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TRiumph Options

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PATR8

PATR8

Jedi Knight
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Well I have got three choices I am exploring. I found a GT6, sitting apart but ready to be re assembled. Rebuilt engine, the head redone. All waiting to be put together and in need of a painting. Option 2, I have a sweet TR7 DHC that is waiting to have my rover dropped into it, or do i take my money and invest in a new paint job for my TR8 FHC. I really am ready to move on to a DHC.

I really do not have room for 2 LBC so that need considered. I guess option 4 would be buy the 7 and GT6 and build a bigger garage..
 
PATR8 said:
Well I have got three choices I am exploring. I found a GT6, sitting apart but ready to be re assembled. Rebuilt engine, the head redone. All waiting to be put together and in need of a painting. Option 2, I have a sweet TR7 DHC that is waiting to have my rover dropped into it, or do i take my money and invest in a new paint job for my TR8 FHC. I really am ready to move on to a DHC.
Click to expand...

Will you stop goofing around and buy my Rover 3500...

What about option #4, buy a drop head TR8. After tooling around in the TR8 FHC I think you might miss the power....
 
Option 2 would involve my 8 donating his engine to the DHC... I really really wanted an SD1, I have jusr concluded they only exsist on the west coast (you) or by owners who do not return calls (the guy in Kentucky area). I really wanted your car for my son (ok, it is a good excuse)
 
The GT6 and TR7/8 are entirely different cars, which may make your choice a bit easier. Before you decide, carefully determine exactly how you intend to use the (restored) car. Daily driver? Weekend day trips? Cross country exploration??? The answer to these questions will guide your choice.

I hate to admit it but the GT6 is not the most comfortable car on the planet. I think you really have to love a GT6 to use it as a daily driver, daily commuter or long-trip excursions. The GT6 is a true GT car that's best enjoyed on weekends and sunny days for short trips. The cockpit is small, hot and noisy. A/C is relatively unknown for these cars. And since the body sits on top of the frame, there are inevitable squeaks and rattles, especially on bumpy roads. However, some folks (like me!) actually love this "antique sports car" feel in a GT6 that you're literally part of the machine. A GT6 delivers this sensation wonderfully.

On the other hand, the TR7 is a more modern vehicle that's far more comfortable to drive. The TR7/8 is not comparable in any way to the GT6, IMHO. For example, I wouldn't hesitate to drive a well-restored TR7/8 across the continent. They're a pleasure to drive, it's easy to install A/C and other creature comforts. And the cockpit a tad small for bigger drivers, but quite comfortable. A hard top makes for better highway trips, too.

For these and other reasons, to have a GT6 and a TR7/8 is an excellent combo! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif
 
When I had a GT6 it was my only car and I used for long and short trips. More than 50,000 miles one year. My future wife lived in a different town! Both she and I loved it however we used it. But I was also 5'9" and 165 lbs. Today it might not be as "comfortable"! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
Yeah, I have to agree with going with option 2 as well. Love the GT6 and spit for that matter. I'm just a tad over 6'2" and squeeze into the GT6, but it's worth it to me. Love the way it drives and wears for that matter... ;-)
Dennis
 
I love my 8, it is my daily driver during the summmer (drove from PGH to Washington this weekend, had it to Harrisburg, Ft Knox) I do not hesitate to drive it anywhere (provided I have replacement fluids for the leaks.) If I get the GT6 I will keep the 8.

The issue really comes down to this, I want a TR8 DHC and a GT6. I really do not have room for two money pits in my garage. I love the looks of the older GT6's (This is a late model one), they are great fun to drive, easy to work on. But I have decided on the engine transplant into the 7. I have called the guy and will pick it up Friday. So that decision has been made.

Next decision, do I fix the head on the 7 DHC's engine and place it in my FHC and sale it or do I strip 8 and make a warehouse of parts. The local Triumph expert will only give me $400 for the body (it is 98% rust free, and only rust is on the front lip of the valance and where paint chipped off the rear wheel well lip). Darn decisions... I need more garage space
 
Decisions, decisions!
 
PATR8 said:
Next decision, do I fix the head on the 7 DHC's engine and place it in my FHC and sale it or do I strip 8 and make a warehouse of parts.
Click to expand...
Blue book says it's worth $3-5K running; and I'd guess no more than $1K to fix the head (if your time is free).
PATR8 said:
The local Triumph expert will only give me $400 for the body (it is 98% rust free, and only rust is on the front lip of the valance and where paint chipped off the rear wheel well lip).
Click to expand...
I passed one up for $400 that was perfect, no rust whatsoever. Probably should have dropped a V8 in it, but I just don't like coupes. (Someone else got it, no longer for sale.)
 
I have to wonder how genuine TR8 Coupes will be viewed in terms of value in another few years. At least in North America, they are substantially rarer than the (admittedly also somewhat rare) convertibles. Since they're nearly 30 years old either way, most states won't care about the engine swaps and such, but I suspect that future collectors might prefer to see the TR8 FHC preserved as such and not made into a "fake" TR7 Coupe. It's a bit like sticking a Falcon or Maverick straight six into a Shelby GT-350 (OK, maybe not quite that bad, but you get the idea)!
 
The simple solution is a bigger garage. It's amazing what they are doing with metal buildings these days.
 
When I bought my TR8 FHC I had the option to buy a TR8 DHC. I researched them and deciced that the coupe was so much more rare that I wanted it. Unfortunately, I learned that even though I had an orginal 8 coupe, there are so many fake "8"'s that I doubt the coupes will ever increase in value. I like the shape of the FHC better than DHC but they are so darn hot, they are so areodynamic that even with the windows down I can not get air in (although rain can make it in and drip on my dash). The previous owner swapped a 3.90 rear axle in so he could race it and by the time i bought it I replaced both strut towers, a door, the rear panel where the gas cap is so I usually refer to it as a TR7 and 3/4
 
So who here has done a TR7 to TR8 conversion?

I bought a 1976 (CA smog required) FHC that is minus the motor but otherwise ridiculously straight and solid.

CA will let me drop in a more modern engine so long as it is equipped with a cleaner emissions system that is specific to the actual engine. In other words, I could put in a (for example only) mid-80's small block so long as the rest of the emissions are intact.

Or maybe something like;

06_ENGB_ECOT_02.jpg
 
I know where I could get a Sprint head to drop on the 7 engine with some high compression pistons.... that might be fun too...
 
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