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Jaybird will Kill Me... But...

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Howard_The_Duck

Howard_The_Duck

Jedi Warrior
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Yes I bought a TR7 convertible.

Complete car, as in most of the parts are there, and needs to be put back together. $150. I couldn't pass that deal up.

and the amazing part is that there doesnt SEEM to be any rust. the car sat in a garage for a long time. Now, I need to know what I should be looking for on this car in the good and bad departments.

Thanks!
 
Let me be the first to welcome you to 'The Dark Side', as Jaybird likes to call it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif I personally do not know TR7s, but I know you'll find plenty of help here
 
i heard the brakes reeeaallly suck. plan upgrades.
rob
 
The biggest thing for a car that has been sitting is the electrics. Obviously, that applies to all cars, but the TR7 had printed circuit boards, which can be a pain. Get good grounds and make sure all connections in the engine bay are clean.

Switches also have a tendency to corrode, so cleaning contacts can be beneficial.

It is true that the brakes aren't great, but they're not that bad. Basically, they are not assisted, so they require a heck of a lot of pedal pressure.

Engine-wise, the two-litre four is prone to headgasket failure, so make sure head bolts are torqued to spec. Also, the stromberg carb mounts (the rubber part) tend to crack and separate. If putting a little pressure on the carbs allows air to get through a crack, buy a set of aluminum carb spacers. They're $100 and will never fail, but the new rubber ones can fail within weeks.

The only other place that I know of problems is that carb-spec TR7s don't have exhaust manifold gaskets, so you can get a little exhaust leak. If you're getting popping, it's possible that the problem is not an exhaust leak, but either a bad stop-valve in the air injection pump (take it off!!! It's 10 pounds of hp stealing junk!) or the carburetor acceleration bypass valves floating.

Don't let anyone poo-poo the 7 -- it's a very fun car to toss around.
 
Printed circuit boards? Please tell me these weren't made by Lucas! *gasp* /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
i heard the brakes reeeaallly suck. plan upgrades.
rob

[/ QUOTE ]

Even so, $150 leaves lots of money for the upgrade.

You're gonna love havin' THIS wedgie! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Mickey
 
The beauty of the TR7 is that it's design was before it's time. They have finally come of age and look totally modern against any of today's personal cars. And what you really have is not so much a personal car but a "real" sports car that loves to be tossed around. They really do handle well and are often underappreciated. That said, I would never own one.


Bill
 
[ QUOTE ]
i heard the brakes reeeaallly suck. plan upgrades.
rob

[/ QUOTE ]


Where did you hear that?

Don't listen to him Zack /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
 
Congratulations Zack. You will love it. Hows about some more information.. Year? coloUr,

Pictures??


I have spare parts lying around. If ya need anything let me know.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif



Paul
 
Its a red convertible with what used to be a black top/interior.

It has a black stripe job along the bottom of it, and it does have this really cool hood with vents notched in it.

I will get pictures when I can walk again
 
Ya know I just had to read a post that started "Jaybird will kill me, but..." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif
 
Let all of Triumph owners be sure to send her a Christmas card with a picture of our cars on it!

- Doug
 
Welcome to the brotherhood of the wedgehead. They really are fun to drive, and pretty simple to maintain.
 
Don't mean to hijack the thread, but while we're on the subject of acquiring TR7's, I'm currently looking at this car on Ebay. I've been semi-seriously looking for a TR7 coupe for awhile now and this looks promising. Looks fairly rust free, interior looks great, only things that are bugging me are the fact that it's in Cali (and I'd have to pay a good deal to have it shipped) and the fact that the current owner has never heard the car run, which scares me. I emailed him and he says he got the car in exactly the condition it's in and has never attempted to start it. He said he would probably be able to run a compression check for me if I wanted, but I haven't pursued that yet. Time is running on this, impressions?

TR7
 
Also looking at this one.

Another TR7

This one doesn't look to be in quite as good condition as the first, little surface rust around the nose area. However it has several things going for it the other doesn't. One, it runs according to the owner. Two, it's about a 2.5 hour drive from me, so I could most likely get it home on my friends trailer without having to pay shipping. Three, it's an automatic, which although that doesn't appeal to me it means my wife would more readily support the purchase since she'd be able to drive it. I was acutally thinking of getting something she could enjoy also, so this would fit the bill better. Anyone have experience with Triumphs auto gearboxes, reliability, problems, etc.?
 
Both probably 4 speeds Scott. You would want one with a 5 speed, like my 1978 Coupe. Mine is in much better condition then those two, and rare as well with only 1200 being made in '78 because the factory was on strike for half the year. Thinking of selling mine too, but not for those bids.

Paul
 
I think the jerry can and the propane tanks will come in handy Zack. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Where on earth did you find that?
 
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