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Saw a sad sight today

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Brosky

Brosky

Great Pumpkin
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I was working in CT today and it was beautiful spring day, complete with warm breeze and sunshine. Naturally, I was daydreaming about driving my TR6, rather than my sun-roofed Montego, but hey, I was working and late for an appointment at that.

Anyhow, I was traveling south on RT 15, which is the Merritt Parkway, which allows only passenger cars and light trucks, when I noticed a beautiful red TR6 in the breakdown lane getting pulled onto a flat bed. I was in the passing lane and couldn't have stopped within a mile, even if I wasn't late, but felt terrible, nonetheless.

Mr. Owner, if you're out there, I apologize for not stopping, but felt that the tow truck would get you and your car to safety. I hope that it was something simple, because you have a very nice car indeed and it deserves to be driven, not towed.
 
Ya never know where you'll spot them next....I saw an early MGB fly through an intersection right infront of me(in a rental Pontiac Pursuit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif )...It looked a little tough with some rust issues in the rockers...but still made me smile.
 
It shouldn't have been sad for me, but I actually had a throat lump today as the Team Lexus rollback took the '62 down the street heading for Hanover, PA and rehab. First time in 15 years it has been out of the garage. I now have 11 yards on the tires.
 
A couple of weeks ago our TR6 failed to continue proceeding at a location 20 miles from home. I called AAA and they sent a flatbed to take my wife and myself home. It was disheartning and embarrasing. The worst was when we turned into our circle and the neighbors were congregated across the street. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
10 minutes and a $3.00 part and all was well. Except I will get razzed forever. But I know it is because they are jealous.
 
I hope I never need it but my Hagerty insurance covers flatbed service for the first 100 miles. Good for Peace of mind but like I said I hope I never need it.
 
I stalled my TR6 in a busy parking lot a few weeks ago while backing out of a space. My teenage daughter was mortified, particularly when I told her she was going to have to get out and help me push the car back into the parking space so people could get by.

It was worth it!
 
I got it last January. Getting off of the interstate, I couldn't get the car in gear. Called AAA and waited for my tilt bed. An hour later, they show up with a hook. I've got Richard Good springs with no spacers. An hour later, he returns with a flat bed then proceeds to smash my stainless pipes into the rear valance, damaging both. I believe he was missing more than a couple chromasomes.
The verdict was a broken clutch disc.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I got it last January. Getting off of the interstate, I couldn't get the car in gear. Called AAA and waited for my tilt bed. An hour later, they show up with a hook. I've got Richard Good springs with no spacers. An hour later, he returns with a flat bed then proceeds to smash my stainless pipes into the rear valance, damaging both. I believe he was missing more than a couple chromasomes.
The verdict was a broken clutch disc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry to hear that Doug. My flatbed operator was very carefull and when he saw it was going to drag he laid out blocking to raise the rear of the car. Guess I was lucky to get a good one.
 
I've had some good ones and some bad ones....Luckily it's been awhile since I've had any of my LBC's on a bed....When the brakes on my Camaro gave out one rainy night the driver refused to give me a ride to the mechanics and I had to call my wife. Had another flat bed guy tell me it was impossible to get my 73 Vette on it....But once I got a little abbraisive with him it wasn't a problem at all.
But there is also some very friendly and skilled drivers out there....One guy had that same Vette on a hook and managed to back it up my parents 1/8 mile long, curvy, and very narrow driveway without hitting the house or the hedge at all! I also had a repo truck driver pull an MGB out of a completely jammed garage in a matter of minutes without disturbing anything else in the garage. It's all the luck of the draw when it comes to getting a good driver.
 
Was surfing the web on how to install an original radio in my TR-6 when I "stumbled" across this site. Starting going through the posts and saw this one.

The guy on the side of the road was me! I was driving home my "new" 1973 TR-6 and it stalled out on the Merit Parkway. Being new to owning Triumphs, I didn't know what to do. (My Dad had a TR-6 when I was kid growing up, great car. ). Called a tow truck, sent the car back to the dealer. Turns out it was the distributor cap. Get it going again, make it almost all of the way to work, and the alternator goes. So, that's it, another flat bed, straight back to the dealer, fed up and I get my money back.

Not to be deterred from getting my triumph, I meet with Mark Davis of New England Classics in Stratford, CT, and he has 3 TR6s to choose from. I pick out another red one, a 1971, and have my expert father-in-law mechanic check it out. No problems.. So I buy that one and I am now a happy TR-6 owner! Saved $4000 in the process. No problems, and absolutely love the car. Love it. So, a happy ending to the story, and, with a cleaned out garage to park my new toy, hopefully many years of driving joy.
 

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Welcome to the group!
 
On a positive note to this thread. First, welcome, new guy and I am happy that you have joined the fold.

The good side to driving a Triumph is I made the trip to Dallas and back for the VTR convention with zero mechanical problems!
I averaged 75mph the whole way and the car ran flawlessly for the total of 18 hours of freeway cruising.

Keep 'em on the road!


Bill
 
I have to say, having experienced it now that the Hagerty tow service was excellent. 45 minutes. No muss no fuss. Well worth the few bucks it cost me...
 
Again, I apologize for not being able to stop, but the good news is that you have another TR6 and are here with us now.

Welcome to the forum. Best LBC forum on the net!

Are you going to Brookline, MA on Sunday for "Day of Triumph"?

Hope to see you there.
 
Welcome to the forum. For those who don't know the Merrit Parkway is not a lot of fun to break down on... Very dangerous, twisty, and very narrow! And of course everyone does eighty.
 
That was on of the primo highway of the "era of modern transportation". Four lanes, separated by grass and trees, a nice tunnel and no trucks.

The problem is that it (along with 95, 91, 84, 8 and many others) were designed to handle the "unimaginable 1960's" load of 30,000 to 40,000 cars per day, not 200-350,000 that actually travel some of these roads.

Not every family had two or more cars then. Some actually shared cars and never locked them at night. The old Chevy's had ignitions that didn't need keys (if you chose not to lock them)in the 56-61 models.
 
Still the distributor cap? My TR 250 used to stop on the freeway, like somebody just turned off the key. Being 17 years old, didn't know much about cars. Popped the distributor cap on the side of the freeway and noticed a carbon deposit on top of the rotor. Wiped it off with my finger and it started right up. Went another 100 miles and crapped out again. Back to the rotor, wipe, vroom, vroom. You would think they could have fixed that in 37 years.

How did you ever get a refund on a used car? Keep on thinking about Paul Dooley in "Breaking Away" where the son gives the money back on the Sting Ray. REFUND! REFUND!

Get a service manual and learn how to use it. You'll need it.
 
Find it a bit daunting travelling on I-95 and the Merritt with my TR6. More comfortable on those roads in my old Jeep Cherokee Sport. But, on a quiet country road, in the summer, the TR is SO much fun to drive.

I've become the family's "errand boy", don't mind going out to get a gallon of milk, or picking up my daughter at her friend's house, etc.

Refund on a used car? The dealer understood the love-hate relationship with a classic car. He knew that after it broke down TWICE before I could get it home, that a driver could never feel right about the car. Probably just bad luck--, but he understood and I got a full refund. He eventually sold it.. and the new buyer has a couple of potential things not to worry about.. Win/win all around...
 
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