New to the TR7

Philip · Postby **Philip** » 22 Dec 2008 06:32

Those odometer numbers arent well aligned. Are you sure that mileage is correct and not 143K ?

Still standing !

PeterTR7V8 · Postby **PeterTR7V8** » 22 Dec 2008 09:24

What is that extra trim they have slapped onto the side?! Most people want to hide the swage, not embellish it.

The car looks rough. It is in dire need of rescuing so I wouldn't want to put you off but here is a short reality checklist.

1. At the very least it needs a respray.
2. Check for rust & assume there is 10 times as much as you can find.
3. If the engine doesn't fire then for the purposes of price negotiation assume it needs a rebuild or replacement motor. If the owner can fire it up you can get it tested & you will have a better idea of what you are getting.

If you can handle that then look around for prices of TR7s in a similar state. Don't let the seller talk up the low miles when the car won't run & looks like crap.

BUT, if you do buy it you will get plenty of help from this forum so you will learn as you go & end up with a great little car. If I was in your boots the thing that would turn me off most would be rust. A rotten body is a lot of work & a steep learning curve and/or money. Mechanicals are just nuts & bolts & if the motor turns out to be rubbish then it is a good excuse to drop a 2 headed monster in there.

Good luck.

************************************************************************
To do list:
Upholstery/Motor/Gearbox/Suspension/Brakes/Carb/Tyres../Gearbox/Paint/Cam+Motor
Done......./done./done....../done......../done../done/done/redone.../done/under way
Blog: http://www.forum.triumphtr7.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8548

jclay (RIP 2018) · Postby **jclay (RIP 2018)** » 22 Dec 2008 13:03

Most of the US cars had that trim installed. Didn't do us any favors!

If the motor can't get fuel, then the tank is probably rusted on the bottom or just crudded up and the fuel lines are stopped up. Gravity feed some gas from a gas can into the carbs and see if it will fire up.

You will probably have to drain the tank, maybe send it to renu usa and have it rebuilt and lined. I would then put in a new fuel filter and a low pressure electric fuel pump together at the rear. If the lines are clear, bypass the original pump at the engine and install a new filter up-stream of the carbs.

The early cars had several problems with quality. Most of the problems have been resolved with better parts available now.

Click on my homepage icon at the top of this post and you can see some of the things that I had to do to get my caar bck on the road.

Have fun, drive fast & safe, be kewl,

jclay

TR7Aaron · Postby **TR7Aaron** » 22 Dec 2008 13:04

That looks just like the '80 I bought. Mine also has the door ding guard strips along the side. You should be able to buy a car like that for under $500.00.
Aaron

Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.

TR7Aaron · Postby **TR7Aaron** » 22 Dec 2008 16:09

I happened to find that ad for the car you are interested in. My opinion is to NOT buy it unless you just want it for parts. According to the ad - no title, no keys and it's been sitting for 25 years. That sounds very similar to the 1980 model I bought for $450.
FYI: I live no where near where this car is, so I'm NOT trying to persuade you not to buy it so I can. I do have a little knowledge about these cars (but nothing compared to many others here) and it sounds like a good parts donor (with the low miles and all) but I think you would be much better off buying a TR7 for a couple thousand dollars that has keys, a title, little or no rust, and runs. JMHO.
Aaron

Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.

Hasbeen · Postby **Hasbeen** » 22 Dec 2008 16:40

Hay, Abdukted, these cars can be great teachers. If one is in OK but
not great condition, there will be lots of little, minor things go
wrong, over the first couple of years you own it.

After gaining experience, fixing these type of things, you could
then try a 7 that has stood for a long time. If you started with one
of those, without much general experience, I'm afraid you would
fail, & thus not have a good experience. [A lot more goes wrong with
old cars, when they just sit, than when they are used]. What's more,
we would have lost a prospective new owner.

Try one, even if a bit rough, which is running, & road registered.
Then you can enjoy the thing, from time to time, to overcome the
frustrations, which all old cars, needing work, can, & will throw at
you.

If it's cheep enough, for you to get your money back, after you have
pulled it to bits, & failed, I supose you can't loose, & it might be
worth while.

Good luck, what ever your choice.

Hasbeen

FI Spyder · Postby **FI Spyder** » 22 Dec 2008 22:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Philip

Those odometer numbers arent well aligned. Are you sure that mileage is correct and not 143K ?

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

Being a USA car the milage would be miles not kilometers.

Not starting is probably due to bad gas, fuel filter etc. You can spray in some quick start (ether) to see if it fires up. Even if body good, not starting can be a really good barganing chip to keep price around 500.

