Service Guide

Keep your four-cylinder ‘big chassis’ Triumph in perfect fettle

Service your Triumph TR2-4A.

The Triumph TR2 was a benchmark hairy-chested British sports car. Its design was elegantly simple, combining a traditional chassis and a bare minimum of bodywork with parts borrowed largely from Standard saloons. The line evolved gradually from the first TR2 in 1953 until the last TR4A in 1967, when the TR5 arrived with straight-six power.

The layout was straightforward, but the components were by no means outdated. The Standard Vanguard-derived overheadvalve wet-liner four-cylinder engines were fine performers. The TR3 was one of the world’s first production cars to be fitted with disc brakes in 1955 and the TR4A got independent rear suspension a decade later.

All models are a pleasure to work on at home. Most components are simple in design, generously-proportioned and easy to access. Spares are readily and cheaply available from a wide range of specialists and club support is excellent. No special tools are required for everyday servicing.

Track down a workshop manual for your specific model, as various settings and finer points of the design changed over the years. Also bear in mind that the ubiquity of tuning parts and the ease of interchangeability between models means that your car may have received numerous nonstandard additions over the years.

This also applies to…

The TR5 was more-or-less the same as the TR4A aside from its straight-six engine – and the subsequent TR6 is also very closely related. Various settings differ, though – so consult a manual.