SITE MEMBERS' CARS

I've owned this car since 1977. It's registered a '64, but was actually built byt Standard Triump in late 1962. I did a quick and dirty rolling restoration on it in 1979 (after being hit by a drunk driver in full-size pickup truck), drove it until 1986. Then it was stored until several years ago and is now undergoing a very slow, but very thorough "nuts and bolts", frame-up restoration.

This latest resto was started in 1999 - sort of! But I really wasn't able to devote much time and energy until 2005. Currently have a rolling chassis mocked up onto a refurbished and improved replacement frame, most running gear in place, and the body on for a trial fitting. Some body panel repair and replacement will be completed while it's on the "new" frame, then it will all be pulled back apart for finishing, painting, and final drivetrain work as needed, etc.

My goal is to have a car that's a bit hotter than usual, but still street-worthy. So, I'm trying not to get too crazy with modifications. Safety is another factor.

This car saw a bit of racing before I bought it, came with a few modifications and has had a few more done since. Oddly, it had a set of Hitachi/SU 1-3/4" carbs (Datsun 240Z) on it, which I replaced with Weber 40DCOEs after a year's search for a manifold to fit (not easy to find in 1978, finally had to order it from Australia). Mostly I tried to stick with "period correct" racing/rally modifications, but have strayed a little with a few modern safety enhancements and conveniences such as an alternator. Actually a few TR4s came with alternators from the factory: Rallye cars and "police specials", I believe. (Just imagine getting pulled over by one of the latter!)

With the TRactor motor, cooling is sometimes a concern even though this particular car never gave me any problems in all the years I drove it. Still, to accommodate higher performance mods the rebuilt original 'long neck' radiator will likely get replaced with an upgraded aluminum rad and a fully sealed system. I also plan to enhance coolant flow within the engine in any way possible. I've already added a thermostatically controlled electric cooling fan, along with a thin belt conversion/harmonic dampener.

The motor is still fitted with 40DCOE Weber carbs on a Warneford one-piece intake manifold. They are fed by, an electric fuel pump with modern filtration and Aeroquip braided S/S fuel lines.

The cylinder head has been milled .125". It's fitted with a 4-2-1 stainless steel exhaust header (shorter primaries, for better street performance) into a 2 inch "sport" system. Spark is supplied by a Mallory dual point ignition (which will get upgraded to electronic/multi-spark eventually).

I had planned to build the engine around a set of 87mm AE Powermax pistons and liners I put aside years ago for this purpose. Now I'm toying with the idea of going to 89mm pistons instead. If nothing else, they would open up the breathing a bit, especially offering more clearance around the exhaust valve where it's most needed. It's got a freshly ground #149 cam (from Ken Gillanders at British Frame & Engine: 282 degree duration, .287" lift at cam) and a few other things done to it, so far.

The cylinder head still needs to be tweaked a bit more. I'd follow a lot of the intake and exhaust flow ideas found in Kas Kastner's books that discuss the TR3/4 head. I've considered roller rockers, but see little performance benefit. 1.5:1 ratio are the only type currently under consideration, mostly for improved long term durability and quieter operation. There are just too many risks of problems with higher ratios, particularly combined with a high lift cam.

The flywheel is a moderately lighter aluminum one and fitted with the smaller, lighter TR4A diaphragm type clutch. I might try a Gunst throwout bearing, or more likely a Tilton annular hydraulic release eventually. But it presently the car has a relatively stock TO bearing/clutch slave cylinder arrangement.

The gearbox has been rebuilt, but will likely be getting a few more upgrades.

An early A-type overdrive is installed temporarily, but still needs to be properly rebuilt and upgraded. Quantum Mechanics will likely see it soon. I'll be trying out a Revington TR OD controller box, to effectively give the car a 7 speed gear box. Should be interesting to see how that works!

The rear end is getting a Quaife LSD installed, and might eventually be set up with 4.1 crown wheel & pinion. However, as I'm running smaller diameter 60-series tires on 15" rims, a 4.1:1 might be overkill. So, let's try the 3.7:1 out first. I'd like to go to 16" rims with 60 series tires (whatever ends up about 24 or 25" diameter, since that's what the original tires were)... But it's hard to find plus sized rims narrow enough for use on this car...Most are 7" width, which I don't think will give enough clearance.

Chassis is stiffened, strengthened and lowered slightly, using uprated springs on all four corners, with front camber adjusted to a little less than -1 degree, Koni shocks up front, uprated Armstrong levers at the rear, polyurethane bushes throughout. Tires are currently 195/60 Goodyear Eagle HP mounted on KN Minotar 15x5.5" wheels (Minilite replica wheels).

Up front is a 3/4" anti-sway bar that's been modified a bit to use TR250/6-style end links. No sway bar is fitted to the rear (nor would I recommend using one on the live axle TRs, although it might prove useful on the later IRS equipped TRs).

Brake system is upgraded slightly from stock, with all braided S/S braided hoses added. A dual circuit setup is under consideration to allow more accurate balancing, plus added safety. There are a couple possible ways to do this. One is a custom setup from Revington TR that emulates what Triumph fitted to the TR4 Rallye cars. Another would be to simply fit a TR6 master cylinder and redo the brake lines. Alfin drums are now on the rear (*not* modified 240Z type... Brembo also makes a correct version for TRs, it' just a little harder to track down a set... They appear to actually be for TR6 and need just a little work to fit earlier cars such as this, but *not* the more costly machining of 240Z drums). Front rotors may get drilled for cooling, I haven't decided yet. Upgrading to 4-pot calipers and thicker ventillated rotors are also being considered, but we'll be trying "Green Stuff" pads with the stock calipers first, before making any decisions. Thicker (22mm) ventilated rotors can be used with modified Girling calipers or aftermarket products such as Hi Spec, Wilwood, etc. My biggest concern would be adding unsprung weight, so billet aluminum 4-piston calipers would probably be best to offset the additional heft of 22mm rotors. Rear disk brakes kits are even available now, but aren't a part of the plan... yet.

