I thought I would solicit some opinions on something that I have been
struggling with for quite some time. I own a 1976 overdrive TR6 with 56K
original miles (they are fairly well documented miles). I am the 3rd
owner (had it since 1990) and the car is extremely original and relatively
unmolested. It has every single little vacuum hose and anti-smog item
under the hood still intact with all the original ties and clips. Nothing
under the hood has been modified (except the DPO cut a small hole in the
inner fender to access the oil filter bolt!). The carburetors are
original and still have the little I.D. tags on them. The head has never
been off of the engine and the transmission and diff are original as well
(based on the service records that came with the car). It has its
original red factory paint (its starting to fade and has collected a
number of garage dings). The interior is 100% original as is the top and
even the Micheline redlines (yes they are pretty well dry rotted and
somewhat bald now). It even still has the original fiberboard
transmission tunnel intact and still has the cheesy am/fm radio that came
with it from the dealer (paper work included).
Here is where I'm going with this lengthy description of its current
state.... The car is really starting to show its age and, although it is
still a very presentable driver, it is going to need a full restoration
one day soon. I have been interested in a number of TR6 performance
modifications over the years and would love to have a TR6 with Goodparts'
ram air trible carb set up and some 16x7 panasports, modified engine, etc.
But I am thinking that this is not the car to modify. I'm feeling a very
strong sense of responsibility to "the marque" to preserve this car as an
original when I re-do it (although it will probably mean a very expensive
restoration). But I am still thinking about upgrading the bushings to
urethane, etc just for improved driving and longevity. I am also thinking
about going ahead and doing some basic INTERNAL mods to the engine (mild
road cam, compression increase) to bump the horsepower up a little. In
other words, modifications that would not be visible.
So, my question to the list is: Is this car really all that unique or am
I over-flattering its significance as an original car? I know many
people will answer that "its your car, you can do whatever you want to it"
but I do feel a preservationist obligation to the Triumph TR6 as a
species. I am actually thinking it might be better to buy a 2nd TR6
(someday when I can afford it) that has already been somewhat modified to
turn into the street racer and restore my current TR6 as 100% original.
Sorry for the long post, but I would be interested in your thoughts on
this.
________________________________
Greg Hutmacher
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