Summer 2010 - The Toronto Triumph Club
Transcription
Summer 2010 - The Toronto Triumph Club
T h e M a g a z i n e O f T h e T o r o n to T r i u m p h C l u b S u mm e r 2 0 1 0 Around the lake Triumphs Run Circles on Sold Out Tour Drain Troubles Cured • Spring Fling Report • Perfect Timing contents Shop Online ... www.VictoriaBritish.com or Request Your FREE Catalog Today! Fully Illustrated FREE Catalogs Summer 2010 34 Member’s Pages From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 From the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Club Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11 Owner’s Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31/33 18 Features Problem Solved: Radiator Drain Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Unblock Your Scuttle Drain . . . . . . 16/17 28 26 40 Quality Parts & Accessories Fully illustrated catalogs with the parts you need. Specify your make and model to get a FREE catalog. Fast Service, Simple Ordering and Convenient, Quick Delivery. TR2, TR3, TR4, TR4A TR250, TR6 TR7, TR8 GT6, Spitfire MGA MGB, MGC Midget “Keep’em On The Road™ ” Alpine Tiger www.VictoriaBritish.com Shop Online ... Fast, Simple & Safe 1-800-255-0088 Orders - Catalog Request -Status The Wedgetarian: Let There Be Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-42 The Magazine Of The TOrOnTO TriuMph Club SuMMer 2010 Around the lake On the Cover Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Restoration: Six & Two Threes Part 6 . . . . . . . . . . 43-46 Activities Events: Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/13 Spring Fling Round-Up . . . . . . . . . 26/27 Clive Huizinga keeps his flock of Triumphs together on the Cape Vincent ferrysee photo round-up on pages 20-25 Photo by Andrew Grace On The Road: Larry’s TR7 Troubles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28/29 Historically Speaking: TR6 Factory Hardtops . . . . . . . . . . 34/35 TR6 After Market Hardtops . . . . . . 36-38 Triumphs Run Circles on Sold Out Tour 100-4, 100-6, 3000 Sprite Triumph Tunes: Perfect Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18/19 Drain Troubles Cured • Spring Fling Report • Perfect Timing www.torontotriumph.com Club Events: Around The Lake Tour . . . . . . . . . . . 20-25 3 INSURANCE INSURANCE INSURANCE ANTIQUE, CLASSIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST ANTIQUE, CLASSIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST TM AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE TM TM TM SUBMISSIONS N o w ava i l a b l e a c r o s s c a N a d a ANTIQUE, CLASSIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST TM AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE ANTIQUE, CLASSIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST Format: MS Word files are preferred. Send via email or on CD, 10Mb limit on email files. Send photos separately, do NOT embed in the text file. Hard copy submissions are acceptable, but not preferred. Graphics must be in major graphics formats, jpeg, tiff or Photoshop files. In Person: To the editor at the monthly meetings. Mail: 2421 Poplar Crescent, Mississauga, Ontario L5J 4H2 E-mail: ragtop@torontotriumph.com TM TM AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE ANTIQUE, CLASSIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE TM from the editor TM TM ADVERTISING Contact the Club’s advertising representative for details of dates and submissions. Submit ads as high resolution (min 300 ppi) PDF files, saved for print in CMYK format, fonts embedded, by E-mail to ragtop@torontotriumph.com The advertising year is from Jan.1 to Dec. 31. A copy of Ragtop is sent to all paid advertisers. 2010 ADVERTISING RATES TM TM TM TM TMSTREET MODIFIED, ROD AND CUSTOM MODIFIED, STREET ROD AND CUSTOM TM AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE TM MODIFIED, STREET ROD AND CUSTOM TM AUTOMOBILE MODIFIED, STREET INSURANCE ROD AND CUSTOM AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE TM MODIFIED, STREET ROD AND CUSTOM AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE TM Rear Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500 per year Inside Front Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $475 Inside Back Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $450 Full Page Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $305 Half Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $185 Quarter Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $115 Business Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $70 Full colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $115 extra Second colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75 extra Flyer Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . $190/issue (max 4 pgs) (All rates are for 4 issues, except flyers) 2010 SCHEDULE Issue Deadline Mailed Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2 . . . . . . . . . End of April Summer . . . . . . . . . . . June 11 . . . . . . . . . End of July Fall/BCD Program . . .August 14 . . . Mid September Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 20 . . . . . . Mid December 24hr InfoLine 416-410-4TTC Those of you who attend our monthly meetings and events (and there are more and more of you at every meeting - thank you) have heard my pleas for stories, anecdotes, restoration diaries, calendar cars and travelogues. I can picture your eyes glazing over now! Well, once again I have had to rely on sources outside of the TTC for content in this issue. They’re great articles, yet I know you don’t want to read about TR6s all the time and frankly, neither do I. I love publishing Ragtop for you, so PLEASE guys and gals, I really need you to step up to the plate and help me out with stories. If you have a story to tell or a tip to share, don’t be shy or worry about your writing skills and remember... the beatings will continue, until morale improves! On a more positive note, the website is improving almost daily and the introduction of an online forum should certainly help me with getting content for Ragtop (see page 11). The 6-PACK forum (www.6-PACK.org) is where I get a lot of the material from for their magazine, which I also publish and, as a result, I am rarely short of stories. Take a look and see how it works, the TTC forum should be online by the time you’re reading this. The 25th Anniversary Canadian Classic is almost here and at press time we have 70 people registered for the event, there may still be time for you to join us, so contact me today to register. Deerhurst will hold our special room rates until the last minute, but I do need to give them the final numbers for food etc. 10 days prior. Details and a registration form are on our website. Thanks to everyone who has submitted material for this and previous issues and I look forward to receiving lots of great stuff from new people for future issues of Ragtop. Enjoy this issue and the driving season. ragtop — David Fidler Ragtop is published quarterly by the Toronto Triumph Club Inc. (“TTC”) and is distributed to its members as part of their annual dues. The TTC or the Editors cannot accept responsibility for the safe return of any submitted material. We will do our best, but accidents do occur. Sold exclusively by old exclusively Sold exclusively by exclusively by Soldby exclusively by Broken Record - I Need Your Help Call or visit our website LANT & CO. INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. LANT & CO. INSURANCE BROKERS BROKERS LTD. LANT & CO. INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. LANT & CO. INSURANCE LTD. LANT & CO. INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. Sold exclusively by 37 SANDIFORD DRIVE, SUITE 100 STOUFFVILLE, ONTARIO L4A 7X5 Tel: 905-640-4111 www.lant-ins.ca Fax: 905-640-4450 37 SANDIFORD DRIVE, SUITE 100 STOUFFVILLE, ONTARIO L4A 7X5 (a division of Wayfarer Insurance Brokers Limited) 37 SANDIFORD Tel: DRIVE, SUITE 100 STOUFFVILLE, ONTARIO 37 SANDIFORD DRIVE, SUITE 100 STOUFFVILLE, 905-640-4111 www.lant-ins.ca Fax: 905-640-4450L4A 7X5ONTARIO L4A 37 SANDIFORD SUITE 100 STOUFFVILLE, ONTARIO L4A 7X5 Tel: 905-640-4111 DRIVE, Fax: 905-640-4450 Tel: 905-640-4111 Fax: 905-640-4450 Tel: 905-640-4111 www.lant-ins.ca Fax: 905-640-4450 1-800-461-4099 1-800-461-4099 1-800-461-4099 1-800-461-4099 1-800-461-4099 www.lant-ins.ca www.lant-ins.ca 31 3 1 Year s Insuring Collector Car s Across Canada 3 1 Year s Insuring Collector Car s Across Canada Year Car Across Y e3a1 rsYear s Insuring I n s usrCollector I n g Collector C o l l e C t oCollector r C a r ss a C r o s s Canada CCanada anada Year33s21 Insuring Car s Across Insuring Car s Across 4976_Misc. Landad.indd 1 7X5 We accept no responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the TTC Executive or Membership. Copyright © 2010 by the TTC. Non-profit groups may reprint articles from this publication, where the author has not reserved rights, provided we get credited and both the author and TTC receive a copy of the publication in its entirety. Distribution by Pillar Direct Marketing Services. Printed by Printwell Offset for the Toronto Triumph Club. Canada Post Publications # 40022175 Canada 12/30/08 11:38:19 AM Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 5 Obsolete Auto_MG&TRIUMPH AD2.pdf 19/02/2009 8:22:06 PM from the president Toll Free Order Line: ............................................. 1-800-265-7437 Customer Service / Technical Advice: ............ 1-519-337-3232 24 Hour Fax Line: ................................................... 1-519-336-5936 Website: ............................................................www.obsoleteauto.com Business Hours: ........................... Monday to Friday - 8 AM to 5 PM Executive President David Tushingham 289.338.3330 Vice President Ian Parkhill 905.317.3784 Past President Johan Aaltink 705.456.4276 Secretary Jack Willekes 905-820-0269 Treasurer Chris Lindsay 416.236.0353 Membership Larry Llewellyn 416.245.9217 Communications Director David Fidler 905.829.9340 142 Kendall Street, Point Edward, Ontario CANADA N7V 4G5 MG & TRIUMPH Specialists C Sub-committees Ragtop Magazine Editor & Publisher David Fidler 905.829.9340 Distribution Rod Jones - Pillar Direct 416.755.9494 Official Photographer Larry Llewellyn Art Director Michael Cleland mcleland@cogeco.ca Advertising Sales Ian Parkhill 905.317.3784 David Fidler 905.829.9340 Web Manager Michael Hale Info@torontotriumph.com Website Classified Coordinator Vic Whitmore vicwhit2@rogers.com Browse the website www.obsoleteauto.com for updates on stocked parts and secure access to online ordering. The parts you need, any time or day. Interclub Coordinator Ian Parkhill 905.317.3784 BCCI Representative Chris Lindsay 416.236.0353 Historian/Archivist & PR Frank Manning 905.643.2359 Meeting Committee Brian Clark bclark4@cogeco.ca Jack Willekes 905-820-0269 Volunteer Coordinators Bill Alexander 905.841.1079 Sponsors Frank Manning 905.643.2359 Motorsports Simon Rasmussen 905.853.2514 M Y CM MY CY CMY K Request a FREE copy of the Sports Car Chronicle. Call: 1-800-265-7437 or 519-337-3232 Email: mail@obsoleteauto.com GARAGE SALES! That’s right. Check out our annual Spring or Fall Garage Sales and browse endless deals. Each issue is packed with super deals on parts and accessories along with technical articles to help you do the job. A great resource for YOUR sports car! Payment Options: Visa, Mastercard and American Express Marque Coordinators TR2,3,3A & B David Tushingham 289.338.3330 Malcolm Taylor 905.880.0079 TR4, 4A, & 250 John Lille 416.231.3092 TR6 Wayne McGill 905.847.5532 Fred McEachern 1.888.485.2277 Spitfire-GT6 Don Johnson 705.721.1231 Grant Buss 905.576.0817 Stag Tony Fox Sr. 905.632.0479 Robin Searle 705.484.0071 TR7 & 8 Glen Donaldson 905.825.4908 John Broomer 416.745.8866 Event Coordinators British Car Day David Tushingham 289.338.3330 Spring Fling 2010 MGCCT mgclub@mgtoronto.com 25th Canadian Classic David Fidler 905.829.9340 Shipping: Canada Post and most courier services General Mail/Membership Mail P.O. Box 39 Don Mills Ontario M3C 2R6 Ragtop mail & E-mail: 2421 Poplar Crescent, Mississauga, ON, L5J 4H2 ragtop@torontotriumph.com ALL TO PRESERVE AND DRIVE THE TRIUMPH Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Season in Full Swing It is almost the end of June as I write this and we have certainly been very busy since the last edition of Ragtop. Our driving season is in full swing and we have already had a number of great events. I made it to Stratford along with 31 other Triumphs and 18 MGs for the annual Spring Fling. This year’s event was hosted by the MGCCT and Chairman Peter Mittler did a fine job of entertaining us for the weekend. I was one of 70+ TTC members who chowed down at the Busby Park BBQ and picked up some tips on BBQ’ing from our meeting coordinators Brian Clark and Jack Willekes. The 2nd running of the “Around the Lake” tour was a tremendous success and I was fortunate to be one of the 30 cars to participate in this great adventure. Special thanks go out to Clive & Jaquelynne Huizinga and Robin & Ria Searle for all the planning, preparation and stress that went into running this event. A great time was had by all. The next few months are also filled with great events and I encourage you to get out and drive your Triumph. David and Gloria Fidler have been busy putting the finishing touches on the Silver Anniversary Canadian Classic at the lovely Deerhurst Resort in Hunstville, Ontario. Don’t forget Brits in the Park in Lindsay and Brits on the Lake in Port Perry for great day outings with your LBC and friends in the TTC. Be sure to visit the Events Calendar on the TTC website or look in this issue, for more information on these great events. Our British Car Day Committee has been working hard as well and as Chairman this year, it has given me a better understanding of the tremendous amount of work and organization that goes into putting on this big event. This year we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Triumph Stag and we hope to have as many as 40 on the field in