************* Dennis Lambert wrote *****************
On another front, ISTR you bought your seat springs from John
Skinner. I
also did, and have been riding on them (with a seat kit and
padding from
TRF) for about 3 months. While they are quite comfortable, the
ride height
seems to be somewhat higher than I remember from my original
TR-3A. (Of
course that was about 30 years ago, when I was in college - I
don't seem to
remember a lot of things from that era). Did your springs ever
"settle
down" any?
Dennis,
About your other question....
It has been a year since I did the seats but only 2100 miles. I
had the same reaction about the height of the seats. I kept the
old cushions and the new ones came out a good 2" higher. I was
not happy at the beginning but decided to give them a chance...
assuming that John Skinner knew what he was doing.
They seem to have settled a bit when you are sitting on them. I
am quite used to them now and find them to be very comfortable on
long drives, where as, the old shinny cushions were not
comfortable at all and killed my back on rides of 1/2 hour or
longer. BTW.. I added a 1/4" layer of upholstery foam on the top
of the seat spring just under the cover. I found that the TRF
kit did supply enough cotton and horse hair to keep the springs
from being felt by my butt.
I thought of turning the seats over and using long nylon ties to
rig "spring travel restrictors". This would make the passenger
seat back easier to move forward. But my interest has waned...
and in real life the sitting height position would be the same...
based on body weight and such.
Brian Sanborn
'62 TR4 CT16260L so to be "O" - Groton, MA
My TR4 Restoration Web Site
http://www.net1plus.com/users/sanborn
E-Mail: sanborn@net1plus.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Lambert [mailto:DLambert@anaheim.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 1:03 PM
To: 'Brian Sanborn'
Subject: RE: A-Type OD questions
Brian,
As always, thanks for the information. Prior to the bench spin
test on
Sunday, I followed the instructions in the overdrive
troubleshooting
paragraph on page #85 of the Moss catalogue to check pump
movement. I
thought that as long as I had the oil drained, it would be a good
idea to
check movement at that time, rather than having to drain the oil
again just
to do that test. Anyway, after removing the pump plug (#8) ,I
rotated the
output shaft while watching the plunger with a flashlight. The
plunger
moved up and down with about 1/8" travel each stroke. Is this
the normal
travel distance? Not having seen the cam that drives the
plunger, I have no
idea how long the stroke should be. After ascertaining the
pumped did move,
I filled the trans with 90W gear oil (took about 2 quarts) and
spun the
input shaft to about 800 RPM with a drill motor. Moving the
lever on the
right side of the unit forward produced no response. Again
following the
Moss procedure, I cracked the operating plug valve (#26) while
spinning the
input shaft, and got no air or oil to bleed out. I tried
engaging the OD
while in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears with no results. That's where I
stand today
- no engagement.
Yesterday evening I went to the local library and found a TR-6
Bentley
manual. I seems to have a nice section on the "A" type OD, with
a couple
more easy tests, including cleaning and reseating the non-return
valve and
the operating valve. I'm going to try these procedures sometime
this week,
but...I have a hunch I'm going to up to my elbows in trans and OD
parts this
winter. Oh well.
Now that you mention the pamphlet, ISTR seeing one at a local
club members
house. I'll check there first, then if I have no luck, I'll ask
you to
forward me a copy of yours.
On another front, ISTR you bought your seat springs from John
Skinner. I
also did, and have been riding on them (with a seat kit and
padding from
TRF) for about 3 months. While they are quite comfortable, the
ride height
seems to be somewhat higher than I remember from my original
TR-3A. (Of
course that was about 30 years ago, when I was in college - I
don't seem to
remember a lot of things from that era). Did your springs ever
"settle
down" any?
Thanks, Dennis
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian Sanborn [mailto:sanborn@net1plus.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 8:09 AM
> To: Dennis Lambert
> Subject: RE: A-Type OD questions
>
>
> Dennis,
>
> I rebuilt the gearbox in my car 2 winters ago with good
results.
> The gearbox units are almost the same all the way to the TR6.
> The later ones have one more synchro, a stronger case and use
> some different part numbers... but most parts are the same.
The
> rebuild procedure is covered in one chapter in Haynes for all
> units.
>
> The A-type OD is the same except for the earlier TR2 unit. I
have
> mine completely apart and I am in the reassembly stage. I am
> relying on the TR4 Workshop Manual, the Haynes TR2-TR4A manual
> and a copy of a mid-1950s Triumph pamphlet (I believe I got it
> from Fred Thomas).
>
> If you can rebuild a gearbox successfully... you can do an OD.
> The problem is understanding and parts. The OD is not
documented
> as clearly in the manuals as the gearbox. I have been using
John
> Esposito (Quantum Mechanics) in Monroe, CT for parts and
advice.
> The OD is like a hydraulic grandfathers clock. Once you
> understand it and how it works it is a really wonderful thing.
I
> would happy to make you a copy of the OD pamphlet.
>
> Before you give up on the bench test... The oil pump plunger
is
> probably stuck in the down stroke. This happens if the unit was
> left in this position for a period of time. I have seen folks
say
> that you should tap lightly on the outside of the case to free
> it. You can find out for sure by examining the plunger from
the
> big round access hole in the bottom of the OD. Take a look at
> the parts diagram and you will see that the pump has a cover
> plate that is held in place by two slotted screws and you can
> open this and see if the pump is stuck. You may be able to
free
> it... just to see if the rest of the unit works. Or you can
> gamble that that was all it was and use it if it works.
>
> What ever you do... I would be happy to share whatever I have
> learned.
>
>
> Brian Sanborn
> '62 TR4 CT16260L so to be "O" - Groton, MA
>
> My TR4 Restoration Web Site
> http://www.net1plus.com/users/sanborn
> E-Mail: sanborn@net1plus.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dennis Lambert [mailto:DLambert@anaheim.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2000 10:53 AM
> To: 'Brian Sanborn'
> Subject: RE: A-Type OD questions
>
>
> Brain,
>
> It looks like I'll be doing a full rebuild after all. On
Sunday
> I spun the
> tranny with a drill motor, and couldn't get the OD to engage.
I
> also
> couldn't get any oil to bleed through the loosened operating
> valve plug,
> which suggests the pump isn't working, which probably
> necessitates tearing
> apart and rebuilding. I understand you are in the process of
> rebuilding
> your transmission. Are you rebuilding the OD unit also? Is it
a
> do-able
> thing? I've rebuilt the non-OD tranny that's in my car now
(it's
> an early
> TR-3 non first gear synchro trans - not terribly difficult),
but
> really
> don't know the first thing about OD units...or TR-6
> transmissions, for that
> matter.
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