Lawrence G Miceli wrote:
>
> On Sun, 20 Apr 1997 22:57:16 -0500 Martin Libhart <mlibhart@feist.com>
> writes:
> >Just received my latest copy of Classic Auto Restorer magazine. One of
> >the featured cars this month is an immaculate 71 TR6 - a $25K
> >restoration project. I found one interesting bit of information in
> >the
> >article. The owner stated that he preferred a "bullet-proof" clutch
> >set-up, and after much research, found that a Sachs pressure plate for
> >the Saab 900 and a clutch release bearing for the Toyota Land Cruiser
> >were perfect fits, and are, in his words, indestructible.
> >
> >Martin Libhart
> >1972 TR6 (driver)
> >1970 Spitfire Mk.3 (under restoration)
> >
> Martin,
>
> When did you get the issue? What is the cover car?
>
> I used to own that car! I sold it to George Proctor of Pompano Beach, FL
> , and he had Dean Houston of British Sports Car Works (Boca Raton)
> restore it.
>
> The clutch set up is a combination of ideas put together by Dean Houston
> and J.K. Jackson (Tallahassee TR Guru). I forget which one came up with
> which part, but the combination works so well that TRF has been selling
> the kit for some time. After replacing the stock throwout bearing twice
> it was determined that the mfg had changed the design so that the std
> bearing would fit a whole bunch of cars which led to limited life span in
> the TR application (this directly from the mfg!) That's when Dean started
> looking for an alternative, as he had just replaced a bunch for free when
> they failed on customers' cars and he warrantied the job.
>
> I have been running the combination in my '76 TR6 for about 5K miles and
> it really is terrific. Variable clutch release on a Triumph used to be
> impossible with the old ON/OFF clutch set up. Now it feels like a modern
> car. (BTW, I don't have any financial interest in British Sports Car
> Works)
>
> BTW, the car is PERFECT. Not really over-restored with chrome or anything
> like that, but as perfect original as any TR6 could be. Even the
> original hardware was glass-beaded and re-plated so that the correct bolt
> head patterns were used. George found an original Lucas battery (no, not
> a sticker put over an Interstate battery), and an original cvt top and
> frame for the car. The top assy was still in the parts bag, has the
> cross-hatching in the vinyl on the underside and fits better than any
> aftermarket top I have ever seen. Makes me think that AMCO used an old
> shrunk-up top to make their pattern.
>
> The car was invited to show at the Amelia Island Concourse de Elegance
> (the East Coast Pebble Beach, as stated by Auto Week, Automobile Magazine
> & Road & Track) and while it lost to a perfect early Lamborgini, it was
> really something to see a production Triumph being shown with low
> production imports, classic Cords and Dusenbergs, et al. For those who
> subscribe to the British Marque Car Club News, last month's issue had
> photos and a story about the show.
>
> Larry Miceli
> '76 TR6
> '73 Stag -really ticking me off-
> '66 Herald
Larry:
That's the car! It's a good article. To answer your question, I
received my copy in the mail Saturday. It's the May 1997 issue; cover
photo is a red 1949 Ford F-1 Pick-up, fully-restored.
BTW, another lister (Chad Jester) tells me he did some work on the car.
Martin Libhart
1972 TR6 (driver)
1970 Spitfire Mk.3 (under restoration)
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