September. Your Executive has also been working hard behind the scenes and we hope that you have recognized some changes we have made in the past several months. Looking back to my first message to you as President, I indicated one of the areas we needed to focus our improvement efforts on, was communication. I believe that we have been doing a better job of this by utilizing both Ragtop and the TTC Website as our main tools. We now have a up-to-date website and the ability to accept PayPal payments for things like membership renewals or event registrations and you do not need your own PayPal account to use this feature. This is indeed a big step forward. We are sending out frequent electronic newsletters to keep you apprised of upcoming events and deadlines. We have also been testing a new ‘live forum’ software and you can read about this on page 10. Last but not least, we have Ragtop magazine, a club magazine that is unrivaled by any other I have seen and one that we should all be very proud of. ragtop — David Tushingham www.torontotriumph.com 7 club hub Meeting Reports Come to Summer Party 2010 on July 30-31! June The theme for Summer Party this year will be “24 Hours of LeMans.” Participants can dress up or turn their cars into LeMans racers. Events will include Drag Racing, Poker Rallye and Mountain Tour, LeMans Start Contest, Autocross, Social Events, Parties, Concours d’Elegance and much more. Inexpensive camping is available on the polo field at TRF, and a list of local hotel accommodations can be found through links from our web site. For more information and a registration form, please refer to the web site. Our annual BBQ was held once again on the river at Busby Park in Oakville and pleasant weather was enjoyed by over 70 members, wives and guests. Jack Willekes and Brian Clark cooked the food, while their wives prepared fixin’s, thanks very much for all of your hard work guys! Mike Kadzielawski, a member of the American TR6/TR250 Club “6-PACK” joined us from Cary, North Carolina. Mike was in the Toronto area on business and it was Subscribe to TRF’s E-Mail Newsletter great to have him along (he’s the one with the flat cap next to me in the group photo). Future meetings Attendance at our meetings has grown tremendously this year and the meeting organizers and your executive thank you for your support. We are always open to suggestions for new places to meet and events to enjoy, so please send your ideas to: president@torontotriumph.com or mention them to any of your club officers. ragtop Every week, twelve-thousand Triumph and MG enthusiasts in countries around the world receive an E-Mail Newsletter from Charles Runyan. The newsletter always includes wonderful offers on parts, shipping deals, and other TRF news. The newsletter includes links to current Web Site Specials and Weekend Features which change every week. To subscribe to the newsletter, please follow the simple instructions found on the TRF home page. Note that unsubscribing is also easy if you change your mind later. Join TRF Car Club Hundreds of customers of The Roadster Factory belong to TRF Car Club. The club exists to promote TRF Customer loyalty, and it includes $300.00 in gift certificates each year that you can use as cash to purchase parts. Dues are $100.00 per year, but you also get a parts credit in the amount of $100.00 every year after the first. You will receive a membership card and sticker. Beautiful club logo. Great T-shirts available. Please join on-line, or just phone the sales line, and ask to join TRF Car Club… TRF is The World's Greatest British Sports Car Company Whether you show your car in concours events, enter it in competitive driving events, or drive it to work every day, you can do so with confidence knowing that The Roadster Factory is always there for you—on-line or just a phone call away. The Roadster Factory P.O. Box 332, Armagh, Pennsylvania, 15920, U.S.A. Telephone: (800) 234-1104 • Fax: (814) 446-6729 Internet: www.the-roadster-factory.com by David Fidler May Some great Spring weather saw us back at Jake’s Boathouse, but this time we had more than 25 Triumphs turn out for an impromptu Show n’ Shine. Jake’s sectioned off most of their main parking lot so we could have our cars together and we filled every spot. TR3’s, Spits a TR4 and 250, plus the ubiquitous Sixes, were all there for us to admire. Bar food was served in the Chart Room, but unfortunately there was a bit of a snafu concerning the quantity of chicken wings and veggies ordered, which meant that many people missed out. We’re very sorry if this included you and we promise to count heads better next time! We were very pleased to see a lot of new and also some returning members there. One or two have been members for a few years, but had never attended a meeting before! Well, we hope to see you all at many meetings in the future, your attendance is always appreciated. Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 9 club hub Save Time & Money Pre-register For British Car Day! Website Upgrades by David Fidler “pre-registration” area for British Car Day. This is also linked to PayPal, so you can pay your $15 per vehicle registration instantly. Everyone who attends British Car Day will have access to this (not just TTC members). Finally, by the time you read this, an online Forum will be available for TTC members and non-members to post questions and comments about the club, their cars or anything in general. It’s easy to use, you just need to choose a cool username (mine is ‘flyingfid’) and a password, then you can post away. Forums are a great way to keep in touch with your friends in the TTC, talk to potential new members and others who own Triumphs, help people with technical problems or just to describe a great drive or vacation you’ve enjoyed. Please visit the club website often, changes are happening almost daily and there will be lots for you to see and do as we continue to improve it. Coming up next?... hopefully a club shop where you can buy regalia, clothing, souvenirs and books at great prices... watch this space! ragtop Hot on the heels of my announcements in the last issue of Ragtop, I’m pleased to announce many more improvements to your website. The membership database is now searchable by City, Car Type or Member’s last name. You no longer have to use guesswork and a lot of time consuming ‘narrowing down’ to find the information you need. Really handy if you want to find all the TR6 owners in your area, or the phone number of that new member you just met at one of our meetings! You can now pay for a new membership or renew one using the PayPal online payment system. You DO NOT need your own PayPal account to do this, just follow the simple instructions and you’ll be able to pay instantly by any major credit card. If you do have a PayPal account, then you can also use a debit card or any money in your PayPal account. It’s all very easy to use, secure and instant. We are implementing a • Diesel Engines • Gasoline Engines • Marine Engines • Race Engines • Vehicle Services by BCD Committee We are in full swing organizing this year’s British Car Day event and it promises to be better than ever. During the last couple of years, we have faced many challenges due to the recession, not least of which was losing our biggest sponsor and then there’s been our ever increasing costs (why do they never go down in a recession?). We are a relatively small club and this is the largest one-day British car show in North America, which brings with it equally huge costs. To ensure these costs are fully covered, every year we review our pricing for registrants and vendors. We do know that times have been tough and in respect to everyone who supports and enjoys British Car Day, we have kept our prices the same for many years. The good news is, we can continue to charge our usual $15 per car by offering everyone the option to pre-register online using PayPal (no account required), at our website: www.britishcarday.com Pre-registering saves you time and money! You’ll avoid the line-up for registration and can use our ‘Fast Lane’ access to the park, which gets you to your parking spot faster. Once you have pre-registered, you will receive a windscreen card in the mail, just display this and use the ‘Fast Lane’ and you’re in! The price for on-site registration will be $20 per car, payable at the gate. All British car clubs who are members of British Car Club Insurance (BCCI), are being sent a notification about pre-registration, to circulate among their members. Please tell anyone you meet who is planning to attend that the entry fee is still $15, as long as they pre-register. Cut-off date for pre-registration is August 31st. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding, we look forward to seeing you all at British Car Day on Sunday, September 19th, 2010! ragtop • Parts Store • Complete Engine Machine Shop • Gasoline Injector Service • Engine Balancing & Blue Printing • Cylinder Head Porting & Flow Testing Winslow Delaney | Creative Solutions 416.871.2358 9 Forster Park Drive Oakville, Ontario Canada L6K 1Y5 info@winslowdelaney.com www.winslowdelaney.com 2338 Wyecroft Rd., Unit K5-7, Oakville, Ontario L6L 6L4 Tel: 905-825-2045 Fax: 905-825-0208 Your source for all your repairs 10 www.torontotriumph.com Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 11 Welcome New Members! events AUGUST 2010 Events Calendar JULY 2010 Saturday, 17th, 9:00 am All British Car Day Britannia Park, Ottawa Spend the day with our Friends from the Ottawa Valley Triumph Club. Please see the OVTC website for more information. www. ovtc.net/index.html Sunday, 18th, 9:00 am Brits in the Park 2010 Lindsay Ontario A great event hosted by the Victoria British Car Club held in Victoria Park, Lindsay. More information can be found on the Victoria British Car Club website at: www.victoriabritishcarclub.ca Friday, 23rd - 25th, 2:00 pm 25th Anniversary Canadian Classic The “Canadian Classic” is having its Silver Anniversary! To celebrate we’re pushing the boat out and heading to Deerhurst Resort, near Huntsville, ON. Full details are on the TTC website. 12 Sunday, 8th, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Brits on the Lake 2010 Port Perry, Ontario The second annual Festival promises to be one of the best British car/bike/bus events that you’ll ever experience! ‘Brits on the Lake’ will add all of the nostalgia and beauty associated with British family saloon cars, sports cars, motorcycles and buses in a perfect fit with the charming atmosphere of Queen and Water Streets in Port Perry. www.britsonthelake.com Sunday, 8th, 9:00 am First Annual Valve Cover Race The Durham Eastenders are running their 1st annual Valve Cover Car race at the Brits on the Lake show at Port Perry in August. The cars are self propelled...no rubber bands, motors, gears, rocket propulsion etc... and are made out of valve covers (rocker, cam covers etc.) Rules for Durham Eastender Valve Cover Races are available at: www.eastendersbritishcarclub.info Friday, 13th-15th, 4:00 pm 401-PACK Chapter mini-TRials Ottawa, Ontario If you are a TR250 or TR6 owner then this is the event for you! Come join other TR250/TR6 owners for a weekend of fun in and around the Ottawa region with the Ontario/ Quebec chapter of 6-PACK, the “401PACK”. Monitor TTC website for details. Thursday, 9th-12th, 9:00 am 2010 6-PACK TRials Oxford Ohio, Sept 9th-11th This is the annual National convention for the Triumph TR250 and TR6 Club of America - 6-PACK. Members of the Ontario/ Quebec Chapter of 6-PACK, the “401PACK”, will be caravanning down for a weekend of fun. Come join us! For more information on the 2010 TRials, please visit the 6-PACK online forum at: www.6-PACK.org, or triumphtrials.jimdo.com Visit the “401-PACK” Chapter Forum at: www.6-pack.org/sixpack/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=27 Sunday, 19th, 9:00 am 27th Annual TTC British Car Day British Car Day is hosted by the Toronto Triumph Club. The event is the largest all-British one-day car show in North America, with visitors from all over Canada and the northeast United States. Over 50 Britishrelated vendors offer their new and used goods for sale, including car parts, whole cars, tshirts, hats, tools, books, supplies, and so on. Many vendors offer endof-season specials so there are lots of bargains. The venue for British Car Day is Bronte Creek Provincial Park, about 20 miles west of downtown Toronto, conveniently located at the Burloak Drive exit, north off the Queen Elizabeth Way. You can now pre-register your vehicle at www.britishcarday.com and save $5 off the on-site registration fee. Ragtop IS ummer Name . . . . . . . . . . . . Location . . . . . . . . . Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . Year Neal Barkhurst . . . . . Toronto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joerg Hess . . . . . . . . . Mount Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Bruce . . . . . . Oakville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . joseph Ciancio . . . . . Toronto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul Green . . . . . . . . Thornbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sal Guzzo . . . . . . . . . .Toronto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Hunter . . . . Fonthill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tony Koski . . . . . . . . . Woodstock . . . . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1973 Ken Stahl . . . . . . . . . Alton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gerry Duffy . . . . . . . . Schomberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership Status Due Soon Name Member # Renewal Date John Broomer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2665 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/01/10 Malcolm Bull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2680 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Les & Moira Campey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1531 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Bill Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2714 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Doug and Maureen Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2267 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/01/10 Michael Cropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2918 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/23/10 Margaret and Doug Dalgetty . . . . . . . . . . 