hello there

[nervousnewowner]

hello there, i am a new tr7 owner and after finding this site thought only fair to sign up and hopefully find some help with my new project from fellow enthusiasts, mine is an 82 convertible, no mot and in a bit of a sorry state but i thought well worth saving, though this is probably where i get told i should of walked away...[;)]but if its not a challenge its no fun is it.
have put it in for an mot to get me a fail sheet to work from and so far my repair list to at least get it a ticket comprises of..... welding to the floor both sides of the tranny tunnel, two 10p size holes in each front suspension turret, a small hole in the boot where the rear light panel joins the boot, two track rod ends, a foglight, and windscreen washers, main beam out on one headlight.
also failed on an indicator but when i checked that last week it was working but putting that down to the fabled tr electric gremlins.
considering the car has been off the road since 2006 i didnt think it was that bad a fail sheet, and apart from the welding mentioned underneath seems extremely solid and unwelded, so i really hope its a car i can knock back into shape, any help if i start crying at any point much appreciated....lol

[tr7inc]

Hi there, to a newbie owner, well itsounds like you have a fair bit to crack on with to start, but like you say no fun if it aint a challenge. Good luck with everything, and this is the place to be if you ever hit that brick wall from time to time. hope to catch up with you soon.




Steve

[nervousnewowner]

the welding does not really bother me, lot less than i had to do to get my 205 convertible through its mot, and its all easy access welding....so far....thats why i thought i would see what my mot man found first, knew these were the problem areas but as only paid 300 quid for it i thought i was getting a fairly good deal, this is def where i now get told different...lol
oh, one thing i do need to do tomorrow is the handbrake, how easy are they to adjust etc? worked on cars the last 30 odd yrs so dont mind getting my hands dirty,...
and how easy are the hoods to change? and is a second hand one a false economy? mine is ripped so a cheap second hand option was going to be my replacement til i got more work done on the car...

[saabfast]

Hi, most of what you have to do is pretty basic stuff and could be quite quick. Track ends are not too difficult, light adjustment is just on screws as normal, indicators are probably just the fuses or bulb contacts needing cleaning, washer may be like mine where the 'fluid' had turned to jelly in storage and it all just needed cleaning out.

Hand brake is normally the auto adjusters on the rear drums not working. Take the drums off, check for leaks etc and clean the adjuster mechanism.

The hood is not too difficult, but you do find decent ones on ebay at a reasonable price which take some of the time consuming parts out of the job.

An oracle around here is jclay. He has a site with useful details of rebuilding the rear brake adjusters, fitting a hood etc. There have been a few threads with links for these in recent times. he also has a copy of the Manual which can be downloaded.

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1
Saab 9000 2.3 FPT Auto
'81 TR7 DHC

[tr7inc]

There are some decent hoods about, and as Alan has said, ebay is a good source i have a brand new vinyl hood that needed fitting, so to save the pennies for now i saw a hood and frame a while ago on ebay and i got them both for £30, and it was a canvas hood too no rips, a bit of Renovo cleaner and a couple of poppers and it came up like new



Steve

[bmcecosse]

Did the handbrake fail the MOT ? Could well be seized rear wheel cylinders - or they may have leaked oil over the shoes. The welding doesn't look too bad -I assume either side of the tunnel refers to cracks where the rear suspension arm brackets attach to the rear floor under the seats ? Beware of possible leaking petrol tank while welding! Hood renewal is not too difficult. Where are you in UK??

[john]

actually thats a fairly normal welding list so i would say for 300 thats not bad.

loads of knowledge here. so your in good company, welcome i'm sure we are all lookinhg forward to seeing you and your car and one of the many events around the country.

i'm assuming your from the UK so if your anyway near the NEC come and see us on the Drivers stand



[8 whole cylinders worth of punch to ram the world through the windshield and out the rear view mirror. Car & Driver]
1981 Grinnall TR7 v8
1981 Black FHC
1979 & 1980 Black Premium FHC(laid to rest) Sorry


John

[John Clancy]

From what you've told us here it does honestly sound like a really good purchase. Just the floorpan which would cause a bit of concern until it's all stripped back and seen to be in reasonably good condition. Robsport International supplied me with new floorpans about 10 years ago so if the worst happens it can still be fixed.

