Hey i'm 18 im very tempted to get a TR7

[Orophin]

Hello, i'm new to the forums, my first post actually! I'm 6" 2" (will i be comfortable?) and want a a 2nd car, a little sports car and fell in love with a 1977 british racing green, TR7 coupe and the guy wants £850 for it, with MOT. It's in good condition, not perfect but I plan to do the v8 conversion and make it rally spec. Also a friend of mine has a few MGB's and has a twin webber carb for sale. He says it will go on a TR7 but not on his MG for some reason, so he's offered it cheap. Will this increase performance a great deal? I don't know alot about these cars yet so please forgive me.

[sst]

Hey cool! I'm 6'1" and have no problems fitting into my current '80 Spider convertible or my first '7, which was a '76 coupe. People used to tell me they thought it was cool that a tall guy could easily get down into the '7 - and have plenty of leg room.. '7s are small, but for some reason they have plenty of leg room..

Good luck and keep us informed!

Son of a .... THATS gonna leave a mark!

[Beans]

Welcome

As for the Weber set up, it all depends what type and size of Weber it is. Also just grafting some Webers on an engine won't improve much.

And if you don't know much about them they will be quite expensive to set up properly.

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

[john]

Hi oropin yeh 62" 22' no problem i'm 6" 1' and find life very comfortable in either modified seats or the original article.

As Beans say's just carbs will not make you go quicker and as most mechanics will tell you first you need to get the engine running sweet timing etc before finally fitting and tuning your carbs.

I'm not sure but John Clancy if he picks up this thread may be able to enlighten you on that...

Great little cars these and cheap to modify in comparison to other cars and with your frame much better than any MG.

i wish you luck and hope to see more of your comments on here. If you are near the NEC during the classic car show in November check us out on the TR Drivers stand.

There is a new book out called how to improve your TR7 which is actually a very good starting point, But no book can match the wealth of infomation and first hand knowledge you can gleam from this forum



[8 whole cylinders worth of punch to ram the world through the windshield and out the rear view mirror. Car & Driver]
1981 Grinnall TR7 v8
1981 Black FHC
1979 & 1980 Black Premium FHC(laid to rest) Sorry


John

[john 215]

Hi Oropin,
Welcome to the best TR7 forum. In heals [:0] i am six foot plus and fit just great.Lot more room in a seven than a MGB thats for sure and to be honest a lot of modern 'sports cars'!
P.S. i was jocking about the heals!!
Cheers John.

LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!
1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)
1982 2.0 DHC Soon to be a 4.6 fire breather!!
Read My Blog http://www.waringstowntr7s.co.uk/blogs/ ... hp/John215

[richards]

Just wanted to say go for it Orophin as yet another 6'2" owner i fit fine, but I wanted to add that the reason you will fit is because these cars are not small! they are as long as a modern family hatch back! mine only just fits in the space vacated by my renault megane!

Get a lifestyle
Get a TR7!

www.ttr7.co.uk

[John Clancy]

I would say don't V8 it and certainly don't go for a Weber carb. A single Weber will likely lower performance so if you go down the Weber route you need two of them (of the DCOE variety). And then to get increased performance you need an extractor manifold and through-flow exhaust. To get the best from the Weber conversion you really need a high lift cam. So you'll need to invest about a grand in parts before you start.

Make sure that nice looking 77 coupe really is as good as it looks. Lift up the carpets and check the footwells carefully. Then get underneath with a torch for a good inspection. Just about anywhere on these cars can rot so make sure you know what you're getting into before you start. A rally car conversion is something you should only undertake once you're absolutely confident in the shell. But they do look nice in the red, white and blue - whichever variety of the Works colour scheme you go for. Currently I prefer the look of the early cars but that's only because of Steve Thomas's perfect example and the outstanding latest model from Corgi.

<center><b>[url="http://www.triumphtr7.com/documents/sales/codenamebullet.asp"]Buy the story of the Triumph TR7/8 on DVD here[/url]</b></center>

[Orophin]

Sounds cool. [8D]Why would you say not to V8 it? isn't that the beauty of a tr7? Isn't the 1998cc underpowered to what it should be? How do you find the 2L engine? I will go and have another look at this car and give it a full go over. And thank you, you've given me confidence that this is the car for me.

[Johnluss]

Hi! I am 5'11" and have no problems except when I get at trafic lights I have to look over the windshield to see the lights.

