Triumph TR7 FHC
Replacing the TR7’s twin SU carbs may have been expensive, but worrying about paying for them is a problem for another day!
1980 TRIUMPH TR7 FHC
I’ve got a good feeling about it – 2019 will definitely be the year in which I get to enjoy a full summer using my Triumph TR7.
That might not sound like much, but it’s not something I’ve managed since I bought the car three years ago. I can already picture the scene – throwing back the sliding Webasto roof, rolling down the windows, donning a pair of Aviators and heading off to Pendine Sands on the Welsh coast, (or maybe Rutland Water closer to home) for a lazy afternoon picnic with friends. Just thinking about it is enough to wash away my winter blues.
Last year was something of a write-off, owing to a number of problems. Most of those were addressed in my previous visit to classic car specialist, Robsport (01763 262263, robsport.co.uk) in October. But I went back again at the beginning of December so mechanics Ben and Jake could carry out further remedial work to resolve the poor running that’s plagued my Triumph since Easter.
Ben had previously pointed out (while repairing a split in the tubular manifold) that the linkages on the pair of SU carburettors had worn to the point where it was impossible to balance them properly. Closer inspection also revealed that the carburettor closest to the radiator was sucking in air.
I was therefore presented with two options – instruct Robsport to remove the existing carbs and send them off for reconditioning ( leaving me to get a train back to Peterborough,
sans TR7), or buy a pair of rebuilt carbs off the shelf from Robsport and leave that same afternoon with my pride and joy.
Actually, I had a third option – buy a rebuild kit and do the work myself – but since I didn’t have the time to do this (or, even if I did, confidence in my ability to balance the carbs at home), that whole notion was a non-starter.
So, I opened my wallet and braced myself for a big bill – one that would be sure to raise the ire of my other half, given that it was getting perilously close to Christmas.
But that was a problem for another day; with issue after issue dragging on throughout last year, I just wanted to get things sorted once and for all. And besides, the bill from Robsport was more than reasonable given the work that they carried out.
With that decision made, Ben began to dismantle the old carbs to doublecheck that they were fitted with the standard BDM carb needle (they were), before fitting the rebuilt SUs, complete with fresh gaskets and sealant.
Ben and Jack then worked together to get the carbs singing from the same hymn sheet. Triumph’s recommended percentage Carbon Oxide mixture is between 2.5 and 4.5 per cent. Ben had warned that the tubular manifold fitted to my Triumph might increase those parameters slightly, so I was thrilled when he managed to get things to settle at 3.5 per cent.
The drive back to Peterborough afterwards was sheer bliss. I’d honestly forgotten that my TR7 was capable of running as smoothly as it now did. The engine was no longer bogging down either, with a properly sharp throttle response. I spent the entire journey grinning from ear to ear and even drove on past my house so that I could spend an hour or so scouting out some different roads for the drive to that picnic at Rutland Water that I’ve set my heart on.
It was the kind of afternoon that you just can’t put a price on – at least, that’s what I told my longsuffering wife when I eventually made it home…