Your first "Triumph"?

[sail]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My only TRIUMPH, after years depriving myself of a basic need, was bought on E-Bay (no lucky find story) during the holidays 2006/7. Saw it and said…”I want THAT car.” 1 owner, sat for 15 years. It needed seat covers, top, replacement of what appeared to be the original rubber floor mats and to go and stop. Hopefully I could figure it out, not too ruff, not too good ... perfect.

So with as much trust as you can gain over a cell phone, great solicitude and a wad of cash I drove to St. Louis with a huge stock car trailer. Worst case was drive back home out $500 with huge stock car trailer empty. That didn't happen.

Now I just stumble around it, stare and sometimes take a BFH to it. Everything I do on it is pretty much for the first time so it takes awhile. Probably only gone 4000 miles or so but we are learning to trust each other more and more. This summer is looking like a great summer to drive.

One of the listing photos. Good stories here.

 

[Member 10617]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

I had my first Triumph (a 1958 TR3A) back in 1962. It was purchased after I drove a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite for two years and found that it was not very good for road trips in the wide-open spaces of Southern Arizona.

 

[TR6BILL]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

Drove the snot out of a buddy's TR4 all through high school in the early 60's. Went into the Army in 1970 and spotted a very early TR2 that an enlisted man had that wasn't running. Approached him with an offer: Your Triumph for a shiny new nickle-plated 44 magnum handgun. Done deal. I got the car running by subbing the ignition from a Massey Ferguson tractor. It worked! Drove the snot out of it, sold it to a restorer for a profit. One of my dental assistant grunts (draftee) drove in from Bell, CA, with a clean '59 TR3. He was broke so I gave him $150 for the car, drove the snot out of it for 4 years, sold it to another restorer in New Orleans, who made it into a concours beauty. Black with red interior. The TR2 had spats. Miss them both. Two TR6's later and I am sans Triumphs, but looking.....

 

[Tr3aguy]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

Always had crappy cars back in the day that got good mileage, including an awsome burnt orange Pinto station wagon. I was styling. I had a buddy of mines dad that had a TR4 red and he was working on it all the time. Took quite a fews top down rides in that but wasn't old enough to drive yet. I would hover around and see what was being repaired. Then they moved before driving age

Never had the opportunity to pick one up....married into the wifes family and saw this beat up TR3 sitting in the garage. I kept asking the father in-law what he was going to do with it.....said he would like to restore it one day....went to visit after moving 4 hours away and starting cleaning up around it and getting the parts together. After some negotiations I am working on it now.....and then low and behold a parts car came my way...for a bargain...So went to look at it and it was pretty much complete but needed work too. Car number two...with a ton of parts.....So now I have two non running, semi ok TR3s that I want to get finished......My obbsession has began....and I am glad to say I have riden in a TR3 last summer and drove a buddys TR6 to a show.....what a feeling....people driving by waving and such.....

OK....now back to work......gotta get the car on the road....

 

[booley]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

Great thread with great stories! My first Triumph was a red '70 Spitfire that was purchased while still in high school(either '73 or '74,i can't remember)I wanted a GT6 in the worst way, but could only afford a spit(with dad's money) Right after purchase, I found out there was a bad u-joint on one of the half shafts, which began my self-education of being a shade tree mechanic. Learned so much messing with that car, swapping the ZS for SU's, installing a header and exhaust(from jc whitney)and finally swapping the engine.
Managed to put that car on it's roof(with no rollbar) and walk away(what a stupid kid!) After that, I bought my first GT6...

 

[3798j]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My first Triumph was my first car. A beautiful '61 TR3 showing 36,000 well cared for miles. The year was 1966 and I was the proudest 16 year old there was. A wonderful experience that brought with it great memories that I still cherish.

 

[StagByTriumph]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

A 1963 Triumph Herald 1200 Sport Convertible, red chassis, black top and interior, white rubber bumpers.

When I was 13 my dad said "If you can rebuild the motor with new rings and bearings, it is yours." It has 125k miles on it then.

It was handed down from my Dad to me, but only after my middle brother found that lock to lock steering driving 65 on back single lane paved roads results in a violent aerial barrel roll flip landing you wheels down (fortunately) in a farmers field - that damage repaired before I got it.

So I opened that little red "Servicing and Maintenance" book, learned that a spanner was a wrench, a gudgeon pin was a wrist pin, that a petcock was the water drain valve on the side of the engine block, a jubilee clamp was a hose clamp - etc, etc, etc.

