76 Triumph tr7, replacement for RRG15, Soon to be v8 power

[dougalmagic]

Welcome to my soon to be daily drive, a rusty tr7.

I bought this in may this year off ebay with no mot or tax, with the idea to get it road worth so it can take the place of my current daily drive my 72 beetle.

The bug is in need of some upgrades for next year 'bigger engine, new front suspension set up' but first I need to sort out the tr7 which has been off the road since 2011.

Right the main problem if you've owned a triumph of know someone daft enough to have one is rust and lots of it.
It's had a few patches in the past, some good, some ok and a few that are just plane curse word.

Here is a few pic's to get the ball rolling, enjoy :-)

[Swisstini]

Ooh, I do like a nice wedge - the very best of luck with the restoration !

[grifterkid]

Cool... Looks like an early one with the plain cloth trim there?! I also really like the US spec' stripe on it, it looks so good... Bigger engine eh?! V8 perhaps...?!?!?! Please do keep us posted...

[Richard TR7]

The rust doesnt look too bad and at least all the panels are still available. It is an early one on an R reg, looks like a 4 speed too. If your going to drive it every day I would look out for a 5 speed box, rear axle and prop. It should bolt straight in (not sure about gear lever hole) There are still plenty of doner cars about. TR7's are not quick but they are fun and do make a nice comfy coupe. (Love mine!)

[dougalmagic]

Right change of plan, I sold my Cal look beetle in November so this will replace it for rrg15.

Ive still yet to get it moted, due to a electrical problem its developed 'standard for a tr7'

I'll get some pics up soon with mot.

[GoJo372]

Love these cars will be an interesting thread..... Have you got the wedge shaped garage too as the old advert showed?

[DWDarkWheels]

I like these FHCs, just for the styling. It should be fun seeing what do you with it.

[dougalmagic]

Cheers guys, I've got a set of 13" by 8j minimise alloys to fit as some point.

[dougalmagic]

[/i]Here is a trial fit of a minilite on the back. It's gonna look good :-)

[dougalmagic]

Cheers bob, They are few and far on the roads today. Liking the look of your tr7.
Ive been thinking about engine swaps too, would like to fit a rover t16 engine.

Or failing that maybe a Renault f17 engine mated to a Volvo 340 gearbox.

Only time and a lot of head scratching will work it out.

[bob1957]

Hi Dougalmagic, Sorry for the missing post but I inadvertently deleted the photo in it so had to delete the post while I sorted it out - sorry for the confusion.

"Renault f17 engine mated to a Volvo 340 gearbox." Now that's a combination never been mentioned before. Will need to investigate.

Look forward to seeing your '7' back on the road - will be watching!

[Richard TR7]

Renault / Volvo combination wont work as the gearbox is under the boot floor on the Volvo. Plenty of other options about though as the engine bay is a decent size.

[grifterkid]

This is going to be a gem...!

Why not look for a Dolomite Sprint engine to pop in the TR7...?! They can produce quite a bit of power I believe...

Failing that I'm sure a Rover based V8 can be found lurking about somewhere...!!!

Please do keep us posted...

[mattrb]

As a little kid always dreamed of owning one of these. I used to tell anyone that would listen that I was going to buy one and fit a knight rider woo woo to it. lol.

Good luck with the project. Liking the Rover engine choice and body stripe.

[gregtheo]

Looks good mate! I've got a '78 fix head that bright yellow! My dads got a V8 '77 fhc and a V8 '80 dhc. They are a lot of fun!!

[bazzateer]

Jan 6, 2015 13:44:38 GMT Richard TR7 said:

Renault / Volvo combination wont work as the gearbox is under the boot floor on the Volvo. Plenty of other options about though as the engine bay is a decent size.

Yep, 3 series Vulvas had rear mounted transaxles.

[skozra]

Awesome machine, i'd love to get one of these ! Looking forward to seeing how this one progresses.

[dougalmagic]

Small update on the tr7, So yesterday I had it booked in for it's first mot since 2011 and in my gut I knew it would fail.

After a interesting 6 mile drive to the mot station I noted a few things that needed addressing before rrg15.

First off the stock suspension is at best curse word, I never knew you can suffer from sea sickness while driving a car. A new set of Spax dampers and uprated springs from robsport should sort out the boat like suspension.

Next is the wheels and tyres, I've got a set of 13" by 8j minilite alloys which will looks great and help it stick to the roads.

So did it pass its mot?!?!............ Nope it failed, and not by a few bits.

£40.00 and 3 failure sheets later I know that the tr7 is going to need abit more welding.

At least now I know what work is needed, all being well it will be back for its retest and have a fresh new mot certificate by next week.

[andyf]

With a sorted suspension set up the TR7 is surprisingly good. Look at replacing suspension bushes as well that made a hell of a difference on mine, stops the nose diving under braking if you do the fronts. Good luck with it.

[carltonx]

i had a couple of these years ago , the 1st one was a real nightmare , and was the worst car i ever owned but the second one was ok i turned it into a roadster ,that one i wish i kept