Mallory optical distributor

[kc_doyle]

Dale: What they said. Put some miles on Amos with a big smile on your face. You deserve the enjoyment. It's ok to be ready for problems but don't look for them. I've found that most things don't just happen, "bang" all at once. There is usually some indication. Then it will be the time to fix it. Amos will let you know when he's feeling ill.

 

[Tinster]

Yisrael! That was a cute response!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif

I hope you are up and running by now!!

Given my car's past performance, I'll probably
change out the points, condenser, rotor, coil and
plugs every 500 miles. They are cheap enough and
good insurance against breakdown.

If the car makes it to 2,000 miles, I'll pull the
distributor and let Jeff rebuild it again. I should
probably also pull the carbs at 2,000 miles and let
Jeff Palya rebuild them again as well.
(or have Banjo down for a carb visit)

I am a big believer in preventive maintenance. My boat
engine get a complete Mercury dealer maintenance every
40 hours of use. Owner maintenance with EVERY use.

d

 

[startech47]

You are going to wear the parts out taking them off and putting them back on.

 

[tomshobby]

If the car makes it to 2,000 miles, I'll pull the
distributor and let Jeff rebuild it again. I should
probably also pull the carbs at 2,000 miles and let
Jeff Palya rebuild them again as well.

Dale, according to your schedule I should have had my carbs and dizzy rebuilt twice since mid July and be getting ready for a third time. Truth is if these cars were that feeble I would not even want one.

 

[Tinster]

Tom,

I think it has a lot to do with the condition of the
car when it comes into your hands.

My car was driven into the ground by DPO Pedro and should
have been parted out, not sold. I was too ignorant of
auto mechanics to comprehend this condition and started
fixing things as they broke or fell off. After two years
of effort, my car is marginally streetable. 350 miles
without a breakdown is certainly no great claim to fame
but I am proud of this feat, none the less.

Bottom Line:

I still have a driven into the ground parts car but now
with a whole lot of new parts. I recognize how fragile
my car really is- compared to most.

If I have to go overboard with maintenance in order to
enjoy drives, that's ticket price for me.

d

 

[tomshobby]

Dale, maybe I have more faith in Amos. At any rate your carbs and dizzy should be in no different condition than mine since they were also rebuilt by the same people. I am sure that when you reach 2,000 miles you will have changed your mind about this too.

 

[BryanC]

Pity Party

If the car makes it to 2,000 miles, I'll pull the
distributor and let Jeff rebuild it again. I should
probably also pull the carbs at 2,000 miles and let
Jeff Palya rebuild them again as well.
(or have Banjo down for a carb visit)

I don't get it. Why do you think the rebuilt parts you get are so much worse than what everyone else gets?

I think most of us like to tinker, tune, fix and drive. If the tinker, tune and fix part isn't your thing, you might think about what Randall suggested - buy a Miata. (I had one and they're fun - just in a different way.)

Bryan

 

[martx-5]

OK Dale, I've heard enough of this. I got into Triumphs in the early '60s and have had about 10 examples that I can remember offhand. I stuck with TR's because they are tough AND reliable. You got an example of one that had alot of parts that were at the end of there useful life. You've fixed all of that. The TR6 (or any Triumph) is NOT a fragile car. I've never had one crap out bad enough where I couldn't at least limp it home. Not one has ever left me stranded. I know you've been left stranded many times, but it's really not in the character of the car.

Feel good about having accomplished all that you have, and realize that you have turned a sad automobile into a highly tuned wildcat ready to accept everything you can throw at it.

Take that TR6 and pound the snot out of it. It's what they were built for. They like to be treated that way. The car will respect you more if you ask more of it. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif

Now go sit down and have a beer and plan your next road trip. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thirsty.gif

Edit: BTW, I also own a Miata...martx-5..."art" in the middle of mx-5...the other name for a Miata. It's a great car, but so different from the TR's. TR's are raucous, smelly rattletraps that excite all of the neurons in your body. Stuff's happening every which way. Rattles, cowls shifting, and the glorious engine note. Snicky-snick shifters and flexing wire wheels. Heaters and defrosters that could use some help and always some rain creeping in. You can't get this kind of action in a modern car.

If you want the great handling, realiable, sometimes very vanilla sports car experience, then get the Miata. If you want caveman theatrics, get a TR. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif

I have both.......

 

[TR3driver]

My car was driven into the ground by DPO Pedro and should have been parted out, not sold.

I had a TR3A like that once. Previous owner had literally driven the car until it would not run any more, apparently without ever changing oil or coolant. I discovered later that he had apparently bought the car in CA and never made a payment on it (Finance company went broke before ever finding him or the car in IN).

But I coaxed it to run with an absolute minimum of parts changed, mostly a coil and battery from K-mart and some JB-Weld to stop up (mostly) the holes rotted in the thermostat housing. Water pump leaked, radiator leaked, the engine sounded like a bad hailstorm, but I drove it that way for almost a year before I had time (and money) to put a rebuilt engine in it. Learned to double-clutch too, since none of the synchros worked.

