critical mass. I've done everything to the car now and just waiting to get the body tub painted. Then everything drops back down onto the frame and all the rebuilt parts attached and yeah i can drive her again!

hang in there and watch some TR6 videos on youtube or hang out on this forum and learn from everyone else.
 
Sadly, I've got a '67 GT6 that is probably 98% finished after a frame off, and too many things have gotten in the way to do the remaining 2%. At least I've driven it the way it sits, and periodically fire it up for an hour or so to keep the juices flowing. After probably eight years of inactivity you would think I could find the time to complete it!
Jeff
 
i don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but i'm in my fourth year in college with only summer jobs, and have never driven my gt6, or any triumph for that matter, have been into my restoration since the beginning of last summer, and am getting my engine back this week and will be painting the frame with por15 by spring break.

i plan on having a rolling chassis this summer, and the rest will fly by. i hope.

good luck to you and hang in there for the rest of us. it only makes things worse when someone else gives up, unless they sell their car off cheap so we can finish ours with the pieces....just kidding.
 
Does she run?

Sometimes just getting her out for a couple minutes (assuming she is safe) makes a huge difference in your motivation. Just an idea.

I'm still learning as I go here, but I'm down in San Diego all the time if you want/need a hand sometime.
 
ELTguy:

Yes, it can be quite depressing at times. My wife
bought me an "almost 100% restored" 1969 TR6
14 months ago. It broke down for the first time,
the 2nd day we owned.

I am alone here in Puerto Rico with no access
to professional help or even another TR6 to
go look at.

I began fixing one thing with internet research, than something else broke, etc. The car died totally one
year ago. Then I found this forum and to good folks
here all pitched in to help me restoe the Crypt Car.
Little by little. Bolt by bolt. Wire by wire.

Last week my car ran for the first time in one year.
And it ran like the dickens.

Here's some progress photos of my efforts.

https://community.webshots.com/user/DTBanks

Hang in there. One step at a time. As Paul would
tell me. "stay focused on one single issue."
 
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