Members present

Kathryn & Tim Sharpe (TR6)

Helen Kirk

Tony & Ruth Richards (birthday boy!!)

John & Margaret Martin

Colin & Ann Skinner

Phil, Rachael, Sam, Hannah & Joseph

Terry & Sue Pruce

Roger Guy (TR6)

Reg & Irene Bowler

Dick Goodey (TR4)

John Edwards

Barrie & Barbara Cooper

Andrew Burford

Steve Lambley (2.5 Pi)

Andy, Claire, Amy & Chloe Moltu

Paul Bowler

Pete Garlick

Ben, Lisa & Matthew Ward

Martin & Jenny Ward (TR6)

Ray Mills (TR6)

Martin Faulkner (TR6)

James Faulkner (GT6)

Andy & Jennie Holyoak (TR6)

Meeting notes

Firstly, this is a very much abbreviated TRipe this month. We’ve been exceptionally busy and now Andy’s deserted me for sun-drenched France to help his brother finish off his gite. (Excellent holiday accommodation if anyone is interested!).

We were very pleased to see little Matthew Ward making his visit to a TR meeting. Needless to say, all the women were queuing up to have a cuddle J

If you want to take part, do make sure Martin W has your “start mileage” for this year for our competition “Who goes furthest in a TR”.

Happy Birthday to you J

Tony Richards - 55 (a little bird told us - no secrets!)

Paul Bowler (62 I think - sorry if your little bird added any extras on)

Roger Guy (his little bird was surprisingly silent!)

Claire Moltu (her little bird was very discreet!)

Events

Martin requested that we do an easier-to-read list of events so I’ve added in another copy of the programme we sent out in January. Next month, I hope to have slaved over a hot computer and come up with a better one. Hope this helps in the meantime.

Suggested events (no dates yet)

1. Martin W suggested we might like to have a trip out to Cooks of Wigston. They have a fabulous private motor museum in Saddington - well worth a visit. It was agreed Martin would try to organise an evening at the beginning of June (but not a Wednesday because Phil is learning to swim!). Watch this space.

2. Reg is going to check out with Coventry Group if they fancy a Skittles Match. More news next month.

Planned events

Tour of Leicester - 21^st May. Route to be given out at next meeting and emailed out beforehand.

Prescott Hill Climb - we’ve been advised that there are camping facilities available.

Derby Dales - Friday 16^th to Sunday 18^th June. You need to give Ruth a £20 deposit for the hotel and £10 if you’re camping. Please get in touch with Tony & Ruth if you’re interested.

Lakes - Friday 8^th to Sunday 10^th September. Jennie & Andy are looking into cottage style accommodation (with Friday changeover). They will get in touch with everyone who’s said they’re interested and will put the info in TRipe as well in case anyone else would like to come along as well. Watch this space.

Goodwood Revival Weekend - 1^st - 3^rd September,. Graham Ransome organising. Please email him if you want accommodation, please contact Graham Ransome. Tim Sharpe also has some details on this weekend.

European Meeting in Holland -13^th - 18^th September.

Rachael’s next theatrical production - 19^th - 22^nd October, Rachael appearing in Joseph & His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

While I was tidying up!...

Part four - this will be in May’s TRipe

But I do have the answer to last month’s teaser from Barrie Cooper:

Hi Andy, BUTTERCUP was built by a Standard sales & service agent NOT the factory. She so impressed Standard Triumph people that she became the inspiration for triumph to make sports cars. Namely the TRs.

She had a Vanguard engine, & was made from a mixture of standard 8 &10 components. As you know Triumphs first attempts, using the same ideas failed so they designed a new chassis, hence 2off TR1s.(triumph research lads called the cars TR1,theNEXT modified car became the TR2.Logical don’t you think.).

I also found out today the long wheelbase Le Mans race car "Sabrina" had the twin cam engine fitted featured in Traction march issue. My contact has the a front badge with a small S engraved in it for that car.

However its nice to know that we dont have a tractor engine up front after all. regards Barrie.