[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 Johnluss</i>
look over the windshield to see the lights ...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That works fine in a DHC but not in a FHC unless you put a hacksaw to the roof [:D]

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

[John Clancy]

Don't V8 it because you don't yet know the car. See how you get on with it once it's in your possession and then decide. You may find you're surprised by the performance of the four cylinder engine and if you're not a couple of cheap simple upgrades will give you a raspy exhaust note and decent performance.

If the car you're looking at has the four speed transmission you will get Dolomite-like transmission noise but a quicker accelerating car. Putting a V8 in these cars required the axle, gearbox and propshaft to be changed as well as the engine so could be something to consider. But any power boost to the four cylinder engine will be enhanced by the four speed box. On top of the quicker performance generally it's quite a bit lighter and therefore more chuckable around those country roads.

<center><b>[url="http://www.triumphtr7.com/documents/sales/codenamebullet.asp"]Buy the story of the Triumph TR7/8 on DVD here[/url]</b></center>

[bmcecosse]

As others have said - survey the car VERY carefully before buying - rear floor/suspension attachments and fuel tank are often in need of repair/replacement! There are several very nice looking cars on ebay at the moment - so no need to rush into the first one you see - have a good look at several then make your choice. Drop Head Convertible is much better for the summer - even in the UK, but not so good in winter obviously. These cars were built for 6'4" USA consumption - I am 6'2" and don't have the seat fully back or fully reclined - you will be fine. At age 18 you will struggle for insurance even for a standard car - and a single weber is hopeless for this engine - but should fit the MGB just fine if it's a 45 DCOE. The way forward with the TR7 engine is NOT just bolting on different carbs - the SUs are very efficient, but can of course be improved by following the wisdom of Mr Vizard. Best bet will be a Dolly Sprint engine if you can find a good one - but respectfully I suggest you get the car and get used to it before worrying about more power!

[FI Spyder]

What the others said...plus:
These cars handle well. Can be up graded a number of ways. Parts are relatively cheap and available. Driving fun doesn't neccessarily equal horsepower. Great fun to fix yourself and learn much about vehicle maintenance. Once sorted as reliable as most vehicles of the era. Have a racing history not well known. Name the number of cars that have beaten the best Europe could offer on rallye courses in Europe and also won the Trans AM Championship in US (winning 5 of 6 races while beating Jaguar, Lotus, Porsche and Corvette while doing it). None come to mind except the TR7 (albeit TR7V8 for most of these wins). While cheap to buy and fix you will not get your money out of it if you decide to sell it so look on it as a hobby and not a way to make money. Way cooler than any old rice burner or most other affordable eurocoupe.

[fiveliters]

Is everybody in the UK 6'2" (or taller)?[:D]
I'm 6'1" Orophin,and yeah,I have no complaints as far as the interior. I went to test drive an Infinity convertible years ago here and literally I couldn't get into it. We thought the power seat had malfunctioned,but it was just as far back as it would go. They make aftermarket headers and exhausts for the cars,plus K&N air filters or intakes,which help a little bit. And if there is a mod you want to try, ask here...someone has probably already done it![;)]

[Orophin]

Cool, thanks everyone. I've recently viewed it a 2nd time. I tell you, it's nearly mint. It's an 1980 one...not 1977, oops sorry it's been some time since I saw this car, that means it's mk2 tr7? Apparently better in build quality than the 1st lot, in a different factory, can't remember what factory he said but somewhere in britain thats for sure! It's got the double grill bonnet. Only 2 very small blemishes on the outer paintwork, one pop up light has a chip been taken out of it, and on the back...on top of the boot there is a little bubbleing, about 35mm in diameter with lots of tiny bubbles in the paintwork...what could that be? The interier looks very good. Seats are good as new. No rust anywhere I could find. Anywhere! He says he's treated it underneath too. Selling with full MOT.

It's had new clutch valve, a new fuel tank, new rear suspension and it's been stored in a warehouse under a sheet since 2001. He's cleaned the points and put a battery in and started 3rd or 4th time apparently. Ticks over nicely. Tyres appear good. He wants £850 and no lower. Good or not? I can insure this car for pennies, my current insurance (my BMW 316 e36 with Quinn Direct) will let me drive any car thats not in my name which is insured, so simple I get my dad to take out a classic policy and I drive it...[:D] So I'm stuck on what car to get as a 2nd car...