Brake proportioning is legal in most organizations, but you'd be better
off setting up a balance bar with dual cylinders. Depending on your
fabrication skills, you'll find it fairly easy to expand the stock MC box
to hold two Girling or Wildwood units (wlidwoods are a bolt-in girling
replacement). Wildwood makes a weld-in balance bar bit that makes the fab
fairly straightforward. While you're at it, make the brake and clutch
pedals height-adjustable so you can set up for comfortable heel-and-toe,
and add a dead pedal to brace yourself so you can do that little dance
accurately. I find the trickiest thing is to keep even brake pressure
while I'm blipping the throttle--the only way you have a hope of being
smooth at that is by being well belted in, having good adjustment of all
the pedal heights, and having a dead pedal when you're off the clutch.
I'm going to find my blueprint for the front suspension of the Cheater TR3
and send it to the list ASAP. A couple of folks have asked if I'm
interested in building the bits for sale. The answer is no, but I'm glad
to share the information. The mods work amazingly well in any venue that
you can get away with such radical changes.
Bill
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Rose [mailto:lytspeed@wcnet.org]
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 1:02 PM
To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Hello
As a newly nominated member, thanks to Joe Alexander, of the FOT list, I
would
like to introduce myself to all of you. My name is Mike Rose and I live
in
Findlay, Ohio (northwestern Ohio). I am 54 years old, have owned and
operated
a bicycle shop for the last 25 or so years and have dreamed, literally, of
racing a TR3 since I was about 12 years old.
My father was sales manager of the local Dodge dealership, which also
happened
to sell Triumph, Sunbeam, Simca (yes, Simca) and Fiat. Findlay is located
too
close to Detroit, where Standard Triumph was located, for them to be put
on
trucks and the cars had to be driven to Findlay. So, I was often able to
ride
back in TR3's and TR4's and, when I was old enough to drive myself, I
drove
TR4A's, Spitfires, GT6's and the occasional Herald the 100 or so miles to
the
dealership. I was in heaven!
I have owned and built/rebuilt too many British cars to remember, but the
TR3
was always my first love. I now own a '60 TR3A and the suspension is in
sad
shape. I will be rebuilding the suspension this winter and I plan to
rebuild
it with an eye toward vintage racing the car. I have come to believe that
if
I don't do it now, I will never again have the opportunity.
I have no illusions about being competitive and I sincerely hope that I
won't
be getting in anyone's way, but I do intend to have a great time and to
live
out at least a major portion of my dream.
I have obtained a few necessary parts (many thanks to Joe): TR4 upper
A-arms,
Koni shocks, TR6 rotors and calipers, competition springs, polyurethane
bushings, 240Z alloy brake drums, etc.
I will be asking questions from time to time (well, perhaps often) and I
do
hope that I won't be too much of a nuisance, but asking is the best way to
learn.
In fact, speaking of questions, does anyone know whether the TR6 brake
master
cylinder is a bolt-on replacement for the TR3 master cylinder? Or is
there a
better way to go to convert to a dual braking system?
Also, is a front/rear brake proportioning valve legal for vintage racing?
Thanks, in advance, for any help that you can give me.
Mike
|