TR-6 Owners,
I am sorry to say that all of you are wrong in the procedure to engage
reverse on a TR-6 (even the owners manual is wrong). The proper
procedure is:
1. Ensure driver's door is securely latched (to make sure operator does
not fall out during the following steps).
2. Brace left shoulder against door, firmly grip steering wheel with
left hand, and brace left leg against car body.
3. Place right hand with palm facing out (palm open towards passenger)
on the shift lever.
4. Say a prayer to the Greek Gods asking for the strength of Hercules.
With a tremendous grunt, push your right hand to the right. When you
think you are pushing with all of your strength, PUSH HARDER!!
5. If successful you should hear a very loud SNAP which will indicate
one of two conditions. Condition 1 is that you have managed to shift
into reverse (Do not forget to thank the Gods). Condition 2 is that you
have managed to break something on your transmission (The parts
suppliers will thank the Gods for you).
6. You have completed a very good physical workout, which should
preclude your having to go the fitness center for several days.
And keep in mind that Madison Avenue advertisers and Triumph literature
would show a shapely, petite model smiling at the camera and shifting
into reverse with two fingers (thumb and forefinger).
Two other thoughts regarding TR-6 Reverse and Choke -
1 - I am very surprised that Triumph never revealed that the design of
the "Shift into Reverse" mechanism and Choke Linkage were really devious
and cleverly designed Anti-Theft devices. Only experienced and patient
British Car Owners are capable of starting and driving TR-6s. Try this
line of reasoning on your insurance company for the Security Device
discount. Any thief trying to steal a TR-6 will be thwarted by the
Choke mechanism and therefore the engine will not start or continue to
run. If by chance (and very bloody unlikely) that the thief gets the
engine to start and run without pulling, twisting, pushing, pulling,
twisting, twisting, pulling, pulling, pushing, cursing, pulling,
pushing, twisting, cursing, crying, twisting, pushing, pulling the choke
then the thief will be faced with the monumental task of getting the
vehicle into reverse (provided you parked the car so it had to be put
into reverse). These two operations when performed together will stop
even the most experienced thiefs (and owners) dead in their tracks.
2 - This one is great for laughs and making any TR-6 owner feel vastly
superior to professional mechanics. Be careful though, there is a fine
line to humiliating a mechanic and making them vengeful. The scenario
is the annual ritual of vehicle inspections and involves the "Shift into
Reverse" gag. Bring you car to the garage and make sure it is parked
nose first into a tight parking spot. Hand the keys to the inspector
and DO NOT mention the difficulty of getting into reverse. Go into the
waiting area and watch the fun. Do not laugh too loud otherwise other
mechanics may hear you and catch onto your shenanigans. You will see
the inspector get into the car and go through the choke routine (see #1
above) unless you were kind and left it in the proper position (HA!).
This will be followed by a flurry of activity near the shifter followed
by the car lurching forward in fourth gear, followed by a flurry of
activity near the shifter followed by the car lurching forward in fourth
gear, followed by a flurry of activity near the shifter followed by the
car lurching forward in fourth gear. Let this go on about six times and
then walk out, look at the shift pattern on the knob (if you have this)
and ask if he is trying to get the car into reverse. (Do not be
condescending, yet) Tell him to push the lever to the right and
immediately say "push harder." While the look on his face shows concern
about breaking the transmission or shift lever and explaining this to
his boss, continue to say "push harder" until you hear the "SNAP". In
a fellow mechanic to fellow mechanic tone of voice, say something like
"Yeah, this car was designed for racing and the shift into reverse is
made to be difficult so you don't accidently shift into reverse during
the heat of the race." He has no choice but to agree. If he doesn't
agree then he is admitting to being a buffoon who couldn't get the car
into reverse (particularly if the shift pattern is present). At this
point do not mention the bonnet opens from the rear and tilts forward.
Let the inspector fumble around the front of the car looking for the
release catch. After an appropriate amount of time, saunter out to the
car, reach in and release the bonnet, open and secure the bonnet and
mention the race car theme again. Say something like "You don't want to
have the bonnet get ripped off by force of the air if the catch releases
during a race." You have now set the stage for getting you car
inspection passed regardless of whatever problems the inspector finds.
Having been burned twice he doesn't want to face your lecturing again.
So now if your Lucas electrics or any other part on your car decides to
show its heritage and fails to work (redundant?), the inspector figures
there is some logical explanation (being that this is a race car) and
simply ignores it. Viola! Your TR-6 has just been guaranteed to pass
its inspection.
Therefore, the next time you are in your car and encounter difficulties,
do not curse the designers and engineers but instead say a silent prayer
and thank them for their insight and intelligence to design and build a
vehicle which has a number of undiscovered benefits and virtues such as
Anti-Theft devices and guaranteed inspections.
Robert Kohout
72 TR-6
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