Non-modified TR7's

[paulheritage]

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on standard TR7's?

Having owned a modified TR7V8 DHC since 1990 (converted in1995), I never thought I'd go for a 2.0l car again, never mind a FHC; but the last few years has made me really like the FHC cars.

Fortunately I managed to get an original 1976 FHC (with 2 former owners, full service history, all original) and love it - as equal as my modified DHC.

Are other owners enjoying the original cars again (FHC & DHC), that haven't been modified, and can we see a day when the standard cars are more sought after?

I constantly tell people that my early FHC is to be kept as bad as it was when it left Speke, but in reality it is as enjoyable as any TR7 I've driven, V8 or not.

What's everyone else's view on standard cars these days.



Cheers Paul,

1976 TR7 FHC (ACG 3115)
1977 TR7V8 3.9 FHC rally car (ACG 35005)
1980 TR7V8 3.5 DHC

www.Triumph-Cars.co.uk

[WhiteTR8]

As a long term investment an unmodified car will always be your best bet, but for driving fun factor thats usually an entirely different story.

Most of my British classic cars were modified to some degree. I was always more excited by a hotter cam, headers, suspension mods or bigger set of SU's than having everything original. Let's not forget that in the day BL had a philosophy of "win on Sunday and sell on Monday", meaning that racing was encouraged. You could go into any BL dealer and order "special tuning" bits not just for racing but also to modify your car for street use.

So to my mind there is nothing wrong with modifying any car providing the changes are "period modifications". I've personally never been of a mindset of high teching an old car, but adding mods that were available at the time of production is OK in my books.

If I had your original 76 I'd probably try to improve it. But that's just me.[}:)]

Its easy to understand wanting to ad a box stock car to your stable, but how would you feel if that was your only car?

[silverseven]

my dream garage would consist of one of each .....box stock Speke coupe and modded v8 Solihull dhc.

Ron.

[WhiteTR8]

Actually a lot could be said for showing up at a car show with a perfectly running original early Speke car. That would shock everybody.[;)]

Our TR7 race car is a 1975 very early Speke car. According to the ownership only the 512th TR7 produced. I wonder how many of the 511 before it are still around.

[john 215]

Hi,


<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><font color="blue">my dream garage would consist of one of each .....box stock Speke coupe and modded v8 Solihull dhc.
</font id="blue"><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">


Looks like I am living dream [:D] Almost standard 76 coupe, has had a 5 speed conversion but all the parts to turn back to 4 speed ready to refit when I can stop driving her !, and a 81 DHC with a 4.6 in her and a 'few' other mods [^]

Love driving the Coupe, so smooth and IMHO drives better than a DHC, but the 4.6 is great fun too and all that torque and power well what can I say ... [8D] Guess best of both worlds !

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 !!!!

[FI Spyder]

My Spider is stock except for muffler/exhaust tip and seat material (pre 1985). I plan to keep it that way. Yes it has original radio which is stereo AM/FM Cassette, and FI which makes it a little more modern than the early cars and taking off from a light reminds me of driving our old Chevy farm truck in the '60's with it's bull low, but other than that, with top down, it's so much fun on our twisty, turny, up and down side roads as well as the Trans Canada Highway. Whether there's only one other TR7 beside it at a car show (Van Dusen) or beside 23 others (TR7/8's at Portland ABFM) it's likely to be the only/most original car there with it's original trunk/paint/top/carpet/engine bay/alloys.

One year at Portland one guy had brought two Spiders, one carb, one FI, but they looked every one of their 30 years and ready to be parked before their major restorations. Never saw them again. Sitting in a barn somewhere or under multi-year restoration? One of life's mysteries.


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

[nervousnewowner]

breaking an 81 dhc with four branch, sports exhaust, k and ns etc and was going to swap onto my 77 fhc but love car as is so going to reinstate it back to original spec, colour too as currently a rusty metallic and should be blue, but love changes, not against it at all.... had morris minor ready to put a v8 into a few yrs ago, think it suits the tr7 better,.....[:D]

project dhc being stripped sadly sadly, project fhc taking over...
Dave...

the project at birth, watch it evolve...I hope...

[Roy Hankins]

I've always sat in the keep them original camp. When I drive a TR7 I want it to feel and drive exactly as the 1970's mass produced sports car it is. I don't want it to feel like a modern euro box in disguise.