As mentioned I'd like to have a dual brake circuit on this car, for safety reasons and to be able to better control front to rear balance of the system. I've not yet decided whether to go with a period correct system similar to what was used in the LeMans TR4s, with a pair of brake master cylinders, or perhaps to simply convert to a TR250/6 pedal box and brake master cylinder. One advantage of the latter would be repositioning the BMC and CMC further down the firewall, on the front wall of the footwell actually. This would clear space on the top of the footwell, for catch cans and/or radiator overflow tank. Also, I learned the hard way about storing one of these cars with brake fluid in the system.... With the master cylinder in it's stock location any leaks drip right onto the driver's floor, which rusts out quickly.

Enough about the mechanics for now... Needless to say it's a work in progress... And probably always will be!

When I finally got around to ordering a BMIHT build certificate I was pleased to have confirmation of several things I'd been guessing about. The car started out Spa White with a Midnight Blue leather interior. This seems to be an unusual color combination, actually not listed in the factory specs, but alluded to in some marketing literature. Tentative plans are to go back to this paint scheme, maybe a slightly brighter white paint, and probably with blue "Le Mans" stripes. The interior will eventually be dark blue again, but likely will have a lot of custom upholstery since a roll cage will be installed. Fixed-back racing seats with a headrest are a must. Some other safety features (fire supression and five-point harnesses) will be needed if the car is ever to see a race track, too.

Still, it will be kept usable for street and highway. At least that's the plan!

I've had some questions about removing the body from the frame. Frankly, the whole process was far, far easier than I anticipated. Unbolting the body is about a day's work for one person. I removed the hood (bonnet in some parts of the world) and made a couple 1/4" plate steel brackets that bolt on in place of the hood hinges. The roll bar served as a rear strap attachment point, but is no longer in the car (to make way for the hard top), so I'll need to make brackets (probably to bolt to the top of the B-posts) the next time.

To lift it, I got a couple 1000 lb. rated chain hoists for about $100 total, from Harbor Freight or somewhere. The body stripped down completely weighs about 500 lbs, so actually can be handled by 4 to 6 reasonably strong people. However, I was doing the lift by myself mostly and the body was largely intact, so no doubt weighs considerably more. Still, the pair of chain hoists made it easy. I manufactured a couple heavy brackets to attach them to the joists in my garage ceiling. This was my area of most concern, actually, but it wasn't any problem at all.

If you look at the photos of the body lift, you'll notice that a lot of parts normally removed from the body were still on it. That's because it was simply a swap from the old frame to a new one that I'd built up alongside. Because the doors, dashboard, etc. were all still in place, I didn't use cross-bracing of any sort. However, I want to note that I will *definitely* do so very carefully for any more stripped down body removal, when I that's done in the more cosmetic part of this restoration project. I plan to bolt in braces from the A-posts to the B-posts, then another across the top of the cockpit. At the center of the cockpit, I plan to put in a vertical brace from the horizontal brace to the driveshaft tunnel. All this is necessary when cutting out and replacing panels like the floors, rockers, etc. Without proper bracing, there's a real danger of the body folding in half when the supporting frame is out from under the car and any of the panels that add strength to the body structure are removed. I know I will be replacing the driver's floor (rust due to the MC leakage dammit!), both rockers (currently fiberglass), and making some rust repairs near the base of the B-posts. Some floor panels may need to be replaced in the trunk (boot), old accident damage that was not very well repaired (by me... I'm my own worst DPO!). The passenger door may also be replaced with one I've got on hand. We'll see.... The original is in fine shape, except I know it was modified a bit after an accident and would at least need re-skinning. Might be easier just to use the other door I've already got.

The front facia (behind the grill) is one of my worst trouble spots. It was repaired poorly before I got the car. Looks like LH front accident damage. I should have pulled the whole thing apart the last time I restored this car, but that was 3 month job and done on a tight, tight budget. Anyway, the grill facia and all are slightly off center and a little too high on the LH side. This causes problems fitting the grill and the hood (bonnet), etc. I now have a facia from another car that I might use.

And, speaking of the grill itself... I'm still really undecided there, too. I have both the original TR4 and a spare TR4A grill. I always liked the TR4A type better, aesthetically speaking. But, it's just not "correct" for the car! I keep going back and forth. I will be installing an intake vent in the valance under the grill area, to serve the oil cooler, as well as fender vents to allow hot air to escape better from under the hood. Right now the stock grill is on the car and the TR4A grill is in storage. I keep going back and forth which to use!

Now six or seven years on with the latest resto... And I haven't really been able to do much the past couple years. I've moved and a lot of things including the car are still in storage. I have no idea when I'll be able to get back at it and finally get it done! Oh well, as I said... it's a work in progress! Probably always will be.

Cheers!

Alan

August 9, 2011

FOUND AT LAST! HARDTOP FOR TR4 I finally found an original two-piece hard top for TR4. Thanks John! By the way, it *is* all aluminum, as we suspected. So, that means it's one of the first 500 made, and "correct" for my '62. After ... more
WHAT NEXT? Sometimes I let my mind wander to consider some other similar projects I might like to try once the TR4 is pretty well wrapped up... some day! - TR3A "Beta"? The first idea that came ... more

http://www.triumphowners.com/640

Alan Myers' web pages (mostly about photography... not cars)