There's a TR7 that I could pick up in the part-it-out price range. Looks like it's been sitting under a tree for 20 years, but it's complete. So, are the parts worth anything? Are there enough TR7's still out there? Does anyone care about them?
Parts car pickings are slim, I just don't want to grow old and die with a garage full of TR7 parts.
Enough people care about this to warrant this man's business http://www.thewedgeshop.com/
Can't imagine how the man makes a living!
I bought a clean example from an estate that was at the end of a restoration and chock full of new parts. Figured that if I bought the car for $1000 I could flip it.
I ended up trading the car for a new front door. Nobody wanted that thing.
NOHOME wrote: Can't imagine how the man makes a living! I bought a clean example from an estate that was at the end of a restoration and chock full of new parts. Figured that if I bought the car for $1000 I could flip it. I ended up trading the car for a new front door. Nobody wanted that thing.
I had a similar experience. One turned up in the local salvage yard so I took some pieces off of it to sell. I could barely give them away, ended up just about breaking even. The exact opposite of TR6 pieces which sell like hot cakes.
I buy TR7 parts cars because they make it possible for me to restore TR8s and not loose a boat load of money. A TR7 parts car only makes sense if you own a TR7 or TR8. I know TR7s inside out, I am firmly entrenched in the wedge community, and still, I couldn't justify buying one to part out or even to restore, hoping to make money. TR8s are at least a break even proposition, and the driving experience would far outweighs any dollars lost, so take them out of the equation. As far as the business posted above, me and many of my TR8 friends refuse to do business with him. My advise is to stay as far away from that guy as possible. Thats all I'm going to say about that! One thing most people on this board don't realize is that there is a very strong following of TR8 owners. Some of the TR7 guys are creeping into the fold as well. The well cared for, enthusiast owned TR7s and TR8 are wonderful driving machines, that should be worth far more than they are. Luckily for us, they are under appreciated, and the prices remain low.
I was looking at a nice, original TR7 spider at the A-C auction yesterday. I really like those cars. I rode in one during the American British Reliability Run last year and while it definitely had a '70s/'80s feel to it, it was so much more modern and nice to be in than my crude GT6.
As far as parts, I'd search around for stuff that isn't being reproduced, likely large plastic bits or things that get cut up: that huge plastic dash, the radio bezel, various switches, lights, etc. I sincerely doubt you'll make a ton of money off selling them, but it might work.
In reply to Datsun1500, your making my point. Every once in a while, I'll run into a new TR7 owner that just spent $4500 or 5K on a nice TR7. I just smile and walk away knowing they obviously didn't shop around much.
"I am firmly entrenched in the wedge community . . . "
Would you say that you might even be considered wedged into that community?
Todd's right on all points including his comment on that specialty shop. (EVERYONE around here has a tale to tell about that place.) He doesn't mention that quite a few TR8 owners also own a TR7 as well. Along with that, many TR8 owners have both a roadster and a coupe (original or TR8 conversion) the convertible being mildly built up for cruising, the coupe very often being built into a monster of some sort. More so that other British cars, these cars are driven a LOT and are most always in modified form. The improvements are just too well proven and easily done and the results are SO dramatic that it's impossible to resist.
If I could find a coupe at a price, locally, I'd already own it. And I HATE TR8s . . .
I can't speak for the other posters, but I own three TR8's and a TR7 parts car and have only had very positive experiences when dealing with the forenamed shop.
A TR7 parts car is only really worth something to other wedge owners. The later ones had a 5 sp which is always easy to sell but otherwise anything else is by individual demand.
I will echo what Ian and the others have said: Not a damn thing wrong with the car. The engine might be another matter, but compared to my MGB GT, the TR7 is a modern car. Certainly better put together than any MG ever was. I got rid of it because of it's Rodney Dangerfield personality, not its abilities. This car should have had the reception that the Miata did except it was blasted by the Cheese wedge imagery. And the motors blew up, but then so did the Miatas
That said, there are probably not enough bad things that can be said about the engine. If you have changed the waterpump in a TR7, you have already served your time in hell.
So, wait, there's a short wheelbase, fixed roof, two seat, solid axle car that ISN'T worth stupid amounts of money?
Where do I find these things? The last TR7 that I saw was on a Blazer frame and was never seen moved from its spot in the driveway... and this was around 1996.
I love my RX-7s but the rice tax is pricing them out of reach. I probably have enough parts that I can MAKE a TR-7 mechanically an RX-7.
"That said, there are probably not enough bad things that can be said about the engine."
And yet, Saab was able to take the same basic engine and make it work beautifully with a handful of re-designs and improvements, something that Leland was unable or incapable of doing. Labor and money problems doomed the TR7 from the beginning, the radical design was just an added extra.
Lucky for us ! ! !
In the north east rust belt you dont see those any more
No you don't come across too many fairly clean restoration projects, but you do find lots of pristine, well cared for garaged ones.
The first model car that I ever built was a yellow TR7 coupe. I always loved the wedges.
I wonder how hard it would be to turn one into a good car if you strayed from stock parts...
In reply to Woody:
From talking to owners, there's really nothing wrong with stock parts. The trick is finding one that hasn't been effed with by somebody who "knows better" and attempts to make changes where none are needed.
It seems the best thing to do is to find a later car as by then many of the labor and quality issues had been sorted out and the cars were pretty decent.
Yeah, they rust. Big deal. So did every other car from the 70's...
The early TR7's built in the Speke plant near Liverpool are the ones to avoid. The production was put there by the British government because of high unemployment despite the fact there was no history of automobile production in the area. The Speke plant suffered fron strikes, radical unionism and even sabatoge of some cars on the line. Consequently the quality of the Speke built cars sucks. They're the ones that gave the wedge its bad name. Later they moved production back closer to Coventry and the later TR7(and TR8) production quality was quite good but by then it was unfortunately too little too late. British Leyland then became a part of automotive history..
We were very happy with TheWedgeShop. They were great to us while building our Challenge car. They even tossed in a part we did not know we needed. Their sticker is on the front of our Challenge car.
Most TR7 parts are worth very little, though I would grab any really nice tail tight plastic. We got a lot of money selling the power steering off of our TR8 parts car. (Like $460, but I'm an excellent salesman.) The 1975 TR7 coupe body we used was virtually rust free, so I don't want to hear rust comments.
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