Hi Jerry:
My '65 TR4 had only 15,000 miles on the odometer when I bought it. It was in
'like new' condition, but was not 'a showroom new car'. I bought it from a
dealership 'Trophy Motors' in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that specialized in,
as we would say today 'previously/briefly enjoyed upscale sports cars'. The
TR was the one of the 'less expensive cars' on the lot then. As I recall, he
had Alfa's, Ferrari's, Mercedes, and Jaguars. He did not have any MG's,
Fiats, or Spidgets or Spitfires. The owner was a performance oriented guy,
who was a salesman at the British Leyland/Jaguar Triumph Dealership, where
I met him pricing TR4A's and the new TR250. He was going into business for
himself in a prime downtown (busines center)location, he said he had a car I
should look at. This guy knew his sports cars- I knew I wanted a TR4 or
TR4A, and initial reports around campus were the TR4's (Both 4's and
4A's)were 'gutsier and faster' than the 250 and the solid rear axle ones
handled better than the IRS's or the 'old TR3's'. (Another friend had a
beautiful TR3 and he had recently 'spun out through a barb wire fence, and
while the car had only paint scratches, he had several deep one's which
really freeked me- as he was less 'adventurous' in his driving than I was).
By then we also learned that 4's without the folding top enabled more
collegiate cuties in the car when the top was down, which was always unless
it was a serious thunderstorm.(College needs perspectives and 'unofficial'
road rallye repoting.) Soon after I bought mine, during a Spring break, a
friend bought and brought a TR250 back to school (University of Oklahoma,
Norman, OK)from NY (Long Island), and while it was smoother -it didn't
appear to have the leather seats of my 4, and didn't handle as well around
curves, and was not as 'fast' as my TR4. (I could always nose him out, but I
did like the 'meatier' nerf bar like grille and stripe across the Bonnet,
and the color ( Midnight Blue) much better. He never got tickets( he said).
I still have all the original paperwork.
It is a TR4 - it has the TR 4 box frame. Originally the car was Signal Red,
Black Leather surface seats,(Paint Code 32 and Trim Code A11). It had the
wood dash and chrome bezeled instrument rings. It had the Hard chrome faced
'Plinth'. It did not have the A on the trunk lid. The disk wheels were
also white painted. The original Tonneau was also White (which I still have
but by the 80's had shrunk to the point it wouldn't stretch to the front
dash snaps, the zipper also long broken). I still use the Original White
Tonneau for 'Picnic and Maintenance Activities',and occasionally (as a
historical momento)as an alternative when I need to quickly cover the new
Black Leather TR6 Seat Kit, when 'stop and acquire runs' in the hot
afternoon sun are frequent. The original white one is an alternative to the
new Black Tonneau, I recently bought and installed (the Black stretches much
easier). The car had a wide and a thin racing stripes (in white)that ran
from the front of the bonnet in front of the driver and across the trunk
lid. It also had a Divers Red/White Decal on th windshield in front of the
rear view mirror. Tired of tickets, in 1977, I changed the color to powder
blue, and then in the mid 80's to deep blue metallic. In the 80's I also
changed to a TR6 dash and seats, as need required refurbishment in these
areas. The car is now an Concord Blue Metallic. Since changing colors in
'77- I have not had a single ticket in the TR, so maybe Myron wasn't
fibbing.
In the mid-eighties the differential ring gear snapped a tooth- (at 15 mph
-not even briskly Triumphing around). I then learned that the TR4 axle
casing is 1 1/2" wider than the TR3 housing/diff unit, but that the gears
inside (pinion and ring gear were interchangeable. I replaced these from a
TR3 Diff I found in Virginia. (I still have the housing and the 'shorter'
TR3 axle shafts if anyone is interested). The TR4A live axle used the same
Rear Axle housing as the TR4, only mounted to the 4A Chassis.
Only during the final stages my restoration last year did I discover the TR4
Dash Support is slightly different than the TR4A dash support (and plinth)
over which ( the textured vinyl/foam covering was added to prevent burnt
legs. I found the later style dash support from a list member, and with a
little Engineering, made it all work with the original plinth. (I saw this
combination in a British book picture- had no idea the supports were
different)
Bewteen '98 and 2000, I restored the car to TR4 standards with four
modifications: the Mini-lite wheels I always wanted, new TR6 leather seat
kit on reconditioned seat frames, TR6 tonneau (headrest pockets, and
'Vintage Racer appearance (no bumpers'- I like the real clean
lines-especially the front end of the TR4 which is (without the front
bumper- so smooth and graceful. I've found three original Raydot and Lucas
Road Lamps exacly matching
the 1962 'Tulip Rallye' cars. I also installed an FM stereo/8track in the
glove box- the unit I used in the TR in 1969.
I have a series of JPEGS of the restoration I've offered the list, have send
out 11 e-mail packages to about 40 listers, if your interested.
Thanks for your interest.
Sherman
-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Oliver [mailto:slantws@Home.com]
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2000 12:56 PM
To: Taffel, Sherman
Cc: triumphs list
Subject: Re: TR4A's with solid rear axle
Sherman; I am confused by your story. Was the TR you bought new in '68 a
TR4 (the model discontinued in late '65 in favor the TR4A) or a solid axle
TR4A (the IRS frame adapted to the solid axle setup). Did have the TR4A
badge on the trunk? and all the other things that differ the TR4 from the
TR4A? If it was a hold over TR4, the dealers wife must have driven it for
about 2 1/2 years. Really interesting, can you fill in some more details?
Jerry Oliver, Olympia, WA.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Taffel, Sherman" <STaffel@bcps.k12.md.us>
To: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2000 9:27 AM
Subject: TR4A's with solid rear axle
>
> Hi Tom
>
> Maybe other listers have more info, but at the recent TRA 2000 conference
a
> question was posed as to 'What model was built at the request of US
dealers
> who stilll wanted to sell a TR series TRiumph sports car 'under $3,000;
TR4A
> IRS models crossed that $ threshold.
>
> I knew this trivia, as when I bought my TR4 in '68 - it was reported to
have
> been a TR4A - itwas reporetd to have had the 'TR4A Engine(Stromberg
> 175CD's) , and a solid rear axle, brake level on the right side of the
> tranny. It was in the early 70's when I needed a tranny shaft(another
> story-another time)-that I learned it was not a TR4A, but in fact a late
> TR4.
>
> One point for clarification- It is my understanding that the TR4A's with
> Solid rear axle were NOT built with the TR4 box chassis- but the Solid
rear
> axle was 'adapted' to the TR4A Chassis. There also had to be
modifications
> to the handbrake cable for the 'new/retro setup'.
> The TR4A has the center tunnel mounted handbrake.
>
> Sherman D. Taffel
> Columbia, MD
> TR4
> CT40054L
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