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Hi guys,

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I managed to come across this forum group when I was surfing the net. It caught my attention, because it is my car that is being both scrutinized and praised in this post! I'm the proud owner of that '62 TR4 that screams.

A few things that I wanted to add...

It's pretty sad that people are so negative about others cars. It's kind of the equivalent to the saying "your mother is ugly." As for my engine "missing"...it's certainly not. I'm running a hot cam in that car, and the idle is slightly lopey. Also, I did a little engineering research during my studies at Purdue, and if you want to learn something about exhaust design, there are numerous websites that explain the "method and madness" of it. The exhaust system I chose actually out performs any Monza or factory exhaust. It all works out in a nifty equation that has to do with engine RPM vs. pipe length.

By the way, if you remember that "flyby" scene, i shifted from 3rd to 4th, only doing around 65 mph...I've never been pulled over, so no worries. My commercial pilot's license depends on my good driving record!

I'm proud of the work that I do on that car. I'm the ripe age of 23. I realize that a lot of you guys don't have a clue on how to work on your car...it's easy to just "write a check" and get it done. I'm not saying that everybody does that, but I've come across my share of fellows like that.

I'd also like to share an observation about the British Car crowd in general. I've met a lot of great, helpful, supportive guys, but I've also met a lot of pompous, stuck up jerks. I'm also the proud owner of a '67 Porsche 912, and I can honestly say that the Porsche crowd tends to be way more supportive of those who keep the hobby alive. It's disheartening when the future of our hobby lies in the hands of kids my age, yet some of the older gents are quick to chastise. I agree my car may not appeal to "concours" buffs....but at least it's on the road. I drive it, and I love it. The knowledge that I've picked up from this hobby is priceless. Again, thanks to those who've supported my car, and I challenge those who think otherwise to grow up.

Mike Macino Purdue '04 GO BOILERS
 
I just came across this today and wasn't able to see the video that was posted, but I love the picture you've posted.

I would agree with several things that you've said -- that there's lots of great people and a bunch of less-friendlies. Luckily I've had a positive experience on this board with my two cars.

The issue that is at hand is how easy it is to criticize someone when you're not face-to-face using something like an online medium. It's even more frustrating when the person being criticized is not around to know about it and -- in your case -- stumbles upon it 6 months later.

Not everyone can have the same hobbies or interpret the same hobbies the same. If everyone were the same, this would be not be a pleasant planet to live on. If your goal is to win concours shows, then make it concours. If your goal is to drive it, then drive it. That doesn't, however, make it mutually exclusive.

Thanks to all who have helped me in the past, and my comments do not refer to anyone that I've met on this board (so don't get offended).

P.S. Can't wait for summer this year! I wish I was out driving my cars and taking videos!
 
Thanks for your reply! I'll admit, I was a little flustered when I read what people said about my dear car! I agree with everything you said, and it offered some consolation.

I removed that link when I left Purdue, as I had to clear out my web account. I still have the MPEG, but it's sadly not on this machine. Maybe I'll try and get that and others back online so that other people can check them out. I might even put some other information on my *gasp* Porsche (btw...the Triumph still gets more thumbs ups! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif)

In the words of Bill and Ted: "Be excellent to each other"

I'm glad that I stumbled upon this online community. I'm looking forward to being part of a forum other than the 912 registry's.

Cheers, Mike:smile:
 
Whoa pal. If some of the more knowledgable people at this site opined that the car did not sound right, I would investigate the problem a bit. Looking at who expressed an opinon; I would investigate. The quality of help can vary quite alot around here from experienced gearheads to guys who don't know that carbs have floats, hang around for awhile you will figure out who knows anything. Good looking car, the only improvement would be a surrey! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Hi Mike,

Glad you found the group and joined in, if nothing else to defend yourself! Enjoy your car and don't give a hang about what anyone says!

My '62 TR4 is far from stock and has had a few "creative" things done to it over the years. I recently removed the Ford muffler and homemade 2" exhaust I installed in it *before you were born*! That old exhaust was probably still usable, but always had a strange note and made a nice "clang" on the frame whenever I went over a decent sized bump.

Seriously, I'm glad to see someone your age who is interested and enthusiastic about old TRs. Most of us are a bit older, hanging onto our youth with cars we carefully polish in the garage!

I've seen all types interested in old British sports cars. The vast majority have been helpful, friendly and all around good folks. I agree with an earlier comment that sometimes the anonymity (spellcheck, please) of the Internet causes people to write things they would never say to someone's face.

Go for a fun drive in your car for me. It will likely be a year before my car is back on the road. Took me three days to take it apart, 10 years to put it all back together!

Alan
 
Mike, all the regular posters here can appreciate your attachment to the TR. I hope you are not offended by the comments, I can assure you there was none intended by any of the posters. I've been around here long enough to know all those guys, they're good folk, every one. Frank opinions, maybe, but no offense was intended.

