Wedge TR7 Transmission problem

[gary ant]

I own a 1976 TR7 (4 speed) Victory Edition which is completely stock. The problem with the trans is it slips out of third gear on deceleration. It does this all the time and I generally avoid this by shifting to 4th gear. Is this a synchro problem or something else? Any help?

Is this limited Edition gaining in value because it is rare? Just curious.

 

[Mark Beiser]

I'm no transmission expert, but things like that tend to indicate its time for an overhaul that involves some gear replacement.
If you drive the car quiate a bit, you may want to considder swapping to a 5 speed gearbox, driveshaft and rear end. Its a straight swap and does a lot for the drivability of the car.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by gary ant:
Is this limited Edition gaining in value because it is rare? Just curious.<hr></blockquote>

I havn't seen any pass through ebay, etc. TR7s in general don't have any real collector value yet. More people are restoring them these days though, so they may start to go up in value at least a little.

Currently the Spiders are the only ones I know are worth significantly more than other TR7s. The Victory Edition may well be the same way because it is the only other real factory limited edition car. The "30th Anaversery" editions, and other "limited editions" were marketing ploys where BL sent out special badging to dealers that were having trouble selling cars. The fact that the Victory Edition is a coup, and that it was built at Speke by idiots, doesn't help the value any.

Unfortunatly the origonal wheels for the Victory Edition were all recalled due to the small problem that they tended to break during cornering at speed.

[ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Mark Beiser ]

[ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Mark Beiser ]</p>

 

[MrBlueSky]

Yes, yes go with the 5 speed. You can usually find one in very good shape and for less then it would cost to rebuild the 4 speed.

 

[Izual Angel]

I saw a victory edition on ebay about 2 months ago in restorable condition for about $500. So they're about the same as a usual TR7.

 

[Langelo DeMysterioso]

Wow a Vic

do you still have the spoker wheels! I used to own a Vic, although I loved it I have to agree with Mark, the coupes are not highly valued (yet) everyone wants a convertible. It is possible that one day when the coupes get rarer it may one day be worth more than a convertible but not at this time. Also as Mark said these cars were built at Speke a factory that was known to have labor problems which included sabatoge of the product. If yours is still running you are one lucky SOB! Also as Mark said the original "white spoker rally wheels" were recalled by the factory. One of mine broke before I found out about the recall and I was never able to find a replacement even back then. I did see the Vic on Ebay and I was very tempted. Although everyone is recommending the 5 speed trans, in collector car land originality is very important. If you plan to stay original, stay original if its just for your driving pleasure then do what you like. I junked my car way back when for tranny problems (that started just like yours but in second gear eventually I was out for a drive and then I shifted but the gears did not change. I was able to move the shifter in a circle and never touch a gear). Lack of funds when I was getting married prevented me from fixing it. I'm divorced now and if I could do it again guess what? I'm looking for a 7 right now and I'd love to own another Vic. its that or a Spider. If I were you, and I've been there before, I would fix the four speed and stay as original as possible and hope for the value to go up. If it doesn't then Oh well. Also I was reading somewhere that this problem may not be as fatal as you think. I think there is a pin somewhere in the gearbox that slips out of place. If I recall it was an easy fix but to get to that pin, Ahah! Too bad I found out about this some 15 years later!