Hi, I'm back. My job search continues, but I missed this list enough
to pay for it through CompuServe mail (for a while at least -- think
of me when you start your flame wars!).
Much has happened to the TR6 since I left the mailing list. You
may remember I just bought it in September, and was feeling out the
fun of driving and the various repairs needed.
An intermittant "gas starving" (you know the sickening feeling of
running out of gas when the gauge says you have plenty!) got real
serious one night in early Dec. No fuel at all to carbs -- not even
a dribble from the line when pulled off while cranking the engine.
Had to be towed home (embarrassing). Made it worse when it cranked
right up in my driveway the next morning!
My story now rambles like the repair did. While looking under the car
for pinched fuel lines or something, I noticed the inside of a rear
wheel covered with expensive silicone brake fluid. Put fuel issue
aside, tear into wheel. Bad brake cylinder, soaked linings, etc.
Well if I gotta tear all this up, nows the time to do the U-joints
in the axles, right? Tear in deeper. Turns out my play wasn't just
in the U-joints, but in the axle sliding joints. Fortunately we have
a British junkyard locally and I bought two good (I think) used ones
to put things back together with. Frustration factor was trying to buy
the clip/springs which hold wheel cylinders to backing plates. Mine
was missing two on one side. Suppliers have them backordered from
the UK (TRF said their orders date back to October). The junkyard came
through again with good used pices. All went back together smoothly,
and only about two months in the process.
You remember the fuel problem which healed itself? I drove the
car from time to time for about two weeks, KNOWING FULL WELL I WAS
PUSHING THINGS. Hit again last Sunday (top down warm weather ride!)
and stranded me near a friend's house. Pushed it there. Confirmed
fuel filter wasn't problem (installed the new one which I'd been
carrying in the trunk). Convinced that the fuel pump was the bad guy,
I parked the car at the friend's house. A call to TRF Monday AM had
a package to me Wednesday. Twenty minutes of easy work had me back
on the road again! Cross your fingers this fixed things.
My next "repair" is for fun. I bought some new speakers to install.
The next purchase needs to be a car cover to protect the car. (My
garage has a lot of things in it, but no room for a car!). I thought
the TR6 was amazingly watertight until some serious rain came along
and truely flooded things -- but then I MIGHT have left the skuttle
vent open in the rain, OOPs. Any "dry it out" advice? Anyway, I
think a cover is in order and would appreciate any advice. I'm
looking for outside use, for a driver grade vehicle. Which material?
Custom vs standard cut? Good brands vs bad?
Thanks in advance for advice. It's good to be receiving the list
again.
Joe Flake, N4BGQ
71151.1546@compuserve.com
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