daverclasper Posted December 13, 2018 Report Share Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) Hi Colin. Your probably aware anyway, but there's a person on Ebay ("numpty9", sorry don't know how to do links) selling some NOS (I think) items for TR7's, thought it might be useful?. Dave Edited December 13, 2018 by daverclasper 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted December 13, 2018 Report Share Posted December 13, 2018 55 minutes ago, daverclasper said: Hi Colin. Your probably aware anyway, but there's a person on Ebay ("numpty9", sorry don't know how to do links) selling some NOS (I think) items for TR7's, thought it might be useful?. Dave Hi Dave, It's Robsport ... numpty9 is Just his Ebay name. We all appreciate a spot on any Triumph bits though Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2018 Yes, Wayne and his team are great to deal with, both through eBay and through their site - I've managed to source the little rubber bobbin I need from them, so that's another step forward. Sometimes when I'm too lazy to order through their online shop I just buy off them on eBay and pay by Paypal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 I've been so busy recently I haven't been near the garage; in fact I've hardly been at home due to one thing or the other so it was nice to get Saturday afternoon free and work on the cars. Firstly the GT6 is now back on all four wheels and off the ramp, although I discovered that although I'd reassembled the brakes and bled the system I'd forgotten to adjust the rear shoes before putting the wheels back on. Too many distractions at present! That's one little job to do before we get back on the road again. This has allowed the TR7 to get onto the ramp for a look underneath. I promptly lowered it back down again, it's too depressing, and started on the interior instead. Dashboard is now back in place, bar the steering column shroud and the centre console, which has been delayed due to wiring for the radio / head unit. All I need is about four clear hours. At present that's like wishing for a slave to do the job for me. Possible but unlikely. I'm also having problems with the seats, which I want to remove to refurbish. The passenger side is stuck fast, fully back against the rear trim panel, and will not slide. The torx-headed screws are stuck fast in the captive nuts and on some the nuts themselves are rotating rather than the screw. I need to remove the seats to work on the floors, which have been pushed upwards in the areas of both footwells by poorly-positioned jacks or lifts, but can't get the carpets out until the seats come out... I'll get there. Just give me time. My super-dooper hood stowage bag has also arrived... in the wrong colour. I ordered tan to match the seats, they appear to have sent me beige, but are hinting that this may be the correct colour and it's my mistake. The photo, and the car trim code, shows otherwise. I was less than impressed with the returns process, from whom I haven't heard a whisper back after more than a week. Looks like I'm going to have to chase them up. You pays your money... and then you're on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 Well its not very Tan is it Its not honey, mustard, nappy brown or anything .....Tan Good luck with the returns Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 I couldn't settle last night so went out and worked on the TR7 - without any music on as I didn't want to wake the neighbours. I've stripped the doors down; mostly to replace the original and very past-their-best original speakers, but have used the opportunity to Waxoyl the inside of both doors to keep rust at bay. I found one of the window runner rubbers lying inside the door, and on inspection the other one was half-out too, so have replaced both with a good helping of adhesive to keep them in place. Much easier to remove and replace the runners here than on the Herald or GT6. Both of my door lamps have the locating feet broken off, and given that one worked when pressed up, and the other when pressed down, and only one worked when the doors were opened, the wiring needs sorted. No panic about the damage, though - these were also used on the Renault range - Renault 5, 11 and Fuego amongst others - and so are relatively easy to source second-hand or even new, if the TR7 breakers don't have any good ones. Both my door trims and the rear trim panel behind the seats are incredibly faded, and expensive to replace. Has anyone tried any of the Vinylkote range on these, or any other kind of paint or dye? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 ive only used a vinylcote type of stuff back in 1965 on my rusty 948's awful headlining . it worked ok but we were high as a kite for about a week pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Get me some.... please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iana Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 I watched classic car sos tonight, they recoloured the interior of a triumph stag, a brown colour to black with a spray on (aerosol) coating, it looked a faff but the results looked good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 I used black vinylkoye years ago on my Vitesse rear seat (I had a tan one, and wanted black. Couldn't find one anywhere at the time) I found it easy enough to use, not aerosol but O got a 1L can and used my spraygun. Cleaning the vinyl thoroughly before application, with a final clean with some solvent was the way to do it. Think I did the rear side panels too. All went very well, the panels went crinkly for a day or 2 until the solvents evaporated. Stood up to many years of use with kids in the car. So would say it is a good product, assuming it hasn't been changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 This will be for the rear cockpit trim panel, plus possibly the door trims; not the seats so there'll be no wear from people sitting in them. It's just a stopgap for badly faded trim. There appears to be a company still making / selling it but they match it to your requirements, and don't (apparently) just sell it over the counter, as it