Nearly free TR7...talk me out of it

OK, the standard 'talk me out of it' thread...

My wife's aunt and uncle have a TR7 hardtop (a '77 I think, though it may be a '76) that they're willing to practically give away to me. It's in terrific shape, no rust to speak of, newly rebuilt trans, etc. They're Triumph wonks (they have a TR4, a TR6 and two 1800 Roadsters), but they just don't have room for the TR7. I had a '78 TR7 hardtop back in high school and learned a great deal of my mechanic's skills on that car ;-)

I don't need another DD, so I'm thinking that if I go for it I'll convert it to an autocross and track bastard - gut it, cage it, maybe swap in a higher powered lump of some sort (90* V6, rotary?). I know that this is the wrong place to ask, but am I nuts? Is there any real potential there for what I'm describing? I've done some basic googling on the topic but haven't found much in the way of interchange info.

Cheers,

Chris

I'm sorry, I'm going to go against your wishes and talk you into it... Do it!

In reply to CLH:

I would take it.

I have Koni adjustables, Hella sealed beam replacement lamps, slotted rotors, and EBC Yellowstuffs for a TR-7...I would give it to you pretty cheap if you got yourself a TR.

Do it, I still want one myself.

you want us to talk you out of a free mint tr7? seriously?

Talk you out of it? Hell, if I was nearby I'd help you load it on the trailer! Getting that kind of advice here is like asking a Jenny Craig group if they want to meet at the Chinese buffet for lunch.

As long as you plan to dump the engine, go for it. The engine that came in this car is a sad joke.

The 90 degree v6s fit well and bolt to a t5 transmision. Look for a dead camaro for all the donor bits.

Can't really think of why you don't need this...bopr v8 could fit - hmm, for that matter - small block ford is a titch smaller than the bopr motors. T5 will fit both of those motors.

About the advice I expected

I may ride over and take another look tomorrow. It's sooo very tempting....

Since they are big Triumph enthusiasts, will they be upset if you "ruin" it with an engine transplant?

In reply to CLH:

No. They're Triumph people, the thing's got to be in better shape than a barn find or something. Even if you personally don't want it, you can shelter it until you find someone who does.

And besides...if you used to have one in high school, don't you need one to show off at the reunion?

Don't listen to me...last "talk me out of it" thread I posted ended up talking me into it.

So did you get it yet? Post some pictures already

slefain wrote: Talk you out of it? Hell, if I was nearby I'd help you load it on the trailer! Getting that kind of advice here is like asking a Jenny Craig group if they want to meet at the Chinese buffet for lunch.

True words. Did you get it?

talk them into giving you the tr-6 instead. tr-7 are nonsence cars.

The Rover V8 bolts in, it's aluminum, it's lighter than the 4 & the factory already did it all the parts are just a Mastercard away. 3.5 to 4.6 liters of V8 goodness can't be a bad thing.

I had a coworker try to give me his. It needed a head though. I told my wife this very detailed story, as I didn't have a project or child at the time, about how I wanted a project car anyway, and this one would be free. She was slightly interested. I said, it's even a convertible. She was more interested. I said, the paint is a little faded, but I think it could be polished. She was pretty much in. I then said, I just want to show you what a Triumph TR7 looks like. Images.google......

She was out.

-Brian

that is exactly why you don't ask permission, you ALWAYS beg forgiveness.

More fuel for the fire: http://classicmotorsports.net/articles/last-waltz/

@ Brian - great post. Even made my g/f laugh...

There is no way I would turn down a free TR7!

Me, neither. The reason I chose Triumph for my "first marque" was because at the time (I was 12yrs old in 1974), they were the only Britcar company that actually made the attempt at building a "modern" car. I'd seen the Datsun 240z, and knew that such engineering was the future. I cursed BL for not doing any design work, and hoping the "dumb" Americans would just keep buying the same ol' stuff we'd been buying since the end of the Second World War. They were my "team", right? I've always treated motorsport the same way my fellow Southerners do their "stickanball" stuff...

I awaited with glee for the mating of the Dolomite 16v with this new chassis, but for us in the US, it never happened. I was almost ecstatic when the TR8 came out..I reallly thought it would save the company, at least long enough for me to buy a new one once I'd finished college and found a real job.

I guess that since I was young & passionate, I never really understood how dire the situation was for Triumph.

And to this day, I don't know why people call the lil' wedges "ugly". The coupes were a little strange, but the convertables look more like a car from the 1990s than the 1970s.

Ironically, there were more TR7s sold in the US than any other Triumph model. The real TR8s were sold in much smaller numbers (a lot of Britcar experts say there's probably less than 3000 of them left in the world), but as long as you're honest about the thing..take the car, shove a V8 in it, buck up the brakes, and drive the berkeley out of it. It'll be a lot cheaper than sourcing a Dolomite 16v...

BTW: One of my favorite memories about running in SCCA Improved Touring was watching a guy here in SEDIV running a TR-7. IIRC, it was classed in ITB (along with my 1800cc VW Golf Mk.1). We all ran away from him on the straights, but we had to make sure he wasn't behind us on the twisty bits...I still recall him outbraking me into Turn 3 at Road Atlanta, and almost bumping the ITA Mazda FB RX-7 in front of us because he was so much faster through The Esses.

did you get it?

Since no one else has asked, if you don't want it, I'll take it!

I'm still wrangling over it...

Here's the story:

He bought it three years ago at the annual Western Washington All-British Field Meet here in Seattle and paid $2500 for it. He bought it somewhat on a lark...it was sitting in the sale yard and he told the guy "if it's not sold by the end of the day I'll take it." Well, it didn't sell so he bought it. Since then he's driven it a bit, put a rebuilt tranny in it (a 4spd - it's a '76) and dropped in a new battery. It runs, drives, stops, turns, etc., and it only has the mildest of rust spots - no perforation anywhere, and the strut turrets are solid.

He's been trying to convince me for a while to buy the car for what he paid for it, and he and his wife just recently moved to a new house with less garage space (travesty, I know). He now really wants to divest himself of it so he can focus on restoring a '48 Triumph 1800 roadster (he has two). The way he was originally talking it seemed that he was ready to just hand it over, but now he's made me a new offer: he'll sign over title, and I can take it and do as I please with it, no cash exchanged. The catch is that if I ever sell it I have to pay him the $2500, regardless of what I sell it for. If I never sell it, I never pay him. Now, I'm pretty well known for having car A.D.D., so I'm not thinking that this is ultimately a wise agreement to enter into.

If I do it, it would really have to be as part of a long-term plan to convert it into a purpose-built auto-x and track car. I don't want to spend time on it to make it a decent DD (it also has no A/C). It would need much help - uprated brakes all around, suspension help, an engine transplant, the works. Some good, crazy, cost-effective thoughts on how to accomplish this transformation may put me over the edge...

Chris