This is the car in the seller's garage

   Looks like it will need some work...

   Yikes, will it ever run again?

   Oh my, looks like I have my work cut out for me.
 

The car is currently a fair weather driver. It took four months to get it roadworthy. Several parts were missing, and naturally they were the tough parts to find. At the Spring '97 Import Car Show and Swap Meet at Carlisle. Pennsylvania, the I was able to source all my missing parts. So, I rebuilt/replaced the hydraulics, blasted and painted the wheels and mounted some modern rubber. Then, a bit of TLC got the engine running. The first test drive was pretty anticlimactic, but it really got my excitement going! The mad dash to get the car on the road went into high gear.

The seats got rebuilt, and a new carpet kit was installed. To finish off the interior, the new panel kit will be installed within a few weeks, I hope. I have had it all summer, I am hoping to get to it soon!

The exterior is a different story. The car was sitting for almost 20 years in a dry garage. My theory is the just prior to the former owner buying the car, it was involved in a front and rear collision. There is some not too pretty bodywork on the rear valance and the front apron. I did not want to spend lots of time making the car perfect, so I fixed the apron so the grille would fit, and left the rear valance alone. The paint on the car was applied way too thick, and was fisheyed everywhere. It was obvious the paint job had never seen the road. Lacquer is very forgivable, so lots of work went into sanding down the fisheyed areas, and I went through almost a whole can of rubbing compound.   The paint sort of shines!

After lots more work, I was ready to have the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles inspect the car and issue me a license plate. Connecticut law requires all cars 10 years or older to be inspected at their facility. I knew I was in great shape, but having talked to a few Triumph people, I was apprehensive. The guy who inspected my car obviously liked it, and I passed with flying colors. One of the first things inspected is the paperwork and the Vehicle Identification Number. The guy was a bit taken aback when I jumped out of the car (a definite no-no in their eyes) with my coach key in hand and said "We have to look under the hood for the VIN." As I popped the dzus fasteners and opened the bonnet, I saw this guy was into the car. If anyone from Connecticut wants some pointers on getting a Triumph through the DMV inspection, feel free to email me.

Once legally on the road, I quickly gained confidence driving the car as it was intended. New Spax shocks made all the difference in the world, and my next modification will be a front roll bar. I have to level the front end out a bit in the twisties!

The engine ran for 800 miles before blowing a head gasket. It went 5 days before I planned on embarking on a 500 mile round trip expedition to the British Invasion in Stowe, Vermont. Amazingly, everything fell into place. I broke no major bolts taking it apart, all the correct parts arrived on time, and I was able to squeeze enough shop time into my schedule to get it fixed.  I torqued the last head bolt 12 hours before departure. Never touched a tool during the trip!

We have put a little over 2500 miles on the car, and it has been a true joy. On one trip the engine started coughing a bit, then decided it wasn't going to run. I rolled into a church parking lot, and within 5 minutes, diagnosed and repaired a loose wire in the distributor. Other than that, the car has been trouble free, and infinite amounts of fun!

 Here are the pictures of the work in progress.

The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust provides a Production Record Trace Service for many British cars. If you have an interest in finding out more than you wanted to know about your British car, contact them to order a certificate. The certificate for this car is here.

I hope you will be coming back to see how I am doing.