If you're lucky enough to hang around here for awhile, you'll find this website is populated with some great folks. It's certainly one of the best-moderated automotive sites on the web with little no flaming, and zero, yes, zero foul language, politically-related trash, or other unsavory nonsense.

Bottom line, you'll not find a better classic British car website anywhere. And if you do, please let us know about it!

Cheers to you, congrats on the beautiful resotation job on that TR4. You'll be able to look back on that job with pride for many years to come!
 
Hey Webb,
That's basically the same exhaust setup I have on my TR6 (which you saw in Ashburn a few months ago). Just some steel pipe with a Glasspack on the end, with a fancy chrome tip.

When I try those links I get the "Forbidden" notice so I did'nt get to hear, or see that thing
 
Macino, if you think the guys here can get a bit testy, try going over to the Mustang boards that I frequent. That place is a shark feeding frenzy, you literally can't make a post without thinking that someone will call you an idiot or cut up what you've done or what you've said. There's a lot of good technical info there (reason I go back at all) but unfortunately getting to it requires you to swim through some at times pretty hostile waters. This is the primary reason I love this board. for the most part it is populated by some genuinely nice people that are interested in helping out someone who might have less knowledge than themselves and are open minded enough to admit when someone else might know more than them. I find that second part the hardest to come by. Also, the moderation here is excellent, Basil is really on top of everything. Over at the Mustang boards I literally saw a conversation come to physical threats against another guys children before the moderator pulled the plug and banned anyone. Thats completely inexcusable.

I'm sure part of the problem is the demographic of the people who own these different types of cars. The percentage of immature kids who own Mustangs is astronomically higher than those who own LBC's, so it's no shock to me to see name calling and stupid conversations on the Mustang boards more frequently than here. That fact makes it even more impressive to me when I see a younger guy into LBC's that can actual hold a mature conversation and has well thought out responses, like yourself. There are a couple other younger guys here much like yourself, thankfully, as they will be the ones carrying the LBC hobby forward when us "older" guys are dust (I'm not really older, just 35 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif). It's good to see people under the age of 25 that don't want to drive a slammed Civic. Your car is gorgeous by the way.
 
before.jpg


There's a picture of the car before my intensive 4 year restoration. Notice the lack of engine, transmission, interior, front wheels, glass, etc.

When I worked on that car, I learned from mistakes. It often took 3-4 times to get stuff right, but making those mistakes was paramount to really learning about the car.

Since I finished that restoration (oh wait, are they ever really done?), I moved onto a '67 Porsche 912. Why do I like my Triumph more?! Reasons why...

Exclusivity. How many Porsches do you see on the road? I know they are common place in California, but even here in the "Crossroads of America" I see Porsches probably 10 times more often than an LBC. The Triumph elicits way more thumbs ups from other motorists!

Parts Cost....The cost of rebuilding a 912 engine (yes 4 cyl 356) is into the thousands. ...and that's just for parts. Wanna buy an old 911? Better take out another mortgage. Death of a thousand cuts.

I used to think that the Triumph was really expensive to work on. Compared to a Chevy, it certainly is. But you also have to remember that a Chevy is....well....a Chevy.

I restored that TR, from top to bottom, with my earnings from 3 summers of working in a bookstore. Sound unbelievable? It takes a lot of resourcefulness, but it can be done. For example: I knew that I wanted to paint my own car. Anybody who has done bodywork knows how expensive that stuff can be. My solution? I got a job at a paint and panel place doing inventory work on a couple of weekends. My payment? A decent HVLP gun, an awesome ventilator, all the sandpaper, primer, and paint that I needed. $2000 paint job....or 3 weekends of doing basic math and writing down how many cans of paint are on a shelf. Easy choice. :smile: In fact, the owner of the store even let me mix my own paint. We picked it out of a catalog, added like 5-6 different shades, and *poof* I had 1972 Ferrari Giallo Yellow paint. Awesome. Of course, I had to paint the car 3 times to get it right, but that's another story, haha.

So, I'm glad to be part of a new TR community. I've ripped a TR4 completely down, and brought it back to life. I still have some TR4 parts laying around my barn, if you ever need anything, give me a holler.

...Glad to be part of the crew....

Mike Macino
 
I remember downloading your video and enjoying it immensely. I've never owned at TR-4 or 6, but always loved and admired them. My TR's have been at the margins: two Spitfires and a current TR-7 DHC. None of these cars could or can match the sound of a TR-4/6, but all TR's drive as if inspired by heaven-sent design.

Welcome to this forum, which is a great site filled with very helpful and interesting people. I've not had the same luck as you with Porche owners [are you sure your Porche friends knew you had a 912? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif]. With the exception of XK-E "checkbook writers," I've had great experiences with LBC enthusiasts.

