Strange but true!

[trobmogxj6]

Hi all, I have just purchased my latest (4th) TR7. My wife is not a car fan, but equally not carophobic. However she is sick to death of me bringing home hopeless cases that will "only cost a few quid" to get back on the road. Now I must admit that this one was a red wine fuelled, late night e bay buy. When I got the e mail confirming that I had won, the blood drained from my body and I sobered up immediately! I didn't summon up the courage to tell 'er indoors until half an hour before I left to collect the car. Fortunately it was a good buy and ( forgetting my labour) will genuinely cost about £150 to get back on the road. Any how, as I completed the deal the seller admitted that his wife didn't know that he had bought the same car. She did know about by now of course and insisted that he sold one of his other basket cases. He was not quite sure how he was going to tell his wife that he was actually selling his once secret purchase and not one of his lame ducks, in order to fund another purchase!
We had never met before but shared not only a fondness of wedge type Triumphs, but an inbuilt ability to risk life and marriage in the pursuit of our one true love. A kindred soul, a likemind. But are we all the same? How many similar stories are there out there?

[Workshop Help]

Here's a little secret from the Ladies Vault. All wives need something to complain about or they are not happy.

What you have done is provide whole bushel baskets of fresh ammunition for her to load up and propel in your general direction for the next 227 years. This will include the time beyond the mortal pale extending into the Great Hereafter. I suggest when you die first that you get all the rest you can. When she gets there, she's going to have a few things to merrily discuss.

Mildred Hargis

[FI Spyder]

I also bought mine on eBay, paid quite a bit, took the bus down to Sacramento (1400 km) o pick it up and drive it back, spent a few thousand replacing all the perishables, cleaning parts and painting a few. I've got a rust free car that "looks brand new" according to my Dad, won a number of first and second place trophies in TR7/8 classes and did a 5,000 km (3,000+ miles) trouble free trip down to San Diego last year.

Glad I took the chance....oh and the wife doesn't control the finances (just spends money) and as I don't spend money on new cars our transportation costs are a fraction of most peoples (I'm about $100,000 ahead of each of my brother and sisters in depreciation they've lost over the years).



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

[Hasbeen]

So true Spyder.

In 10 years including consumables, [all my Triumph stuff comes from the same place], not counting fuel & oil, I have spent just over A$5000 on my daily driver 7.

After 10 years & 60,000Km it is coming up to requiring another $5000 paint job, if I want her to be really beautiful again. If I do that it will be $10,000 total spent, or $1,000 a year to run my car. This is a big advantage with a no depreciation car.

My wife on the other hand, in just 5 years, has spent A$12,000 at least in depreciation, & A$7,500 in servicing. Add another $2000 for tyres & wheel repairs. I do wish she'd stop kerbing them. Granted she has done 60,000 more Kilometers than me in that time, [god those grand kids are expensive, if only in petrol], so who's in front?

She did try really hard to talk me out of buying this car, but full marks, she stopped the moment I'd bought it.

Mildred have you ever done any math on how much money you have saved in running your 7 as a daily driver all these years, as against changing your cars regularly?

Hasbeen

[Workshop Help]

Yes, my friend, I have.

Let's see now, new car cost after all the dust settled in early Jan 1977 came to $5763.74.

Over the years maintenance and restoration cost came out to about $450.00/year when averaged together.

So added all up it's $5763.74 + ($450/year x 36 years) = $5763.74 + $16200.00 for a grand total of $21963.74. Divide the $21963.74 by 36 years comes out to $610.10 per year. Or, divided by 12 months gives a monthly cost of $50.84.

As you should be seeing this is how one beats the new car dealers at their own game. When you buy a new car, keep it and keep up the repairs as they are needed. Depreciation? What's that?

One fortunate aspect of the TR7 is the depreciation was super accelerated by the reliability problems the public perceived of them in the mid-late 1970's. This, in a strange way has worked in my favor by giving me the mindset that the car has no real 'popular value' and, has such, is wide open for all my creative little remedies. My conscience doesn't care if the car is not in pure stock condition. What you and I now have is control of our automotive destiny. We are blessed to be marching to the beat of our own drums, to use a colloquialism. All while the rest of the world looks on in envy wondering, "Who are those daring and dashing people in their driving machines?"

Mildred Hargis

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

My wife must secretly be in hog heaven then, because she is constantly complaining about EVERYTHING I do!

