Bob Evans's Journal

I joined 3 yrs ago & didn't make a post or create a journal but friend & quasi bro-in-law Geoff K's purchase of his new 1980 TR7 prompted me to revisit the site, create a profile and now to create my journal to share some of my Triumph Experience with fellow members. For 20 yrs I lusted after a TR4A to recapture my youth and replace the one I had so reluctantly parted with in 1984 due to being married with a mortgage, new kid no garage, no money. Sound familiar. So I sold both my cherished '67 TR4A IRS and my complete parts car along with a whole van load of spare parts, including a couple of gearboxes, doors, fenders, trim, seats, etc. for the tidy sum of $400. Go figure! Fast forward 20 years, kids older, debt under control, still no garage but.... Anyway I contact Len Drake at Drake's British Motors in Kelowna BC after a lot of other web surfing and we discuss buying a TR4A but I see some nice TR6's and the prices are good. Len's a good guy and my TR6 buddy Steve had bought a TR6 from him 2 yrs prior and was very pleased. Initially I boughta a rough but solid California TR6 that ran but could not be driven and the interior was toast. That was $5800 and I notice another for a couple grand more and my wife, God bless her says why not spend the 2 grand extra and get a driver - so I did! We did the deal and Len was as good as his word. SeaRail shipped the TR6 to Newfoundland for about $2100 and I drove it the day I got it. I put almost 10,000 miles on it that first summer and had no trouble. I kept buying and adding restoration parts, focusing on brakes and hydraulics as a precaution. The car had 5 brand new redlines, a good interior with new floor pans and carpet set and perfect dash pads and so-so paint and convertible top. More in next entries. See original pic of car still at Drake's in BC.

Wow! The TR6 arrived at the end of April 2004 and I was impressed. No rust, decent driver but mechanically tired. No problem, I'll just throw money at it! What a feeling to own a TR again and I quickly lost the nostalgia for the TR4A as I instantly liked the TR6 better. Buddy Dave had also bought a TR6 from Len and had it shipped with mine so now we had 3 buds with TR6's and soon discover 8 or 9 more in the St. John's area. Surprised that a city of a little over 100,000 on the far eastern coast of Canada would have that many very nice, restored TR6's but there they were.All I knew was that my white beauty turned heads everywhere and I was flat out crazy about her. Big hit at the A&W on Thursday Cruise Night too. Anyway I drove it all that Summer of 2004 and when I finally stored it a a buddy's I started buying new parts from Moss and TRF. I've been adding new parts ever since and still have boxes of new stuff to install. I have a brand new rebuilt engine that I will install this Winter along with new gearbox, clutch and pressure plate but I'm ahead of myself. When I got the car Len said there were strange "pimples" in the paint that were not rust so I took a chance and bought the car over the web. Sure enough, there were the pimples when the TR arrived but they disappeared at 10 feet. Hence she's a "10 footer". Convinced the pimples were not rust but still concerned I consulted body shops and got mixed reviews. Most said it was rust and wanted to take on the job. I scraped a few of the bigger "pimples and found a white powder when I cracked the paint. Satisfied that this was not some crazed drug dealer's new way of smuggling coke I found an eager and very talented 25 yr old bodyman who said he's take on the job. In the early Summer of 2005 we stripped the car to bare metal and disassembled it for paint. We consulted the paint supply guys and it turns out that the pimples were some kind of chemical reaction between the original paint and whatever was used on the most recent respray. Deano cut 3 small pieces of rust out of the whole car and welded in new pieces. No rust in the inner or outer fenders,
sills or rockers except 1pc 2.5"x8.0' on the right lower front fender, a silver dollar sized piece on the side of the right front fender and a piece by the left front headlamp about the size of a stick of Wrigleys Doublemint.It took Steve and I one week end to disassemble the TR6 for painting and in the next entry I'll tell the story of putting it back together. Meanwhile my other buddy buys a 43' Bayliner Motoryacht in Tampa Bay and we head to Florida to have an adventure bringing it home to Newfoundland.

Hah, we hooked another one! Geoff got his TR7 at 12:30 am Saturday and called me to come to my front step to watch him lead the car carrier past my door and on to his place at about 12:45 am. In his latest post seen below on his own journal he said he lay awake all night thinking about his new toy and his door and bumper gaps! Sheesh - I was almost as excited to see it the next morning so I got up and scooted the 3 km to Geoff's place thinking I'd get a quick peek at the car before knocking on his door and rousing him. No way - ol' Geoff was already behind the wheel of his new TR7, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He's just sittin' there blapping away on the exhaust and having a time for himself. We took a little illegal, plateless spin through his neighborhood and that TR7 sure drives nice. Sure is nice to see somebody excited over a Triumph again. IMHO, Geoff has a very, very nice TR7and from what I have seen so far it needs little work other than some TLC and a few minor bits. He's got himself a ride to be proud of and we've got another buddy for the A&W and for the ice cream runs and bi-monthly Sports Car tours here on the Rock. Welcome to the "Triumph Experience" Geoff. Just don't go catching MG fever again! for general interest purposes I have included another of my TR6 restoration pics.