1075 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Sylvain and Liz Demers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2669 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Anthony Fox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1821 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Mark Gillies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2664 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/01/10 Evelyn Susan & Jim Holubeshen . . . . . . . 2721 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 David Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2919 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/05/10 John Kearsley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2708 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/01/10 Steve Kennedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2917 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/24/10 John Lett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2604 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Dan Mallette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2554 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Ian Marlatt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2678 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Scott McCoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2722 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Trevor & Dorothy Metcalf . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2336 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Ian Millar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2916 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/23/10 Wayne Owen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2914 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/18/10 Gordon and Martha Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . 2275 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Chuck and Gail Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2209 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Robert & Allison Polutnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2844 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/21/10 Graham Purvis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2672 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Deanna and Dennis Richardson . . . . . . . . 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Ken Shaddock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2727 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Brian Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2608 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Kieren Smyth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2734 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 William & Sandra Sotnikow . . . . . . . . . . . 2333 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Archie Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1069 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Jim Turnbull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2913 . . . . . . . . . . . . 08/18/10 Geoff Van Der Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2484 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Peter and Denise Warren . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2711 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Dave & Liz Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2120 . . . . . . . . . . . . 09/01/10 Due Now OCTOBER 2010 Saturday, 2nd-3rd, 9:00 am British Sportscar Leaf Peeping Rally Primary contact & organizer is TTC member Robert Polutnik, rpolutnik@technolutionsci.com Please visit this link for further information. www.technolutionsci.com/LPR/2010/2010_Leaf_Peeping_Rally.htm August 21st 2010 11:00am - 5:00pm Shaw Festival Vintage British Motorcar Exhibition, Shaw Festival Theatre 10 Queens Parade, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario All British Cars Welcome, $10 at the gate. www.torontotriumph.com SEPTEMBER 2010 Name Member # Renewal Date Geoff Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2911 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/26/10 Don Gorman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2910 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/26/10 Tom Opratko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2832 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/06/10 Andrew Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2842 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/28/10 Deirdre Howard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2909 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/26/10 Lyal Moffatt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2835 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/24/10 Warren Rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2912 . . . . . . . . . . . . 07/26/10 Please go to www.torontotriumph.com and renew today! Valid as of July 5th 2010 I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 13 Pssst! Want Some Great Advice? problem solved Drained of Ideas? by Jim Wendel You could search big catalogues for the best price You could buy parts from various suppliers You could pay huge shipping and crazy broker fees You could be returning the parts You could... ...but why would you? 1565 Hwy 5 West, RR#1 Troy, Ontario, L0R 2B0 Toll Free 1-888-485-2277 Local: 905-627-9995 24hr Fax: 416-410-6479 E-mail: britishautosport@bellnet.ca When a pinhole developed at the upper hose connection tube, I realized it was time to install a low point drain in the radiator instead of busting my knuckles trying to wrestle off the lower hose and possibly damaging the lower hose connection, every time the cooling system needed attention. I jacked up the front end onto stands and crawled under to mark a location on the radiator that would be accessible and permit the installation of a valve, without any conflicts. At this point the radiator is removed and after center punching the location (punch lightly) prepare the surface as shown, then using a Unibit, gently drill a hole approximately ½” diameter, so that the shoulder of We are your local source for quality parts and only stock the best. When you consider the benefits of friendly local service, no quibble exchanges, next day delivery or same day pick-up, plus great advice and customer service, British Auto Sport is hard to beat. the hex rests on the radiator and acts as a stop. After making sure that all surfaces are cleaned and flux is applied, heat the copper fitting with a torch making sure to avoid applying the flame directly to the surface of the radiator. Using regular plumbing type solid core solder, touch the solder to the radiator (not the adapter) testing to see when the temperature is sufficient to permit the solder to properly flow. As the solder flows around the fitting (capillary action is a wonderful thing), remove the heat and let it cool. Note that the original solder on the radiator surface was not disturbed. When it cools, clean it up, repaint and install the valve and plug. ragtop Parts List 1 - 3/8” copper x male adapter 1 - 3/8” Ball type gas cock 1 - 3/8” brass plug Plumbing type solder and flux Benz-o-matic , or plumbers torch Try us for your next project! British Auto Sport Toll Free 1-888-485-2277 - 6pack Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 15 problem solved 1 Unblock Your Drains 6 W hen I began restoring my ’74 TR6 5 years ago, the first thing I removed were the rotten front fenders to gain access to the sills. Once removed, I was greeted by two small rubber hoses protruding through the side panel not more than 5 inches long. The design intent was to carry water (and debris) that entered into the scuttle vent on top to exit out the hoses and drain out the vehicle via two small indentations formed in the sill. If your car spent most of its life in the snow belt, as mine did, then it was susceptible to road salt and freezing/thawing water sitting inside this dark cavity. After 30+ years, the lack of rust proofing in this area took its toll (photo 1). After many hours of metal work and 16 3 2 painting, I was determined to find a solution to prevent water from entering this area. 6-PACK member Paul Rego came up with an elegant solution using the drain plugs off a 65-66 Mustang. The nice surprise is that this upgrade can be accomplished for about $20. Parts include: 5/8” OD x 1/2” ID vinyl tubing, Home Depot, $8.00, 2x Small hose clamps, Home Depot, $1.25 each, 2 x 3/4” Wire clips, Home Depot, $1.95, 2 x 1/4” Machine screws, washers, and nuts, 2 x Rear Quarter Drain Plugs 65/66 Mustang, Part number 11201 01, Mustangs Unlimited. com $2.95 each, body sealant or caulking of your choice. Just a couple of assumptions: Your front fenders are off the car or the splash shields can be removed to gain www.torontotriumph.com Ragtop 8 IS ummer I 2010 the other end of the hose through the hole in the side panel (photo 3). I am using new splash shields from The Roadster Factory. You will need to drill three holes. Two outer holes attach the rubber drain plug and the larger center hole is the exit for the vinyl tube. The drain plug holes are 2” apart and the vinyl tube hole is 3/4” from the lower drain plug hole. With the vinyl hose hole, I used a step drill bit to create a hole that was slightly undersized so the tube would pass through the hole but would be held in place with friction (Use safety glasses when drilling/ deburring the holes) I used a small section of tube to determine the correct diameter (photo 4). The holes for the rubber drain plug are 5/16” for the lower, 3/8” for the upper Ragtop Chimenti - 6pack 4 7 access to the cavity behind the fender. You can gain access and remove the existing rubber hoses located at the far corners, behind the dash. The first step is to clean/unplug the vent area on top of the scuttle. If you have taken off the plastic grill or vent door, now would be a good time to coat the inside area with a rust preventative. I used a long, flexible stick with a small brush attached to the end which was soaked with POR-15. Make sure you have a bucket to catch the liquid exiting out the drains. Next, slip the hose clamp over the end of the vinyl tube and place it on the nipple end of the drain and secure. The nice part about vinyl is that it is much more flexible than the hardened hose it is replacing (photo 2). You can feed by Tom IS ummer I 2010 5 9 hole. I determined the best placement for the hose to exit was at the lower portion of the splash shield (photo 5). Insert the free end of the hose through the splash shield and bolt the shield in place (photo 6). I trimmed back the excess tube sticking out of the shield to 1/2” (photo 7). There is a slit on the back side of the drain plug that will need to be removed with a pair of scissors. Once removed, the vinyl tube will be able to slip inside the drain plug. The rubber drain plug has two mushroom heads that need to squeeze through the holes. They are a little tricky to push through, a little dish wash soap will help seat them in place (photo 8). Next step; to prevent the hose from loosening or hitting the inside of the fender, I sewww.torontotriumph.com 10 cured the hose with a 3/4” wire clamp. I drilled a 1/4” hole through the side panel, in the ribbed area. I did this so the head of the bolt used to secure the clamp would not interfere with the interior kick panel. I used a 1/4” screw with a fender washer on the inside rib and a split lockwasher/nut on the clamp surface. I sealed the hole and behind the fender washer with 3M body sealant. When mounting the clamp, ensure that the hose is not kinked and the hose continues its downward journey to the splash shield (photo 9). Finally, I applied body sealant under the drain plug and around the holes to prevent water from intruding (photo 10). The end result is a clean looking application that will allow water to exit and prevent debris from entering into the vehicle. ragtop 17 Triumph tunes Vacuum reading 19” of mercury Perfect Timing Finding Your ‘Sweet Spot’ by Ken Dalhonde - 6pack Connect gauge to brake assist vacuum pipe on early TR6 F irst let me say that this is not an argument against ignition timing for the TR6 being between 10 and 14 degrees BTDC at idle. It may well be that your engine’s sweet spot lays within that range. But how do you know when you are in that range? Most people will say “by using a timing light and observing the timing marks on the crankshaft damper”, but therein lies the problem. While the timing marks were considered accurate when the engine was fresh and new, time has taken its toll on the components that control the damper marks’ relationship to the pointer. If you’ve ridden a bicycle or used a chain saw, you already know that chains stretch and sprockets wear. Same applies to our timing chain and sprockets. We all know that a gear set wears, such as in our transmissions and differentials. So too the camshaft and oil pump gear sets. I think it should also come as no surprise 18 that the distributor’s driving dog’s relationship to the distributor’s drive gear, becomes more spacious from the constant pressure of the spinning, especially at start-up. The consequences of all this, plus the possibility of deterioration of the actual damper’s bonded components, leads to a cumulative effect, which affects the accuracy of the timing marks. So what’s the solution; how, with the inevitable inaccuracy, do you find your engine’s sweet spot for the ignition timing? Well, if you’ve spent anytime on the 6-PACK forums, you’ve probably seen topics on using a vacuum