TR-6 Buying Tips

by
Len Myers & Jeff Myers

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Don't buy on emotion - and pay attention to the title!

Look at the overall general condition of the potential TR-6.  This will tell you a lot as to care of car, and if the condition (including its storage) match the rest of the seller’s story.  You also want to know how long has the current owner had the car, what has he done to it, is there any history of repair bills and invoices, and if any restoration was done are there any pictures of work in progress?  Why is it being sold?  Can you get ownership history from seller?  No money should change hands until a clear title is provided.  A lost title can be replaced, but it is a huge pain, and is easier for the currently registered owner.

It's only money

For the TR-6, as in most of the Triumph sports cars, all repair parts are readily available, so problems mainly mean time and money.  A car with totally shot mechanicals can probably be repaired for a reasonable amount of money, especially if your time is written off to “fun.”  A car with a lot of rust or body damage can quickly cost more to repair then the car will ever be worth.  A bad interior is ugly and interior parts can be expensive, but it is easy to spread the expense out over years while driving and enjoying the car.  (And you will always have something to put on your Christmas list !)

What year is the car?

Earlier cars had some weak spots around front suspension, later cars had various reinforcements added during manufacturer, but these can be added to early cars. Early cars had more horsepower, and pollution equipment on later cars reduced HP, but a lot of this equipment has been removed by owners over the years, and horsepower deficits can be “corrected” during rebuilds.  In general, colors and options are a matter of personal taste with the exception of the very desirable overdrive transmission.  While an overdrive transmission is easily installed in a car without one, they have become difficult to find and expensive.  They are not much more expensive to have rebuilt then a standard transmission, and make the car much more pleasant to drive at Texas freeway speeds.  70 - 80 mph in a triumph without an overdrive is a painful experience for both you and the car, and Houston is long ways from most of the good driving roads.

Not terribly important, but if you can read engine #, on a flat area, near distributor towards rear of engine, it should be higher than VIN # but reasonably close if original to car, although a lot of engines have been swapped out.  You should do a compression and condition of spark plugs check, as the TR-6 engines can run on 4 or 5 cylinders and still appear to be running OK.  The stock cooling system is completely overwhelmed by  Houston summers, and many club cars have upgraded radiators, electric fans and oil coolers.

Does it run?

If you can drive the car, listen for excessive “clunking” when shifting, and speed specific vibrations, which can indicate worn drive line parts. Whines from the rear end point to a differential in need of a rebuild, or a poor rebuild.  Baulky shift or jumping out of gear show a gearbox on its last legs.  Brakes should be firm and not pull to one side.  Clutch should operate towards the middle of pedal travel.  Again, these kinds of problems can be reasonably fixed.

Rust is a four letter word

Expect every rubber part on the car to be “perished”, as British rubber parts seem to last just about long enough to be installed.  All are available (including complete kits for the entire suspension), and suspension rebuilds can be a good learning experience.  (1st time you’ll find all the ways to hurt yourself, 2nd time you’ll actually get it all put together, and the 3rd time you’ll do it correctly and be able to drive the car again !)  Many club members have upgraded to polyurethane suspension parts.  20 year old “redline” tires may be great for a concours trailer queen, but are dangerous to drive on and modern tires are much better then the redlines ever were.

Take a magnet with you to check for filler instead of metal in any areas that may have been repaired.  If a car came from up north, or some Gulf Coast areas, look for more hidden rust.  Check trailing arms where they attach to frame, make sure that frame and brackets are solid.  Check differential mounts (you will need a floor jack and a pair of jack stands), hard to find if broken, but this is common, and can be fixed, but requires welding and sometimes body removal to repair. Check front fenders behind wheels and ahead of doors  near rocker panels, this is where water from vent drains, and if drain holes are blocked, result is rust from inside. Front fenders are available.

Rust is common in lower door panels as drains become blocked and window seals leak, therefore water sits inside the door and does its thing. Insides were never rust proofed. A new door or door skin is probably the way to go. Both should be available, check with Moss and Roadster Factory for availability and cost. If rain has leaked into the car, then pull up carpets and check for rust in floor pans. Easy to fix as long as it has not spread to sills or frame rails.

A car with badly rusted sills or frame rails probably can not be economically repaired.  Rust holes in the front bulkhead (other then the battery box), are probably another “walk away from” sign.  Fortunately the oil that leaks out of every mechanical component helps to protect these items, while making them difficult to inspect.

The rear deck is a another common body problem area. It is common to find rust in the panel between trunk (boot) lid and cockpit, particularly along the seam with fender, as this joint was not always well sealed. Repairs here require an experienced good body man.  Seam should not be filled to top of panel (a sure sign of suspect repairs). If you can remove front panel from trunk behind gas tank, you can get your hand and a flashlight up there to see how much rust is inside, there probably will be some surface rust at a minimum. Good replacement trunk lids may be hard to find as they are a complicated stamping assembly, with a lot of places for water to get trapped. Triumph almost never painted or treated the inside of a panel.  The spare tire well will probably have some rust, but like the interior floor, can be easily repaired if the rust hasn’t spread to adjacent panels.

Why do the English drink warm beer?  Because Lucas made refrigerators!

Electrical problems are a given in British cars, but are generally related to bad and dirty connections.  Many of the major components (alternator, starter) are available at regular auto parts stores.  During a full restoration, a complete new wiring harness is a good investment.

Bits and pieces

Interior parts can be expensive, but are generally available and can be mostly easily replaced.  A completely missing softtop frame can be hard to locate. Gauges can be rebuilt, but can be expensive, although generic replacements can be used for the smaller gauges.  Some switches can be difficult to locate, but again generic replacements can be used.  Seats, softops (and any of the glued on vinyl) are easy to do, but difficult to do well.  The services of a good upholstery shop are a good investment.  A shop may also be able to order from the same suppliers as Moss, TRF, and VB use, and may be willing to pass on a significant discount.  Interior parts are generally a high profit item (note the significant sale discounts).  Many TTR members have installed a lot more heat and sound insulation in the interiors as we have redone them, and this can make the cars much more civilized.

Join the club

Of course, one of the benefits of membership in the TTR is the experts we have in the club.  Most of us love helping other people spend money and will be happy to help you evaluate a potential purchase.  Don Carter and Len Myers are intimately familiar with the TR-6; Bruce Cooper, Jay Jablonski, Mike McElmurray, Jeff Harris, Jeff Myers and others can also help.