Ian Williets’ TR6 is a testament to his transformation skills
Ian Williets had the vision to see beyond a barn-find wreck – and the dedication to turn it into this pristine Us-spec TR6 to add to his collection of cool classics
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, the stunning machine on the left was an entry in our Barn Find of the Year competition in 2018. The shot above shows owner and restorer Ian Williets with the ’58 Triumph TR6 as it looked in February last year. The bike was a wreck when Ian bought it at the April 2017 Stafford Show and carted it back to his Wiltshire home. He admits: “It looked pretty awful when I bought it, but I could see past the pile of junk on the floor. I always try to see the potential in something like that. The important original components were all there, like the wheel hubs, forks, top and bottom yokes. The engine and frame were matching numbers and the crankcases and gearbox were intact.
“But it was a mess. It had metal gussetting plates welded into the headstock and was full of body filler that had to come off. There were holes in the frame tubes – I presume for wiring. The original grab rail had to be welded up, the sidestand lug had been broken off, the centrestand pivots has been cut off and all over the frame little tabs and brackets were missing.”
What bolt-on parts were still attached to the bike were wrong, like the mudgaurd, seat and exhaust pipes – but they were to be replaced with new parts anyway. “I knew straight away how I’d want to build it – with the correct high-level street scrambler pipes,” he adds.
It took Ian several weeks to find a petrol tank, sourced eventually by Ace Classics (see p121). Ace also did the paint. “I can do my own paint – but in the time it takes me, I can build a whole bike, so it makes sense to hand the paintjob to someone who’s set up for it,” he says.
The two-tone colour scheme – Aztec Red and Ivory – is actually
right for the year, although the colours have been flipped. For the 1957 and ’59 export TR6S it would be right, but for 1958 Triumph did the paint the other way around with Aztec Red (more of an orange colour in reality) on the top.
Ian admits: “I prefer the orange on the bottom, so I had it painted my way. I think doing it the correct way flattens the tank out and spoils the look of the bike.” The mudguards, by the way, were bought new from Ace, while the frame was powder coated by Maxi Coatings in Frome.
The 1958 TR6 got an all-new eight-inch, single-leading-shoe, fullwidth front brake that year, with the anchor plate locating into a boss on the lower fork leg to give the front end a much cleaner look.
A guy called Ray Hinton, who lives near Ian, rebuilt the wheels using rims and spokes also from Ace Classics. Ray is a regular in Ian’s workshop, currently building his own Honda 400-4 race replica in a 1960s Grand Prix style. He already has a CBR250-4 Japanese import in a similar style. Ian’s original plan was to put trials-type tyres on his new wheels, but says: “I tried these Continentals and they are spot on”.
When Ian got hold of the bike, the majority of the engine was there except the primary chaincase. A full strip-down and rebuild followed. Ian says: “I welded up damaged thread holes and retapped with the correct threads. The crank had to be ground and new shells, pistons and rings fitted. It was a complete nut-and-bolt restoration of the engine and the gearbox.” Guess where the parts came from? You guessed it – Ace Classics.
The gearbox on Ian’s bike had a Slick Shift, which allows the rider to make gearchanges without using the clutch, the gear lever assembly being designed to act directly onto the clutch thrust rod. This factoryfitted feature wasn’t popular and Ian, like many, rebuilt the gearbox without the Slick Shift operation.
The motor has been rebuilt as standard, apart from lowercompression pistons. “I find that with the right set-up the bike starts much easier – and with lowercompression pistons, the correct timing and carb setting you’ll never have any problems. I prefer the single-carb Triumphs – they never go out of balance like Bonnies can. There’s no messing with mixtures and why do you need twin carbs anyway? It’s easier to start and beautifully smooth and responsive. What else can you ask for?”
‘I SAW PAST THE PILE OF JUNK. I ALWAYS TRY TO SEE THE POTENTIAL IN SOMETHING’