On Thu, 13 Jan 2000, Brendan Barrans wrote:
> Hello, my name is Brendan from Poway, CA. This is my first time to this list
> and just learning more and more about Triumphs everyday. This is my story
> (so far): I am 16, and I have just recently purchased a '76 TR6, and
> coincidentally my best friend is in the process of purchasing a '77
> Spitfire.
You and your friend show great taste! :-)
> Anyway, upon seeking more info, we happened to stumble upon some
> MG pictures and sites and noticed that some of the MG's have steering wheels
> on right and some on the left, but we were just wondering, and I thought
> not, but do any Triumphs have the steering wheels on the right?
Yes. As Triumphs also were produced primarily in England, where right hand
steering is the rule of the road (cars on the left of the roadway, of
course), many of them there and in other countries will have the wheel on
the right. But the majority of the sports models were sold in North
America, so most you'll see will be left hand drive (except in the Triumph
history books, almost all of which are produced in England).
> My car was recently my brothers' from Seattle and needs mostly an engine
> rebuild. He sold it because he bought a 63 or so Falcon Sprint from Canada,
> and a Volkswagen Thing.
Wow, your brother also has some taste for eclectic automobiles. The Falcon
Sprints have a pretty decent competition history behind them (especially
in the Monte Carlo and other International rallyes), and VW Things are,
well, cool.
> My dad rebuilt the engine once with my brother about
> six years ago, but it was a REALLY quick job, because my brother had to be
> back in Washington within a few days and had to be able to drive it back. We
> are planning to start in a few weeks and do a complete rebuild. And I can't
> but barely control myself until the day I get to drive it! It is also my
> first car.
Enjoy the car and fun of working on it with your dad, or friend, or just
by yourself. Some quick hints, not necessarily in any order:
1. Get some books on the car if you don't already have them. Copies of
owners' manuals, parts and workshop manuals will be indispensable. Also
very useful can be any of the many titles out there dealing with the
history and development of the TR6 and other Triumphs, compilations of
road tests on the then-new TR6s, etc.
2. It's even more fun if you all don't try to go it alone. Find a club
near you (start with the list of VTR Chapters at
<http://www.vtr.org/chapters.html>, and join it. The first time you or
someone in that club so much as lends you a matchbook cover for an
emergency reset of the distributor points or you read in the newsletter or
hear from a fellow club member about that part you've searched for in vain
being available four blocks away for the price of hauling it away, you'll
understand why this is possibly the best thing you can do.
3. Hang with this crazy little e-club of ours here at
triumphs@autox.team.net. Some of us occasionally get a bit sarcastic or
flippant and ... well, never mind about that. :-) But there are a lot of
great folks here with incredible knowledge at the tip of their tongue (or
keyboard fingers as it were). Many a Triumph owner has been "saved" here
with instant advice.
4. Don't be too hasty in anything you do with or to the car. No, that's
not just the "dad" in me talking, that's just advice from me and the
approximately 16.7 billion of us who have been tempted to rush something
and then regretted it later. Fortunately, most of us have survived the
experience and learned from it. But what I mean is (and I'm sure your dad
has already told you this 17,498 times) don't rush into getting a job done
on the car, whether it's refilling the windshield washer reservoir or
rebuilding the engine. Odds are about on par with the chances of a major
lottery win; in other words, you WILL screw something up if you rush it
too much. If anyone on this list or elsewhere tells you different, they're
lying. ;-)
Enjoy, and we all look forward to hearing more about your car (and you)!
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org> *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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