In an open ended garage in one of the coldest February winters on record in Pennsylvania, a few kerosene heaters and some tarps to hold in whatever heat the wind would not suck out, I tore down that engine, measured the specs with the help of my neighbor who had micrometers for anything, ordered all my parts from J.C. Whitney, and pounded those pistons into the cylinders with a ring compressor, a block of wood - actually 5 or six of them as the wood blocks kept splitting - and 10 pound hand sledge, proudly got it all assembled.
Only to find out that the starter, for some reason was not good enough to turn over the motor!
Later I learned what "de-carbonizing the piston" was, but only after having my father drag me all over the back roads later that spring trying to turn over the engine - which subsequently burned out the brand new clutch disk, glazing the pressure plate and flywheel which subsequently replacing the disk and deglazing surfaces, almost flat spotting the "tyres", still not able to turn over the engine using a 24" pipe wrench on a 5 foot extender pipe ... producing enough torque to almost roll the car over on its side! (HEY!!I was 13 and learning ... and my dad was keeping the eye out to make sure I did not get too injured)

So when my oldest brother returned on leave from the Navy checked on my status, asked me if I de-carbonized the ring grooves and I said "huh? there was no carbon in those grooves, it was shiny metal when I put those rings in!"

"Let's see, give me one." Oil pan was off, I loosened a rod, pounded one of the pistons back out with a surviving block of wood and 10 pound hand sledge, handed it to my brother who took his pocket knife, popped off a ring, dug the blade into a piston groove with a spray of carbon dust. "Take that out with this ring cleaner tool and lets put it back together."

In about 3 hours of work and reassembly (I was pretty good by then at tearing down and putting together) I primed the carburetor with the lever on the fuel pump, pulled the choke, twisted the key, it started right up, idled smoothly and we went for a drive, oldest brother driving of course until we got to the areas where he used to drive when he was 13 ...... a proud accomplishment for a 13 year old.

I went on to put over 50 k miles on it from 15 1/2 age to 17, installed tubular headers and dual SU's off a crashed Spitty, crashed it and got hand-me-down again, another - 1967 powder blue tin top Herald 1200 Salon that I drove until my 3rd Triumph, a TR250 at age 18 that I had until 1981.

Ah good memories ...

 

[DNK]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My first Triumph was a young lass name Lisa.
OHH, wrong type of Triumph :blush:

 

[glemon]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My older brother and I were into cars as adolescents (started with HO slot cars and scale models), his first car was a 53 chevy, followed quickly by a '66 AH Sprite, I followed in his footsteps and my first car was also a 66 Sprite, follwed by a '67, then a MGB GT then.....a TR4A, my first Triumph, this was about 1982 and all the cars uo to this time were my daily drivers.

I redid most everything on the 4, the motor was bad when I got it, running but tired, the body was pretty good, but a few midwest winters did her in. I learned to braze (before the days of cheap mig welders) and fixed the rust, and bought a first generation RX7 for my daily driver so the could be saved from the tinworm in the future.

I sold the 4A in 1997 or 1998 and aslo sold the RX-7 and got a first generation Nissan Sentra SE-R (the Mazda and Nissan, though not LBCs, get honorable mention for a lot of british type spunk, spirit and driving fun, wouldn't mind getting another fisrt generation RX sometime)

Couldn't satnd being without and LBC, so when I couldn't find a decent big Healey or Jag E project for affordable money (ha) I bought another '67 Sprite. The SPrite was only around a few months when I found a 54 Healey Hundred drivable from a rough older restoration, and reasonably cheap.

Drove the Healey from '99 through 2008. Bought a steal of a deal TR250 to sell, because I needed money, it was a very original pretty straight and solid car needing complete restoration, made a little bit on it when I sold it. Sold the Healey because I still needed money (this was when the economy was still booming, I am always out of synch with those cycles), and actually made money on the deal as well, even counting all I had put into it.

Then money was good again and I was looking for something interesting, maybe a Daimler SP250, or a 60s Alfa GTV, or maybe a TR250. I got the 250 I have now off of E-bay. It is not as nice as the first one I bought and cost over twice as much, but I can't complain. While it was certainly not a no holds barred restoration it is the first car I had that if I really wanted to buy, replace, upgrade, I could, and I did, so that and all the work done myself and I still sunk probably more into it that it is worth now (interior bits are a killer, dash pads, seat covers etc.) but I really really love it, still need to fit the top and rear sway bar and she is pretty much all done.

 

[toysrrus]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

Howdy Folks,

Pretty interesting & fun posts to read. So; I`m going to try to make this "Short & Sweet".