www.torontotriumph.com Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 gauge as a visual aid to finding that spot. Why a Vacuum Gauge? The answer is, in order to eliminate or ignore, if you will, the inherent inaccuracy of the timing marks on an older engine’s damper. How does timing relate to a vacuum gauge reading? An internal combustion engine has been described as an “Air Pump” and whether or not we like that characterization, we can’t deny that without air the engine will not function, no matter how much fuel or spark we feed it. Air is sucked in and pushed out and by measuring the air sucked in, we can judge the engine’s efficiency in ‘breathing’. We use the volume of air in relation to the volume of fuel to evaluate the efficiency of carburetors or injectors and the quality of the combustion, and we use the manifold vacuum to evaluate the efficiency of the engine’s ability to digest the fuel/air mixture. By ‘digest’ I mean determining if combustion was complete enough so that the combustion chamber could be nearly evacuated by the exhaust cycle and empty enough to accept an adequate supply of fresh fuel and air mixture. The vacuum present in the intake manifold reflects this ability to inhale and the optimum timing of combustion within the chamber (cylinder) that enables it. Most internal combustion engines at sea level are designed to operate with a manifold vacuum of 17 to 21 inches of mercury, at idle speed. Exceptions would be due to a cam whose intake and exhaust valves overlap in open duration or high altitudes, where atmospheric pressure affects vacuum. Now, I’d like to bring up some points specific to our stock TR6 engines. Do not strive for the maximum vacuum reading. If the distributor is oriented properly, the tachometer cable will probably restrict the clockwise rotation (advance) of the distributor. With the tach cable disconnected, I have been able to advance the timing to the point where the Vacuum Gauge reads in the low 20s, which is over advanced in anybody’s book. Remember that the vacuum gauge is a ‘visual aid’ and if the engine sounds rough, uneven, or the valves rattle (ping or pink, Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 A vacuum gauge like this can be bought for under $35. This example also reads fuel pressure depending on which side of the pond you’re from) upon hard acceleration, the timing is not right, regardless of the reading on the gauge. Another thing to remember is that with a change in timing, idle speed will change. Maintain your desired idle speed by making equal adjustments to your throttle stop screws. Also, leave all vacuum connections in place on the distributor, just as they will be as you drive normally. Specifically the vacuum retard and advance, if that’s the way you run. While on the subject of vacuum lines, the question may have occurred to you as to where to connect your vacuum gauge? If your car was equipped with an Anti Run-On Valve (ARV) you would have a banjo fitting on the intake manifold with one nipple for the ARV and another for the brake servo. Disconnect the hose on the nipple for the ARV and make your connection there. Don’t worry about plugging the hose to the ARV. If your engine did not use the ARV (69-72), use the vacuum gauge adaptor on the vacuum pipe for the servo; no need to plug the servo either (see top photo page 25). Let the engine warm up before evaluating the vacuum gauge readings and if the needle is anything more than a quiver, then you have other problems, assuming a stock cam, and refer to the link provided for help in diagnosing the problem. The vacuum gauge is an invaluable tool for diagnosing certain engine problems. Go find your engine’s ‘Sweet Spot’, but just keep it out of the 20s! ragtop Links:www.secondchancegarage.com/public/186.cfm http://automotivemileposts.com/garage/v2n8.html www.torontotriumph.com 19 club events Around The Lake I t’s almost like one of those latter day exploration challenges, such as rowing across the Atlantic or sailing around the world. The circumnavigation of Lake Ontario held a lot of appeal for me and so it did to many other TTC ‘explorers’. While not an opportunity for me to get into the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ (at least, not for driving around the lake!), it was a fantastic chance to take my wife Gloria on a “pre-wedding anniversary” mini-vacation and the other lady in my life, Rosie, for a nice long drive. Clive & Jacquelynne Huizinga and Robin & Ria Searle organized a well presented and memorable three day event, which everyone enjoyed tremendously - thank you! Rather than write a ‘blow-by-blow’ account, I thought I would let the photographs do the talking and one or two members tell you a little about what made the 2010 Around The Lake Tour memorable for them. So ladies & gentlemen, start your engines! by David Fidler Breakdown Brings Out The Best in People by Line up for the Glenorra ferry Following the lake on Highway 33 from Glenorra to Kingston We just missed the Wolfe Island ferry and watched it leave on its one hour return trip Relaxing in Bowmanville the evening before the start Lunch at Lake On The Mountain Peter May We broke down east of Bath - total power failure - just as if we had ran out of gas. Shortly after, the next ferry load of TR6s came along and everyone jumped under the hood to figure out what had happened - from changing the coil to testing a spare rotor. Nothing worked, so everyone went on to Kingston and we waited for CAA. In the meantime we phoned our daughter and my sister-in-law to search the internet for a repair company in Kingston who can fix TR6s. They both came up with the same name - Madeley Automotive. While waiting for CAA, a local came out of his house to offer us a soft drink, shade and the use of his toilet if needed. Later he came back with a photocopy of the yellow pages showing repair companies in Kingston that might help - what a nice person. One other individual who had previously owned a TR6 stopped to assist. CAA came along and took us to Madeley Automotive on the flatbed. Brian the owner, who was such a nice and helpful person, did a few tests and determined that it was in fact the ignition rotor after all! The other spare we tried from the group must’ve been faulty. Not having any in stock, he contacted Ron Minaker who had a couple of TR6s. Ron was so kind and took one out of his car. Brian sent a courier to pick up the part and installed it. It fired up and we were on our way. To top it all off Brian did not charge us a dime as he just had a great interest in getting us back on the road to catch up with the tour. Without the enthusiasm of people who stopped at the side of the road to assist us, plus in particular Brian Madeley and Ron Minaker, we would not have had such a wonderful weekend ‘Around The Lake’. If anybody needs assistance in Kingston, Brian is your man. Fid & Gloria take their parking spot on the Wolfe Island ferry On board the Glenorra ferry Cars Parked during lunch at Lake On The Mountain Gathering for the start at the HoJo Bowmanville 20 Rosie among friends on the Glenorra ferry - while Mrs. Fidler sleeps! www.torontotriumph.com Cap’n on the bridge! Clive Huizinga and Syl & Liz Demers make sure the Wolfe Islander is steered straight Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 21 On the road leaving Henderson Harbor Other Triumphs and an Austin Healey joined us for the BBQ at the Aspinwall Motel, Henderson Harbor, NY Packing them in on the Cape Vincent ferry, with the USA in the background Cars sporting their ATL signs at Alton Antiques Ooops, someone got run over! Fixing a leaky bottom hose in Alton, with lots of experts on hand Packed onto The Wolfe Islander while Clive attends to his car Wind Turbines on Wolfe Island A beautiful 1966 Healey Line up for the Cape Vincent ferry Party time at Henderson Harbor - l to r Bernadette May, Liz Demers and Pauline DeCarlo... Terry & Maureen Dunne wait for the Cape Vincent ferry 22 Clive (centre) waiting to get the flock off the ferry www.torontotriumph.com ... Tom & Ann Gifford cutting the rug Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 23 Moonlight Boat Cruise by Lunch at Mariner’s Landing restaurant in Olcott, NY - the table on the left saying “cheers” are some of our newer members, Gord Linkletter & partner Fanny Gragor and Jim & Carole Dunkley Lunch at Steger Haus, Sodus Point, NY Dinner in Canandaigua, NY at the New York Wine & Culinary Centre Cars get a wash while we eat at Steger Haus Objects in mirror are closer than they appear Fid tries the local Sled Dog brew, his verdict? This horse will never race again! Andrew Grace & Rachael Evans saying goodbye at the border Sodus Point Lighthouse Terry Dunne steers the ship during the moonlight cruise Group photo taken after lunch in Olcott, NY 24 www.torontotriumph.com Gord Linkletter After a great meal at The New York Wine and Culinary Center, Clive had about 15 cars lined up to leave for the moonlight Cruise. We headed out East on US 20 and then South onto 247 through some beautiful farm countryside. Once we got further down and onto 364 the terrain started to get more interesting, as in more twisty bits, through the valley down towards Lake Keuka. Our leader was a bit slow, to fully stretch the legs of our eager TR6. However, in the interest of safety and common sense, we did not attempt to pass. We then headed west along the lake towards Branchport where we arrived at the dock to meet our Hosts for the 2 hr cruise on Lake Kueka. The Esperanza Rose is a wooden hulled boat, painted and preserved in great condition. We were welcomed onboard with live music which continued all evening. The Captain did a great job piloting his ship through a narrow 7 foot deep channel out into the lake. We then cruised approximately 20 miles under clear moonlight skies enjoying the music, drinks and great company. The Captain had to return through the very narrow entrance to the dock, but this time in the dark, which he did with skill and without event. Our drive home was a little more exciting after we decided to leave the lead cars at the gas station and trust our instincts and GPS to get back to Canandaigua. We were able to follow a local car and had a chance to push the TR on some of the twisty bits (when Fanny was sleeping). We arrived safely back from another great event organized by Clive and Jacquelynne. ragtop Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 25 events Shakespearean Spring Fling The uncertain glory of a (May) day; Which now shows all the beauty of the sun, And by and by a cloud takes all away.” The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, Scene 3 With apologies to Sir William Shakespeare... the following report involves the Two Gentlemen of Newmarket & Bobcaygeon - Ed. had spent most of the evening prior to Friday’s departure to Stratford Ontario, cleaning and doing some final maintenance checks on my ‘73 TR6, as per my usual routine before a drive of any length. This trip was to be a little different for me as I was going to have some distinguished company along for the ride. I was happy to have Robin Searle join me as co-pilot for the weekend’s adventure, while Ria stayed at home and tended to a pre-planned garage sale. We left for Stratford on Friday afternoon under overcast skies with another TR6 in tow, as Steven and Anita Craib decided to keep us company along the way. We took the scenic route from my home in Newmarket across Highway 9 through Orangeville and over to Arthur, where we would meet up with another TR6 owner, Bob Muir from Collingwood, before turning south to Stratford. The trip across Highway 9 was an interesting one, as it turned out Robin and Ria lived on a farm in the area in their younger days. As we toured through the countryside Robin acted as tour guide and told some great stories about the area and life on the farm. Don’t worry Ria, I won’t tell the 26 David Tushingham Oh, let’s not forget the ‘other’ marque! “O, how this spring (fling) resembleth I by story about you hauling around the manure spreader! After a stop at Timmy’s in Arthur to pick up Bob and his yellow TR6, the weather was starting to be somewhat of a concern as the skies began to darken. We decided to move on, top down, to see if we could make it into Stratford before the rain began. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. We had turned south on Highway 12 and were running in and out of small pockets of rain. A little further south we ran into a detour and were forced to go a little more west out of our way. Unfortunately, the detour signs led us over to a long gravel road running south. We decided to take it slow over the gravel and as we drove farther south it got darker and darker and started to rain heavily. The gravel soon turned to mud and my white car was no longer clean. It rained so hard that we eventually had to stop and put the top up, as I couldn’t see out of my glasses much less my windscreen. Robin and I jumped out and managed to get the top up in pretty good time, but we were quite wet when we arrived at the check-in desk of the Festival Inn, a little while later. Around the back of the Inn, the courtwww.torontotriumph.com yard was beginning to fill up nicely with LBCs. As I drove to my parking spot, I spotted some familiar faces and waved hello, excited to be there. I had a chance to relax and catch up with old friends from both clubs during the afternoon registration and later had a nice dinner at a local restaurant with 20+ members of the TTC. Back at the Inn, we had a pleasant evening under starry skies, relaxing in our lounge chairs in and around the courtyard. It was an early night for me however, as I had plans for a very early morning. We had a full day planned for Saturday starting with a tour through Perth and Oxford Counties beginning at 9 am. First order of the day for me was to get the car in a more presentable condition for the afternoon car show and shine. So at 6 am, I was down at the local spray wash, washing away the dirt and dust associated with the previous day’s trek. By 7:30 am I was back at the hotel and had a quick bite to eat beRagtop IS ummer I 2010 Parking lot party fore staging in the parking lot for the mass departure. From the Festival Inn parking lot we headed out through Shakespeare and past the British Touch store, which we would visit later in the afternoon. We were on our way to Punkeydoodle Corners for a photo opportunity under the often stolen community sign post. So much for the clean car. Less than 20 minutes into the drive, we were back on gravel roads and the car was quickly coated in dust as we travelled along in the middle of the pack of about 50 cars. After a quick stop at the corners, we continued on through New Hamburg, and Wellesley on our way to a stop in Millbank Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 at Anna Mae’s Bakery and the Cheese Factory. At these stops, we picked up poker cards as we tried to build a winning poker hand, to be turned in at the evening’s festivities. Cars were filled with baked goods and fresh cheeses before we headed on to Millbank Family Furniture for a look around. We continued on our tour through Newton and Milverton, an area noted for its population of Amish and we spotted a Where do you park 50 cars for lunch? few horse and buggies along the way and stops along the way. We picked up another many well kept farms. About 7 miles from poker card at Klomps Nursery and Garden Stratford and an equal distance from St Center and left the flowers there for the laMary’s is the town of Avon, a really picturdies to buy. Our last stop of the day was at esque setting nestling low down in a valley the British Touch, a cute little store selling all bordered by a gentle stream. On our way things British. I managed to find some room to St Mary’s we passed through Junction in the TR6 boot for a couple of enameled Railway Station built in 1858, a bustling signs that caught my fancy (thank you for hub of activity until 1941 and now recogthe Guinness one Tush! - Ed). nized as an historically significant building, We had some time to relax at the Festival restored by the town of St. Mary’s. Inn prior to the awards banquet and some We stopped for lunch and our annual took the opportunity to have a swim and Spring Fling Car show in the heart of St hang out by the pool. The dinner was being Mary’s, at Milt Dunnell Park. We had the held at the Hotel and chance to wander we had a nice room through town and set up for our festivienjoyed a nice lunch ties. We had a great at one of the local dinner and laughed restaurants. One with our friends day I must re-visit St throughout the night. Mary’s, as it is also the The votes had been home of the Canatabulated and awards dian Baseball Hall of were given out to the Fame and I have yet winners of the car to find the time to go An early one horsepower roadster show. Alas, our poker there. hand was not a winner, but the weekend We submitted our ballots for the car certainly was and we all had a great time. show and picked up another poker card, Many thanks go out to the MG Car Club of before hitting the road again. Robin and I Toronto for hosting us and to the efforts of were building a pretty good poker hand (or Spring Fling organizers Peter Mittler and so we thought)…we continued on a loop Stuart MacFarlane. ragtop back towards Stratford and made two more www.torontotriumph.com 27 on the road Split diaphragm leads to unexpected buldge W by Larry Llewllyn ell to those of you who read the first entry of my diary you may have hoped or thought it was the last. Well I’m back! This is the most recent adventure with my TR7 from hell... no, no, I didn’t say that... from now on she is to be referred to as ‘Miss Penny Lane’ or ‘Penny’ to all her friends. Sit back and be prepared to suffer as I did, the woes of a Triumph owner... stories you can all relate to or even surpass. The story I’m about to relate really starts in Sept 2008, when Chambly County High School in St. Lambert, Quebec, put out an ‘all points bulletin’ for volunteers to help putting on their 60th Reunion... I, being a member of the class of ’65 (not the graduating class, we won’t go there), volunteered as class rep. Remember, the TTC has got me into Show and Shine addictions, Canadian Classics, Spring Flings and our pride and joy - British Car Day. Add to these, driving ‘Around The Lake’ in 2007 (even though I was in a Honda Fit) and I am hooked on a passion to drive. So I was all hyped up to drive my Penny to the big event. I con- 28 tacted the committee and suggested they hold a vintage car show of alumni who may still be driving their old rods or reliving their past through newly acquired oldies. We could hold a car show and all alumni could show off their pride and joys. They bought into it... and designated the job to me! Surprisingly, we had 28 cars show up from Ottawa, Kitchener, and Toronto. At this point, I should mention my old classmate, Peter Gilbert (an ex-racer) and his wife Louise, came on-stream. We hadn’t seen each other in 40 years, he was to accompany me in a 1948 Bentley. But, as everyone knows women are smarter than men and they are always right, Louise was adamant that “If Larry drives his car too, I’m not going, I’m not going to be put in a position with two cars breaking down!” So it was that we left TO at 10 am on a Thursday; Peter drove in a friend’s Mercedes sport coupe and I in Penny. Communication was by way of hands-free walkietalkies, this turned out to be a smart move. 401 to Quebec with a few stops on the way, Bellville, Kingston, with a last fill in Ontario, www.torontotriumph.com before crossing the ‘border’. The trip appeared to be flawless. All the prep time, oil changes and excursions with the TTC was a precursor to this ‘BIG ONE’... then my world fell apart. We arrived in Montreal at 5pm, the height of rush hour, heading to the Champlain Bridge, south on Hwy 220. For those of you who have never been there, please take an accelerated skid school course to contend with the thousands of Jacques Villeneuve clones. I was negotiating an underpass, a very small one built in 1911 or Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 so... then Penny died... or decided to take a rest. I immediately looked in the rear view mirror and saw an 18 wheel oil tanker approaching, about to negotiate the same hair-pin turn under the bridge. I had the presence of mind to throw on the hazards and make a radio call to Peter... “I’m dead, I Can’t START!” I see Peter backing up, unknown to him the tanker is trying to negotiate the turn wider... I suddenly became a devout Catholic and said seven Hail Mary’s. Peter swerved to miss the tanker... it passed around the corner up a grade. A Close call. Now we were both holding up traffic, as we pushed Penny to the side. For the sake of this writing, we got Penny started, but by this time I was hurling unprintable adjectives at my bucket of bolts. Penny was running very rough and wanted to stall, in bumper to bumper traffic for the next 45 minutes across the bridge. We arrived at my motel, but running very, very rough. The CCHS 60th itinerary called for a meet and greet and car show 3 pm – 9 pm Friday; a variety show on Saturday at 1 pm - 3 pm; Dinner and Dance in the evening. At breakfast Saturday morning it was decided Peter would show me how to change spark plugs and the inline fuel filter, while Louise went shopping. After this was accomplished we separated and met at the variety show. I hooked up with Peter to pass Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 on the news that Penny was running worse than ever... shaking beginning at 35 mph... Peter said, “we’ll have another look and see what we’ve missed”. At 4 pm I met up with Peter at the home of an old racing buddy of his. After putting their heads together it was decided to look at the Stromberg carbs. Off came one and it was cleaned balanced or whatever one does to the bits of these delicate parts. They were sparkling by the time they were finished and put back. “Go test drive it Larry!” “No, Let’s do the other one”, Peter said. About now, an old timer rolled up in a suit, ready to go to the dinner and dance. He was also a sports car buff... you can picture the 4 Amigos, me, a gopher, Peter and his racing buddy and this guy in a suit. Peter was still adamant in wanting to check the other carb, before I went to test drive. However, around the block I went, only to come back sweating bullets. “It’s running like c*#&!”... Off came the other carb, and we discovered the rubber diaphragm was split in a few places. Now what? I’m worried about getting back to Toronto, it’s now 6 pm and stores are closed, tomorrow is Sunday with nothing open. I’m beside myself. Canadian ingenuity prevails... make shift... crazy glue... none in the house. Peter goes to a local ‘Depanneur’... no luck... I went door-to-door around the houses where the repair was being done... finally, some Crazy Glue. It’s the same in French by the way. That didn’t work. Next, brains all working overtime, “how about a BandAid and stick it on the tears?”... No... we’ll fabricate a diaphragm with surgical glove rubber. Ever tried cutting a surgical rubber glove? Not as easy as one thinks! After painfully trying to attach this it was decidwww.torontotriumph.com ed... “to forget it!” The suit suggested “silicone, just smear it on, use water to dilute it and it will spread easier.” Off he went to the dinner and dance... it’s 7:30 pm now... I try another test drive... NO WAY, absolute c*#&. Now comes the savior. Peter and his racing buddy talk about replacement parts and they come up with a guy who his wife used to date, “He’s got a parts store doesn’t he?” Sure enough arrangements were made to meet him at 10 am Sunday and he’ll open the store. It’s now 8:30 pm and we’ve missed the Dinner and Dance. So, I stayed with Peter and his friends for a friendly BBQ. A good time had by all, as the problem was solved... or so I thought. The parts were obtained and replaced at a local Show and Shine, under the watchful eyes of John Q public. Both diaphragms were replaced. We then set off to test drive Penny on a local freeway, only to find the shaking was almost violent at 40 mph. I in my wisdom suggested “it was no longer the engine, it appears to be in the steering”. Another test drive by Peter... he returns with the same conclusion. Peter says “Let’s put it on the basketball court and check the tracking “. I was relegated to the passenger side; my friend was on the driver’s side; while Peter drove ever so slowly. There we are looking at the tires and the frame... I spot something on the front passenger side. I told the expert “You check, if you see something, don’t say anything... I’ll drive and see if Peter spots the same problem”. Surefire Peter spots it too and visually they both see the problem. ”Stop, stop, we found it”! A buldge the size of a fist, on the tire. It’s now 2:00 pm... we have our good bye lunch at the reunion. I raced off to a local Canadian Tire store, had two front tires replaced and was on my way by 4 pm. I arrived in Toronto at 10:30 pm, with one stop for gas. Turns out I bought Penny in November 2006... the tires were brand new, no mileage on them. However they were made week 33 1998... by the DOT mark! The belt had separated in two places. ragtop 29 BACK THEN WE WERE THE EXPERTS AT INSURING ‘57 CHEVYS owner’s manual Getting to know our members Scott douglas AND WE STILL ARE. A L O T O F I N S U R A N C E C O M PA N I E S S AY T H E Y K N O W C L A S S I C A N D A N T I Q U E C A R S . B E T T E R T H A N S TAT E FA R M . AND AS WITH AFTER BUT WE BELIEVE NO ONE KNOWS THEM ALL WE WERE INSURING MANY OF THESE CARS LONG BEFORE THEY BECAME CLASSICS. T H E W O R L D ’ S L A R G E S T C A R I N S U R E R , W E C U R R E N T LY I N S U R E W E L L O V E R 120,000 OF THESE UNIQUE MACHINES. S TAT E FA R M Y O U ’ R E A LWAY S S U R E O F G E T T I N G C O V E R A G E T H AT ’ S R I G H T F O R Y O U --- A N D Y O U R C A R . T H E M O S T C O M P E T I V E R AT E S AVA I L A B L E . PERHAPS AT SOME OF T H AT ’ S W H Y S O M A N Y C L A S S I C A N D A N T I Q U E C A R O W N E R S I N S I S T O N Name: Scott Douglas Location: Burlington, ON Member since: Oct. 2009 Current Triumph: 1974 TR6 Pimento/Black First Triumph: ’74 Triumph Spitfire, ’70 Spitfire Mk3 and ’69 Spitfire MK3.. Born: November 1966, Edinburgh, Scotland Occupation: Industrial Electrician, Industrial Instrumentation Technician Other Hobbies: Soccer, playing and coaching, golf, and attending the occasional beer tasting. Favorite Music: Very eclectic. My iPod currently has everything from Roger Miller & Johnny Cash to Tom Jones and Ramstein. My favorite for driving top down is Bob Marley. Favorite Movie: Snatch, or anything of military history. What would you buy if you won the lottery: I would buy a very nice Triumph, a comfortable house in the country and the best education money could buy for my son. Three people I would invite to dinner: I would have to invite someone to cook, for that is a skill I have not obtained. Where would one find a talented chef on short notice? If Tush were busy Gordon Ramsey, Gordon Strachan (soccer manager) and Doug Gilmour. Favorite meal: Steak on the BBQ, medium rare. I N S U R I N G T H E I R A U T O M O T I V E T R E A S U R E S W I T H S TAT E FA R M T H A N W I T H A N Y O T H E R C O M PA N Y . SO C A L L Y O U R S TAT E FA R M A G E N T T O D AY A N D Y O U ’ L L L E A R N T H AT J U S T L I K E S O M E C A R S , S O M E I N S U R A N C E C O M PA N I E S O N LY I M P R O V E W I T H A G E . WAYNE C. MCGILL AGENT UNIT 21 - 2345 WYECROFT ROAD STATE FARM OAKVILLE ONTARIO L6L 6L8 INSURANCE COMPANIES EMAIL: AURORA, ONTARIO BUS. 905-847-5671 wayne.mcgill.b3iu@statefarm.com CANADIAN HEAD OFFICES: L I K E A G O O D N E I G H B O U R S TAT E FA R M I S T H E R E . Background: I bought a 1974 Triumph Spitfire, Damson/Black, when I was 17. I owned it for 4 or 5 years and sold it after I got married and bought a house. I bought a 1970 MK 3 Spitfire in 2003 and a 1969 MK 3 Spitfire a year or two later. When I bought the TR6 last fall I owned three Triumphs for a brief time, until my wife Dawn put her foot down and I sold the two Spitfires. I’m an Electrician and Instrument Technician by trade and served my apprenticeship at Dofasco, a steel mill in Hamilton. I currently work for the Region of Halton in plant maintenance for waste water treatment plants. I have been married to my lovely wife Dawn for 23 years and we have a 17 year old son. My wife and son take great delight in mocking my Triumph addiction every time a parcel arrives with “critical spares” for the TR6. If I weren’t having so much fun I would take their advice to seek help. ragtop Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 31 A BRITISH COMPANY SUPPORTING BRITISH CARS 75,000 SQ FT OF SPACE FREE SALES OFFICE STAG . TR2-8 . SPITFIRE . GT6 . HERALD VITESSE . DOLOMITE . 