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Wedge Wedge fever

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John_Mc

John_Mc

Jedi Knight
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Lately I've had an itch that seems like it could be nicely scratched with something wedge shaped. I've noticed several 7's for sale locally. One is a 79 fhc that was "running when parked" 2 years ago-$600. The other is an 81 dhc FI that is not running-$750. I'm kind of thinking the DHC FI might be fun, but I don't really know what it would take to get one of these cars up and running. Any suggestions on what to look for, or things to be afraid of (besides rust, of course)?

Here are the links:
81 dhc FI
79 fhc

I'm pretending like my wife would think this is a great idea. Talk about delusional!
 
John_Mc said:
Lately I've had an itch that seems like it could be nicely scratched with something wedge shaped. I've noticed several 7's for sale locally. One is a 79 fhc that was "running when parked" 2 years ago-$600. The other is an 81 dhc FI that is not running-$750. I'm kind of thinking the DHC FI might be fun, but I don't really know what it would take to get one of these cars up and running. Any suggestions on what to look for, or things to be afraid of (besides rust, of course)?

Here are the links:
81 dhc FI
79 fhc

I'm pretending like my wife would think this is a great idea. Talk about delusional!
Click to expand...

Not delusional at all, John. My wife loves our TR8 - comfortable ride, more secure feeling, air conditioning, etc., etc.

Biggest issue with the Wedgies would be the initial quality control, which was pretty abysmal - especially the early models. However, once those issues are addressed, they are wonderful cars, and had British Leyland been allowed to continue in the eighties, the cars would have evolved.

As they are now, they are the best-kept of the LBC secrets!

Do some research; talk to owners and drive a few. Then decide.

Mickey
 
You can never go wrong with a convertible.
 
John_Mc said:
Any suggestions
Click to expand...


Take an NSAID and call us in the morning..



John, have you forgotten the most elemental rule of buying a Triumph, buy one finished and let the other guy take the hit.

A buddy just sold a really sweet TR7 that he restored (the body was perfect when he bought it) and sold for $3,500.00. A steal for the buyer, my friend got his money back but lost a lot of labor.
 
Were the head warping issues resolved on the later cars?

A friend bought a fhc for $400 a few years ago. Has less than $1000 into it and it is on the road. He likes the car, but would sell it to buy a convertible in a heart beat.
 
The prices are also warning signs. Why don't they run? That would be my first worry. Especially with the fuel injection car. Could be a lot of little things that could really add up to big bucks quickly. On the carburetter car, if it were the stock ZS's and FASD that were knackered they can be swapped for SU's quite easily (as long as an emissions test is out of the equation). The prices for really good TR7's isn't all that much higher. A friend of mine just sold his nearly perfect 1981 TR7 for $3500. He had trouble getting that much but it was truly worth it. With either of those cars, you could easily spend that much getting them back to running condition if they need serious work. Then again, they could be simple fixes. Hard to tell until you investigate more.

The later cars had a header tank added to the cooing system and it was located to where the fill point was above the head. Which took away many excuses for overheating and head warp-age. It could still happen though if the coolant wasn't changed on a regular basis or kept full.

By 1979 the production had moved to Canley (Coventry) and the build problems that plagued the TR7 at the Speke (Liverpool) plant were eliminated.

The coupes are a little bit lighter and the shells are stiffer. Which means they will handle better than a dhc when pushed. The dhc's though have a easy to operate top and when they are in good condition are quite nice. Either way, the wedges are the most comfortable and best handling TR's.

Personally... I am a fan of the coupe, which is why when I looked for a TR8 I wanted and found a coupe. I have driven both TR7 and TR8 dhc though and they are quite nice. I save my personal convertible time for my TR6.

BTW, a TR6 and a TR7 are worlds apart in most every way.
 
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