The gear reduction starter arrived for the TR8. As a side note, I'd never tried one of these before.They are SO much easier to work with as they are very light. The car also spins up really well.
Between the installation of the gear reduction starter, and a final round of diagnostics that determined that the battery truly was bad (despite the new diagnostics machines at Autozone saying it was good), the charging system was now working fully on the TR8. Good times!
Flush with my successes I opted to take her on the road for a 1600 mile round trip to Jensens West. Some time after midnight on Thursday I hit the road heading towards L.A. Some time around 2 A.M. I was stranded on an off ramp near Tonopah with a bad water pump. After a miserable night trying vainly to get the car operable I managed to limp home with a final rescue coming from SWMBO and the baby.
Luckily enough I just happen to have on hand one of the last British Leyland bossed NOS water pumps for my car. I bought it in a lot of parts from a local Triumph enthusiast who had been holding on to it for many years waiting for someone to have a use for it.
Saturday I tore down the cooling system and found a lot of corrosion. The thermostat housing was half eaten away.The heater core had to be bypassed because the pipes were gone. The old aftermarket radiator hoses had their internal springs rust away to nothing. In many cases I was pouring brown mud out of cooling pipes on the car. This is why you NEVER put straight tap water into a car. Always use R.O. water. No one ever seems to listen to this advice, because every old car I fix has similar problems.
The gasket for the water pump was torn, so I used Ultra Blue (from Permatex) to make up gaskets for the water pump and thermostat housing (I couldn't find a ready replacement). Also, every existing rubber hose and hose clamp were tossed and replaced. If at all possible, never re-use hose clamps. Their failure rate rises dramatically every time you retighten them.
Put everything together again this morning. Also used a different alternator pulley to realign the belts a little better. Now the car is happily vrooming about again!
I'm presently sitting next to two boxes of A/C bits for the car, but I'm holding off on those while awaiting stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters. Emissions first, cold air second.
Cheers!
Jody
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Trials and Tribulations of a TR8
Driving a vintage car as a daily driver may not be a common occurrence, but there are plenty who do so. Generally, you see these cars, after their owners have givent them a restoration. You don't see the ugly, the rusty, the dirty, or the frustrating.
There is always a danger in buying any used car as a daily driver, this goes double for a vintage daily driver. Frequently the previous owners use them only as a pleasure car, or worse, they sit and waste away in a shed. In any rate, they age, and the less an aging car is driven, the more sins it can readily conceal.
After a week or so of pleasure driving it was time to resolve whatever known issues had come up so that it would be reliable on a daily basis. From early driving the alternator had needed replacing. The more I drove the car, the less the battery charged. This is not a good thing. Keep in mind that this is a nearly 30 year old car at this point.
As I started diagnosing the electrical system the more challenges I found. Age, heat, PO bodging, and corrosion had eaten much of the charging circuit on the TR8. Now, normally this wouldn't phase me as it wouldn't be my primary car. In this case, however, it's a totally different story. That paired with my desire to drive has caused these issues to give me total fits over the past few days.
Once the alternator was replaced and the battery would still not charge it was time to start checking the rest of the charging circuit. Initial research showed me that the engine harness had been bodged and subsequently fried at some point. This is not an uncommon occurrence on TR8s. Come pruning, splicing and wire replacement remedied the engine harness. Stil, no long term charging.
And so my attention turned to the negative and positive battery cables. The negative cable grounds out in the trunk of the car. Over time this had corroded pretty badly. A good cleanup improved the voltage drop dramatically. Still no charge. Voltage drop tests returned 0.6 on the positive battery cable.
Utterly frustrated I opted to replace teh positive and negative wires. The negative went in easily. The positive cable requires removing most of the interior on the passenger side of the car. All this done and out, I located the factory spade clip that drew power. These are unobtanium from what I understand. Resuing this was a failure, and I had to create and alternate set of wiring.
Finally, with all of this done, the car ran beautifully, until the aged starter died. Now it's time to replace that. And here I am, still not driving.
There is always a danger in buying any used car as a daily driver, this goes double for a vintage daily driver. Frequently the previous owners use them only as a pleasure car, or worse, they sit and waste away in a shed. In any rate, they age, and the less an aging car is driven, the more sins it can readily conceal.
After a week or so of pleasure driving it was time to resolve whatever known issues had come up so that it would be reliable on a daily basis. From early driving the alternator had needed replacing. The more I drove the car, the less the battery charged. This is not a good thing. Keep in mind that this is a nearly 30 year old car at this point.
As I started diagnosing the electrical system the more challenges I found. Age, heat, PO bodging, and corrosion had eaten much of the charging circuit on the TR8. Now, normally this wouldn't phase me as it wouldn't be my primary car. In this case, however, it's a totally different story. That paired with my desire to drive has caused these issues to give me total fits over the past few days.
Once the alternator was replaced and the battery would still not charge it was time to start checking the rest of the charging circuit. Initial research showed me that the engine harness had been bodged and subsequently fried at some point. This is not an uncommon occurrence on TR8s. Come pruning, splicing and wire replacement remedied the engine harness. Stil, no long term charging.
And so my attention turned to the negative and positive battery cables. The negative cable grounds out in the trunk of the car. Over time this had corroded pretty badly. A good cleanup improved the voltage drop dramatically. Still no charge. Voltage drop tests returned 0.6 on the positive battery cable.
Utterly frustrated I opted to replace teh positive and negative wires. The negative went in easily. The positive cable requires removing most of the interior on the passenger side of the car. All this done and out, I located the factory spade clip that drew power. These are unobtanium from what I understand. Resuing this was a failure, and I had to create and alternate set of wiring.