That being said it takes a lot of patience to go through a car to sort it out with no driving fun to bolster it during the process. Often underestimated, it is the prime reason many projects (not just TR7's) are abandoned. If the journey is as much fun as the destination, great. If not pay a few thousand more and get a running one.

If there is any rust perferation ask yourself, do you really want to learn to become a bodyman. Not fun for many, rewarding for a few.

Also check and make sure there is a process you can register it in your jurisdiction if there is no title.

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

allzway · Postby **allzway** » 23 Dec 2008 01:01

I just bought my third TR7 a few weeks ago.

That one looks like a car I saw here in Texas on graigslist.

These are fun cars....but be aware that they are not daily drivers...at least not without a lot of work.

They have bad engines, horrible wiring, bad light motors,and bad brakes among many other problems.

The fuel tank on this one is probably full of rust, but if it is a Texas car, then luckily I haven't seen much body rust on any of them I have looked at locally.

If you enjoying tinkering with a car...they are fun to drive and parts cars are cheap to buy, but they do require attention and most of it is custom work to replace all the bad parts. Or at least that is what I have done with all of my cars.

I have yet to see a TR7 in the US that every reached 100,000 miles. Most have been put to pasture with 40-50,000 miles.

Contact me if you have any questions. allzway @ team.camaroz28.com

jclay (RIP 2018) · Postby **jclay (RIP 2018)** » 23 Dec 2008 01:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">allzway

They have bad engines, horrible wiring, bad light motors,and bad brakes among many other problems.

The fuel tank on this one is probably full of rust, but if it is a Texas car, then luckily I haven't seen much body rust on any of them I have looked at locally.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hum? Even here in Hillbilly Hell, (Texas!) with all us red necks, them is fightin' words!!

To fer-n-ers, who don't understand these LBC, all that red-er-ic might seem true. My car is over 57,000 miles, is a daily driver, starts right up, gets rubber in 1st, 2nd n' an occasional squeak in 3rd, has no rust on it's original paint, stops great and doesn't wink at you!

Anybody can drive a Come-arrow, but not many can drive a TR7!

Have fun, drive fast & safe, be kewl,

jclay

allzway · Postby **allzway** » 23 Dec 2008 01:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jclay
[
Hum? Even here in Hillbilly Hell, (Texas!) with all us red necks, them is fightin' words!!

To fer-n-ers, who don't understand these LBC, all that red-er-ic might seem true. My car is over 57,000 miles, is a daily driver, starts right up, gets rubber in 1st, 2nd n' an occasional squeak in 3rd, has no rust on it's original paint, stops great and doesn't wink at you!

Anybody can drive a Come-arrow, but not many can drive a TR7!

Have fun, drive fast & safe, be kewl,

jclay

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

Hey...This is my third car and I have been around numerous others. I love these cars...but they are what they are. [:D]

jclay (RIP 2018) · Postby **jclay (RIP 2018)** » 23 Dec 2008 01:30

OK, I calmed down now! Sorry, didn't mean to burn you. Please accept my apology!

Also, check your e-mail!

allzway · Postby **allzway** » 23 Dec 2008 13:09

No problem... I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. [:)]

zekow1 · Postby **zekow1** » 23 Dec 2008 14:16

Hii Guys
I had my first tr7 back in 1976
never had any problems with it none at all.
i checked the oil
I checked the brakes
made sure it had coolant
had it for 4 years while in college ,drove it hard
this was in Daytona florida and it hurt when I had to sell it . i went to work over seas.
i just recently bought a 1981 conv.with 26,000 miles
no rust, engine is great
everything that is rubber is gone ,though.
so i have been changing all the bushings i have not finished it yet .
But it drives great . I bought it in ebay never saw it till i got it
and I was sure it was going to be just fine.
This will be my daily driver .
But Hey! my dalily driver now is a 1990 740 turbo volvo wagon it has 127,000 miles
so you have to have the right stuff!!! to own one of these beauties .
have fun Be safe
Zeke[:)]

Tom M. · Postby **Tom M.** » 23 Dec 2008 17:16

Well my 2 cents on this issue is that if you want a TR7 buy the best one you can find. There's an old saying in the classic car game "If you can't afford a good one then you really can't afford a bad one!".

Except in rare cases classic car restoration is one of the worst paying jobs in the world. Figure you will get 25 to 50% of the restoration costs upon resale.

The mitigating factor in this equation is if you like doing restorations, then it's a different deal. But if you're looking at an old beat up car with the intent of restoring its past glory, let someone else do it.

Like I said that's my 2 cents.

Tom M.

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