Spring Fling Review • Wire Wheel Fix • Miata Seats

T h e M a g a z i n e O f T h e T o r o n to T r i u m p h C l u b S u mm e r 2 0 1 6 BBQ BASH

Spring Fling Review • Wire Wheel Fix • Miata Seats ® contents “Keep’em On The Road” Summer 2016 Parts and Accessories for TR2, TR3, TR4, TR4A, TR250, TR6, TR7, TR8, GT6, Spitfire

15 26 30 19

Member Pages From the Editor ...... 5 From the President ...... 7 Club Hub ...... 8 35 Owner’s Manual ...... 12 Features Events: Spring Fling ...... 15 Victoria Weekend ...... 19 T HE M AGAZINE O F T HE T ORONTO T RIUMPH C LUB S UMMER 2 0 1 6 TRiumph Tales: BBQ Life as a Car Nut’s Wife ...... 26 BASH On the Cover Restoration: In my eight years as Ragtop‘s Generation Next – TR-6 on a budget . 30 editor, I’ve resisted the temp- tation to flaunt Rosie on the Tech & Resto:

" cover. But this is my last issue, so TR-250 Restoration ...... 35 K " e d e a I decided at the last minute to p o 'e R waive my self imposed restriction Bits and Pieces: m On The VictoriaBritish.com (800) 255-0088 and put Rosie in the spotlight as Wire Wheel Fix ...... 39 a tribute to her & the extra time I Mazda Seat Swap ...... 42 will now have to enjoy her! Spring Fling Review • Wire Wheel Fix • Miata Seats Photo by David Fidler Tail Lites ...... 46 16 Ragtop 02 07.indd 1 16-07-28 2:37 PM

Ragtop.indd 1 6/26/14 9:43 AM LANT INSURANCE BROKERS from the editor (A Division of Wayfarer Insurance Brokers Limited)

SUBMISSIONS Format: MS Word files are preferred. Send via Canada’s Leader In Classic Vehicle Insurance Since 1978 email or on CD, 20Mb limit on email files. Send BR-EXIT & Fid-Exit photos separately, do NOT embed in the text file. Hard copy submissions are acceptable, but not preferred. Graphics must be in major graphics for- Many of you have ties to Great Britain. Whether it’s as an ex-pat mats, jpeg, tiff or Photoshop files. In Person: To the editor at the monthly meetings or mail: like me or just that you own a Triumph, we have a common in- 2421 Poplar Crescent, terest with the comings and goings of our friends across the Mississauga, Ontario L5J 4H2 pond. Or should that be ‘Remainings and Leavings? Whatever E-mail: [email protected] your thoughts about the recent referendum and it’s resulting ADVERTISING BRexit vote, it could have a very positive effect for fans of British Contact the Club’s advertising representative for vehicles. details of dates and submissions. Submit ads as The European Union and free trade had a lot to do with the high resolution (min 300 ppi) PDF files, saved for print in CMYK format, fonts embedded, by E-mail demise of the British automotive industry since 1983 and, with to [email protected] only a handful or exceptions, the wholesale sell off of house- The advertising year is from Mar. 1 to Feb. 28. hold names like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Mini, Triumph, MG A copy of Ragtop is sent to all paid advertisers. etc. began. It should be said that the nationalisation of companies such as BMC, which later ADVERTISING RATES became British Leyland, didn’t help the cause and dubious labour practices, production qual- per year ity woes and strikes put them on the auction block. But the EU and its easier access to the UK Rear Cover (full colour) ...... $500 market for the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Audi (of Germany) and Peugeot, Renault and Citroen Inside Front Cover (full colour) ...... $475 Inside Back Cover (full colour) ...... $450 from France, was the main reason the UK lost its automotive industry dominance. Full Page Inside ...... $305 So why might the leave vote help? Well the way I see it, with greater control of its domestic Half Page ...... $185 Offering The Quarter Page ...... $115 affairs and markets, a weaker Sterling and probable import tariffs, the UK should get a jump Business Cards ...... $70 start to claw back its manufacturing base and along with that, maybe some of those marques Full colour ...... $115 extra will return to their homeland? Triumph, which is owned by BMW, might TR-exit the EU too! Second colour ...... $75 extra Antique, Classic, Special Interest Flyer Inserts ...... $190/issue (max 4 pgs) Oh, and parts from UK suppliers like Rimmer Bros are now cheaper, yay! (All rates are for 4 issues, except flyers) After eight years as Editor of Ragtop, I’ve held my own BR-Exit “Leave/Remain” referen- and Modified/Street Rod [email protected] dum and the result was unanimous for the “Leave” camp. It was with a heavy heart that I recently tendered my resignation to the Executive Board of the Club to be relieved of my 2016 SCHEDULE Automobile Insurance Issue Editorial Deadline Mailed duties as Vice President & Director of Communications. Along with my job as Editor, I sold Program Spring ...... February 22 . . . March 29 and managed the advertising in Ragtop and sat on the British Car Day committee, I have Summer ...... May 23 ...... June 30 reluctantly also stepped down from these duties. I have been finding it increasingly dif- Fall/ BCD Program . July 25 . . . .September 20 Winter ...... November 7 . December 30 ficult to juggle my volunteer work for the Club with my business and as a consequence my business has suffered. With thoughts of retirement, hopefully in a couple of years time, I General Enquiries need to concentrate on my real work and family commitments. We’re also well along with [email protected] plans to move out of the GTA into the countryside, maybe north, maybe west, haven’t really Ragtop is published quarterly by the Toronto Tri- decided, but attending the monthly Executive & BCD meetings will prove quite difficult for umph Club Inc. (“TTC”) and is distributed to its members as part of their annual dues. The TTC or me in the future. the Editors cannot accept responsibility for the I am pleased to announce that Assistant Editor, Terence McKillen, will be taking over safe return of any submitted material. We will do as Editor from the next issue onwards. I’m happy that Ragtop will be in good hands and I our best, but accidents do occur. congratulate Terence on his promotion! Please continue to support him with lots of stories We accept no responsibility for errors or omis- and photographs. I will retain my role as Publisher and continue to print Ragtop through sions. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the TTC Ex- my business contacts in the industry. ecutive or Membership. Although I’ve left the Board, I am not leaving the Club and I very much look forward to