Finally, with all of this done, the car ran beautifully, until the aged starter died. Now it's time to replace that. And here I am, still not driving.
Friday, August 13, 2010
MaxJax Portable Two Post Lift
So I'm not normally one to ooh and ahh over new products, but this one is really slick, and I know that if I'd had the spare pennies to put down, I would have ordered it within minutes of knowing of it's existence.
The folks at Dannmar have created a true two post list that will fit in the average guy's garage with 8 foot ceilings! Even better, you can take it apart and put it away when you're not using it. This has to be one of the coolest DIY auto restoration tools that I've seen come out in a long time.
They even have a 4 post parking lift that fits within the same space profile. If I had the two of these items I could literally get both Jensen Healeys, the TR8 and the Austin Healey in the garage at the same time! Now how cool is that.
http://www.maxjaxusa.com/
No fianancial interest. Just passing it on.
Cheers!
Jody
The folks at Dannmar have created a true two post list that will fit in the average guy's garage with 8 foot ceilings! Even better, you can take it apart and put it away when you're not using it. This has to be one of the coolest DIY auto restoration tools that I've seen come out in a long time.
They even have a 4 post parking lift that fits within the same space profile. If I had the two of these items I could literally get both Jensen Healeys, the TR8 and the Austin Healey in the garage at the same time! Now how cool is that.
http://www.maxjaxusa.com/
No fianancial interest. Just passing it on.
Cheers!
Jody
Monday, August 9, 2010
1995 Honda Accord LX - $1500.00 O.B.O.
1995 Honda Accord LX - $1500.00 O.B.O.
For sale, 1995 Honda Accord.
Vin #: 1HGCD5639SA048806
Mileage: 155,108
Equipment: Driver Air Bag, Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Passenger Air Bag, Rear Window Defroster, Power Door Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Windows, Power
Steering, Tinted Glass, Tilt/Telescope Steering Wheel
The Good:
This car is presented in good shape. The body is clean with no accident damage. There are small dings and chips as part of normal vehicle life. Interior is
in good condition, everything on dash works. There are no rips or tears in the fabric. It could, however, use a good detailing. Drivetrain (engine,
tranmission) function well. The vehicle drives smoothly and shifts well. The tires have good tread and a long serviceable life left.
The not so good:
The A/C system works, but does not hold a charge. Needs new O-rings.
The front and rear main crank seals are weeping and should be changed.
The front brake rotors are warped and need replacing.
The Antenna is no longer in the car.
The Power steering pump could benefit from new gaskets. Functions, but has tiny leak.
Comes With:
R134 Leak Detection Kit, O-Ring kit (For A/C)
Front Rotors & Pads (To repair front brakes)
I had intended to repair this vehicle and then sell it (as similar vehicles are bringing in $5K). Instead I recently acquired a very rare 1981 Triumph TR8,
and honestly, when it comes to deciding which car to play with, the TR8 wins hands down.
Email (via ad) or Call Jody at 480-612-5671. Please, no text messages.
Pics: 1995 Honda Accord LX
Dual Listed on Craigslist: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/1888782418.html
For sale, 1995 Honda Accord.
Vin #: 1HGCD5639SA048806
Mileage: 155,108
Equipment: Driver Air Bag, Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Passenger Air Bag, Rear Window Defroster, Power Door Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Windows, Power
Steering, Tinted Glass, Tilt/Telescope Steering Wheel
The Good:
This car is presented in good shape. The body is clean with no accident damage. There are small dings and chips as part of normal vehicle life. Interior is
in good condition, everything on dash works. There are no rips or tears in the fabric. It could, however, use a good detailing. Drivetrain (engine,
tranmission) function well. The vehicle drives smoothly and shifts well. The tires have good tread and a long serviceable life left.
The not so good:
The A/C system works, but does not hold a charge. Needs new O-rings.
The front and rear main crank seals are weeping and should be changed.
The front brake rotors are warped and need replacing.
The Antenna is no longer in the car.
The Power steering pump could benefit from new gaskets. Functions, but has tiny leak.
Comes With:
R134 Leak Detection Kit, O-Ring kit (For A/C)
Front Rotors & Pads (To repair front brakes)
I had intended to repair this vehicle and then sell it (as similar vehicles are bringing in $5K). Instead I recently acquired a very rare 1981 Triumph TR8,
and honestly, when it comes to deciding which car to play with, the TR8 wins hands down.
Email (via ad) or Call Jody at 480-612-5671. Please, no text messages.
Pics: 1995 Honda Accord LX
Dual Listed on Craigslist: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/1888782418.html
Monday, August 2, 2010
New LBC added to the stables
So I've been stuck in the "no car to drive" doldrums for a bit now, and I know that I tend to spend more time on my restoration projects when I have something interesting to drive. I'm afraid my Ford Explorer just wasn't interesting enough. The JH is proceeding well, I'm finishing up the interior carpets/vinyl and am just about to reassemble the 5speed rear end for my project.
To assist in keeping me out there and interested I aquired this little gem of a find.
http://www.theymightberacing.com/MyCars/Triumph1981TR8.aspx
It's a 1981 Triumph TR8 and it goes VROOM! :)
Jody
To assist in keeping me out there and interested I aquired this little gem of a find.
http://www.theymightberacing.com/MyCars/Triumph1981TR8.aspx
It's a 1981 Triumph TR8 and it goes VROOM! :)
Jody
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)