Hah, we hooked another one! Geoff got his TR7 at 12:30 am Saturday and called me to come to my front step to watch him lead the car carrier past my door and on to his place at about 12:45 am. In his latest post seen below on his own journal he said he lay awake all night thinking about his new toy and his door and bumper gaps! Sheesh - I was almost as excited to see it the next morning so I got up and scooted the 3 km to Geoff's place thinking I'd get a quick peek at the car before knocking on his door and rousing him. No way - ol' Geoff was already behind the wheel of his new TR7, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He's just sittin' there blapping away on the exhaust and having a time for himself. We took a little illegal, plateless spin through his neighborhood and that TR7 sure drives nice. Sure is nice to see somebody excited over a Triumph again. IMHO, Geoff has a very, very nice TR7and from what I have seen so far it needs little work other than some TLC and a few minor bits. He's got himself a ride to be proud of and we've got another buddy for the A&W and for the ice cream runs and bi-monthly Sports Car tours here on the Rock. Welcome to the "Triumph Experience" Geoff. Just don't go catching MG fever again! for general interest purposes I have included another of my TR6 restoration pics.

While my TR6 is now fully assembled and drivable, this Winter will see a “minor” teardown with removal of seats, center console, heater and trans hump, along with the bonnet in order to remove the engine and gearbox for installation of the new engine and replacement gearbox, clutch and pressure plate. Engine is a rebuild of a 45,000 mile ’75 unit. I used the old crank, pistons and rods. Replaced the cam with a GP2 from Goodparts, new mains and con rod bearings and small end bushings, new oil pump, shaved the head 60 thou and installed hardened exhaust valve seats, new hardened valves, HD valve springs and bronze guides with teflon seals also from Goodparts, solid rocker spacers with new rocker arm. Already have the Pertronix Electronic ignition installed and will transfer over after I send the dizzy to that shop in Minnesota for a rebuild and recurve.. Have the ZS carbs glass blasted and the tops polished by me and am now installing the complete carb rebuild kit from Moss. (Don’t forget the new diaphragms for the bypass valves if you’re doing this rebuild). Hoping to rebuild the heater motor as it’s making strange whirring noises. To round out the rebuild I hope to have the new header and Monza exhaust by Spring when the job should be finished. While the engine is out we’ll paint and detail the engine bay and install the new steering rack and rebuilt original rad. When CF53465U rolls out in Springtime with her new powerplant and wearing her brand new Yokohama Avid TRZ 205-70/15’s I expect a TR6 with a whole lot more attitude than the one that was rolled into storage on October. The attached pic is from the 2005 teardown for paint.

Been a long time since I posted but have started to get busy again. Completed the ZS carb rebuild, put a bypass valve kit in one of the carbs on the car and the first Spring drive showed a marked improvement in the idle for sure but no noticeable difference in performance in the tired old engine. Also acquired the long-awaited single hoop driver's side roll bar and installed the new passenger-side bullet mirror. The real work then began and I just finished Heli-coils on the trailing arm studs. Anybody who knows TR6s knows that the studs invariably get stripped due to over-torqueing on an inherently poor design - steel studs screwed into aluminum trailing arms. Used an installation kit from Rick Patton of Patton Machine in Brunswick, Maine that worked very well and made for a very professional and correct repair. Rick also has a site devoted to his personal resto of his own TR6 for which he fabricated a supercharger and electronic fuel injection among other mods. Some of this stuff he sells through Patton Machine and although I haven't bought anything but the trailing arm kit I sure would like to have some of his other toys. Tomorrow I will drop the trailing arms to replace the pivot bushings and the diff to replace the side axle bearings and seals and the pinion bearing and seal. The reinstall will include new rear brake wheel cylinders and braided stainless brake lines. That will take care of the rear of the car and then the engine comes out for the install of the completed, rebuilt unit. To go with that I've recently received the polished alloy valve cover and Falcon stainless steel sport dual exhaust system among other good stuff so a busy 3-4 weeks ahead.My last post indicated a Monza exhaust and header but forum veterans all agree that the Monza is too loud and mild steel construction is not good value compared to the Falcon SS. In addition, Kas Kastner's opinion, who knows if anyone does, is that the later TR6 exhaust manifold is very efficient and not much is to be gained with a header so a change was made.Very, very busy time ahead and time is getting short but what did not get accomplished this Winter must now be done to enjoy the upcoming, short driving season. When more progress warrants I will post a few pics but attached one with the roll bar laid in for test fit. Happy motoring to you all. As my old man used to say about my "other' TR, "she's a mean, cantankerous little beast but I sure love her"!Cheers.