I've got my Triumph ('74 TR6) on the road now, and I must admit that it is
a lot more fun to actually drive it than to just sit in it in the garage
making car sounds (nor does it feel quite as silly). Here's some of the
things I've done during the past couple weeks:
- The bottoms of both seats were really torn up and the frame in the
driver's side seat-back was broken, so I looked in to getting
them recovered. Buying all new parts (rubber diaphragms, foam, and
covers) from TRF and assembling them myself would have cost close to
$500 -- giving me "original" seats. The cost seemed high and I would
prefer fabric seat faces, so I took a tour of the local upholstery shops.
I found a place here in town that welded the frame, replaced the foam,
and recovered the seats with fabric faces and vinyl sides/backs for
$230. While the seats are no longer original, they look great, are very
comfortable, and I'm over $200 ahead. Good deal.
- The overdrive in the car was shifting slowly (5 - 10 seconds), so I
changed the oil in the transmission. I don't know if the level was low
previously, but the OD is now shifting in 1 to 3 seconds, which seems
more acceptable.
My "to do" list for the car is already long and still growing fast. I'm
sure that many of my related questions will be answered when I get a service
manual, but in the interim, I could use some advice regarding the following:
- I was reading through the owners manual and it indicated that you should
use the "seasonal grade of motor oil" for the dampers (or whatever
they're called) in the carbs. I checked them and they're low on oil,
but it looks more like automatic transmission fluid than motor oil. What
should I be using?
- The dimmer switch (column mounted) is worn out and will need to be
replaced, but it is not obvious how it should be removed. Unscrewing
it is no problem, but the wires disappear into the steering column
with no connectors in sight and I have this fear that I'll have to rip
the entire steering column apart to change the switch. Surely there's
an easier way.
- I have a new knob to replace the broken on one of the window cranks,
but I can't figure out how to pull the handle off. My old VW had a
pin that you'd drive out with a nail, but I can't find anything comparable
on the Triumph. Suggestions?
- The right angle drive for the speedometer cable connection to the
overdrive unit is dead. While the gears still work, the shaft that
pokes in to the overdrive has disintegrated in to a tangle of wire.
I can get a new one from TRF for $75, but I was wondering if anyone
knew of a cheaper alternative or a way to fix the old one.
- I'm going to be putting a non-competition roll bar in the car and would
be interested in any suggestions on sources and/or installation
procedures.
Thanks for the pointers.
Ron
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Ronald C. Hood U S WEST Advanced Technologies
hood@uswest.com Boulder, Colorado
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