REBUILD OF BLACK TR 4 CT14790 LO – A FUNNY OLD MONTH

I had mislaid the vertical support that runs from the gearbox mounting to the gearbox top cover. When I found it, I checked the gearbox oil for settling, topped it off and attached the support. A couple of days later I saw oil under the gearbox, apparently dripping off the brass sump on the overdrive. Strange, I thought, or similar. I gave the sump a couple of more hits with the chisel but there was no more tightening to be had. Everything was cleaned down, so I left it alone another day. Another day, another pool of oil. I now had a closer look and discovered that it was coming from above the sump. What the hell? What had I done other than top off with oil and attach the stay? I re-checked the oil level and it was ok. The only other thing was to take off the support, and as I was doing that I saw the gearbox moving. The stay when in its unbolted state was a good quarter of an inch shorter than it needed to be, and was pulling the gearbox cover down, with the knock-on effect of splitting the overdrive flange from the gearbox, thus allowing oil seepage. I have seen nothing since, and the stay is back in place with a couple of washers underneath to act as spacers.

I was changing the wires to solids, so I had to remove the bolts holding the splined hub extension on the rear wheels and replace them with longer bolts to mount the wheels. The front bolts are splined, but the rears are screwed in, so the fronts went to my man in the tool shop at work. The rears were real bastards to shift, as the hub-side of the bolts had been beaten over before final assembly. It was not possible to get at them without taking the hubs off, so I ground a couple of flats on to the bolts and with a pair of grips, much grunting, sweating and naughty words gradually hauled out all 8. Of course what was happening was that the banged-over bit was being pulled through the threads and was being chewed up something rotten. Every one left traces of shredded male thread in the female – except one, which left female thread attached to the male. So I now have what I think may be the only Helicoiled wheel stud. I cannot consider it to be a permanent job (despite its elegance) and will change it when I get the car back to the UK and source an alternative hub. It will have to do for the time being.

On with the rear brakes, rebuild the front calipers, but not without much panic. I was concerned about the amount of force needed to get the pistons in over the oil seal. Two went in with finger and thumb pressure, but the other two needed much pressure with a piece of wood across the face of the piston. I troubled the Andy-Dick Technical Desk for the first time for quite some while. This was after I had to enlist Heather’s help to get the dust seals into the grooves. Then the fun part. All brake connections made, fluid loaded and started to bleed. I never knew how many leaks one system could have. All were where the solid pipes met the flexibles, and all were eventually cured by the removal of the crush washers as they were preventing the connections getting tight enough to seat the ends. One concern is that the back connection actually needs that washer as the pipes are rattling on the mounting bracket without one – but with one they don’t pull up enough. The real problem I cannot solve is that the front left bleed screw (new) seems to be leaking even when fastened up tight. It isn’t leaking under pressure but under gravity. That’s where I’m up to now, and will put an old one back to see what happens.

In the middle of all that I offered up the new exhaust system, and after a few minutes of self-taught geometry I seemed to have it all in place. The brackets needed will be different from original, and I will probably end up making something myself. Encouraging, though, at this stage.

The other big complication is that a change of priorities is now needed. I hope I’m not speaking too soon, but we appear to have sold the house. If the transaction goes through as planned we will have to leave and move into a rented property at the end of June. If that happens, I will have to re-prioritise the work on the car to get it transportable rather than running. If I can solve the brakes, that will help. A couple of months sounds like plenty of time to get the car running, but in there is a 2-week holiday and many work evenings already spoken for, to say nothing of preparing the rest of the house for our move. So a hectic few weeks ahead.

Until next month, go safe.

Peter

PS The TR6 wheels that I told you of many moons ago are now wearing a set of Dunlop SP Sport A2 plus and are eagerly awaiting mating with the newly-installed wheel studs. Just get the brake job done Hodgson!

	May		June		July		August
M	1
T	2						1
W	3						2	RAID - Camb Followers Barnack
T	4	RAID - Trent	1				3
F	5		2				4
S	6		3		1		5
S	7		4		2		6
M	8		5		3		7
T	9		6		4	RAID-Staffs & Warks	8
W	10		7		5		9
T	11		8		6		10
F	12		9		7	7-9 Le Mans Classic 7-9 Goodwood Festival Speed	11
S	13		10		8		12
S	14		11		9		13
M	15		12		10		14
T	16		13		11		15
W	17		14		12		16
T	18		15	MEETING	13		17	MEETING
F	19	MEETING	16