When we got the old engine apart, the bearings were worn well into the backings, the pistons would literally rattle in the bores, and the ring gaps were over 1/4" ! Oil pressure read about 15 psi at hot idle, which wasn't so bad until you noticed that it still read 15 psi with the engine not running !

But it only let me down once, when the antique condensor failed. Had to hike up the hill to a Texaco station to buy a new one, and they charged me the outrageous price of $5 for it (but offered to install it for free if I would bring them the car /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif )

 

[wooolffy]

Hey Tinster, I have had my TR6 for Four years now, it has been more reliable than my wifes Grand Am. I know it may need this and that, but it always starts, never left me stranded, and I carry no spare parts in the Boot! You to can take pride in your work, I know I am proud of the work you put into Amos. It is a rare feeling when you know what you have done to keep her running, and every trip we take in our LBC gives us a great feeling passing those slow trucks!

 

[DNK]

The only thing that should be in his trunk is:


https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o316/donkelly23/AWellStockedBoot.jpg

 

[RonMacPherson]

Man oh man, oh man.


Sears Roebuck tune up shop would love you!

Now it's time for you to get some basic automotive training on the points ignition system.

Rotors, unless you got a Bosch, should last at least(hear that minimum) 12000 miles. Every so often you can remove the rotor, make sure the metal tab is not loose or burnt, take a piece of emery cloth or fine file and lightly file off the edge of the rotor, then REINSTALL it. Now the distributor cap. Biggest problem with the distributor cap is that it is not reinstalled squarely on the distributor body. So when you remove the cap, check the inside plug wire connection terminals, A little electronic cleaner every 5 THOUSAND miles(not 5 hundred) and a wire brush to clean the terminals would NOT hurt, but may not be necessary. The proper wire brush looks like a flattened bottle brush with the bristles poking horizontally like a flying saucer, so that you can turn them against the terminals, check for cracks. Make sure the center terminal is not broken and has the spring behind it pushing the carbon down onto the rotor. Easy way to check is to take your finger and push against the carbon, you should feel it slide freely in the cap. When you look at a new cap you will see how the carbon is slightly rounded. When it is flattened, then time to replace it.(course once upon a time you could get a carbon to replace it, not any more, sadly)..

Caps, should last a minimum, I say again a MINIMUM of 12000 miles, I know some cars that go 60K(like my Allison, MSD equipped car) no problem.

The condensor when it goes, usually goes bad right away, when first installed, or after it has been sitting idle with voltage applied to it for a continuous period of time, ie. key on, engine off, checking power to something...

Easy way to tell if a condensor is going bad is to look at the points, if you see a depression forming on one point and a hill forming on another then the condensor needs attention.

Coil, a non-Lucas coil should last minimum 100 thousand miles,(uh, if you didn't understand that, let me rephrase it ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES.. Let me know when Amos gets close to that coil usage and I'll remind you that Maybe, just maybe it's time to think about replacing the coil.

Spark plugs. Minimum 12000 miles. Maybe pull them at 6000, to check for fuel deposit, carbon buildup, clean them and regap them, reinstall and run again. NGK BP6ES, are lasting approximately 30 thousand miles on most cars they come installed in.

Check your fuel filter. If it is clean, there is NO need to pull your carburetors off and rebuild them. Carbs should last minimum 30K miles before anything other than fine tuning, once they are properly set up new.

If you really feel like you've got to pay attention to them. Keep the linkage clean, lubricated. Pop the tops off periodically and spray the diaphragms with silicone lubricant, Make sure the diaphragm notches are in the proper inserts, refill the oil. Maybe every 6000 miles. If you feel like you've REALLY got to do something to keep your hand in Amos systems.

If you follow your recommendations on replacing components frequently, you are just wasting money that could better be spent on Food, Gas, Your Wife and Yourself!

 

[70herald]

Yisrael! That was a cute response!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif

I hope you are up and running by now!!


d

No very close, but not quite, just to busy with other problems.
Dale My car like yours was in lousy mechanical condition when I bought it. Basically a combination of no maintenance, and the few things that were done were done my Junkyard Pedro International. Once I have rebuilt / replaces or otherwise confirmed a that a part is good as new, then there is no reason for me to suspect it any more. Treat your car the same way.
Your dizzy came from Jeff, it is as good or better than new. Carbs they were rebuilt to standards better than new. The fact that a bum switch burned out the Petronix doesn't mean that the whole car is unreliable. Just taking stuff apart for excessive maintenance is likely to cause un-needed problems.
For years, I dealt with extremely complex equipment at work, one of the biggest changes we made to improve reliability was to ELIMINATE several of the PM procedures. It sound counter intuitive, but the fact is every time you touch something you run the risk of causing as much damage as good.
Now, you have a car which is in stock configuration, which was designed to be reliable. (as opposed to all sorts of performance upgrades) Check the oil level regularly, change it every 5,000miles, and follow all those other little regularly scheduled maintenance things in the manual, and go drive.