James, welcome to the world of Triumph folks. Before we start on your
questions let me give you some advice on books, reference materials and
clubs/organisation etc. which should be immensely helpful and will save you
time, money and energy as you proceed.
1. There are several TR clubs in Fl. They are a wealth of info, fun and
well worth joining one. Let me know which one is closest to you -- Merritt
Island, Pompano Beach, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, or Largo and I'll give you
the poop on contacts etc.
2. The Vintage Triumph Register (VTR) is very good also. They provide all
sorts of information and some clout with vendors. Go to their web site at
www.vtr.org for details. Highly recommend joining.
3. Since you are already on the web, you should join the "list." To do that:
a) Send an E-mail to: Majordomo@autox.team.net
b) In the subject box put: n (since AOL will not send a msg w/o a
subject)
c) in the body of your email message type:
subscribe triumphs JMacomESQ@aol.com
You will get a welcoming message with all the admin details. I get about 20
or so E-mails a day from that list but it is amazing how much help is
available there. (If you do not want that much mail send the above but
substitute "triumphs digest" for "triumphs.") I recommend that you start out
on the list itself - you can always unsubcribe and go to the digest later if
you want. Suggest that you lurk on the list for a few days before you
decide that.
4. What TR parts vendors do you know about? Parts are easy to get these
days and there are several excellent books which you will need and want. The
vendors have them.
5. That 's enough for now. Firehose off. :-)
6. Now I'll go to your text and answer inside it.
In a message dated 97-04-10 10:03:03 EDT, you write:
> My name is James Macomber and I have two TR's in my garage at the moment
and
> am about to re-embark on a restoration. I bought the first one (CT 54531)
in
> 1981 and have put very few miles on it since. At the time of purchase, it
> was on the road and looked good but the previous owner's "restoration" had
> altered the body somewhat ( a lot of bondo in the back - almost
'customized').
> I'have always intended to put that back to original.
>From the Commision # I can tell you that you have a 1965 TR4A (not a TR4)
solid rear axle. The independent rear suspension (IRS) had CTC for the
prefix. At a later date I'll tell you how to get the history of the car from
the British Motor Heritage in England.
> I just purchased a seoncd TR-4 (CT 32703) as a donor car. Somebody played
(
> messed) with the engine in this one quite a bit but the body is actually
> quite good.
> My questions relate mostly to history at the moment. CT 32703 is of 1964
> vintage I am almost certain.
Correct. The first one built in '64 was CT28709. Mine was built in April
(CT33118L) the L means left hand drive - and an O means overdrive. Do you
have either letter as a sufffix?
>But I am not so certain of the vintage on CT 54531. Is it 1964 or 1965? It
has the leaf springs in the back leading me to
> believe that it is a TR-4 but I have heard that some TR4A's had ( or
reverted
> to) leaf springs in the rear vs IRS. From what I know, this means it can't
be
> any later than 1965. Is that correct?
See above. Some TR4A's had leaf springs. We can discuss the reasons for
that at a later date.
> Both cars have the metal molding along the tops of the front fenders and
> doors. I had thought that was a TR4A feature. Is it - or would it be -
> authentic on a TR4?
If you mean a small aluminum strip along the top of the fender then both
models had that. If you mean a larger chrome strip with a turn signal in it
on the side of the fender - only the TR4A's had that. One of the books you
should get is Original Triumph TR by Bill Piggott. It shows all this and
more.
> Another issue are the front bumbers. CT 54531 has the bullets further
apart,
> below the outside edge of the headlights while the bumper on CT 32703 has
the
> bullets closer together inside the headllights entirely.
That is correct for a TR4A (CT54531) and a TR4 (CT32703). BTW - those
commission #'s tell many things since the cars are numbered in sequence as
they were built.
> Also, both cars have Strombergs. (I have owned several TR4's over the
years
> and have never had one with SU's). That makes me wonder a bit but I am
aware
> that later TR-4's have Strombergs.
Early TR4's had twin SU carbs. In 1963 (at TR4 engine #CT21471E - don't know
which comm# that was) they switched to Zenith Strombergs. CT 62191 (TR4A)
went back to the SU's. BTW - any number CT or CTC above 40304 is a TR4A.
> My goal is to have an authentic and accurate restoration.
> My questions are:
> - Is there list or source for determining the vintage of CT 54531?
Done. But yes there is. The British Motor Heritge. More at a later time.
> - Did TR4's have the metal moldings along the fenders and doors or
is
> that indicative of TR4A only?
Answered above.
> - Do leaf springs automatically mean TR4?
No. See above.
> One basic mechanical question: (I am quite mechanical having rebuilt
engines
> from scratch, etc so please don't think I'm a rank beginner given the
> elementary nature of this question).
> - I am trying to change the oil and am having enormous difficulty
> getting the plug out of the sump. (It hasn't been out for several years -
but
> the car hasn't been driven in that time either.) My memory tells me that it
> may be threaded in reverse from what we are used to in the US but I don't
> know if that's true. Without being sure, I am unwilling to exert any great
> force to try to loosen the plug. Can you let me know if this is a usual
> counter-clockwise to loosen or do I need to go clockwise to get the plug
out.
Plug is as usual (counter clockwise viewed from below). Try WD40 or another
solvent. Been there myself - do not force anything - most stuff can be fixed
without breaking it. E.G. my trunk lock was frozen over the years (a whole
other story for later) and I was going to junk it. Well I wanted the keys to
be correct (same key for the glove box fits the trunk). I couldn't get a
matching key so I filled the trunk handle with WD40 for a few days and
"Voila" it works.
>
> My e-mail is JMACOMESQ@AOL.com and I appreciate any help or answers
> you can give.
There's a start for you. :-) This sounds exciting for you and I know just
what you feel.
Cheers
Art Kelly '64TR4 CT 33118L (original owner/first car ever owned/ factory
delivery)
VTR TR4 vehicle consultant
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