Friday, February 29, 2008

On the road again, with the TR6 that is....

Got everything put back together on the TR6 Wednesday night. Drove it around a bit that night and then drove it to work yesterday. Changing out the rear shocks has made a big difference, it tracks and ride a lot smoother now. Brakes are still pulling left, guess that means a trip to an auto parts store and time to upgrade the fronts to 4 piston toyota brakes. Transmission is a little smoother with the new fluid but still grinds a bit. Guess I'll keep my eyes on ebay for a new tranny that is not too far away. Not much planned for the weekend. I may install the glove box and some other little trim bits. It is getting close to the time where I also may pull the hardtop off and install the convertible top. Maybe next weekend. That's it for now.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Wow, work 2 days in a row!

I can't believe it either. I have actually worked on the TR6 two days in a row. Let's see, what did I work on....

Cleaned out and replaced fuel filter (wow was it dirty)
Almost finished bleeding brakes (not done yet but getting there)
Installed Luggage rack (The chrome is a bit dull but the rear deck just looks better with this installed instead of the black blank offs)
Installed new heater control valve (not hooked up to the pull switch yet because I am still waiting on a new control cable)

Plan on getting the seats and everything back in the car tomorrow or Thursday so that I can have it running by the weekend!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Rear Suspension Work Done

Got a bit of a case of cabun fever yesterday and the poison ivy rash has cleared up a good bit. Decided to grab some tools and get going towards putting the TR6 back together. Started off by getting the transmission tunnel back in the car and bolted down. Didn't get the rest of the interior in yet, I want to replace a few more under dash things while I can move around under there. Figure I will install the glovebox and new heater control valve, along with hook up the fresh air hoses that are missing from the drivers side. Got the front right brake bleed, just have the front drivers side left to do.

Moved on to the rear of the car. Installed the rebuilt lever shocks that came with the car. Also went ahead and installed the new poly differential bushings. Differential mounts are all in good shape, good thing too since they are a pain to repair. I did get the car fired up and ran it for a bit since I have not driven it in about a month now. Hoping to get the interior back in this week and be able to drive it around this coming weekend!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Nothing Doing this week

Have not had a chance to work on the 6 this week. Couple of things came up. I got a wicked case of poison ivy from clearing a fallen tree this past weekend and just have not felt like working on the car. Hopefully it will clear up a bit by this weekend so that I can get the interior back in, install the new lever shocks and rear diff mounts and then get Kelly to help me bleed the brakes.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Weekend Work

Planning on getting the 6 back together this weekend so I can drive it again. Going to tackle the transmission issue tomorrow morning and then hopefully get the brake master cylinder reinstall and brakes bleed Sunday afternoon. I'll take some pictures and post early next week.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Why don't people use the correct tools on things?

Ok, so I am trying to finish up the few first things on my to-do list on the TR6. I have the brake MC thing figured out and have decided that the booster is ok and will not need rebuilding. The next thing on the list was to change out the transmission fluid and top off the rear differential. One of the issues with Triumphs is that they use square drain and fill bolts. This requires you to use either a 4-point or 8-point socket. Not that big a deal, I just went and bought a set at Sears for around $20. Well, the big problem with the square bolts is as soon as someone tries to take them out with any other sort of tool (Vice-grips, regular wrench, ect) the bolts get a bit rounded off and the 4/8 point sockets will no longer fit. Both bolts on the transmission case have been attacked with some other sort of wrench. The drain plug is not that big a deal because you have plenty of room to work but the fill plug is up over a ridge on the case so you cannot get good leverage with any tool but a socket. This means I now have to pull the transmission tunnel in order to get enough leverage to get the fill plug out. So I have that to look forward to. Luckily I think the fill and drain plugs for the differential are in unmolested shape and should be able to be removed with the 8-point sockets that I have.

In preparation for removing the transmission tunnel, I removed the middle dash support and discovered that a previous owner has ruined a perfectly good original dash support by covering it with a cheap pleather. I had to remove all of this in order to get to the bolts that secure the support. They had applied the pleather covering directly over the bolts. Grrr. Anyway, I am going to try to remove all the adhesive from the support and see if I can clean up the original covering. If not, I think I will clean off everything and paint it in a flat black crinkle finish. Anyways, plan on removing the transmission tunnel sometime this week. After getting that done I'll re-install the brake cylinder and servo and hopefully have it back in drivable condition by late next week.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Ford Fusion Review Pt III, Drive in Blizzard Conditions....

