anyone know Triumph TR6's ? What do you think about this one ?

[rfuerst911sc]

I'm searching for a toy to play with and this one shows up, is this a good starting point ? I may go look at her tomorrow. What do you think ?

https://athensga.craigslist.org/cto/5578233633.html

[KevinP73]

Triumphs are fun little cars. Easy to work on but have the reputation of always needing worked on. The electrical systems in those cars have a horrible reputation (designed by the Prince of Darkness). That looks like a fairly solid car, but inspect it closely for rust. The price looks reasonable compared to long hood Porsche'.

[WPOZZZ]

[rfuerst911sc]

What exactly makes Lucas electrics so bad ? I'm assuming the shortcomings can be overcome ? This particular car looks very solid and much cheaper that a Porsche. I'm sure there is a reason it's cheaper and I'm not comparing the two makes as equal. But sure looks like it could be a fun car.

[rwest]

Those are very good looking cars and it appears from the ad that the seller is an honest person.

[afterburn 549]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

What exactly makes Lucas electrics so bad ? I'm assuming the shortcomings can be overcome ? This particular car looks very solid and much cheaper that a Porsche. I'm sure there is a reason it's cheaper and I'm not comparing the two makes as equal. But sure looks like it could be a fun car.

Perhaps the Zener diode , the positive Grd system , and -

lucas electric jokes

The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."

Lucas denies having invented darkness. But they still claim "sudden, unexpected darkness"

Lucas--inventor of the first intermittent wiper.

Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

The three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF.

The other three switch settings--SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.

Lucas dip-switch positions: LOW and BLOW (Bruce Miller, Welcome to the Hermitage Homepage)

The original anti-theft devices--Lucas Electric products.

"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob...

If Lucas made guns, wars would not start either.

Did you hear about the Lucas powered torpedo? It sank.

It's not true that Lucas, in 1947, tried to get Parliament to repeal Ohm's Law. They withdrew their efforts when they met too much resistance.

Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked the owner "How can you tell one switch from another at night, since they all look the same?" "He replied, it doesn't matter which one you use, nothing happens!"

Back in the '70s Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which didn't suck.

Quality Assurance phoned and advised the Lucas engineering guy that they had trouble with his design shorting out. So he made the wires longer.

Why do the English drink warm beer? Lucas made the refrigerators, too.

Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone. Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb. Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.

Recommended procedure before taking on a repair of Lucas equipment: check the position of the stars, kill a chicken and walk three times sunwise around your car chanting: "Oh mighty Prince of Darkness protect your unworthy servant."

Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.

How to make AIDS disappear? Give it a Lucas parts number.

Recently, Lucas won out over Bosch to supply the electrical for the new Volkswagens. So, now the cars from the Black Forest will come with electrics supplied by the Lord of Darkness -- how appropriate!

Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices.

[A930Rocket]

I've had a 69 and a 75. Both were fun, but needed attention to keep them running in top gear.

Don't forget to buy some Lucas replacement smoke.

[Chocaholic]

I owned a 71 several years ago. In my opinion, you'd be in for a whole lot less if you spend more for a clean, no excuses running and rust-free version. My guess is there is rust to deal with and very likely you'll have far more invested in this car than a nice example would run.

Personally, I wouldn't touch one that far gone. If you have the funds, time, patience and resources, sure. Otherwise, be very careful.

[Nostril Cheese]

There IS rust on that car.

[Crowbob]

Which is good.

Usually there's a car on that rust.

[yetibone]

That's not a bad example. Like Kevin said, check it over for rust, but from the outside, it looks like any rust found might be manageable. Looks like its got all of it's stock components, which is good. I believe '75 had an air pump which should be done away with. It had tendency to cause backfiring on deceleration.

Electrics can be replaced with a Painless Wiring Harness and fuse box if the original wiring is not going to be reliable. Most of the issues I had were from brass contacts, and connectors getting corroded. Some fiddling with a bad connection always got a light working again.

Look for rust on the driver's floor under the clutch master cylinder, and where the rear deck section ahead of the boot meets the rear fenders. Under the battery is also where to look. Be sure the frame isn't rusty at the 'T-shirt' section near where the rear control arm brackets bolt to the frame, or at the upper spring perches.

Crankshaft thrust bearing failures were the main issue with the engines. The semi-circular bearings would wear down untill they fell out of their grooves and into the oil pan (like mine). The engines were otherwise pretty stout, and had 7.75:1 compression, so it only made about 105 hp, which didn't tax the drivetrain an awful lot. The valve guides, and seats don't seem to mind unleaded gas, but the head was notoriously under lubricated, so the rocker shaft, and arms were prone to wear. There's an external feed that can be added easily to address that.

Rear wheel bearings should be checked. They're put together like a set of pinion bearings in a Dana differential, with a crush sleeve between the inner races, and wheel bearing grease as the lubricant. Service requires a Churchill tool to pull the wheel flanges without damage. Same style of tool used to take old Jeep rear axles apart.

[Chocaholic]

My humble opinion...I'd reconsider my finances and go along this route:

1972 Triumph TR6

I know nothing about this car, but mileage is low, it's a chrome bumper car (more valuable), great color, etc. Assuming it's as rust-free as it looks, has been maintained and bonus, if it has overdrive...this will be a fun car to own, tinker with and will not depreciate. My guess is that you could buy this car for 11 ish. You'd have far more than that invested to get that other car anywhere close.

Wish I was in the market...I'd be on my way to Centerville!

[manbridge 74]

Only thing missing on these was the higher horsepower ROW injected engine.

Great lines that have held up well.

[yetibone]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

My humble opinion...I'd reconsider my finances and go along this route:

1972 Triumph TR6

I know nothing about this car, but mileage is low, it's a chrome bumper car (more valuable), great color, etc. Assuming it's as rust-free as it looks, has been maintained and bonus, if it has overdrive...this will be a fun car to own, tinker with and will not depreciate. My guess is that you could buy this car for 11 ish. You'd have far more than that invested to get that other car anywhere close.

Wish I was in the market...I'd be on my way to Centerville!

I agree. That's a nice looking car, in a desirable year for the money. It would take a lot more money than asking price to restore the first example to THAT condition.

[Alan A]

I can't be bothered to type it all out so read this.


TR6/250 Buyers Guide

You might want to try to get someone from the GTA - Georgia Triumph Association - to look at one for you.

[mreid]

I had a '72 when I was in the navy stationed in Hawaii. Great little car!

That one has rust, needs a paint job, and I'll bet will cost twice the asking price just to make it right. Spend $10k on a decent one and enjoy it for years.

[varmint]

99,000 miles?

is that good or bad? at least you know it ran for a while.

[zelrik911]

Looks like a fair specimen.

I know TR6s well & this one looks very original and seems like it has had a replacement engine that was never quite fully installed &/or started up.
Everything for TR6s is easily obtained at reasonable cost (compared to 911 prices) - it looks like you could get that car up & running easily and quickly, if the mechanicals are OK and there is no chassis rust. How handy are you?

If good ones sell for $10K +, then this starting price seems good to me - but I am not in USA so I dont know what else is available for $3450 !

IMO TR6s are a good looking comfortable old sports car that women seem to like riding in

[fred cook]

Always liked these cars. Not very fast, but a nice traditional British roadster. Lots of torque out of the 2.5 inline 6 engine.

Question: Why do the British drink warm beer:
Answer: They have Lucas refridgerators.

[rfuerst911sc]

I decided to pass and will keep looking. Thanks guys .