When I returned from Nam in Jan.69; I bought my 1st. "Brand New" car. `68Firebird 400 Conv. for $3300.00 Out the Door. I lived in Monmouth County where I saw a fair amount of College kids driving around in these "Little" Top
Down "Things". Well; I "Traded" my perfectly good looking, good running Firebird in for a "Used" early `60 something "Midget". I did`nt have it 2 weeks & the clutch went out. Long Story short; I owned that Midget for a month & It was in the shop 3wks. of that month. "A bit dis-couraging to say the least"!

So; Then I figured I`d get smart & I bought a "Brand New" `72Midget from "Reedman" in PA ($2500). I then moved to Northern NJ (Clifton Area). The `72 drove perfect for approx. 1yr & then the Front Suspension fell apart. I repaired that and sold her for a song.

I was dating (Who ultimately turned out to be my wife) a young lady who lived in "Ft. Lee, NJ". Their neighbor was doing something in his garage & I noticed this "Strange" looking Sportscar that I`ve never seen before. After some discussion etc. I was looking at a `60TR3A, Orig. Owner Car. She ran just fine but the Cosmetics were never taken care of (Rust, Faded paint, Torn Int); You folks know what I`m talking about; But, I did`nt care as I thought this was a really "Cool" looking car. "I HAD TO HAVE IT"!!!

I finally convinced the "Orig. Owner" to sell it & I got it for $1000.00. Drove her home & gave it to a friend of mine who had a body shop & He did a nice cosmetic job on it over the winter. I took a whole bunch of pics & even today; I`m still trying to find them but No Luck.

So; There you go. My 1st. Triumph was a "`60TR3A". Since then; You name it; I`ve had at least one of every LBC made with the exception of a Austin Healey 3000.

End of this "Short" story,

Russ

 

[kodanja]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My very 1st Triumph was a 73' GT6
with overdrive', from there on in I was hooked'

I had 3 MG's prior to that car'

& My present 69 TR6'

 

[drooartz]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

I'm not really sure where I inherited my car-guy gene from -- my grandmother, I think. Her second husband had a MG TD that he bought from my aunt's college roommate in the late 1960s (when they finally sold the MG I was just out of college and broke, and it was pristine and nothing I could afford...). Was fascinated with anything with wheels pretty much from birth.

After college I sold my practical Ford Escort (handed down from my parents) for a '76 Toyota FJ40. My first fun vehicle that taught me two lessons: 1) I love interesting vehicles, and 2) they're much more fun when you don't have to rely on them every day, especially when you have no garage and not many tools.

So fast forward to 2004 and I decide it's time to find a fun car again. I've got tools, a garage, a reliable daily driver, and an understanding wife. After a bit of a search, and time to save money, I wound up with a '62 TR4. It gave me a great taste of what a sports car could be, but in the end wound up needing far more work than I could do or wanted to do -- I never really connected with the car, and I sold it after about 6 months to buy the Tunebug.

The dealer that bought it from me finished up the bodywork and sold it on, so it got the treatment it needed and is hopefully out there making someone smile.

 

[Moseso]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

I actually used to walk past San Francisco's Triumph dealer every morning on my newspaper delivery route, ca. 1961/2, age, 11. I looked in the window every morning and thought they looked pretty cool.

Never thought about Triumphs (or cars at all, really) until I was 18, and had moved all the way to Berkeley for college. (U.C. Berkely, 1968 -- now, THERE'S some stories...)

My roommate owned a 1957 small mouth TR3, which actually kind of took my breath away, the first time I saw it. After living with him for only a couple of months, he decided he wanted to sell. I gave him $200 and my Schwinn bicycle. He showed me how to tune it and change the oil, so I went to Sears and dropped $60 on a tool kit. Thus, a lifetime of owner/maintainership started.

After only 6 months of this car, an attention deficit caused me to rear-end a van with it. It was declared totaled and went to the junk yard. A couple of years later, after I rolled my, much more sensible, '65 Ford Falcon wagon, I bought a '59 TR3 ($600 this time). That one went over a 40' embankment, with me in it, after driving it all up and down the West Coast for a couple of years.

(Detecting a pattern here yet? I had no idea how to sell a car because, apparently, I had little idea how to drive one.)

I bought a 1949 GMC half-ton P/U after that. I LIKED all that heavy gauge metal around me. The little/sporty ride bug bit again when the '73 oil crunch happened -- in the form of a '65 BMW cycle. About 1983, when the kids were little, and Mama was, in-no-way, going to allow our kids on that thing, I decided to sell it and went looking for -- what else? -- a TR3. I found the one I still have, another '59. Around then, a ship pulled in for me, and it became unnecessary to sell the bike, so I put it up on blocks. That's where the TR3 went, too, after about six months. It needed a LOT! I put the bike back in service from 1995 - 2002 and sold it with the intent to use that as starter money to put the TR3 back on the road. The project got underway in earnest in 2005 and went through 2008. Now I just drive it and tinker on it -- the way it oughta be! (I haven't stuffed a vehicle in YEARS and hope to keep it that way.)