Best wishes,

Jeff
 
Geez, first thing I did when I read this was go back and see what I said (probably a few others did that too). Well I never listened to the mpeg due to my pitiful dial-up &/or lack of patience... but my apologies for the hyper-critical nature that sometimes overtakes the discussion of non-list cars (on eBay for example).

Anyone who has saved a TR from the crusher is a hero in my book and that picture of your TR4 in an Indiana woods looks like it had one wheel in the grave.

Welcome to the forum, hope you will stay and contribute often.

Geo Hahn IU '70
 
I 2nd all the good that has been said. I got my TR3 from my uncle who had it in storage for over 13 years. I will not be a show car but it is road ready. It was fun to get it back on the road but have had more fun with it on the road. As long as you are happy with it keep it running!!!!!!!!!
 
Hey Mike, I second the comments Hegg made. I wouldn't take any of the comments made here personally. Heck, they were just responding to an anonymous mpeg video. Please don’t take it as a personal attack against you or your efforts.

I hope you’ll stick around. The group here really is a great bunch.
 
Mike,
When I first found that video, I thought it sounded great, and I still do. I saved the thing and still have it on my hard drive. That was probably about a year ago, when I was still searching for a TR. Now I've got a '72 TR6 which hasn't been restored, but I've worked on it extensively to bring it to a much better condition (ie. engine overhaul, paint, other micellaneous bits, etc.). Although concours cars are fun to look at, I'm with you. These cars where made to drive, and guess what I'm gonna do with 'em... DRIVE! I enjoy my TR6 much more when I'm heel and toeing down a gear on a curvey road than if it was sitting in my garage, gleaming and perfect. Not to mention that all the little imperfections and changes I've made give it character and make it my own.

Hope to see you around, and keep enjoying your 4!
Webb
 
The page keeps telling me that it is forbidden. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif D'oh! Anybody have a copy? I wanna hear!
 
I can't agree more with Geo Hahn's comment -- anyone who saves a TR or (almost) any classic car from the scrap is a hero. The condition of what you started with was amazing when you see what you have ended up with!

As I preach that everyone has their own bells to ring, the most enjoyable part about this online community is that most people here understand and appreciate a fine classic automobile. When someone asks what I drive and I mention Lotus or Triumph and they say "who makes that?", it's the end of the conversation for me!

In *my* opinion, a car is what you are. A car is your extension. A car is your signature. My dad taught me that I should have a trait that people remember me by, and my crazy car habit is what it is!

By the way, how old IS everyone? I'm with Macino on this one! I'm in my 20's and certainly come across more "seasoned" car lovers than young ones! Funny enough, I've always got along with older people than people my own age. (Don't take offense guys, by saying "OLDER", you could be in your late 20's!)

Can't disagree with Dotanukie either. I've had reasonable treatment with the Ford Six forums, but if you wanna flame fest, try signing up on the Nissan Altima forums. And don't even THINK of asking a question that might have been asked anytime in the past 6 years!

Anyway, I'm rambling now.... I just love knowing that y'all love your cars!
 
Hegg,
In regard to your age question, I'm probably the youngest or second youngest on the whole forum: 15. I'll be 16 pretty soon though, with March coming quickly.

I agree with you about people not knowing what a Triumph or Lotus is. Especially with "younger" people. My friends didn't have any idea what the heck a TR was before I bought the 6, and many of them make fun it for being unreliable and slow, despite the fact that none of them could tell me how much horsepower it had or even what the engine configuration was. In fact, most of these same guys had to memorize where the sparkplugs were on the engine block for their driver's ed exam. So it really doesn't bother me much, considering they can't tell a Mini from a Ferrari.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'm probably the youngest or second youngest on the whole forum: 15. I'll be 16 pretty soon though, with March coming quickly.

[/ QUOTE ]

15? Wow! I had no idea. I just turned 36 this month, but from what I've seen there aren't too many of us in our 30s or below. Most younger fellas are more interested in speed than the ambieance that our little cars are crammed with.

Oh yeah.. all my friends think I'm insane for buying a car that I have to continually maintain.

-Shannon
 
And what's wrong with insanity? I love being crazy about my cars! (and yes, my friends make the same comments, but at least my wife loves the cars)
 
Hey I got a lotta links to this thread ! First off my tr4A's exhaust is ungodly! one of the POs built it so I have 6 inches of pipe off the manifold, then a cheap muffler, then 6 feet of sound amplifying pipe out the rear. It sounds mean under accl. and just howels around 2k on decel. I mean it turns heads for a 1/4 mile. It's kinda fun but it gets aggrivating. it's gettin a monza system this year. Let's see, next I'm only 28 and I'm on my 3rd british sportscar. It's a sickness I don't want to be cured of. It raises some eyebrows when I drive it to work at the Toyota dealer, I love that, Insanity is definatly underrated. It's great to mingle with all you fellow nuts. finally I'll have to post some shots of my TRs, they definatly qualify as crusher food. But I'm like a social worker when it comes to old iorn. I see the potential in anything
 
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