Hi Philip,
The things that generally go bad on cars that just sit are rubber parts.
These include: seals, hoses, tires, fuel pump and most often brakes. Almost
every car I have gotten, that has sat for an extended period, has needed the
brakes gone through. The carbs also get a little gunked up as the gas ages.
This owner may have ran the car enough to get by most of this. I would
though expect a bumpy ride from the flat places in the tires sitting in one
position. I wouldn't worry about the engine. If it turns and fires and
doesn't smoke after a few minutes, it should be fine. The only seal that is
rubber is the front seal. The rear seal will probably leak but that's
normal. Good Luck.
Cheers,
Mike Thompson
PS Is this car near Cinncinati , Lebonon?
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>From: "Philip Haldeman" <haldeman@accessone.com>
>To: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
>Subject: The Subject of Non-Use
>Date: Mon, Apr 5, 1999, 2:24 PM
>
>
> Hello. I'm new to the list. I'm looking at a TR3 that's been mostly
> dormant since restoration. The car has been driven about 1000 miles in the
> last 7 years, after a complete rebuild. I only have photos of the car so
> far, since it's somewhat distant from me. The owner says it's running 50
> lbs of oil pressure on the road, after being warmed up. No precautions
> have been taken for storage, though it's been kept in an attached garage,
> and several months at a time have gone by without the car being driven at
> all. The owner wants 14K, and there are some minor blemishes to the paint.
> My feeling is that I could tackle either the paint or the engine, but not
> both.
>
> To stay healthy, how many miles should such a car be driven, and over what
> period of time? When should one become concerned about non-use?
>
> Philip Haldeman
> haldeman@accessone.com
>
>
>
>
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