New TR6 in the family

Well I've jumped back into the LBC abyss once again. This time I found a TR6 worth keeping. My first call was to VTO Wheels, where I ordered a set of their 15x7 LeMans wheels. Look for the car at GRM/ CMS events, as this one is a keeper. I"m open to modification ideas, although engine swaps aren't on the table---- I dig the original straight six too much! I'm pretty psyched....so I figured I'd share. Any advice, or ideas are welcome. I'm not saying I'll do the crazy things you folks suggest, but you never know!

I hear good stuff about mikuni flat side carb conversions improving driveability. Then again there's a guy who converts SUs and zenith strombergs into injection throttle bodies. With some clever routing it's hard to tell it injected.

Thanks oldtin---- I'm an analog kinda guy, so I'll be keeping it carbureted. It has the stock Zenith/ Stromberg carbs on there now, and it runs sweetly. I'll look into the Mikuni carbs though as a future option.

Sweet. I have always loved these. Quite possibly the best looking LBC convertible.

You need a better exhaust tip.

I'm a huge fan. Wanted one since I was a kid. But I've never come across one that didn't have serious rust issues. Plus, the relatively poor weather sealing scares me living in the northeast.

If I can find a good one for a reasonable price, I'll definitely buy it. Especially in Tahiti Blue.

LanEvo---- they are still out there in good shape, it just takes some searching. They can be weather-tight as well. The day I drove this one home it was raining buckets and the interior stayed completely dry. I wouldn't take it through a high-pressure car wash, but it's sealed much better than I expected.

They are starting to increase in price, with perfect examples brining $25K+. If you want one, get one soon, as there aren't many 6cyl LBCs still affordable. Good cars can still be found for under $10K---- you just need to do a little searching to find the right one.

Look at JK Jackson's wife's TR6. Beautiful car, side-draft Webers and OD. Used to watch it going up Crow Mountain Hillclimb every year that they had the race.

JK certainly knows a thing or two about Triumphs! He's actually one of Tim's mentors. JK was also a real-life rocket scientist! Amazing guy, with a ridiculous amount of knowledge.

That's a nice looking TR6. I like your choice of wheels.

I suspect that car already has many of the typical TR6 issues addressed. It appears it may already have a rear brake disk conversion. The number one thing IMO is to replace the stock rear hubs with an upgrade if that hasn't already been done. The upgraded hubs that Richard Good sells are about the same cost as a rebuilt stock unit. The originals have been known to suffer catastrophic axle failures even under normal driving conditions. Adding a rear sway bar and balancing it with a stiffer front bar really improves the handling. You can also upgrade the springs without hurting ride quality too badly. The rear springs in particular are too soft from the factory.

Thanks Joe--- I believe the hubs have been redone, and the car rides on Richard Good springs, with Konis up front. The previous owner was a Triumph guru, and actually one of the guys who helps us with our restoration work--- so I got very lucky and bought it from the right guy. The bushings are a bit aggressive, so there's a bunch of squeaky-squeaky, but we're planning on installing grease fittings to quiet them down. It still has the rear drums--- but they've been painted white--- I'm planning on throwing some black paint on them so they don't stand out as much.

Pretty much leave it alone. Do a proper tune up (including dyno time) and drive it. There are SUs that will fit, but you need the ones with the short tops. They aren't that easy to find and again they take some tuning. If you can come up with a European injection system, do that. It's good for 150HP instead the 109 we got. Does it have OD? If not, you may want to look into the Toyota 5 speeds.

I watched the big Healeys go from $10k to $60k in about 15 years, putting them out of my reach (which I hate, because I'd love one), and I can definitely see the same thing happening to these.

spitfirebill---- it does have OD, so I won't be needing the Toyota 5spd. It's also been pretty optimized by the previous owner--- rebuilt engine with a mild cam, nicely fabricated fan shroud, etc. but nothing crazy. I'll be modifying it for reliability and drivability, not necessarily for power---- I have other cars to satisfy my need for speed.

With the Richard Good suspension components it handles surprisingly well---- far better than my old TR! It's also plenty fast enough to be fun.

i heart TR6!

I owned a mustard yellow one back in the day that thankfully was minus the later big black things on the bumpers and lower compression smog motor (maybe that was just Cali). It was a wonderful driving experience with great turn in and steering precision. along with being quite narrow it was really fun on secondary roads and the top worked great. Sounded spectacular! The Leyland electric OD was cool! I had a bad time with the rear shocks and their mounts.. but it ran really well as long as I had it and Lucuas was kind to me. Congrats!

Having been exposed to Cobras at an impressionable age, I think stripes that continue down to the bottom of the car are ten times better looking than stripes that stop at the edge of the hood or trunk. Your aesthetic judgement may vary!

^^ while the stripes look pretty good, they will go away when I get the time + $$. I'm just not a stripe kinda guy, and I think the car will look fantastic all dark blue.

I still love the styling and romance of British classics. I just don't want to drive them anymore. If I want to get that sweaty during a two minute ride, I got a better option