ROAD TO RECOVERY
Chris limps his TR7 down to Triumph specialist, Robsport, to get some of its issues sorted
OWNED SINCE April 2016 MILEAGE SINCE LAST REPORT 90 TOTAL MILEAGE 102,865 LATEST COSTS £144
Early this year the whole team took part in a fantastic drive that I organised around some of the best roads the Peak District has to offer, by way of whetting our appetite for Drive-it Day. It was a huge success, though not without its problems.
The one thing that’s prevented me from using my Triumph as much as I would have liked this summer is the six-inch-long bolt that dropped out from the bottom of the TR7 on the drive back to Peterborough from Derbyshire – it would have eliminated production editor Mike Le Caplain’s MG Midget in the process, too, had it not been for his lightning reactions.
Back home, I was able to diagnose that the bolt should be located on the rear of the gearbox, securing an assembly that prevents movement where it meets the propshaft.
I was able to refasten the bolt, but it was clear that the thread within the aluminium casing was damaged; the fear at the back of my mind was that if it had worked free once, it could do so again. I can put up with all manner of running niggles, but when there’s a risk that bits will fall off your car, you can understand why I wanted some assurance that the problem would be resolved properly. Thankfully, this was addressed by mechanics Jake and Ben at classic car specialist, Robsport (01763 262263, robsport.co.uk) during my most recent visit there.
With the benefit of the clearance afforded from the TR7 being up on one of its ramps (instead of inches from my face while on axle stands) it was obvious how the offending component had freed itself. The bolt sits within a bracket that’s quite vulnerable to being knocked – which, on inspection, is obviously what had happened – there was a dent on one of its edges.
Mike had joked there was a memorable section of the Peak District route that amounted to green laning and hindsight suggests that this must have been where my low-slung sports car had caught on something; the knock had bent the bracket, pulling on the thread and opening it out.
Thankfully, drilling out the offending thread and replacing it with a new threaded inset was a straightforward job for Jake. A big relief and one job ticked off the car’s now sizeable to-do list – but Ben and Jake weren’t finished yet.
Enquiring about an exhaust blow flagged up as an advisory as part of its April MoT, Ben laughed as he showed me a 12-inch split where the welding seam had separated on the tubular manifold. At least I’d discovered the reason why the Triumph had been popping and banging on the overrun…
My heart sank, fearing a big bill for a replacement manifold, but some expert welding on Ben’s part meant that he was able to prolong the system’s life for a little while longer at least.
I’d also noticed that only one of the TR7’s front foglamps was working.
Jake investigated while Ben was beavering away on the exhaust, and found that there was a break in the wiring harness – another straightforward fix, and an all-round productive (and thankfully none too expensive) day.
So, the Triumph is now finally on its way to being fighting fit and ready for… er, winter. Which begs the inevitable question: where the heck has this year gone?