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Just finished with the fuel tank. I had it cleaned and re-lined at a local radiator shop, $165 total. A new in-tank pump from Woody's. Thanks to V8Wedgehead for the pump mounting bracket. It is way quieter than the external one the PO had put on the bulkhead ahead of the tank. I had to turn off my boom box to hear it. And lastly a new sender from Rimmer's. I dumped in 5 gallons of gas and the gauge reads just over a quarter tank. Nothing leaking. The car fired right up, it's been sitting since August. I have to finish tying up the exhaust to get it to a muffler shop and get it welded where I had to cut it. But first I need to do the trailing and control arm bushings and the rear axle will be ready to go back in. Maybe by this weekend I'll be able to take a nice drive in the warm weather we are supposed to have. I'm pretty pleased with myself. [:D]

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Spectatohead</i>
I'm pretty pleased with myself. [:D]
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So you should be!

Well, the exhaust was fairly easy, after I cut another little piece from each pipe. It is a bit short but it is in place and my first stop is going to be a muffler shop.

I bought a little 6 ton press for the bushings. It was only $70 at Harbor Freight. It would have cost me at least $40 to have the pressed out. I couldn't get most of the poly bushings to go in by hand either so having the press was nice putting them on too. Getting the axle back into place was too much fun. Gravity wasn't any help at all. It was much more helpful when I dropped the axle. After 3 hours of wrestling and grunting I finally got all of the new bolts started and the new poly spring pads and springs in place. I tightened up the shocks and called it a day for today.

The rest should be easy. Just have to tighten up all of the suspension bolts, hook up the shaft, brake line and cables and it should be road test time. I still have to get new bolts for the prop-shaft, but it should be cake.

My 52 year old back has been complaining but I am feeling pretty satisfied.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

Okay, all of the new suspension bolts have been torqued to the proper specs. Tonight I went to hook up the brake line, using the new steel braided line that came in a three pack I got a year ago from VB, and it is too short. I used the other two on the front brakes last winter and all three were the same length. The front ones fit fine. It looks like the one for the rear should be 3 or 4 inches longer than the front ones. Or am I hallucinating, again? I'd really like to have a steel braided hose on the rear too. I'd like to make a club tour on Saturday. All I have left is this little problem and the prop shaft, which I neglected to mark before I took it out back in January. I also can't remember which end is which. Thanks in advance.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

Front of the drive shaft for the transmission end.


Rear of the drive shaft for the "rear" end


I just removed one for a 3,500 mile 1981 TR8 that was being shipped/dollied.


Michael
1980 TR8 FHCs; Rally Conversion #0020 & Stock #0058

"If it is broken then fix it....if it is not then make it faster!"

I got an incorrect rear brake hose from VB back in 1995. Some things never change. I only use them as the last resort.

Jim Underwood
72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

You did scribe the matching flanges so you know hoew to put it back in the same way. If the drive shaft isn't put in the same way you may well get a vibration as it is balanced to fit a certain way. I marked mine by scribing with a dremel cutting wheel. One scribe mark for rear flanges and two for the front flanges. That way you can't forget which end goes which and only goes back in the way it came off.


TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

No, I foolishly did not scripe any marks. It never seemed to matter with my TR6's. Of course those were U-joints. I had gotten to be expert at tapping them in with a couple sockets and a mallet. I guess I'll just have to hope for the best. At least I know which end is which now. Thanks.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

I've never really got to grips with the need to re-install the prop the same way as it came out. Surely the prop itself is balanced, if you bought a new or second hand one you would just bolt it on wherever, so why is it so important to keep it the same once it's been used & removed? I'm a bit concerned now as I've not marked mine either & will be putting it back on in the near future.
P.S. That's a lovely looking TR8!

Andy
1981 UK SPEC TR8

Andy, don't get too worried about that prop shaft.

Sure I normally put them back in exactly the same place in my cars,
but I was very pleasantly surprised on one occasion when I didn't.

Shortly after I started using my current car, one of the tail shaft
CV joints started complaining. It would rattle under moderate to
hard acceleration, from a stand still.A CV was packing up. As I had
not decided weather to have one made with CVs, or UJs, I grabbed
the shaft of the other 7 I had been using.

It was fine, so I procrastinated for a while, about deciding on CVs
or UJs, for a new shaft.

A couple of weeks later I needed to use both cars for a while, so I
bolted the other, falty tail shaft on the old car.

Surprise, it worked perfectly, totally silent. It was still fine, a
couple of thousand KMs later, so I left it there.

Perhaps the length of shaft was slightly different, in the different
car, which altered where the CV ran.
What ever it was, that shaft was still in that
car 2 years after I sold it, to a bloke for a daily driver.

Hasbeen

Andy, thanks for the compliment. You almost can't see the big dent in the left door in that photo.
Hasbeen and Andy, thanks for the reinforcement of what I thought already. It really should be balanced whichever way it goes, shouldn't it?
I went to put the prop shaft back in tonight. Four of the eight new bolts I bought for this stuck before they were tight. I broke two of those off when I tried to back them out. I'll run back to the hardware store tomorrow for some new ones. I'll try going with grade 8 this time. It seems like there is always something that slows up completion of any task on these critters. All I have left on this job is those bolts and hooking the new speedo cable up under the dash. I plan on enjoying the nice weather that we are supposed to have this weekend and then it's time to get her to the body shop and then paint. Not only is there a big dent in the door the fender flares are separating, and the paint is coming off in places, not to mention the bonnet which I don't want to leave in black primer forever.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

Success! I just got back from a test run and filled the tank. Gauge reads full and nothing seems to be leaking. The fuel going through the filter looks clear instead of orange like it used to. I still need to get to a exhaust shop and have the pipes sealed back up. It was too late on a Friday to find anyone willing to do it. It is still leaking right where I had to cut them and I can't get the clamps any tighter. The only other problem is that the speedo still doesn't work. I replaced the cable while I was doing the rest of the job. The end at the speedo doesn't turn when rolling down the driveway. Does the drive gear go bad? Or what else might it be. Oh and one other thing that delayed me. I bought new bolts for the prop shaft. I accidentally got stainless steel bolts. They don't work with nylon nuts and you get the problems that I encountered. Re-did them with grade 8.8 bolts and it went right together.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Spectatohead</i>

...... not to mention the bonnet which I don't want to leave in black primer forever.
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I think the matte black hood look good ......

-actually I really like the whole hardcore vibe of your car, the lack of roof,stance with the flares and big mesh wheels, the frt air dam.....it scream's don't mess with me dude!!!



Ron.

Nice work Jim. I'm in Oregon next week, planning to get LASTTR out on the road for some driving. Hope to do the May 8 tour with Portland Triumph Owners. You should think about coming along.

Ken
Anchorage, Alaska

1980 TR8, 1973 TR6, 1965 Volvo PV544, 1958 MGA, Jeep Cherokees

Ken, I may be able to go on that tour. The car is scheduled for the body shop on the 10th and I am going to take all of the trim off before it goes. I got it back from the exhaust shop today. Did 2.5 inch pipes all the way from the headers back with new glass packs. It has a deeper, somewhat louder sound now. I still need to figure out why the speedo doesn't work even with a new cable. If the 8 isn't driveable on the 8th I may just take the daily driver on the tour.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd