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Wedge My TR7 Disaster

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DanNagy

DanNagy

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I decided to sell my TR7 on eBay after it sat in storage for a year. I drove it 10 miles in the past year, and only short trips around town, so I thought the car was just fine. The guy I sold it to was in Canada, and so he came down to pick it up. He found out on the way down that you need to send the papers to the border at least 72 hours in advance, but he came down to see the car anyway. To be a nice guy, I decided to take it to my mechanic some 30 miles away to have him go over it and fix some minor problems (I had mentioned these in eBay, but liked the guy and just wanted him to have a fun time with the car). On the way to my mechanic, the head gasket blew, and you all know the rest of that ugly story.

Okay, so now I just want to drop a new engine in the car and not bother with a rebuild. Rimmer Brothers no longer carries new or rebuilt engines, and I can't seem to locate one. Does anybody have an idea? Or a spare for sale?

Thanks for your help.

Dan
 
If you still intend on selling it I'd think replacing the engine would be an extremely uneconomic effort- and that if you did so you'd be better off then using and enjoying it, for a while anyway... Think of what it's worth with a good engine, and what it's worth now: is the difference less than the cost and trouble of an engine swap? I'm inclined to doubt it.

If you intend to sell it I'd seriously consider just pulling the head and replacing the gasket, if that's the only thing gone on it. If you can do the work yourself it'd be the cheap way out....
 
Check the Roadster Factory. They may have engines ready to go. And they are in PA - relatively local.
 
I put off replacing the head gasket on my 7 'til I couldn't put it off any longer and found that it wasn't as bad as I feared and the result was well worth it. The 7 head can be a Bully Bear though, but I would encourage you to give it a try. Good Luck
 
First - you are a good man for being so concerned about this.

Second - I don't believe you have the responsibility to put a whole new engine in, but rather to make sure the car is in the same (or maybe even slightly better) condition than advertised.

I'd explain what happened and layout the options for the buyer. Who know, they may choose to put in a new engine anyway by kicking in the difference between that and the cost to properly repair what just happened.

Again (not that you need to hear it) kudos on being a stand up guy.
 
Why would you think a rebuild is in order? There is no need for such concern. We are just talking about a head gasket, right?

If the engine had good oil pressure, compression, didn't burn oil and had no rod knock, have the head pulled, milled and reinstalled with a new head gasket.

Did the head gasket just start leaking due to age or did it overheat because of a problem with the cooling system?
 
Why not just negotiate a discount on the eBay purchase?

Or better yet, follow through on the original deal and split the cost of a head gasket repair with your local mechanic. Seems like you want to do the right thing.

The gasket would have blown on the new owner anyway in the first 100 miles; you're just subsidizing the cost. Any buyer who does not realize that is an idiot.
 
Thanks all for your replies, but compression is low, and there was probably some other damage unseen from overheating. The head is probably warped, too. I was thinking to just put a new engine in it as repairs always seem to cost more than expected, and it would give me a great excuse to keep it. I just can't do this stuff on my own because I live overseas, and when I come home I need to do stuff for my parents, etc. So a mechanic needs to do it.

Thanks for the two suggestions where I might find an engine. I'll look into it. I'll also consider just selling the car as is on eBay with no guarantees for whatever it brings.
 
Try Ted Schumacher at https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com/
he has multiple good TR7 heads reading for machining at his machine shop. He also has a pretty good deal on a machined head with camshaft all set up and ready to install. It may take a few weeks to get them though. He may even be able to rebuild your engine or sell you a runner. He is one of the "go to" guys for wedges.

Good luck. :thumbsup:
 
Well, I found a happy ending to this nightmare. I found a guy that had totally rebuilt his engine. The engine has had every seal, bearing and gasket replaced, crankshaft reground, new piston set, new timing chain, tensioner and sprockets, professionally rebuilt cylinder head, new waterpump, carbs rebuilt, electronic ignition installed, radiator has been cleaned and pressure tested. The gearbox has been dismantled and all bearings and seals, and worn synchro ring replaced and the flywheel has been machined. He lost interest in the job, and is selling all of it. I hope to close the deal in the next day or two. I will keep the car and strip the paint next summer, then have it painted professionally. I think I'll change the color once again to match my TR6.
 
Happy indeed, and another Wedge stays in the fold!

:cheers:
Mickey
 
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