Fellow Garage Guys-
Not to anthropomorphize, but, boy is my GT6 po'ed....
One minute it's the Garage Queen, next minute it's under a tarp out in the
cold ! Seems that I woke up the other morning and found a '65 TR4A E Prod
racer in the drive (actually that should not have come as a shock as I had
spent the better part of the previous day getting it there...)
The Rationalization:
Most of us never have been able to build the "ultimate" racer, you know, no
shortcuts and everything exactely right. If you're like me, you probably ended
up with somebody else's idea of a race car and sort of improved things as you
had the chance. Well, not with the GT, no sir, this car is gonna be just the
way it should be (at least in my version). So, after working on it for 2 years
and it still isn't gonna see a track this year.
The Opportunity:
I knew about this car for quite a while, but the price was more than I wanted
to spend. Imagine my surprise when an unexpected phone call revealed a much
improved price.
The Result:
A Signal Red 65 TR4A, been a racer car all its life, raced twice in 72 (new
log book-once at the Oly Sprints and at Laguna Seca, oddly enough I was at
this race also, but do not recall the car) and from the look of it, not very
much thru the sixties. The car looks like it was built with a Triumph
Competition list and a magic marker. Everything that you could order is on the
car. Americans, Alfins, Al sump, cooler, tri "Y" style headers, factory
springs (road and valve), and more to be discovered. Mostly the car just sat.
The fellow's dad "tinkered" with it a bit (oil and brake fluids clean and
clear, but the fenders have been undercoated with a spray can), and kept it
running as I was able to start it, but not drive it as the fuel filter was
almost solid and the the brakes stayed on (the dreaded dead rubber hose
syndrome).The only things bad are the paint (most dead) and a welded rear end.
The vintage groups around here do not allow welded rear ends, and since I have
a couple of Detroit units out of previous endeavors, I will put a locker in
the car. Another person has a Quaiffe unit for sale and as I will need a spare
diff unit, I may purchase that as a spare. (Hence my questions about the
Quaiffe/Detroit preference. I have used the Detroit units in TR's previously,
but never a Quaiffe.)
Post Purchase Regrets:
None, looks like a good car and with a quick rebuild I should be on the track
again this summer. Woo-Hoo
Can't wait to go get greasy...
Nick in Nor Cal
|