tr7triumph.com

The exterior of the this car is pretty much completed with the exception of decals. I have front and rear ones but I may just leave it bare. I still have to decide on an exhaust system and some interior work is remaining.
Mods: Twin SUs, 5 speed geabox, differential 3.45:1

[url="http://s615.photobucket.com/user/nickmi/media/20130809_135653_zps2f43c7be.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s615.photobucket.com/user/nickmi/media/Exterior/20130809_135013_zps9f796ab7.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s615.photobucket.com/user/nickmi/media/Exterior/20130809_134439_zps6344f6d3.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s615.photobucket.com/user/nickmi/media/Exterior/20130809_134837_zps1e617134.jpg.html"][/url]

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

Looking good. It does have that iconic back end in the air look but that will balance out when you're hauling those cement patio blocks home from the local hardware store. [8D]

(When I did it the check out girl at the yard couldn't believe it and asked for a look in the trunk, the only time I've ever been checked).

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

Not too shabby for a throw away piece of field statuary.

Now, with the LT77 and the rare-as-hens-teeth 3.45/1 differential, the car is transformed with the lower gear acceleration combined with the 5th gear enhanced cruising velocity. My 5th gear is from the late 1981 LT77 series. With the 3.63/1 ratio from the four speed, my 60mph is setting about 2600RPM's. Have you had the chance to see what your RPM is at 60mph in 5th gear? It will probably be different if your gearbox is the more common pre-1981 model.

Oh, by the way, Abner just walked by and remarked that he likes the Grand-Master-Pimp-Daddy seat covers.

Mildred Hargis

Mildred, for what its worth my standard (I think) 1980 5-speed car gives me 20mph per 1000rpm in 5th gear. So its 3000rpm at 60mph.

Russ

1980 TR7 Sprint DHC
Dursley
UK

http://tr7russ.blogspot.co.uk/

A pretty amazing transformation. That looks great!

I've often though the front decal wasn't necessary and maybe detracts from the clean lines of the car. But the ones on the back seem to balance things out and look good.




[/img]
1980 Pageant Blue DHC with removable hardtop.

Mildred,

I have a 3.45, and the only issue I have with it is on the interstate (it is perfect for in town). I had heard that the 81 had a higher 5th gear, but I never knew how much difference it would make. Do you have any numbers that would tell the exact difference between the 81 5th, and other years 5th?

Thanks,
Rob

Well, Rob, here's where all our number shuffling gets confusing. It's a case of comparing apples to oranges to bananas around here.

Since I do not wish to hijack this thread on Nick's superb efforts, I will start a new thread.

Mildred Hargis

<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 FI Spyder</i>

Looking good. It does have that iconic back end in the air look but that will balance out when you're hauling those cement patio blocks home from the local hardware store. [8D]

(When I did it the check out girl at the yard couldn't believe it and asked for a look in the trunk, the only time I've ever been checked).

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

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The measurement from the top of the rear wheel arch is about an inch taller on my FHC vs the DHC. There is a bunch of dead cat area in that wheel arch. When I got the new differential I did not take care to mark the springs. So upon reassembly I did not know if I installed the '80 DHC or the '76 FHC springs. Next to each other they seemed about the same height. I may swap what I have and see if it lowers it any.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

Looks Great Nick.
Are you bring it to Portland?
Love to see it there, not many if any FHC's showup.
Ron

Looks very nice indeed, but I'd suggest you put the steel wheels back on.
With the small black centres it looks so very 70's [8D]

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, now restored and back on the road)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="3"><font color="red">My full Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size3"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

<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 Orange Rag</i>

Looks Great Nick.
Are you bring it to Portland?
Love to see it there, not many if any FHC's showup.
Ron


<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Would like to make it Ron. But with this one still in the completion stages with a ratty interior, I'm more inclined to bring the Russet Brown DHC. I've proven that one and would feel better with on a long trip.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

I agree with Ron, you really need to bring it to the ABFM. Any FHCs that we do get usually look like your before pictures, or worse.

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 Beans</i>

Looks very nice indeed, but I'd suggest you put the steel wheels back on.
With the small black centres it looks so very 70's [8D]

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, now restored and back on the road)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="3"><font color="red">My full Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size3"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I may just do that Beans. I have plenty of them but all are pretty ratty. I would however like to get that back end lowered an inch or two.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

Nick Looks beautiful. My current 7 sat up at the back like that with everything stock. At the rear bumper it was 1.3 inches higher than the other stock 7 I had at the time. I looked around under there a couple of times but could see nothing to cause it.

Obviously something is different, but I never bothered to track it down. I did read something somewhere about the last US cars having an extra inch ground clearance, but could never find the story again.

I checked a number of spare stock springs I had, & they were the correct free length. Installing a set made no difference to the height.

I then had a pair reset by a spring works, 1.2" lower. when I installed them they fell out. They were too short to stay in place with the suspension on full droop.

I had another set reset at 13/16" shorter free length. These are about as short as will safely stay in place, & have the car just 1/4" higher than stock at the wheel arch. I am reasonably happy with that.

I put the shorter springs aside, thinking I might fit a shorter shock some time, so I could use them. That was only 9 years ago, you can't rush into these things you know.

On the decals, I never got round to fitting any of them to the 8 after painting, & it is still completely nude, 5 years later. I did notice I was occasionally tailgated, particularly by trucks, trying I believe, to figure out what it was.

Well either they lost interest, or I started driving faster, as It stopped happening after a year or two. I had my story all ready. "Sorry officer if I was speeding, but this big nasty truck driver was intimidating me by tailgating me". Do you think it would have worked?

I have been accused of having a beautiful Maserati, a lovely Ferrari, a nice RX7, among other things, but only one in 50 knew it was a Triumph, & even then only 2 knew there was a TR8, or what that is. We never got them, or even the convertible 7 here.

Hasbeen

Nick, if you want the back end lowered, I could send my sister-in-law, Vicki, over to sit in the car. Of course, you'll be wanting to gouge out your eardrums to mute the nagging. Then there's the little matter of using a chain saw for dissection to get her out of the car.

Are you sure you want me to send her over?

Mildred Hargis