Woody
MegaDork
11/16/19 6:41 a.m.
Not mine, etc...
Save me from myself.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/651111622082859/
1980 TR7 Convertible The second owner of this car wanted to go with something a bit different and so when he found this originally Triton green Triumph, he swapped out the original 4 cyl for a GM 3.4L V6 from a 94 Camaro. The original 4 cyl pumped out 105 HP, this V6 puts out about 160HP and 200 lb.ft. of torque. This fairly light engine, with fuel injection and mated to the Triumph 4 speed, will move this little roadster with ease. He also had the car repainted in a more Brooklands Green color. The second owner dropped it off at the garage for some service and ran into some financial issues and ended up selling the car to the owner of the service station. The odometer shows just over 5000 miles, so the body very probably has 105K miles, where the mileage on the V6 is unknown. The body of the car is in great condition with no rust or rot. The tan cloth and vinyl interior is in good shape but could make use of some spare parts from Moss Motors or the Little British Car company. As you may notice from the photos, the upper part of the dash and glove box are apart as the lights were getting new relays, fuses and switches. The current owner (owner of the service station) got into it and then other jobs came up and this car got swept aside... Now it's time to move her on to a new home. The tires are in great shape and are wrapped around gold Mini-lite rims. The car will run and drive well, however, a coolant leak was also found under the intake plenum and will need to be addressed. A very solid project to work on over the winter and easily have ready for next spring. Inexpensive at only $1800. Any questions, offers, for many more photos or to schedule a time to see her in person, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Patrick
MegaDork
11/16/19 7:55 a.m.
Nope, not gonna talk you out of this. Do it
Pretty, and "late model". 4-speed tranny seems odd in a 1980.
Yeah but your dog will love it❤️
NOHOME
MegaDork
11/16/19 11:47 a.m.
Why is this not a picture of the car in your driveway? Arrive and drive challenge car with a bright post challenge future.
Pete
Robbie
MegaDork
11/16/19 1:39 p.m.
Lol the original 4 cylinder pumped out 105 hp....
I’m amazed you shared and didn’t already buy it. That is challenge material as she sits.
tr8todd
SuperDork
11/21/19 6:24 a.m.
Has the Buick trans behind the Buick engine. Hence 4 speed. Looks like a good deal. My only issues are; it was repainted a different green, no biggie, and I'm not a fan of the Buick V6 conversion. That fad ended a long time ago and a bunch of these conversions are flooding the market right now. Most have fallen into ratty condition. There is also a green V6 converted coupe in Western Mass for half that price. If someone buys it and needs parts, let me know.
In reply to tr8todd :
Looking at the photo of the engine indicates it’s the 3.4 liter, not the 3.8, so not the Buick.
why do I like this so much?
Oh man, that's less than an hour away from me. I like the wheels, but I *love* the interior.
How well do these cars handle power upgrades like this without improvements to brakes/hubs etc?
Ooof. It was a coupe, I'd be tempted.
I love what you can do with these cars.
tr8todd
SuperDork
11/21/19 2:06 p.m.
Oops sorry about that. I spend so much time looking for decent wedges, that they sometimes mesh together. Should have looked closer. Like I said, there is a coupe in Western Mass on book of faces thats half the price with a decent body. No minilite wheels, ratty paint, ratty seats, but a solid platform to start. The 3.4 conversion and T5 from V6 Camaros has been gaining traction in the british car conversion world. I'd even go so far as to say that more 3.4 conversions are being done than are Rover V8 conversions. I'm even shifting away from Rover V8s and moving on to LS conversions now. For the record, TR7 brakes suck. TR8 brakes are marginally better, but they still suck too.
In reply to tr8todd :
Is there an easy button to improve the brakes?
tr8todd
SuperDork
11/23/19 6:27 a.m.
Front brake kits run anywhere from $700 to $1000, but you can make up your own for much less. There is no go to the junk yard, grab these calipers and rotors and bolt them on solution. Everything requires some fabrication. Rear has drums. If you decide to keep the stock rear end, you can fab up some brackets and mount any rear caliper with integral hand brake and a set of matching rotors. The two main things that make suspension/brake/wheel upgrades difficult aon a wedge are the goofy wheel bolt pattern(4X95.25) and the brake caliper bolt spacing of 3.25". Many Girling braked euro cars from the 70s had that spacing, so anybody with a 2002, 320i, Capri, etc. feels that pain. Fords are usually 3.5", so thats just a little off. Chevys were 5 or 5.25 inches, so they work with adapter mounts. All of this comes down to a big picture. If you plan on dropping in a beefed up LS engine, then everything gets replaced anyway. You will end up with bigger everything. If you just want to warm up a V6, then you have options of which rabbit hole you want to go down.
Ian F
MegaDork
11/23/19 6:47 a.m.
In reply to tr8todd :
How hard would it be to yank the V6 and drop in a LS? Does the trans tunnel need massaging to fit a LS 6 spd?
I really, love the TR7/8. Honestly, if the car had the original 4 cylinder and complete A/C I'd probably be figuring out how to buy it. Accept I need another project car like a bloody hole in my head. I don't have room or time for the ones I already have.
tr8todd
SuperDork
11/24/19 5:14 a.m.
There are several running around with LS engines now. You can keep the trans tunnel as is. The sub frame requires you to pick up one of those aftermarket pans with a smaller sump area. Other option would be to cat away and remake the sub frame a little. I chose second option. I also moved the engine reward and did some firewall massaging. I didn't stop there. I cut away existing tunnel and remade a taller one. Always liked the way the my TVR had a really high tunnel, so I tried to recreate that in the Triumph. I took my build way over the top, but the other ones I know of are just straight forward swaps. Mine is more race car that street car. More than 100 feet of roll cage tubing, reverse hung pedals, huge brakes, gutted interior, fuel cell, flared fenders, big wheels and tires, yada yada yada.