Clay

[url="http://web.me.com/jclaythompson/Site/Welcome.html"]My Triumph Site[/url], [url="http://web.me.com/jclaythompson/Technical"]Technical Stuff[/url], [url="https://public.me.com/jclaythompson"]My Public Folder[/url], [url="http://web.me.com/jclaythompson/tr8/Welcome.html"]My TR8 Site[/url]

[john 215]

Hi,

My DHC was a divorce present to myself [:D] to celebrate my new found freedom [:p]

My FHC was brought ' because i can ' [8D]

My ex wife once made me sell a classic and one of the biggest regrets i have, NEVER AGAIN !!


<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Here's a little secret from the Ladies Vault. All wives need something to complain about or they are not happy.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">



And Mildred as is always the case great words of wisdom comming from the opposition !! Only a woman would ever understand a woman, i for one dont and have given up trying!!

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

[Spectatohead]

My TR7 was my ex's daily driver until the engine blew and we couldn't afford to repair it. We sold it during the divorce a couple years later. The guy that bought it put a Rover V8 in it. My new wife almost insisted that I buy the TR8. Okay it has cost more than I estimated to get it fixed up. I really like it even though it's not done yet. I have only been able to get her to ride in it twice so far and we haven't gone over 40mph either time. She complains about the dingy carpets and nasty seats. I may never replace them [;)]

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd

[Hasbeen]

Wow John, that's an unusual story. Most of the divorces I have known had the bloke selling everything to pay the huge awards the court made to her.

A mate of mine, a very wealthy bloke, was up front in F2 racing. When he had a moderate prang his wife told him she would leave, if he ever raced again. After repairs he could not sell the thing without demonstrating it was still quick.

As she still insisted, in desperation he got me to drive it for him, & managed to sell it, & all his racing gear.

She left 5 months later anyway, & it was all too much for him to start up again.

Hasbeen

[TheBozz]

How true is this post,

I bought my latest TR7 as a 40th Birthday present to myself after the wife and I had a row the night before my 40th and she ended up taking my eldest son on the Orient Express instead of me.... When she returned all was fine until I took delivery of a Sparkling Red 2.0 DHC a few days later. She moved out within the week LMAO and I now spend all day buying, replacing, rebuilding and I don't have to explain about the money or time I'm spending gggrrreEEAAAATTTTT It couldn't of worked out better. My cellar has become a parts store, the conservatory is now a shot blasting and spraying booth and the kitchen is now my workshop.





TheBozz
1980 TR7 2.0 DHC

[Workshop Help]

Bozz, while I understand and appreciate your new found bliss, did you know in this part of the woods we have such special places for our projects called the Machine Shed? It's a place that allows ones mechanical fantasies to be separate from ones domestic realities.

But, to each his/her/it's own.

Mildred Hargis

[FI Spyder]

Hey, Bozz. How do you extract dust from your sandblast cabinet. A club member uses a vortex funnel hooked up to a shop vac (with washable filters). It still looked pretty dusty in the room although I don't know if this is from other activities (it's a converted bedroom next to garage). Yours looks pretty pristine. I'm about to set mine up in garage next to the door, I plan to set it up one casters so I can roll it out side when using it as I'm concerned about fine escaping dust. I will probably use glass bead as I can just sandblast sand over the edge of the cliff for rough work as I'm doing now.



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

[TheBozz]

Hi F1 Spyder,

I have a standard household vax (Vacuum cleaner) permenantly attached to the rear of the shot blaster. The shot blaster already comes with a extraction vent and plastic cap. I just adapted the plastic cap to fit the vax house and now cut up old bedding to use as filters. It works a treat but you will still get a small amount of fine dust when using glass bead. I also have a portable blaster with garnet in that I use outdoors to clean the larger / dirtier oily parts that won't fit in the cabinet.

The noise and smell from the compressor is worse so make sure you wear your safety equipment, Goggles, Ear defenders and respirator and have all the windows and doors open. I will upload some pics later.

TheBozz
1980 TR7 2.0 DHC

[john 215]

Hi Bozz,

What else would you use a conservatory for [8D] Mine currently has the parts removed from the DHC whilst renewing the valve gear, 4 overdrive gear box, 4 speed rear axle and propshaft.I can do this 'because I can '

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

[Cobber]

<font size="2"><font face="Comic Sans MS">Surely the purpose of a conservatory is to "conserve" so it's being put to a proper purpose conserving your Triumph! [:D]</font id="Comic Sans MS"></font id="size2">

80'Triumph TR7, , 73'Land Rover (Ford 351. V8),
'89 Ford Fairlane
'98 MG-F, 69'Ford F250.
76' Ford F100