Information about my TR4

This TR4 is my second Triumph. My first was a 1972 TR6 that I purchased in 1986 while I was in college. Unfortunately, I quit driving the car in the winter of 1988, and was unable to commit the time and resources necessary to get the car back on the road again. I finally sold it in 1993.

In the summer of 2001 a fellow employee brought a 1969 Datsun Roadster that he and his father had restored to the office. He was trying to sell the car, and after spending a noon hour driving the car, I had the small convertible bug again. However, after discussing the situation with my wife, she convinced me that I would never be truly happy with any car unless I bought another Triumph, so my search began.

I found my TR4 in Lakeland, Florida through a classified advertisement on the Internet. After exchanging several e-mails, pictures and a phone call to the owner, I agreed to buy the car.

The exterior and interior of the car are in excellent condition. The first thing I did when I got the car home was pull out some old carpet that had been glued to the floor of the trunk. There was some rust damage to the floor of the trunk that I did my best to repair. I also epainted the trunk interior. A PO had painted the trunk and engine compartment with a semi-flat black, so I just stuck with that.

The top is not in that great of shape (the plastic windows are well stained and discolored). I've taken the hood sticks off and refinished them, and will try to salvage the top when I get the chance.

As far as I know (and according to the PO), the engine has never had any major work done to it. The car runs strong in warm weather, but I've had a little trouble getting everything tweaked since colder weather has set in.

Here's a summary of what I've done to the car since acquiring it in September 2001:

I'm still very much in the learning process regarding this car. I've found several good sources of information on the internet, including the Triumph List. The folks there have been extremely helpful.

I'm always looking for additional tips and information, and I'm always happy to share what limited knowledge I have of these wonderful cars. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or comments regarding this site or my car, or if you just want to talk Triumphs.

Update - April 2002:

The car is finally back on the road after spending the winter in my basement garage. Unfortunately, I don't have any kind of a drive leading from the front of my home to the basement overhead door at the rear, and the ground (on the north side of my house) becomes somewhat wet and soft during the winter. I managed to get the car stuck in the yard, and had to (with the help of my wife) push it out.

It's running a little rough right now, but is drivable. I'm trying to find the time to give it a proper tune-up. I replaced the points and a defective vacuum advance unit this past winter, and just need to get everything dialed in at this point. I also replaced the gasket on the differential unit in the hope that a faulty gasket was the main source of the small pool of gear oil located under the rear of the car. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It looks like the pinion shaft oil seal is the culprit.

Update - September 2003:

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've updated this page. As evidenced by the pages covering my engine rebuild, the car has been out of commission for a while. My plan to keep somewhat of an ongoing journal chronicling the improvements to the car has obviously fallen by the wayside. Now that it's back on the verge of drivability, I'll attempt to continue with my original plan.

October 2003:

I finally got around to swtitching the car over to a negative ground electrical system. It was extremely simple and straightforward. I followed the instructions on located on the Vintage Triumph Register's website. After the conversion, I installed my new stereo and speaker system.

March 2004:

I took the carburetors off the car in November to swap out the front body with a replacement that a member on the Triumph List was kind enough to send me (thanks again Fred). The needles on both carbs were noticeably worn, so I decided to go ahead and replace the needles and jets and seals/gaskets. I hadn't been in a big hurry since my back yard is usually too wet in the winter to get the car out of the basement.

Well, I finally got everything put back together and decided to crank on it a few times to see what would happen. It fired right up! A couple more days of dry sunny weather and I'll attempt to transfer it up to the main garage.

May 2004:

I've put quite a few miles on the car over the past few months. The car has been running well; however, I did end up replacing the original starter with a modern gear reduction model. It has made a huge difference in starting the car. I also recently wrestled with a problem with the voltage control unit on the car. I had noticed for a while that the ammeter seemed to be indicating an overcharge condition. After a flurry of e-mail exchanges with Randall on the Triumph List, I managed to get the thing adjusted properly. I've also bought a used rear lever shock on eBay to replace mine, which has been leaking fluid.

The MOTAA Petit Jean car show is coming up in June. My car is certainly no show winner, but it's fun attend and the entry fee is well worth the great parking space on the grass. We're expecting a huge British car turnout again this year.

July 2004:

The MOTAA car show was in June and went well. There were 25 British cars in all and 14 Triumphs! When our BMCA club newsletter came out in the middle of July, I was shocked to discover that my car had placed second in the Triumph class! I had no expectations at all of winning anything, and had not stuck around for the awards banquet. Wow!

August 2004:

My starter solenoid recently went out on me. I replaced it, but re-wired the connections so that the new (original style) solenoid only operates the integral solenoid on the new (modern style) starter. I suspect that the higher current draw of the new starter was more than the original solenoid was designed to handle. I also re-wired my electric fan so that the current draw from it registers on the ammeter (it had been wired directly to the battery).

October 2004:

I finally replaced the pinion seal in the differential, and now have the leak slowed down to a couple of drops per drive. :)

February 2005:

With the Sprite in the basement garage (engine rebuild), I've had to keep the TR4 in the main garage over the winter. This means that I've been able to drive it from time to time this winter. I've just recently replaced the carburetors with a pair of SUs that I bought off of eBay and completely rebuilt this winter. The difference in the idle and throttle response of the car is incredible!

April 2005:

I received the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate for my TR4. Click here to see it.

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