<center><b>[url="http://www.triumphtr7.com/documents/sales/codenamebullet.asp"]Buy the story of the Triumph TR7/8 on DVD here[/url]</b></center>

[nervousnewowner]

great feedback guys, am in sunny merthyr tydfil in south wales, and yes its sunny here today...lol
handbrake failed the mot, but guy i bought car off said the car had new brakes all round so am hoping its just not been adjusted, have driven it, no binding on brakes and they stop ok so am crossing my fingers, will be over to do some work on the car today so will keep you all posted, tunnel rust is front floor by tunnel but been told its a common spot to go, washers i found out failed because the previous owner started to give the car a respray and didnt refit the washers!!! chassis underneath that i could see looked in very good condition, will give it a good going over in the next few weeks, am hoping to get to the autojumble down shepton mallet nov 1st see whats about down there, when i'm back tonight will give you all a low down on any other problems i've found, hoping nothing major. think may well be a regular on here though next few months.,.....lol[:D]
catch you soon folks,
dave..

[nervousnewowner]

ok then, a short afternoon of work done on the car, washers, guy had started work on bonnet and resprayed but forgot to put washers back in, one job off mot fail sheet, two track rod ends done, foglight changed but forgot a bulb so not checked, indicator was loose wire, headlight prob needs changing, not checked fuse yet though, fog light tell tale lamp will check when bulb put in foglight, hope to find that download on the handbrake setup on here tonight and will look at that tomorrow, adjuster tightened right up so something not set up right, and once thats all done will just leave me the welding to do for the mot, not a bad afternoons work really.....

[Debpazvin]

Hi, I only got my 7 in July after wanting one since 1979. She is
a tempramental little "u know what" & I love her to bits. Now you've got 1, cherish it, and do all you can to keep her on the road.

This site is your lifeline!
Deb x
1980 TR7 Premium in Black and Gold

[tr7inc]

Hi Deb, couldve have said it better myself, well done Dave you have bin very busy on your 7, shouldnt be long before she passes that M.O.T again.



Steve

[nervousnewowner]

thanks deb, and hope to have it on the road by november, was hoping to of taken it to the autojumble in shepton mallet but as the 205 cab is up for sale that may be the better choice to take. as soon as i can i will get a few pics on here so you can all let me know if it still looks such a bargain...lol, one thing i will say, is its the most comfortable car i've sat in for a while, since my ford probe, and driving with the hood down you seem well protected from the wind, unlike some topless cars i've been in....if theres some info on how to set the hand brake up on another thread here i may well sort that today, yes merthyr has had another fine day dawn......
and are there any owners local to me? have seen a blue tr7 floating around pontypool way, but last one i saw and was chatting to the owner was a grinnal one up new quay, west wales not cornwall...

[John Clancy]

Dave Serle is in Cardiff. He has a very nice red fixed head coupe from 1977. Yes, it's got the best of the interiors - the red tartan!

You'll find the headlights are surprisingly easy to replace despite being housed in the retractable pods.

<center><b>[url="http://www.triumphtr7.com/documents/sales/codenamebullet.asp"]Buy the story of the Triumph TR7/8 on DVD here[/url]</b></center>

[nervousnewowner]

changed my sons mx5 pop ups pretty easy, and the probe i had had pop ups too, thought i would get the handbrake done today but when i took the drums off i found the passenger cylinder seeping so replacing that asap, did try adjusting the handbrake but despite getting a little drag it still does not seem to want to give me a hand brake, will persavere when i change to wheel cylinder over.