were. http://www.kolorbond.co.uk/vinylkote-paint-leather-vinyl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iana Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 When I did a search this company came up, may be worth a look https://www.vinyldye.co.uk/index.php?route=common/home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 7 hours ago, iana said: When I did a search this company came up, may be worth a look https://www.vinyldye.co.uk/index.php?route=common/home That's interesting - thanks Ian. I may sit down later with a coffee - not home until about 10pm this evening so it might just be a glass of milk, due to this darned 'Dry January' gimmick - and see how I can match the TR7 trim to their colour charts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Sometime over the weekend I'll get a spare hour and will now return to the underworld, which is the dirtiest, rustiest underside that I've ever seen on a road-worthy car. The photos below are AFTER I lowered it back down and powerwashed it. I think the PO kept it in a ploughed field. In an idle moment last night I spent all my pocket money on springs, bushes, brake discs and other assorted bits like seals. I'm going to have to tackle the diff, which is leaking both front and rear. Anyone know the torque setting for the pinion nut, or how to estimate that it's been retightened correctly? I can't mark the nut position as I've bought a new one, but I also can't find a clear guide to replacement that isn't vague if not completely unhelpful. ("Replace the nut as directed"... that's a lot of help.) I'm going to replace the small breather on the top too so hopefully this one will come off ok; a replacement is only £3 or so and a small expense given the cost of the rest of the order. There's hardly a rubber seal left on the underside, most, like the bump stops, just fell apart when touched. It will require spring top and bottom rubbers plus probably shock absorber bushes, bump stops and lots of other assorted small parts. Even the exhaust hangers are incorrect, and past their best, but luckily I have lots of these in the garage already. I see lots of derusting, cleaning and Waxoyling coming on. I really should just drop the rear axle, but the way things are round here at present it'll be this time next year before it goes back on again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Colin does this help http://www.triumphwedgeowners.org/uploads/3/0/4/2/3042952/tr8_rom.pdf diff coupling 160LBft Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Thanks Pete; that's really appreciated. I've had a glance over the diff section and it merely says 'tighten the flange nut' so your figure is a great help - no doubt figures are elsewhere but it'll take a bit of reading to find that bit. I hadn't had time to check if it was a collapsable spacer or the like and didn't want to do my usual trick of 'dismantle now, find out the hard way on reassembly' sort of thing. The plan was to get the TR on the road asap and save the GT6 from the worst ravages of the Winter roads, but now it looks like a full front subframe / rear axle removal and rebuild. I'd be embarrassed to present the car as it is for MOT. Biggest problem of the last few days is that one of the front wheels won't come off - it just wobbles on the hub and I've nothing in the way of huge pullers to try to haul it off. I can't work out why it will not pull straight off, but no amount of rocking or thumping from behind will shift it. I've already obtained a pair of spare hubs to recondition off the car, so might have to remove wheel, hub and all and work on it somewhere else with better access. I'll be rebuilding the front struts anyway so everything is coming off in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 old trick was to fit wheel and nuts on only a few threads sit on floor and whack the wheel up and down the free stud length when it comes off you get the lot on your lap ouch !! on re think thats to get the hub free Humbug moment !!! pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2019 Got called out at 7am this morning to a horse trailer with a seized hub. Thankfully I brought the essential equipment with me - something to kneel on on a wet road, a 6-ton jack, and a huge hammer, which turned out to be all that was required once the wheel was removed. I'm a big fan of the percussive-repair technique. As there was no point in going back to bed I hit the garage and removed one of the front suspension struts from the TR7. Never in my life have I seen such a quantity of dried mud that fell from the area of the McPherson strut tower. Who on earth decided to put metal ledges up in there? The strut is now removed and a complete mass of rust with many of the rubber components just a collection of shreds. I think the strut top plate may also have to be replaced, although it's really just flakes of rust and no perforation. I'll see how it comes out of the sandblaster. The strut tower itself is really sound so no worries there. The front wheel will still not come off the driver's side, so I'm stuck to one side only for the present. The strut itself came apart easily enough except for the insert, which is held in not by the expected hexagon-shaped strut end but a metal plate with two small notches. I'm assuming it was some kind of special tool for removal, but I'm hoping I have something along the lines of an angle-grinder wrench that will fit these. Otherwise it's off to the in-laws' engineering works for help. As usual I never saw the time go in so I'm assuming it's now breakfast time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted January 20, 2019 Report Share Posted January 20, 2019 Colin, with all that mud out of the way, it’ll certainly go faster than it did before! That strut mount looks pretty scabby, what condition is the turret itself in? Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 13 hours ago, Bordfunker said: Colin, with all that mud out of the way, it’ll certainly go faster than it did before! That strut mount looks pretty scabby, what condition is the turret itself in? Karl The strut itself is very sound, no rust at all as it's been rust protected all the way up to the top plate. Once the top plate was removed there was sound red paint underneath. If it was even slightly corroded or cracked I'd scrap it, but I'm happy that it can be re-rust-treated and then new or cleaned components put back in. Another thumbs up for Robsport, who delivered suspension components to me within 18 hours of ordering. (Mind you, they charged me £27 for postage...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 And now the bad news..... I'm still getting to grips with the underworld of this TR, which is as rusty as I've ever seen in a car that had an MOT six months ago. The suspension components are just falling off, with most rubbers non-existent. This photo is a rubber bump stop off a front strut insert; the bad news is that they're about £40 to replace... Not withstanding that the engine bolts are all UNC, the suspension components are mostly metric, and the rear suspension is UNF. Even the metric bolts and nuts are proving a problem, as some are metric fine, and others are metric coarse. Did they do that deliberately to confuse owners? I've also made the discovery that there was only one top spring pan. The spring on the driver's side was attached to the top plate with nothing in between but a rubber gasket. Now I've got to source one of these. Going by the paint on that strut, which is a metallic blue (Persian Aqua?) the strut has been replaced for some reason, and I suspect it was taken off a broken TR to save money rather than buy new parts. The best news of all is of course the front subframe, which should have been easy to remove but every bolt was rusted solid. Thank goodness for my impact wrench, which made short work of rusty bolts and nuts. The only bit of head scratching was the lower engine mount on the subframe, which caused a few aching muscles undoing nuts that the impact driver wouldn't reach, but I got there in the end. And - exactly as I had believed it would be - the subframe is rusted through. I'll have to source a second-hand one. Yet more expense, frustration and bother... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 Colin it will be alright on the night.....just which night ??? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said: Not withstanding that the engine bolts are all UNC, the suspension components are mostly metric, and the rear suspension is UNF. Even the metric bolts and nuts are proving a problem, as some are metric fine, and others are metric coarse. Did they do that deliberately to confuse owners? No, they did it to confuse their dealer network... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted February 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 Latest update as of tonight, when there was nowt on the telly and I got bored.... I'm working on the front suspension and it's totally confusing me, given that there are some bits missing, some bits incorrect, and some bits that don't match the photos in the catalogues.The struts have gone for sandblasting, given that my own compressor won't play ball any more, so I need to know what bits to order for reassembly once they come back and are painted. I'm already short of two insert bump stops, but there are other bits missing too. The parts I have from mine are below, and you can see how rusty one side was; the other has been replaced by a second-hand strut so the lower ones not as bad, plus that side has all of the required components - I think. There are two of everything apart from the huge washer. I couldn't find any trace of the other large washer in the garage, and absolutely ate the place looking for it for over an hour, as it must have rolled away on disassembly. A new one is almost £6. it was only when I inspected the other components that I found evidence that there had never been one in the first place. You can see the wear in the right-hand cone from a small washer put in place of the large one, and which ate into it every time the steering turned. I'm hoping that cone can be skimmed lightly but in any case they're available second-hand. The next problem is the order of the washers, or at least their actual existence. The exploded diagram below seems to have some components that I don't, and doesn't have some that I do have. The part that confuses me is UKC329 - in the catalogue as a nylon thrust washer, and ULC2043, listed as a rubber strut seal. I think - THINK - that the thrust washer is the black washer with the six-slot pattern, second from the right in my top photo. I don't appear to have the strut seal and the confusing thing is that the diagram appears to show the strut seal as the same size as my thrust washers; in which case, the thrust washer appears to be the same size as the hole in the spring cap; and resembles the small rubber washer to the extreme right of my top photo, which I found in the bottom of my sandblast cabinet when removing the suspension components. The solution has been to check the part numbers on eBay, of all places, which has some great photos of the parts, and I've found that my thrust washers are correct - maybe a bit worn and in need of replacement - and the strut seal is actually a huge rubber disc that goes around the inside of the top of the strut cap, in the same way as the rubber spring seat goes round the underside. The diagram is therefore totally out of proportion and doesn't help when trying to identify components. So: tomorrow I have to order more rubbery bits, a washer, and possibly a cone, and then one second-hand upper strut mounting as the really corroded side is not fit to be reused. I think I'll go for poly anti-roll bar bushes, but standard sub-frame bushes, and of course new nylocs all round. The bodyshell has turned out to be amazingly sound, even underneath, despite the poor state of the running gear and rotten subframe, which has now been replaced. I'd like to think that if I can get a free day towards the weekend, things will start to go back on again. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Colin. im sure you will keep us in SUSPENSION the wonderfull world of misguided classic repairs ....not Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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