My co-worker has been wanting a TR6 for some time. She recently found a
75 TR6 on Craig's list that intrigued her, and she asked me to inspect
the car with her.
My observations:
- The body and frame seemed to be in decent shape, especially for a car
located in the Midwest.
- The interior was tattered.
- The car started right up, and the overdrive transmission was operating
properly without grinding or popping out of gear.
- The french blue paint was faded, with several blems, and one small
rust bubble in front of the rear left turn signal.
- The old red lines were cracking.
- The owner claims to have rebuilt the engine (new rings and bearings)
when he purchased it 6-7 years ago.
Note: He seemed like a very honest person who bought the car, and didn't
have the time or interest to stick with it. I am surprised someone with
the mechanical ability to rebuild an engine hasn't done the little
mechanical fixes that this car is screaming for. Little easy stuff like
tightening up the mirror, or fixing the choke cable.
- It had a hardtop, and a new convertible top.
- The rear end had a slight clunking action, which I'm hoping is
U-joints, not a broken mounting bolt.
- It had 75K on the odometer.
- He was asking $3500 firm, which seems fairly reasonable to me. If I
were in the market for a TR6, I would take a chance with this car at
this price.
- The owner claims that he put a new clutch, pressure plate and throw
out bearing in at the time of rebuild. I could hear the throw out
bearing whine slightly when engaging the clutch.
- I could smell a little burning oil on the exhaust. I found oil
dripping from the valve cover gasket in several areas. This could be
the source. No pools of oil were observed after driving for awhile, and
then stopping.
- The turn signals didn't work.
- chrome on bumpers was marginal.
My one big concern:
The clutch disengages about 1-2" from the floor.
My question for the 6 pack list:
1) What are the possible causes for a low clutch disengagement?
My thoughts:
1) It is simply out of adjustment. Is this adjustable?
2) The hydraulic clutch system needs to be bled.
3) The thrust bearings have fallen out. Is this a symptom of worn or
missing thrust bearings? I'm very concerned about this.
Note: I tried pushing the crank rearward, and then having her push on
the clutch. I couldn't get it to shift rearward by hand, and it didn't
move forward when she pushed the clutch pedal down.
Any of your thought and concerns about this purchase or the clutch issue
are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
John H. in Minneapolis
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