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Today: the 1st of June - it was sunny so I taxed the Roadster after SORNing it at the end of February and worked to complete my improvements.
Since the beginning of March I have undertaken many of the tasks I set myself about nine months ago just after securing an MOT.
As can be seen from previous forum comments my ‘barn find’ roadster was not in too bad of a condition but it did need the repair of the reverse gear; electrics updating, including a new dashboard and the installation of carpets.
Many thanks to those club members, and others, who through emails and phone calls pointed me in the right direction to find a lay-gear set for my four-speed Marina box, apparently rarer than hen’s teeth! This was obtained from T D Fitchett who are essentially a classic Triumph supplier but who, through word of mouth, have Marina parts on their back shelves. My local mechanic also sourced all other parts requiring replacement from Fitchett’s and he completed a complete repair rather than a complete recondition of the gearbox.
Like so many other members the Roadster is not my main ‘hobby’ and like others the amount of room in my garage is quite limited. So replacement of the gearbox was in fine weather conditions at a leisurely pace which involved much pot-holing under the car! Luckily I had the free and unlimited use of an engine hoist from my local garage (not the same as made the repair) so for a few weeks the engine was swinging until I could complete the reunion.
With the mechanics back in place I moved my emphasis to the dashboard. I redesigned the, what seemed, standard layout using a Marina instrument cluster by using new switches and off-setting the instrument dials slightly to the left so from my driving position the rightmost dial was not obscured by the steering wheel. I also installed an indicator stalk, combined lights and horn switch and an immobiliser switch. The latter, along with the heater switch (will it ever be used?) has been located on the prop shaft tunnel (far) forward of the gear stick. To compliment the new dash I have also painted the windscreen surround and skuttle.
I am not ashamed to say I am learning as I go and was thus intrigued that the basic Marina wiring loom only has two fuses. I have started to put individual fuses into circuits but this, along with perhaps a complete new loom, will be for the winter months! I have though replaced standard sidelight bulbs with LEDs. The reason for this is quite simple – whilst driving along a road with parked cars a woman stepped out in front of me! There was no accident; just smiles as she stepped quickly back onto the pavement. But my thought at the time was that I was lower than all other cars and needed a little extra something to warn of my presence.
With electrics almost complete my attention turned to carpeting. A visit to the local, independent carpet firm and an explanation of what I wanted lead me to the ‘back warehouse’ where hundreds of carpet rolls were stored from completed jobs. My choice, at a knock down price, meant that I could carpet all vertical surfaces and the ‘boot area’. (The latter is being ‘boxed in’ to give quite a substantial storage area.) A return visit for a piece of carpet for the floors was equally fruitful: total cost of carpets - £11. My carpeting is functional and neat, certainly not concourse or even A1, with the top of the prop shaft tunnel covered in the same as the dashboard and boot ‘dash’. There are still some (aesthetic) jobs to complete in the next day or so. I hope the sun keeps shining for now taxed I can also go for a drive......
The next list of things to do is already being formulated: reconditioned seats, new seatbelts, steering wheel boss, those electrics, tyres for my already acquired, and to be painted, new wheels; Oh the joy of a ‘project’! But where would we be without something to keep us occupied when other things are on the back burner?
Since the beginning of March I have undertaken many of the tasks I set myself about nine months ago just after securing an MOT.
As can be seen from previous forum comments my ‘barn find’ roadster was not in too bad of a condition but it did need the repair of the reverse gear; electrics updating, including a new dashboard and the installation of carpets.
Many thanks to those club members, and others, who through emails and phone calls pointed me in the right direction to find a lay-gear set for my four-speed Marina box, apparently rarer than hen’s teeth! This was obtained from T D Fitchett who are essentially a classic Triumph supplier but who, through word of mouth, have Marina parts on their back shelves. My local mechanic also sourced all other parts requiring replacement from Fitchett’s and he completed a complete repair rather than a complete recondition of the gearbox.
Like so many other members the Roadster is not my main ‘hobby’ and like others the amount of room in my garage is quite limited. So replacement of the gearbox was in fine weather conditions at a leisurely pace which involved much pot-holing under the car! Luckily I had the free and unlimited use of an engine hoist from my local garage (not the same as made the repair) so for a few weeks the engine was swinging until I could complete the reunion.
With the mechanics back in place I moved my emphasis to the dashboard. I redesigned the, what seemed, standard layout using a Marina instrument cluster by using new switches and off-setting the instrument dials slightly to the left so from my driving position the rightmost dial was not obscured by the steering wheel. I also installed an indicator stalk, combined lights and horn switch and an immobiliser switch. The latter, along with the heater switch (will it ever be used?) has been located on the prop shaft tunnel (far) forward of the gear stick. To compliment the new dash I have also painted the windscreen surround and skuttle.
I am not ashamed to say I am learning as I go and was thus intrigued that the basic Marina wiring loom only has two fuses. I have started to put individual fuses into circuits but this, along with perhaps a complete new loom, will be for the winter months! I have though replaced standard sidelight bulbs with LEDs. The reason for this is quite simple – whilst driving along a road with parked cars a woman stepped out in front of me! There was no accident; just smiles as she stepped quickly back onto the pavement. But my thought at the time was that I was lower than all other cars and needed a little extra something to warn of my presence.
With electrics almost complete my attention turned to carpeting. A visit to the local, independent carpet firm and an explanation of what I wanted lead me to the ‘back warehouse’ where hundreds of carpet rolls were stored from completed jobs. My choice, at a knock down price, meant that I could carpet all vertical surfaces and the ‘boot area’. (The latter is being ‘boxed in’ to give quite a substantial storage area.) A return visit for a piece of carpet for the floors was equally fruitful: total cost of carpets - £11. My carpeting is functional and neat, certainly not concourse or even A1, with the top of the prop shaft tunnel covered in the same as the dashboard and boot ‘dash’. There are still some (aesthetic) jobs to complete in the next day or so. I hope the sun keeps shining for now taxed I can also go for a drive......
The next list of things to do is already being formulated: reconditioned seats, new seatbelts, steering wheel boss, those electrics, tyres for my already acquired, and to be painted, new wheels; Oh the joy of a ‘project’! But where would we be without something to keep us occupied when other things are on the back burner?