Practically Classics Forum

But there is nothing left to attach it to on the inner wheel arch

A repair panel is available but its £109 and as the front one I bought was a terrible fit I've decided to fabricate my own sections, here goes....

Great work - and you know that with it being a Speke car, your work is of infinitely higher quality than that of the original builders

Richard Moss wrote:Great work - and you know that with it being a Speke car, your work is of infinitely higher quality than that of the original builders

Thats harsh, but fairly accurate....

great thread mate I really enjoyed reading it ,keep up the (very)good work !
I owned a tr7 drop head 1998-2002 ,when I bought it ,it was caked in waxoyle and in great condition ,I loved the car but had to sell due to moving house at the time ,I wonder where it is now lol

Have to also add that I too have been following this one. Amazing work, I love the early models like this, great to see one receiving such first class attention.

Well sadly there will be no more updates on this car because I've sold it to a fellow restorer who is going to finish it off.
The reason? I bought another car for £1,400 of E-bay as a non runner for parts, when it was delivered I could not belive its condition, it had been sat in a garage under a sheet for 11 years.
I ran a new + feed to the coil and it started, a few days later it sailed a MOT test with just an advise on tyres, its now got four brand new Michelins fitted, its not all good news though, the water pump is leaking and it needs some attention to the bottom of both front wings but its never been welded before.
Have I copped out? Probally but the money I have got in this car would not even pay for a respray on the other one

Watch out for the (lack of) quality in some currently available water pumps for the slants! Robsport do a decent kit as does Tony Hart at HRS, but I'll leave it to your imagination how bad was the exchange pump I was presented with from a certain large, East Midlands-based suppliers recently. I wouldn't have dreamt of crediting that shower with the gumption to supply something that worked and fitted first time out, but this was for a third party who'd already placed the order.
R****** by name, R****** by nature!

As an example of how little one of their counter staff knows, his advice when I mentioned that the pump had been fitted by someone who's only done around a dozen of these recently with no trouble whatsoever and its cover shimmed correctly but coolant was still coming from the slot on the side of the block:

"Can't you fill the slot with sealant then?"

Bunch of chiselling twunts they are! Best thing you could do is fit new seals and impeller (buy that from Saab as their unique 6 vane one fits a 12 vane Triumph cover and affords better flow with less risk of cavitation than the 12 vane BL one, so a guy with a lifetime's Saab experience tells me) yourself. Be careful pulling the cage and make sure the assembly is all seated properly in the block before you shim the cover, the rest's a piece of cake.

Thanks, I will take heed! I've had a bad experence with a specialist near me as well.