Wedge Rich - did you finish up your TR8 engine build?

[tdskip]

Haven't been able to get to Cars and Coffee for the latest update - how is it coming along? I thought you had sourced everything, yes?

 

[cheseroo]

Hi Tom,

I've got it up and running fairly well. Once it was apparent that it would move on it's own I rebuilt all the hydraulics and sorted out the throttle cable and throttle linkage. It still won't take throttle until it's warmed up so I need to track that down but it isn't a big deal. Current big issue is the radiator fan(s) aren't working - must be first TR8 to ever suffer this problem I found just about all the bits I need. I still don't have the stock air filter, the brackets that hold the Air Flow Meter or the extra air valve that kicks in when the A/C compressor comes on. I cobbled up a mount for the AFM and put on a K&N filter.

A distraction came up in that I had a chance to do the Reno 24 Hours of Lemons race in a TR7 as long as I prepped it and rebuilt the suspension, etc. So my focus switched to getting that car prepped for this weekend (It ran the entire race and finished 36th). Unfortunately, my mom required stomach surgery the day before I was supposed to tow the car to Reno so I had to stay home. I feel like the kid that resurrected the bicycle and all the kids in the neighborhood got to ride it but me. She's getting better but for a variety of reasons we have someone staying with her 24/7. As we speak I'm typing this from a hospital room at St Josephs while she sleeps. I'm already trying to source a car to try that race again. I've lined up a smog challenged *gasp* MGB with no title that would work but I'd like to stay within the Triumph marque if I could. I think it would be a kick to use a Hillman Imp but I'm sure it would outrage those guys to take one of the few runners left out of circulation. I've got some time to find a smog or title challenged TR7 or Spitfire on the cheap between now and then. For those who don't understand what I mean by "title challenged", it's tough to get a replacement title in CA if the title is lost and the car is a 1976 or newer car that can't pass smog.

My current TR8 plan is to sort the fans in the next week/weekend so that I can get it smogged and registered. Then new tires and maybe with a little luck I can drive it to the next Triumph meeting at Cars n Coffee. I'm getting close.