 

[aeronca65t]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

Great stuff! I'm really enjoying the photos (and stories) here.

A while back I put together a webpage with cars in my past. Including cars of friends. Mostly classic Brit stuff.

The page includes a nitro-burning TR3 autocrosser, various Spits, a TR4, my college roomate's TR3 (which I hit with my TR3 while we were dicing in the Trenton State College parking lot)....plus other stuff.

You can see that webpage ~Here~

 

[PSUTR3B]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

In 1966 I just turned 17 and for $700, $200 from me and $500 from my father, I got a 1960 TR3A at a Volvo dealer in Lancaster. It was powder blue with white racing stripes and blue leather interior. The side curtain on the passenger side was weather tight and on the drivers side cold wind, rain and snow came in. The heater worked but not much help and you could barely hear the radio over the sweet soound of the engine. It was the most beautiful thing I ever saw and I worked after school and summer to support it. Did 2 valve jobs and relaced the rocker panels. I discover the trunk (ok, boot) was not weather tight when I had to shovel out the bag of sand I put to give the rear end some weight for driving in the snow. I sold it the next summer for money for college and got $150 more than we paid. I missed the car immediately. In about 2004 I bought a 1962 TR3B to restore. As soon as I got it started I realized that the engine sound was still the same and the thrill was still as great. I also got a 1952 MGTD (probably because of The Red Car-I know that was a TC) but it just isn't the same as a TR.

Gary

 

[Will_Ringrose]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

well my first one is this... and My dad said it, not me.

 

[Reh]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

First Triumph and my first car.

 

[HerronScott]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My best friend's older brother had a string of Triumphs when I was a teen which was my original introduction to the make and in the spring of my senior year in high school I found my first Triumph and first car in the form of a 1966 TR4A. My parents paid a whopping $500 for it as my graduation gift. It had wavy rear fenders with bondo over the seams, cheap seat covers and indoor beige carpeting but I loved that car!

It was a good thing since I didn't know anything about working on cars but soon had to learn quickly. After a couple of years the rear end of the car started to sag and the doors got harder and harder to open and close and I found out that in addition to body issues this car had serious frame rust in the back. I decided to do a restoration on it and found a donor frame and inner tub and between 1982 and 1985 did a full restoration. It was my daily driver from 1985 through 1990 and I put 75,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, I don't think that I have any before pictures.

I also managed to infect my girlfriend and wife to be as she bought a 1968 Spitfire MkIII which was her daily driver through the 1980s as well.

Scott

 

[Gerald_Gordon]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

For years before I even had a license, I could always identify a Triumph by the distinctive resonance of its exhaust at a certain RPM. When a friend's brother took me for an exhilarating ride in his brand-new TR4 in 1962, I knew just what I wanted.

My chance came in 1965, when I bought a 1962 powder-blue TR4 of my own while I was stationed near Cheyenne with the Air Force. The ranch roads through the foothills of the Rockies provided a safe, traffic-free place to corner as hard as I dared, although missing a turn meant bouncing across the prairie with the body flexing and the doors flying open.

When the carburetors called for work, I did a good-enough overhaul in my barracks room. And the owner of a local service station liked airmen and let me use his shop to do my own periodic maintenance and minor repairs. When a broken pushrod needed replacing, though, I left that task to him.

Eventually, the Air Force shipped me overseas but would not ship my car, so my parents kept it in northeastern Iowa and drove it regularly, although never when the roads had been salted. After they died, the car returned to me.

I still keep it in northeastern Iowa and drive it whenever I am there, often leaving it with the region’s principal British-car mechanic between times for improvements. By the time I collect it from him in a few weeks, he will have improved the tires, heater, exhaust system, fluid leaks, steering and suspension. Before that, it was the cooling system, carburetors, and brakes. Eventually, the body and interior will receive attention, too.

There is a satisfaction in having my first Triumph also be my current Triumph that is hard to describe, but it is real, nonetheless. I hope that all Triumph owners are enjoying their Triumphs as much as I have been enjoying mine.

 

[Don Elliott]

Re: Your first "Triumph"?

My first Triumph was a 1958 TR3A which I bought brand new in May, 1958. It's been my only Triumph and after 53 years it's still like (no - it's better than) new. I bought it at the age of 20 (paid cash) with savings from working at Pratt & Whitnew in the shop and on the drafting board after I graduated from High School.