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Story by Tim Suddard • Photography by the Classic Motorsports Staff Unl…
Along with aiming your headlights, I would recommend upgrading to H4 headlights, and possibly some LED brake light bulbs.
H4 headlights in good quality can be had for cheap these days, and are much, MUCH better than old sealed beams.
LED bulbs for the brake (and reverse) lights can really help people notice you are slowing down in your (usually smaller and lower) classic car. Be aware, some bulbs work great, some don't put light into the reflector and don't work that well.
Regarding the slight smell of petrol and oil, I think its part and parcel of owning a classic. Sort of a 1960s esque smell. Not an out and out overpowering odour of fuel (fire hazard ) but a subtle and aged smell of lubricants and the merest whiff of petrol. My car isnt perfect and never will be and i ve had it to shows and am quite content to race up the country roads at 100mph (carefully of course) and listen to the revs of the motor in Overdrive. 1967 Volvo P1800S (ISSKY racing Cam and Laycock Overdrive)
A couple of things I've done recently to my TR6 have really improved my driving pleasure. When I discovered the advance weights and vacuum diaphragm in the distributor were both not working, I discovered a guy in New Hampshire who would rebuild it and convert it to vacuum advance--Triumph had switched from advance to retard in order to pass tightening emissions standards. The car's drivability was transformed.
I also rebuilt the front suspension (everything was 50-year-of original), and replaced rubber bushings with polyurethane. I expected the ride to be a bit harsher but more direct, but instead found it to be much smoother and quieter. Everything compressed over bumps the way it should, and clunks were gone.
and I also added sound deadening to the tunnel, firewall and foot wells. What a transformation! Not only is it much quieter, it's Olson much cooler on hot days.
I rarely put the top up, which can get interesting here in New England in the fall, so for Christmas last year I asked for seat heaters. Now at least my butt is toasty warm on the coldest days
I have H4 headlights yet to install--as lighting on modern cars continues to improve, by comparison the headlights on the Triumph seem worse and worse. Oh, and I added a center high third brake light, cobbled from a Scion light I had. I attached rubber-coated strong magnets to the bottom, and stick it to the trunk lid, and remove it to wash and wax the car.
In reply to greggearhead :
Good advice.
In reply to murphmi :
More good stuff!
another way to look at this:
are you building/preparing a car for display in a museum or "events"?, or
building /preparing a car to be driven?.
or both?
For other who find getting MGB Rostyle wheels balanced by the intentionally incompetent tire shops impossible, CounterAct balancing beads have been quite helpful.
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