2000/2500 AUTHORISED PARTS DISTRIBUTOR Original Parts & Accessories ROVER SD1 . ROVER 75/45/25 MGF/MGTF . MG ZT/ZS/ZR ROVER 200/400/600/800 METRO/MINI . MAESTRO/MONTEGO LAND ROVER AUTHORISED PARTS DISTRIBUTOR Original Parts & Accessories RANGE ROVER CLASSIC/P38A/SERIES 3 DISCOVERY 1 & 2 . FREELANDER DEFENDER . ROVER V8 ENGINES Getting to know our members HELMUTH VORKOETTER CATALOGUES Name / Owner: Helmuth Vorkoetter Location: Sharon, Ontario Joined TTC: 2000 Triumph Owned: 1976 Spitfire 1500 TTC Position: Member, Monthly Meeting Organizer Co-chair 2007/8 Born: 1941 in Koerbecke, Germany, within 15 minute drive of the Moehne Dam (if you ever watched the British war movie “The Dam Busters”, you’ll have an idea were that is) Occupation: Retired, after 42+ years at IBM, two of those in Germany Hobbies: Travel and Classic Cars Favourite Music: Classical If I Won the Lottery: I would spread it Background: My wife Brigitte, our son Stefan and I immigrated to Canada in 1967, which was Canada’s 100th Birthday. If it wasn’t for Brigitte’s around – Family, Charity, Friends, another wanderlust and urge to visit new places and countries, we would still be in Classic Car (really classic and rare) FULL RANGE OF PARTS & ACCESSORIES PARTS PICKED FROM 1000’S OF LOCATIONS owner’s manual Great prices! Great service! WANT A PROFESSIONAL PARTS SERVICE AT THE RIGHT PRICE? COME TO THE EXPERTS We stock MG Rover and Land Rover parts too. Rimmer Bros tick all the boxes: Competitive prices Great customer service Efficient mail order anywhere World’s largest Triumph stock Free catalogues Trade enquiries welcome Easy to use website Germany. I am glad she started the ball rolling. It was a wise decision. We have so far spent 60 percent of our lives in Canada and have become true Canadians, although the accent still remains. The Spitfire I bought in 1999 is my 2nd venture into British Cars, the first of which was an MG Midget, bought in 1968 and sold 2 years later. I call the Spitfire a ‘Barnfind’, as I found it for sale in an Antique Barn. The body was restored, the engine had the tell-tale signs of being in need of a complete overhaul, which became a requirement sooner than I had expected. I made numerous changes and upgrades over the years, including a conversion from dual Webers to dual SUs, addition of an oil cooler, new alloy rims and tires, and replacement of the 4-speed with an O/D tranny, which only happened a few weeks ago, even though the tranny and drive shaft were in my possession for 6 years. I love the car. It has beautiful lines, is fun to drive, easy to maintain, and unlike a TR6 the hood opens from the outside, even in an emergency! ragtop PARTS SALES & ENQUIRIES Tel: 01144 1522 568000 Trade Enquiries: 01144 1522 567111 Fax: 01144 1522 567600 E-mail: sales@rimmerbros.co.uk www.rimmerbros.co.uk Rimmer Bros. Triumph House, Sleaford Rd (A15), Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, LN4 2NA, England. SALES COUNTER & VISITOR CENTRE VISITORS WELCOME We are open:- MON – FRI; 8.30am to 5.30pm, SAT; 8.30am to 1pm. BROWSE OUR CATALOGUES ON YOUR PC All our Catalogues & current Price Guides are available on one CD. Small charge is made to cover burning & postage. Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 33 historically speaking 6 The TR6 Hardtop Following on from his article on the first TR6 hardtop cars in the Fall 2009 issue, Derek Graham starts a two part history, beginning with the factory hardtop. The Factory Hardtops T his is the story of the TR6 hardtop. I will start off with a brief history of Karmann’s involvement in the styling of the TR6 (for the full story see 6-PACK Spring 2009 issue -Ed), followed by a potted history for the Triumph styled hardtop and the few changes that occurred to it during production. Then I will follow in the summer issue with brief descriptions of the various aftermarket hardtops that were available during TR6 production, including the situation as I am aware of it today. Triumph’s search for a new TR in early 1967 started naturally with Michelotti, however their approach at that time had found him fully committed with com34 1 missions from both within and without the Standard Triumph organisation. Fortunately for us this dilemma came to the attention of Karmann via their UK agent Bernard Hopfinger, who was based in Coventry. Karmann were able to offer Triumph a deal to not only redesign the Michelotti TR, but also to produce the required tooling for the new model, in what was to turn out to be a very short timescale. Needless to say a contract was agreed and the connection with Karmann was made. Within a very short period of time they had reached agreement for the re-design and the go ahead was given to produce a mock up. This was carried out on a TR4A, GKV 672E, which had been sent to them for this very purpose and the rest as you know is history, Karmann achieved sign-off of the full scale mock up by late August 1967 and work started immediately on the production of the body tools, with a batch of 10 prototype shells being completed by early 1968 and the first built up prototype being completed by Triumph on the 28th March 1968. Now what has this to do with the TR6 hardtop you may well be 2 www.torontotriumph.com asking? Well lets face it the rounded “Surrey top” to give it its nickname, did not really suit the new angular lines of the TR6, (see photo 1 showing the Karmann mock up). My enquiries to Karmann circa 10 years ago, when I did the research for my original TR6 article, did confirm that they had developed a style for the new TR6 hardtop, however it hadn’t been liked by the Triumph management and wasn’t proceeded with. Unfortunately no sketches have ever surfaced of this proposal. Despite this set back Triumph took it upon themselves to design the new hardtop in-house and in fact displayed it in the styling studio in April 1968 (see photo 2). For whatever reason they fitted this to another TR4A, GKV 309D, rather than to the mock up GKV 672E or to the running prototype X776, both of which were in existence at that time. As can be seen the basic style is there and all that remained was to tidy up the rear vent arrangement and other minor details, prior to the start of production. It does appear that Triumph may have got their styling cues from an early Michelotti sketch (see image 3) and possibly also from the optional hardtop produced by Dynaplastics for the TR250, as featured in the Triumph 3 4 5 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 TR250 sales brochure for that model (see photo 4). According to the photographic ledgers at the Heritage Centre in Gaydon, this appears to have taken Triumph a little longer to achieve than anticipated and the first images of the production hardtop were only released by mid-November 1968. Even the first UK TR6 sales brochures showed an artists impression (see image 5), and the US brochure didn’t even mention that a hardtop would be made available. However by the time of the press release on the 14th January the hardtop was shown fitted to the prototype TR6, X776, by this time registered MDU 743F (see photo 6). During production, the only changes that happened to the hardtop were a change from black to beige headlining for the 1970 model update and a change to the shape of the rear corner trim pieces, very early in production. I must admit that I have only ever seen one of these early trim pieces and don’t have www.torontotriumph.com an illustration, although I did have one in my possession at one time, now why did I give it away? The Triumph hardtop certainly added rigidity to the TR6, albeit it wasn’t as sophisticated as the top fitted to the earlier TR4 and 5, with its removable hard top lid that could be replaced by a simple ‘H’ frame and soft top cover (the ‘Surrey’ top). What the TR6 hardtop did feature was the ability to have both hard & soft tops fitted at the same time. This was achieved by releasing the rear set screws on the soft top and the centre soft top screw fixing on the B post, and by then fitting the hardtop over the soft top and disguising the fact that the soft top was still there by using a special hard & soft top hood cover to hide the soft top away (see image 7 of the very last TR6 coming off the production line with both soft & hard tops fitted). Triumph did of course sell the TR6 as both a hardtop and as a soft top model and even supplied them both if required. Kits were also made available from Triumph via the Dealers as an accessory to convert either way. ragtop 7 35 historically speaking UK6 The TR6 Hardtop UK1 The Aftermarket Hardtops T he steel factory hardtop was of course quite heavy and easily damaged in storage. Fiberglass had been the new revolutionary material of the fifties and there were a number of manufacturers who had produced bodyshells and even complete cars in that material. It was therefore only a matter of time before these same companies, and other entrepreneurs, produced attractive alternatives to the steel hardtops being offered by the mainstream manufacturers. These of course, in theory at least, would be less susceptible to damage and much lighter to handle. By the time the TR6 came around there were a number of manufacturers producing versions for the TR range and some of them went as far as producing a new model, specifically for the TR6. I will start my listing of these manufacturers with those that I am aware of in the UK. In alphabetical order these are: 1) AKS or Auto Kraft Shells, to give them their proper name. This company whose address was Alma Works, Takely, Nr. Bish36 ops Stortford, Hertfordshire produced a hardtop with a similar style to the works hardtop. Period advertisements show the same top fitted to a TR5 but it was listed as available for the TR4, 4A, 5 & 6 for the princely sum of £69 (see image UK1 very kindly provided by Richard Purcheon who had one fitted to his six for a while). Richard noted that it had no head lining and had an internal egg shell paint finish that looked a bit like marble. AKS were of course famous for manufacturing the Ogle Mini and SP250 body shells. 2) Fibresports, 34/36 Bowlers Croft, Basildon. This company is apparently still in existence and a period advertisement that I have states that they produced works style hardtops for the TR6. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any images and my enquiries to them have drawn a blank. 3) Honeybourne Mouldings, Unit 21, Waterloo Park Industrial Estate, Bidford-onAvon, Warwickshire. Honeybourne market hardtops for a number of classics, as well as more modern sportscars. The top that they market for the TR6 is basically a replica of the works top, but in fiberglass (see image UK3 kindly provided by Ron Sweet). Ron notes that the hard top was well finished, but the fastenings to the car were not very neat and tidy and protruded into the passenger space, so he has made up a close fitting draw bolt arrangement to improve the appearance and clamp the top down more securely. Honeybourne’s marketed an earlier top for the TR6, which was very similar to the Lenham hardtop (right), however the mould for this version was destroyed in a fire. An image of their earlier style TR6 hardtop can be seen on their website at www.honeybournemouldings.co.uk/triumphTR6.htm. The price at the time of writing is £325. They also manufacture the TR4/5 style with www.torontotriumph.com UK5 UK3 separate backlight and roof panel for £460. 4) Lenham Motor Company, 47 West Street, Harrietsham, Kent. The Lenham top is probably the most well known of the TR6 fibreglass hardtops and in fact throughout the late sixties, seventies and indeed into the eighties you couldn’t pick up a classic car magazine without coming across their advertisement somewhere within the magazine. The Lenham hardtop is of course still available from Rimmer Brothers who purchased the moulds when they stopped making hardtops. (See image UK4 showing the Lenham version and image 11 the Rimmer Brothers version). Rimmers also produce tops for the Spitfire and at the time of writing had just re-started production of the TR6 top. Rimmer Brothers can be found at Triumph House, Sleaford Road, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, LN4 2NA. 5) Microplas, Mitcham, Surrey, was taken by my cousin Alan at a Northern TR Centre open day, back in circa 1981. I’m not 100% sure that the hardtop shown is a Microplas albeit I’m pretty sure that it UK4 Ragtop I Summer I 2010 is. I have other images provided by Roger Ferris, which show a Microplas without any glass and without the skylights and it looks to be pretty similar. Hopefully someone may be able to confirm or maybe even own the one illustrated and are just waiting to pluck up enough courage to put it on the TR one of these days? It is certainly distinctive and you never know, it may even have been the inspiration for the Renault Megane!! I initially thought that it might have been the twin “Skylight” version of the SAH top, but the rear window is not tall enough. Microplas also made a “Surrey” version for the earlier TR4/5. 