PROJECT TR7

As far as project cars go, our TR7 was in better shape than most and certainly not in need of restoration. However, there are a surprising number of jobs to squeeze into our final report.

This TR7 was a good car to begin with, so it was never intended to be a major restoration project. Instead, the hope was to improve it a little and correct any faults we found without having to spend a fortune on it. I had intended to have it ready for Club Triumph’s Ten Countries Run later this year, but world events changed that as I have decided my money would be better spent helping with the disaster in Ukraine. So I now plan to enjoy the TR7 on roads a little closer to home over the summer.

By and large the project has worked out as planned, but it can still be surprising just how many jobs there are to do on even the nicest of classics, especially if that car has seen little or no use for many years. It also takes time for some problems to rear their ugly heads, as was the case with the windscreen wipers on this TR7.

Before I get to that though, I have managed to tick off the remaining items on my list of trim-related tasks. You may recall that the fabric roof was so thick, the cover would not clip over it when the hood was folded. Having pondered the various options, in the end I took it to Michael at Elliotts Restoration not far from me in Langtoft, near Peterborough. I’ve known Michael’s dad Jason for many years, and the pair of them have now set up in business together. As well as carrying out all aspects of restoration, Michael is also getting into trimming, and he modified my cover so that it fit over the folded hood more easily.

I also have to thank the ever- generous Chris Turner of the TR Drivers Club. When Chris heard that the knobs on my heater control switches were cracked and loose, he sent me a set of better replacements from his stash of spares. Then, while my car was on the club stand at the NEC in March, Chris also noticed that the vinyl trim surrounding the gearstick was a slightly different shade to the rest of the interior. Once again he had a rummage around and turned up one in the correct colour, and kindly sent that to me as well. Thanks Chris!

3 He then bought some matching vinyl and sewed in a deeper section. He also replaced all of the plastic poppers (actually called durable dot fasteners) with metal ones – they should live up to their name and be more durable, and easier to secure if the vinyl is being pulled tight.

1 This was the problem with the hood cover – it would not stretch over the thick fabric of the new hood and so could not be secured properly. The problem was compounded by the clips being made of plastic, so they would distort if being pushed on at any kind of angle.

2 The section of the hood cover that dropped down behind the seats and secured to the rear firewall was fine, so we wanted to extend the back portion. Michael unpicked the threads that held the rear strip (the bit to which the plastic poppers are secured) and removed that.

6 Chris also sent him a secondhand surround for the gearstick, having spotted that the one in the car was a slightly different colour to the rest of the interior. We have no idea when this happened, but the correct item is a far nicer shade!

5 The four heater control knobs had cracked where they went over the metal sliders, and so were wobbling about. Simon had planned on trying to glue them, but Chris Turner of the TR Drivers Club sent him a set of better ones.

4 We still have a little tweaking to do in order to get the back of the cover lying flat against the rear deck all around its curve, but crucially given the vagaries of the British weather, the TR7 is now usable with the hood both up and down.