But having said that I know there is a lot of TR7's that are only on the road because they are highly modified or have a V8 under the bonnet. I'd rather see a modified TR7 still on the road than no TR7 at all.

I do think there is a definite change of attitude now with more people keeping and restoring their cars to original specification. I know of a few TR7 people who are undoing the small changes they once made and returning their cars back to standard.

How long will it be before someone goes the whole hog and takes out that V8 engine to put a 2.0 back in.

Paul,a 2 owner,full service history all original Speke car is the one to have,keep and enjoy her just as she is.[:)]

Roy

[Cobber]

<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 Roy Hankins</i>

How long will it be before someone goes the whole hog and takes out that V8 engine to put a 2.0 back in. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

<font size="2"><font face="Comic Sans MS">
Not this little black duck!
I don't wish for the "original experience" as I didn't much like the "original problems" or the "original lack of performance" and don't care for the "original bean counter compromised engineering"
For me I'd rather have the car they should've built in the first place, which I see as the car with careful, well thought out and sympathetic improvements that unleash the cars true potential.

In short: the car I'm building, a true original.</font id="Comic Sans MS"></font id="size2">





"Keep calm, relax, focus on the problem & PULL THE BLOODY TRIGGER"

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

[FI Spyder]

See? Good reasons all. That's why everyone needs at least two and should aim for Chris's stance of having the most diverse, original, hottest versions of the car (with maybe some hidden performance accoutrements?)[;)]



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

[Hasbeen]

I really don't care too much about stock or modified. The 7 is almost stock, & the 8 is really only a TR body, & I love them both.

There is a feel to the 7/8 which remains even after serious modification, like the 8, which I love. I think much of it is in the basics, track, wheel base, front end geometry, armstrong steering & the live rear axle that come together to tell you, you are in a 7.

Once when I picked my son up from the airport, after a year away, as soon as we left the smooth expressway for a quite good county road, I saw a little smile on his face, & he murmured "oh yes". I knew he felt it too, the car talking to you.

The only other road car I have felt it in, that communication with the road, was of all things an 82 Honda Prelude, bought for my daughter. At the time I wished Honda made rear drive cars.

Then they made the S2000, a great car for other reasons, but Honda has lost the "feel", just like the Europeans have.

Hasbeen

[kstrutt1]

I ran mine as an everyday car in standard form for many years, the only thing I couldn't live with was the appauling standard brakes, I fitted capri/ Cortina based set up which was a vast improvement.

[FI Spyder]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Once when I picked my son up from the airport, after a year away, as soon as we left the smooth expressway for a quite good county road, I saw a little smile on his face, & he murmured "oh yes". I knew he felt it too, the car talking to you.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">


My car talks to me too (without the Australian accent) but puts the same smile on my face. Regardless how fast I take a curve it says "Is that all you've got? I can take it a lot faster than that". The car has more ability than I have the guts to match it. Getting too old I guess. As for the brakes they are good enough to stop before I hit a baby deer standing in the middle of the road when going around a curve, a sudden backup of traffic in the rain when two roads of traffic merged into one, an opposing SUV turning into my lane as she turned at an intersection. The one time any brake wouldn't have made a difference when an opposing car turned into my lane I was able to yank the steering wheel over, tires howling and jink around him and back into my lane all the while under control with no excessive body roll, fishtailing or over correction. There's more to fun driving than just acceleration (although there's nothing wrong with that too).

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

[paulheritage]

All interesting replies!

My original TR7 FHC is going to be my car for this summer, mainly because my modified TR7V8 DHC is in need of a bottom end rebuild (got a 3.9 to fix that).

I also have a very, very modified TR7 FHC V8 rally car (Speke non-sunroof) which is the complete opposite of the one I was originally taking about.

However, I am finding that all 3 cars have their own benefits, problems, issues, but for every day use the standard car just seems to work better! Even the brakes are really good. It is nice to be able to have another car to be able to change, but keep,another one 'as shite as it came out of the factory' but in fact better built!



Cheers Paul,

1976 TR7 FHC (ACG 3115)
1977 TR7V8 3.9 FHC rally car (ACG 35005)
1980 TR7V8 3.5 DHC

www.Triumph-Cars.co.uk

[Beans]

<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 paulheritage</i>

... Even the brakes are really good ... <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
You're clearly not trying hard enough [:p] [:D]

<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>