Hello,
Recently purchased a 1976 TR7 coupe to restore. I'm sure this place will become my "go to" spot when I have troubles.
That's the short version. Now here's the long one........
I have liked the TR7 since the first one I saw, and I have wanted to do an electric car conversion for many years. The easiest cars to convert are FE/RWD with a manual transmission and lightweight. I've kept my eyes open for donor cars (mainly Miata's) for years as most of the TR7's I see are too fully restored to cut into or so rusted you can't cut into them. It was a fluke that this one showed up so close to home. For the asking price I was SURE it didn't run or the motor was seized, or the trans was destroyed, or something else was terminal. So I get there and he says it runs and tries to start it. Turned over nicely but wouldn't fire. Bad gas and gunky carbs from sitting for years I'm sure. Now, I can't bear tearing out an salvageable original motor and trans (which does seem to shift very nicely), so it's getting restored. The body is in really good shape for being 40 years old. The one oddity (at least to me) is that it is an FCH with a vinyl top. Could it have been applied by a previous owner?
I'm sure you will see me here asking silly questions and reading like mad to learn as much as I can about the mechanicals of my little project. Again, thanks for including me. The pictures were from the previous owner. I'll have to resize the one I took when I got it home. The site says they are too big.