Triumph TR7 FHC
Chris’ TR7 has been kept busy over the summer months after a quiet lockdown – in spite of the battery not holding its charge
1980 TRIUMPH TR7 FHC
Just as I’d hoped, taking part in the sociallydistanced meet-up with fellow CCW colleagues (albeit it just six of us, in line with the then-current government restrictions) for a post-lockdown catch-up masterminded by Nick Larkin gave me the kick up the backside I needed to liberate the Triumph from its garage hibernation and, crucially, not let it slip back into a deep slumber again afterwards.
For what remained of summer, I made every effort to use LBY for drives to meet friends, trips to the shops and other local outings and
I’m glad I did because it’s reminded me just how much I enjoy driving it. One of the reasons the TR7 had seen so little action this year (aside from there being no events to take it to) was that it had developed a battery drain over spring. It was one of those problems best described as an inconvenience. Keeping a portable jump starter in the boot meant that I was never truly in danger of being stranded by the side of the road, but the will-it-won’t-it roulette each time I came to start LBY quickly became tiresome, not least because I’d resolved to use it more regularly. Finding electrical faults isn’t my forte, but my basic investigation with a multimeter was enough to rule out the battery as the problem. I also checked what my friend, who knows about car electrics, stated as being the obvious culprits to no avail. As a temporary measure I got into the habit of disconnecting the terminals once parked up and re-connecting them again when I was ready to go. It was a routine that involved the bonnet going up, but saved me the embarrassment of previous trips to the petrol station, where on more than one occasion I had to push it out of the way so that the next customer could use the pump…
Next up was the annual oil change. It’s a job, along with biennial coolant changes, that I’ve ensured has been completed without fail every year, regardless of mileage, since I had the cylinder head replaced three years ago.
Classic car specialist, Robsport (01763 262263, robsport.co.uk), has remained open throughout the pandemic and supplied me not only with five litres of oil for the job, but also my preferred Borg & Beck oil filter (I’ve fitted different brands before that weren’t oil-tight). So, one weekend afternoon in July I got the
TR7 out from the garage (and yes, it did need a jump start) and changed the oil. My usual inspection of the tyres, wipers and lights revealed that all appeared well.
Things were put on hold when my son was born a couple of weeks later, and while it did see occasional use it wasn’t until its looming MoT at the beginning of this month that it received any sort of attention.
I’ve already mentioned in a previous mini update in our This
Week In Out Fleet column that it passed, without any advisories, so it’s not exactly a spoiler so mention it again here. There was work to be completed before LBY faced the tester, though – more on that little saga next time.
The TR7 was first registered in April 1980, so I’ll be in a position to apply for Historic Vehicle Status next year. As such, this could well be the last annual test that it’s required to take by law because it will soon be
exempt from both tax and testing. Of course, with the addition to our family, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be entering into a fifth year of ownership. That’s not to say that the ‘for sale’ sign is definitely going in the window, merely that I’ll be weighing up my options over winter.
Suffice it to say, though, that my original plan to replace it with an Austin-Healey Sprite or a Porsche Boxster has definitely gone right out of the window…