Ok, I have a Ford Fusion for my trip this week. Trip has taken me from Chicago, through a blizzard to Omaha and then down to Kansas City. The drive from the Quad Cities area to Omaha on Wednesday was one of the more interesting experiences I have ever had behind the wheel of a car.

First off let's review my thoughts on the Fusion. Last time I drove one was last August on my way to the GT v Notre Dame game. Car served me well but I had some issues. I think the one I got this time is either newer or is not the base model I had last time. It has steering wheel audio and AC controls that I noted where missing last time. A very nice touch that makes the car seem a bit more upscale. The car also came equipped with automatic climate control that worked perfectly. Easy to control and I was able to set the temp and not worry about it. Also included in the car where side mirror defrosters, which came in very handy. The rear deck does not seem as high this time as last, maybe a design change between years? Blind spot behind the c-pillar on the passenger side can still hide an 18-wheeler if your mirrors are not adjusted properly. Seats did not seem as comfortable this time, maybe that was another change. Even with adjustable lumbar support, there where times I just could not get comfortable (this very well could be more me than the car). All in all the car impressed me yet again. It gets that job done, no frills but makes a nice base end 4 door.

Now on to the weather. In case you missed the news the last few days, areas in the mid-west where hit by a pretty big snow storm. Total snow fall amounts varied but the hardest hit area just happened to by eastern Iowa. Guess where Moline, IL is? Yep, eastern Iowa. Moline must have gotten close to a foot with areas to the west (towards Des Moines) got even more. So what did I decide to do? Well drive right through the worst hit spots! Smart Jim, smart. Anyway, hoped in the car Wednesday and was in for the drive of a lifetime. The first sign of trouble was the fact I was barely able to even get on I-80. Had to gun the Ford to push through the snow on the on-ramp! No plows in sight, huh ok. No other cars, where is the road? It was all white. 50 mph winds whipping across the road, snow everywhere. 18-wheelers, cars and RV in the ditches. Yep, fun had by all. Anyway, I just remembered my wet autocross experiences, no big movements, no brake, just be calm and take it easy. It helped I got in behind an 18-wheeler that looked like he knew what he was doing. I just stayed in his tire tracks and let him act as my personal snow plow. Only had 2 pucker moments that I can remember. I am sure I got some odd looks from the Iowa folks I passed on the road, my rental is tagged from Florida! I should have some pictures once I get back to the Atl and have access to my cameras usb cable. That is it for now, back to Atlanta in the morning.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

The Perfect Bar

Ok, this post has nothing to do with my workings on my British cars (though I did buy a new brake master cylinder for the TR6 this week). This post has to do with finding the perfect bar. I have found it in Moline, IL. Yep, the Quad Cities area between Illinios and Iowa. There are more Locally owned brew pubs in the Quad Cities Area than in all of the greater Atlanta area. My favorite out of the several to chose from? Bent River Brewery . This place is great for several reasons. Beer is great, wait staff is awesome and quick to recommend a beer if you can't decide and the food fits just right. Tuesday's they run a $2.50 Burger Basket special. It is a small cheese burger and a handful of fries that is just the right size. Works great with the $2.50 pints they serve Tuesday's as well. If I ever have the chance to open a bar I hope that I can use some of the things that make Bent River one of my all time favs.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Weekend Work

Well, the weekend is almost upon us. Going to do a little work on the TR6 and try to drive it a bit. Plan on trying to give the car a tune up and balance the carbs. It seems to idle a bit high (don't know for sure because the tach tends to sit a 1000 rpm no matter what) and I know it is out of balance. Heading up to Gainesville, GA to visit a car buddy and hoping that he has a bit more experience with carbs than I do.

Heading back out of town next week. This trip takes me to the frozen plains of the mid-west. Flying into Chicago on Monday and then end the trip all the way over in Kansas City, MO. Should be exciting, hope the weather holds up.