Wedge Thought exercise - a wedge as a daily driver?

[tr8todd]

If you are going to buy an 8, my best advise would be to buy one from an enthusiast that knows and drives the car. Stay as far away as you can from the "low mileage" barn finds. Sorting out a TR8 that hasn't been driven much can be an infuriating and expensive ordeal.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Hey, Darrell -

Saw that one a short while back - on ebay, I think. Looks good. Weak points to check for rust are behind the seats at the outboard corners where the rear links attach, under the master cylinders, and on top of the rear scuttle panels where you see a seam running from the front of the outer boot lids up toward the cockpit.

The trim looks like it's stick-on, so you may be able to remove it. Will be a delicate task...

Keep us posted!

Mickey

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Will add that the seats look like they may have more than 60K use on them...

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Will add that the seats look like they may have more than 60K use on them...

Yes, though having lived in San Luis Obispo for four years (went there for college), they have about 11 months of good top-down weather, so they certainly could have 30 years of sun....

 

[DNK]

Hey, That's Elrey territory

 

[tdskip]

Sorting out a TR8 that hasn't been driven much can be an infuriating and expensive ordeal.

I've been living that experience - can confirm the wisdom in Todd's guidance here.

 

[tdskip]

Thanks again for everyone's input. I'm trying to work out a way to get one sooner rather than later, and I have my eye on this one:

https://www.britishsportscars.com/inventory/details.php?id=5738673

I bought my Bugeye from Justin with British Sports Cars. Nice guy but get an independent inspection from a club member.

 

[Darrell_Walker]

I bought my Bugeye from Justin with British Sports Cars. Nice guy but get an independent inspection from a club member.

So, anyone on the list in the area, and up for a scouting report?

I actually had a little work done on parts of my 4A way back when (brought pieces in, not the entire car), and despite being a "full service" shop, they were very happy to help a poor college student (very unlike the Triumph dealer in Bakersfield).

I got the go-ahead from my wife. Not quite as enthusiastic as Mrs. Brosky, but I'll take it.

Now I need to figure out if I want to fly down and drive it back, or buy long distance and have it shipped sight unseen. I don't really want to pay for round-trip plane fare AND shipping....

What I like about this car, besides having FI, is that it looks so original and complete. Even if it needs some debugging, I think sorting out an original car would be easier than dealing with "fixes" by a PO. I'd have the summer to sort it all out, before I became completely dependent on it for daily duty (and even then, I still have the 4A as a back-up vehicle).

Anyway, lots to consider!

 

[tdskip]

Drive her back! Justin and his Dad are qualified to work on these and should be able to check it out to make sure you get the drive OK.

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Drive her back! Justin and his Dad are qualified to work on these and should be able to check it out to make sure you get the drive OK.

That's my preference, just need to scope out a couple of free days.

Too bad Hwy 1 in Big Sur is still closed....

Has anyone used a professional inspection service?

 

[tdskip]

Good morning Darrell. Not sure if an inspection service would know the in/outs of a TR8. Have you given him a check list of items you want a report on? Specific stuff like does she hunt at idle, any trans noise in neutral etc...?

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Good morning Darrell. Not sure if an inspection service would know the in/outs of a TR8. Have you given him a check list of items you want a report on? Specific stuff like does she hunt at idle, any trans noise in neutral etc...?

No, they probably wouldn't know specific TR8 issues. I was looking at this one:

https://www.automobileinspections.com/

It looks like they cover a lot of things, but nothing that requires any mechanical disassembly. But they would check that everything appears to work.

Are hunting at idle and trans noise in neutral specific TR8 things?

Am I wrong to think a FI car would be better as daily driver? I don't have any plans for engine upgrades (said the guy that put a supercharger on his TR4A). I would probably do brake and suspension upgrades, and refresh the cosmetics.

 

[tdskip]

Hi Darrell - not uncommon for the FI models to hunt a bit at idle, worth asking. Not fatal but can be annoying. These gearboxes seem to eat their mainshaft bearings, noise in neutral is a give away. Again, not fatal but rebuild time. Probably not an issue with these miles.

FI is a bit more civilized, carb cars are usually more likely to be tweaked for power.

There are some standard things for the suspension, better springs, poly bushings etc that really make a nice difference.

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Hi Darrell - not uncommon for the FI models to hunt a bit at idle, worth asking. Not fatal but can be annoying. These gearboxes seem to eat their mainshaft bearings, noise in neutral is a give away. Again, not fatal but rebuild time. Probably not an issue with these miles.

What causes the hunting?

FI is a bit more civilized, carb cars are usually more likely to be tweaked for power.

That's what I was thinking, along with not dealing with warm up, chokes, etc.

There are some standard things for the suspension, better springs, poly bushings etc that really make a nice difference.

Yeah, that plus stuts/shocks, 15" wheels and maybe upgraded brakes were the kinds of things I was considering.

Anyway, I think what I need to do is find 2-3 days in a row that I can clear my schedule and take a trip south.

 

[tdskip]

Hi Darrell;

It seems that the circuit boards simply are getting old at this point and some of the joins are a bit tired, standard practice seems to be re-soldering. The FI TR* guys will jump in with more info here I'm sure, but I'd not let this scare me away from a good car. Heck, it probably doesn't even have this issue.

The chokes on the carb's TR8 are automatic water chokes and work pretty well, but FI systems is smoother and more precise for sure.

TR8 take very well to suspension tuning, and bigger brakes are pretty common as well.

 

[DNK]

Darrel, do what was done to mine.
My car is running a fuel injection from a early 90's Corvette and Z28.
You can also run a MS and would even be less retro work

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Darrel, do what was done to mine.
My car is running a fuel injection from a early 90's Corvette and Z28.
You can also run a MS and would even be less retro work

MS == MegaSquirt?

 

[DNK]

10-4

 

[GBRandy]

Erratic idle can be caused by many things. It may be the ECU, but could be a leak in the intake somewhere....easy stuff to fix.

The ECU is not as big a mystery as some would have you believe. It is a unique piece, but most are repaired with some soldering efforts that you can do at home.

The Roadster Factory offers the soldering service for a fee and no guarantees.

There are some very smart TR8 guys on the TR8 mailing list that have forgotten more about the TR8 FI system than I will ever know. It is a superb resource.

If you want a stock TR8, the FI version is the most reliable Triumph you can buy....my 2 cents anyway.

 

[DNK]

I see Darrell joined Woody's Forum in preparation for a new car