6) SAH Accessories Ltd, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. SAH produced their 655 model for the TR250, 5 and 6. This was available as a basic model with a nylon flock sprayed interior or could be obtained with a deluxe PVC washable padded lining at additional cost. Twin perspex skylights could also be ordered in tinted green, blue or amber. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to find an image of the SAH hardtop fitted to a TR6 or indeed to any TR, so their advertisement will have to suffice (see image UK6 showing it fitted to a TR4). Their 1972 brochure listed this same style for the TR6. SAH still exist as Triumphtune, under the umbrella of Moss Motors. No hardtops are made nowadays however. North America Over in North America the TR6 buying customer had the choice of quite a number of aftermarket hardtops. Some of these were carryovers from earlier models, such as the version from Dynaplastics, which had been offered as an option in the TR250 showroom brochure and one or two of the manufacturers produced a number of variations, as will be seen in the listing that follows. With the vast number of TR6 that were exported to the US & Canada, I’m sure Ragtop I Summer I 2010 that there are probably more manufacturers than I have discovered, however in alphabetical order the ones that I am aware of so far are: 1) Custom Hardtops, 1768 Caspian Ave, Long Beach, CA. 90801. Custom Hardtops produced three versions of their hardtop, a plain sided, a porthole version and a ¾ window version. These first two appear to have been a carryover from the TR4/TR250 range and certainly the porthole version appears in a number of period advertisements, which show it fitted to a TR4. I have also come across the plain sided versions for sale on ebay. Image NA1 shows their later “Snugtops” version, with the rear ¾ window as fitted to the TR6. I am not sure when they started marketing their range as “Snugtops”, however both the plain sided and ¾ window version were marketed as such. Custom Hardtops appear to be boat builders now and my enquiry to them about hardtops drew a blank. 2) Dynaplastics, PO Box 3711, 10315 East Rush Street, South El Monte, California, 91733. Dynaplastics produced three versions of their hardtop, the C/D 501 Triumph Plain, the C/D 503 Triumph Porthole and the C/D 504 Triumph Quarter-Window (see images NA2). Their brochure provides the following information on the features of these hardtops. Some of it admittedwww.torontotriumph.com NA1 NA2 ly a bit on the cheesy side: (a) Top Exterior - “Beautifully embossed with a rich Landau finish” (b) Top Interior - “Handcrafted to please the most critical of connoisseur” (c) Construction “Double fiberglass shell bonded together to make a completely unitized hardtop” (d) Rear Window - “Removable tempered clear safety-glass rear window, the ultimate in design and appeal” (e) Trim - “Polished aluminum trim around the perimeter of hardtop” (f ) Attachments - “Two latches forward, two bolts hold down rear, hardtop comes off and on in minutes and weighs less than 30lbs” I initially thought that Dynaplastics and Custom Hardtops were one and the same, both being 37 Transport Books Cars, bikes, boats & planes... trucks, tractors, tanks & trains Our 35th year! Canada's largest selection of motoring books & popular motorsports videos. Triumph books a specialty: historical, pictorial & technical. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm free parking – free mailing list transportbooks.com www. 16 Elrose Avenue Toronto, ON M9M2H6 Canada (416)744-7675 (800)665-2665 info@transportbooks.com J.D. AUTO SERVICES The Soda Pro Tom Humphries page - TRANSPORT BOOKS at DRB Motors Inc. Environmentally sensible cleaning and Josip (Joe) Dukova 15/16 3¾x4 9.53cm x 12.55cm IMPORT, DOMESTIC & SPORTSCARS 301 Rexdale Blvd. Unit C, Etobicoke, Ont. M9W 1R8 TEL: (416) 746-1048 • FAX: (416) 746-9935 • TRIUmph • mG • LOTUS • JAGUAR • SAFETY & E-TESTING N Tel: 905.593.0684 Fax: 905.593.0686 Cell: 416.807.3037 Email: tom@sodapro.com www.sodapro.com Rexdale Blvd. Martin Grove BRITISh CAR REpAIR ShOp coating removal by abrasive blasting 2576 Dunwin Drive Unit # 5 Mississauga, ON L5L 5P6 from California and both offering similar versions however there are subtle differences in styling between the two, so I don’t believe this to be the case. A web search on Dynaplastics draws a blank, so they may not be in business anymore. Quite a few TR6 have been returned to the UK from the US over the years with these hardtops and I have seen a number of the porthole versions and have also spotted a number of the plain versions for sale on ebay. As also mentioned at the start of this article the Dynaplastics plain sided version featured in the TR250 brochure, as an option for that model. 3) Parrish Plastics. I have no contact details for Parrish however their moulds were taken over by Smoothline (see following section). My search for information on the Parrish top lead me to a website featuring a TR6 rebuild within which there was a reference to a Parrish hardtop. My enquiries using the E-mail link from the website drew a response from 6-PACK member and manufacturer of jigs, tools and parts, Rick Patton, who hails from Brunswick, Maine and who had a Parrish top fitted to his Delft Blue 1975 model TR6 for a number of years. Rick very kindly sent me some images taken when his daughter Amy was still a college student and noted that when he bought the TR the soft top was in tatters and as he planned to drive the TR year all year round, including the harsh Maine winters in sub zero temperatures, he found the Parrish top to be perfect for this role and noted that it was always comfortable. It was only when he decided to restore his TR a number of years later that the Parrish top was taken off and he still has it to this day (see image NA3). Rick’s TR now features a supercharger and is fuel injected. Details of this conversion can be found on his website at www.pattonmachine.com/AboutRick.htm 4) Smoothline High Performance Composites, Tarentum, PA 15084, USA. As noted Ragtop I Summer I 2010 above, Smoothline took over the Parrish moulds and have continued producing their version of that hardtop for a number of years. Smoothline also produce hardtops for the current range of American muscle cars, including various versions of the Corvette, Mustang, Mazdas and Pontiacs, as well as classic cars, such as MGs, Alfas, Datsuns and Austin Healeys, to name but a few. Their hard top conversion for the TR6 has the following features: (a) All up weight of less than 45lbs (b) Supplied c/w rubber gaskets and stainless steel hardware (c) Exterior finished with two coats of smooth black urethane primer ready for a top coat color of choice. (d) The shell is molded from a premium grade automotive fiberglass. (e) The interior is upholstered with a rich, heavy automotive felt headliner (f ) Options include a factory installed Elk grain Haartz Vinyl exterior covering available in white, black, and saddle (see image NA4). (g) An upgraded grey tinted Plexiglas window is also available (h) A thicker upgraded interior headliner that really helps to dampen noise is available in various colours Details can be found on their website at: www.smoothline.com/classic_sports_ cars.php In conclusion the TR6 was and still is well served for hardtops, both factory and aftermarket. In the US not many TR6 were supplied with the factory hardtop, so today these are at a premium and do go for big money, maybe not quite as much as the “Surrey Top” goes for in the UK, but quite close, whereas in the UK the factory top is readily available. One downside is that they do corrode quite badly, at least they do in the UK, and the head linings become quite brittle and friable. Complete new factory hardtop kits were available until recently, however my enquiries to all of the main dealers drew a blank. The aftermarket ones are however rarely seen in the UK and whilst the Lenham and Honeybourne are made to order, it is a number of years since I have seen one, probably because they are generally used only in the winter. In the US & NA3 www.torontotriumph.com NA4 Canada the Smoothline version would appear to be the most readily available and certainly from a distance, it would be difficult to tell apart from a soft-top when it has the vinyl grain finish. To finish I will list the other manufacturers that I am aware who may have made a hardtop for the TR6. (a) Astro Fibreglass Ltd, 1535 Potrero Avenue, So El Monte, California. This company listed hardtops for the TR2, 3 & 4 and the latter may well still have been available for the TR6 (b) J&S Fibreglass (Sales) PTY Ltd, 287 Ramsay Road, Haberfield NSW 2045. J Gadsen Flexibles Division, 4 Garling Road, Marayong, NSW 2148, Australia. This company listed Triumph in their list of hardtops, so the TR6 may have been included. (c) Plous Developments, PO Box 1527, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA. This company did a fastback in the style of the Dove for the TR4, 4A and presumably TR250 so they may have manufactured something for the TR6, albeit I have no evidence to support this. In looks it would probably look like a cross between a Scimitar GTE or Lancia HPE. Does such a TR6 exist? (d) Thompson Fibreglass Products, 4511 Airport Way South, Seattle 8, Washington, MA 3- 3232, USA. This company listed hardtops for the TR2, TR3 and TR4 and in turn may have had an offering for the TR250 and TR6. ragtop My thanks for assistance in the production of this article are due to my cousin Alan, Roger Ferris, Richard Purcheon, Rick Patton, Stan Foster, Ron Sweet, Guy Therin, Wiebe van der Ree, Karen Weaver of Honeybourne Mouldings, Gary Fussenegger of Smoothline, Andrew Mundy of Rimmer Brothers, the BMIHT and Edgardo Michelotti. — Author 39 the wedgetarian Let There Be Light By John Broomer A s I write this, spring has sprung and I am still without a car for the driving season. I have decided to be patient, as I believe prices for the segment I’m interested in, are coming down. I have brought the TR6 out of storage for my friend, but family issues (his, not mine) has meant that it was moved to another location in the city. It doesn’t look like I will be driving it much, if at all. I was pleased that it started and ran fine. My worst fear was that the clutch would be stuck on the flywheel as it was when I moved it to storage in the fall, but that didn’t happen. All this has nothing to do with fixing wedges, but what follows most certainly does. Tail Light Troubles Wedges were not blessed with the most brilliant tail lights. This was pretty much a result of a poor design, even more poorly executed. Unlike almost every other Brit car at the time, the JRT engineers decided to have the bulbs enter the housing from the side instead of directly from the rear. Then they thought they would shroud them somewhat, as we all know that doing so would contribute to their bright- ugly housing 40 ness. To offset this, JRT sprayed the inside of the housing with a reflective coating and this, when exposed to the closely coupled bulbs, burned or peeled off, creating an ugly mess inside the housing that failed to reflect light. There are several solutions to this problem. One is to strip and refinish the housing, restoring it to its original condition. A second involves upgrading the bulbs to the new LED units and a third involves twinning the tail lights for more wattage. Restore Your Original Housings Having obtained a couple of rear tail light assemblies, I had one bead blasted by our own Dave Tushingham to remove all of the tired finish inside the housing. Next, a coat of self-etching primer and to finish, a chrome spray from a rattle-can. There are a variety of products out there, but I simply picked up Dupli-Color Instant Chrome at Parts Source and you are best off applying several thin coats followed by a final, heavier coat. I made up a little spray booth from a cardboard box and then cut a hole in it to hold the housing. This meant no spraying fingers and also ensured that the chrome spray only went on the inside (I masked off the bulb holes from the back). When I finished doing this, I wasn’t very pleased with the results. The finish from the chrome paint was nowhere near what it is on the cap. It turned out to be something more of a very nice silver. To test my theory, I set up a rig on my bench with the same bulb in place in the running light position (which was still in good, original shape in the as yet untouched housing) and used my photographer’s light meter to measure the output. The result, the refinish was about half the reading on the light meter. It was probably an improvement over the light positions that were all peeling, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the original factory finish, which it should have been had the new finish actually resembled the cap! I had a suspicion that this was a result of the use of the gray primer. I decided to test this theory on the rear of the second light housing. I cleaned it up nicely, actually a little shiny, and gave it a shot of the paint. The results were not much different so the gray primer is not the problem. In any event, you can see the comparison of the cap to the finished product in the pictures included here. polished aluminum housing compared to paint cap As an aside, I think that I will have Dave blast both housings and I will try polishing the inside of the housings with a Dremel tool. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to do so for this issue of Wedget- freshly primed freshly blasted www.torontotriumph.com arian, so that will have to be an update in the fall issue. I’ve included a picture of the surface of the back of one of the housings that I’ve done with some old chrome polish, not very fine, but the reflection off the camera was done on purpose so you can see the results. I should be able to get a near mirror finish on it with proper polishing paste. Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer LED Replacement Bulbs The second route is to go to LED bulbs. Before you start thinking that this is reasonably straight forward as you are simply replacing bulbs, bear in mind that the LED bulbs will not fit into the housing from the rear as they are a much larger diameter than standard bulbs. Simply remove the housing from the car and carefully separate the lens from the housing and replace the bulbs from the inside. There are many available but I have been told by Brian Hubbard who has done this replacement that he had good results with bulbs from www.superbrightleds.com. Superbright also have 90˚ bulbs, but they require a portion of the rear housing to be cut off to allow sufficient clearance to turn them in the housing. You can see what Brian did to achieve this in the accompanying pictures. Twin Tail Lights The last solution option comes to us courtesy of Odd Hedberg, secretary of the Swedish Triumph Club and is a bit of a hybrid using incandescent bulbs, but utilizes the twin filament type rather than the standard single ones. It involves a bit of wiring, replacing the bulb holders with a modified holder and basically gives you twice the running lights and brake lights. For this you will need: 4 x twin filament bulb holders (P/N E99996 from www.texautomotive.com or equivalent). 4 x lengths of wire (sufficient length to reach the other light housing), the colour of which I will leave to you, as things varied between years for TR7 and TR8, but it is best to obtain the correct colour wires to avoid any mix ups. 2 each of ¼” single female connector and female with a male piggyback connector (this enables you to cross-feed your lights...not necessary, but why not for the few cents extra?). 4 x 21W/5W double filament bulbs. • • • • finished housing I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 41 restoration The first thing you must do is modify the retainers of the new bulb holders. You can see what you have to remove by comparing them to the originals. The extra metal can be removed with a file (slow and tedious) or with a Dremel with the appropriate wheel attached (quick and efficient). Now to the trunk of the car. The two top sections of the light housing are the ones you are interested in. Outer lights are tail lights and the inner lights are the brake lights. As they say in the Haynes’ manual, do one side at a time so that you have the other side to reference if necessary. remove the bulb holder of your running light. insert a new holder and connect your new wire (the end with the piggyback connector) to the number 2 terminal. connect the original wire to the piggyback fastener. take the remainder of the new wire over to the other side of the trunk. remove the bulb holder from your • • • • • Six &TwoThree’s LEDs White Modified 1 brake light. insert a new holder and connect your new wire (the end with the piggyback connector) to the number 1 terminal. connect the original wire to the piggyback fastener. take the remainder of the new wire over to the other side of the trunk. repeat the above for the other side. connect the loose single female ends on each side to their respective terminals that are free, but on their opposite lamp or, in other words, from one running light to the opposite side brake light and viceversa, or if doubt, all [insert your choice of colour] wires should be connected to all the available terminal 2s and all [insert your other choice of colour] wires should be connected to all available terminal 1s tidy your wires with cable ties or, if • • • • • • – Part 6 LEDs in housing you want to be fancy, with loom. turn on your running lights and check your brake lights with a snow brush stuck between the brake pedal and the seat, you should have running lights in the inner and outer lights and same when you apply the brakes Sit back and enjoy a bottle from your personal sponsor (a Guinness a day is good for you, right Fid?) ragtop • The Wedgetarian would like to thank Brian Hubbard for his advice on, and photos of, his installation of LED lights and Odd Hedberg for allowing me to crib his notes on twinning the tail lights Joerg Hess P.O Box 633 Mount Forest, Ontario Canada N0G 2L0 British Classics Global Parts & Car Logistics TRADING Tel: Cell: Fax: Email: 519-323-4028 by David Tushingham I am beginning to think that I bought a boat. Why you may ask? Fiberglass... there are patches everywhere. And where there isn’t fiberglass, there is Bondo. Where there isn’t Bondo, there is rust. But, what would you expect with a 50 year old race car right? Like I said before, I always wanted to learn to weld! I am getting lots of practice at it and am getting my money’s worth out of my little Lincoln Easy MIG welder. Despite the many body issues with the car I am still having fun, although I am finding that bodywork takes a very long time. This, combined with spring projects Bottoms up! 519-589-7901 519-323-2820 joerg@bmciltd.com www.bmciltd.com LOGISTICS Classic and Antique Vehicle Appraisal Phil Law Retail Sales Tax Appraiser Licenced Mechanic Vehicle Restorer 42 www.torontotriumph.com 91 Rylander Blvd. Unit 7-142 Scarborough, Ontario M1B 5M5 647-393-4856 phil@tlcappraisal.ca www.tlcappraisal.ca Ragtop IS ummer Drivers side front inner fender damage I 2010 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 43 Motor Works Br i t ish T ra i ned T echn ic ia ns Your total source for Triumphs Brake and clutch master cylinder before... ...and after on my TR6, has slowed my progress considerably. But, I have made some progress and that is the important thing. I have decided not to work to a deadline now and the car will take “as long as it will take” to get it right in the end. There are a couple of the challenges that I have encountered now that the TR6 is home for the summer. One, I have considerably less space to work on Heater restored the TR3A, as I have the TR6 on one side of the garage with the inverted body of the 3 next to it and then the chassis next to it, pushed against the far wall. Each time I want to work on the 3, the 6 needs to be pulled out of the garage and the body shifted over into the vacated space. It makes it much more difficult to get motivated to work on the three when you know you have make space in order to do it. The second challenge is the TR6. It seems that it has taken a lot of my time this spring…..new head, rocker shaft, pushrods installed. New fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel lines installed. New roll bar, oil changes, spark plugs, coolant, silicone valve cover gasket etc. etc…It all takes precious time away from working on the 3. I have also lost a few weekends here and there to tinker, but I wouldn’t have missed the fun of Spring Fling and the Gauge resoration and above, gauge cluster restored 44 www.torontotriumph.com -Early or Late Models-Maintenence -Engine Management -Parts Supply -Fuel Injection Service -Carburetor Overhaul -Electrical Diagnosis -Body/Metal Fabrication -Parts Fabrication L N E R M O T O R WO R K S Y A H O O C O M tom and sides of the rear valence. New rear body mounts have arrived and they will be welded in shortly and will butt up against the newly repaired sides of the spare tire carrier pan. At the front of the car, there were two areas that had major rust damage. It is funny when you read books on TR3 restorations and they tell you about all the common areas of rust on these cars… of Rebuilt wiper motor Around the Lake Tour... the 3 can wait… remember? No deadline! Ok, so what have I done with my limited time then? Well, I managed to re-construct a few places on the body which were in bad need of repair. The first area was the rear valence. I was pleasantly surprised to find not much damage when the front apron was soda blasted down to bare metal. However, this was not to be the case with the rear valence. It had obviously been backed into a wall or bumped in the rear by over eager drivers jockeying for position during its racing career. I sanded through thick Bondo to reveal metal that was dented, rusted, pop riveted, braised and bruised. If you are familiar with the rear end of a sidescreen car, you can imagine how difficult this section can be to repair. Fortunately, I was able to scavenge some patch panels from the parts car and reconstruct the rear passenger side inner fender, which had a large punt in it like the bottom of a wine bottle. New “Heritage” metal was ordered for the badly rusted close out portion on the botRagtop IS ummer I 2010 Rear passenger side fender/rear valence damage Battery box removed course, I have rust in all the common areas and I don’t find it particularly funny at all! The first area was the battery box. This had been heavily fiberglassed to cover a gigantic hole in the bottom of the box. I stripped the paint and primer down to bare metal in order to see where the box had been spot welded in. After about an hour of drilling spot welds, I was able to remove the old battery box without too www.autophile.ca much trouble. A new box has arrived and is waiting to be installed. The second area of concern was on the drivers side lower inner fender next to where the radiator ULTIMATE TRANSPORTATION PRODUCTS Langka - Professional Paint Chip Repair SY LANGER Phone: 416-822-0096 or 905-616-0421 Toll Free: 1-866-532-3630 Email: maurice@a-professional-appraisal.ca Web: http://www.a-professional-appraisal.ca business card ads DRB Motors Maurice Bramhall Car Care 23 Markwood Lane Thornhill, Ontario L4J 7A6 Phone: 416-580-7327 Web: www.wheelwax.ca Email: info@wheelwax.ca Manufacturer Approved Convertible Care DIY Power Bleeder for Brakes/Clutches Hub 94 Automotive Consulting 45 years Classic Brit Specialist Wilf Eden Home 905-884-2001 Services include: Cell 647-226-9494 Mechanical consulting, minor mobile repairs, assistance with winter lay up, spring commissioning and pre-purchase inspection-all makes and models. Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 www.torontotriumph.com 45 would sit. This turned out to be the largest amount of metal I have had to cut out of the car so far. It was also a complex piece as it had the drivers side to body mount welded on the inside. Both the fender and the mount were rusted beyond repair. A patch was cut from the parts car and fortunately, a new body mount was offered to me by TR3 guru Don Elliott. I decided that the next area to tackle on the restoration was the bottom of the car. So, one sacrificed futon mattress later, she now rested comfortably “bottom up”. Next began the long and arduous process of removing years of road grime, oil and undercoating. Such a messy job accomplished by heat gun and scraper, grinder and wire brushes. At this point I have about 75 per cent of the undercoating off and I was able to find a few more areas that need some attention. I also decided that in order to repair the rusted out inner sills, it would be easier to cut out a section of each of the drivers and passenger side floors for access. This I Rusty floor pan... holes and rusted out flange running the entire length of the side of the floor pan Y O U PA I D H O W M U C H ? If you don’t mind paying too much for your parts, there is no need to read any further. If you would like to buy your parts at the best prices in Canada, read on. Drakes’ British have done and have once again used the parts car for some much better patch panels to weld into the floor, once the sills have been repaired. Once the floor has been repaired, the entire bottom of the car will be painted with POR15 and top coated with POR15 chassis black . I have also managed to do a few smaller projects to give me a break from the body work and undercoating removal. The gauges have all be disassembled and cleaned inside and out. The gauge cluster has been painted and new knobs have been installed. The windscreen motor has been overhauled and restored to like new condition. The clutch and brake master cylinders have also been transformed and are ready to re-install, as is the old smiths heater, when the time comes. Oh, one last thing before I go back to the garage… a package was delivered by courier this week, paint samples for the car. I can’t wait until I get to that stage! Hopefully, it won’t be too much longer. ragtop Motors can supply any part from the Moss you. But, don’t take our word for this. The next time you need something, send us an email for a quote. We will get right back to you with a price. Shipping will cost you there is no PST charged. If you can save substantially (20%-25%) why wouldn’t Contact: Robert Ciardullo Tel: 905-453-1932 Fax: 905-453-1937 Cell: 905-867-1760 Email: bodyworks@bellnet.ca www.BritishWiring.com 46 New Signal Red paint, no rust or previous damage apparent. Factory ‘Surrey’ top with hard a soft inserts. New carpets and interior panels in black with white piping. Brakes and suspension rebuilt, new tires and chrome Dayton wire wheels. Partly rebuilt engine with new rings, bearings, oil pump, valves and guides. Rare optioned Triumph that a new owner will be proud to own, drive, and show. $21,200 Many TTC members are already believers. Get in touch for a quote – lendrake@shaw.ca B 1972 Triumph TR6 W Suppliers of Wiring Harnesses, Wire, Terminals & Sundries for British Classic Cars and Motorcycles Toll Free: 866-461-9050 Fax: 610-845-3518 email: BritishWiring@Ameritech.net 1966 Triumph TR4A you? 214 Rutherford Road, South Brampton, Ontario, L6W 3J6 Web: www.bodyworksauto.com British Wiring Inc. A nice no rust California TR4. The car was factory ordered with the surrey top option, has a rebuilt overdrive and new tires. The car has only covered 96K miles, and runs and drives great. $20,600 catalogs at the most reasonable cost to a little more, but until the HST comes in, Auto Collision speCiAlists 1963 Triumph TR4 We are also a Canadian distributor for Dayton Wire Wheels. Drakes’ British Motors Inc. P.O. Box 185 617 Walnut St. Bally, PA 19503 www.torontotriumph.com A really sharp looking rust free California car. The car is a nice driver with new tires, wire wheel hubs, and the SU carb conversion kit fitted. $12,400 (250)763-0883 Ph., (250)861-8051 Fax, email lendrake@shaw.ca 2286 K.L.O. Road, Kelowna, B.C., V1W 3Z7 Ragtop IS ummer I 2010 WWW.DRAKESBRITISHMOTORS.COM
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