Non-profit groups may reprint articles from this pub- seeing you all at the monthly club meetings and at many more events in the future. Now I’ll lication, where the author has not reserved rights, be able to spend more time chatting with you and looking at the cars, instead of running provided we get credited and both the author and around doing Club stuff and hogging the microphone! TTC receive a copy of the publication in its entirety. Distribution by Pillar Direct. Printed by Printwell Offset for the Toronto Triumph Thank you for your past support and encouragement everyone... Fid over & out. Club. 37 Sandiford Drive, Suite 100, Stouffville, ON L4A 7X5 Tel: (905) 640-4111 • Fax: (905) 640-4450 Copyright © 2016 by the TTC.

www.lant-ins.ca Canada Post Publications # 40022175

Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 5 from the president

Executives President ...... Dave Sims 905.331.1496 Vice President ...... David Fidler 905.829.9340 Crazy Days of Summer Secretary ...... Alastair Wallace 905.627.2941 Treasurer ...... Clive Huizinga 905.884.2091 When you get this edition of Ragtop we Director of Communications . . David Fidler 905.829.9340 Membership Chair ...... Wayne McGill 905.847.5532 will be well into summer and I do hope that Director at Large . . . . . Terence McKillen 647.202.8243 you’ve had a chance to get your Triumph out Director at Large ...... Patrick Caria 416.562.1642 Past President . . . . . David Tushingham 416.419.2201 as often as possible. Recently we had the premiere for Warren Beech and Mike Pearse Ragtop Magazine Ragtop Editor ...... David Fidler 905.829.9340 as hosts for the club BBQ which attracted an Assistant Editor ...... Terence McKillen 647.202.8243 excellent turnout of club members with an Distribution ...... Rod Jones – Pillar Direct 416.755.9494 eclectic collection of cars. The food was great Art Director ...... Michael Cleland 905.873.7704 Advertising Sales ...... David Fidler 905.829.9340 as was the company and the weather was spectacular. Well done Warren and Mike! Website Web Manager/Classifieds . . .Keith Stewart 519.660.1916 You’ll see elsewhere in this edition a write-up of Spring Fling which was hosted by the OUR PARTS FINDER MG Car Club of Toronto. Captioned “Bounty in the County” the event was centred at the Meet Davin, Club Coordinators Meeting Coordinator . . . .Larry Llewellyn 416.245.9217 Isaiah Tubbs resort located close to Picton in Prince Edward County. A good weekend was Interclub Coordinator . . . . . Tony Fox Sr. 905.632.0479 enjoyed by all in a beautiful part of Ontario. “SEARCHING FOR HARD-TO-FIND PARTS Ambassador-at-Large . . . . .Wayne McGill 905.847.5532 Regalia ...... Dion Widrich 416.464.6057 What else have we been up to so far this year? Ancaster was a very good day out with Historian ...... Frank Manning 905.643.2359 more LBCs in the parking lot than I’ve ever seen before... sunshine really works! Our club IS A LOT LIKE PEELING AN ONION. YOU GO Volunteer Coordinator ...... Ron Etty 905.547.2419 night at WEGZ was a success as Larry works hard to vary our venues across the GTA. Terence BCD Sponsors ...... Frank Manning 905.643.2359 David Fidler 905.829.9340 McKillen organized the Victoria Day Long Weekend drive which attracted 16 Triumphs. Su- ONE LAYER AT A TIME AND TRY NOT TO CRY.” Dave Sims 905.331.1496 per roads, great company, good weather, wonderful destination and about 100 miles door- Motorsports ...... Simon Rasmussen 905.853.2514 to-door. This is what long weekends are all about! Model Coordinators The second annual Taste of British Car Day was held at the end of June and you can read TR-2, 3, 3A & 3B ...... Keith Stewart 519.660.1916 Alistair Wallace 905.627.2941 all about it on page 10. TR-4, 4A, 5 & 250 ...... John Lille 416.231.3092 July brings two of my favourite venues, Lindsay for Brits in the Park and Peterborough Dave Sims 905.331.1496 Keith Stewart 519.660.1916 for the Canadian Classic. Alex and Sharon McLeod have a spectacular Classic weekend TR-6 ...... Colin Pillar 905.271.5869 planned which I’m really looking forward to. See you there! Wayne McGill 905.847.5532 To keep updated on other events planned for 2016 please check out our Calendar of Lyal Moffatt [email protected] Spitfire, GT6 ...... J.P. Gauthier 416.631.8287 Events, which we try hard to keep up-to-date. Ron Pincoe 519.941.0976 By the time you receive this Ragtop the British Car Day committee will be flat out mak- TR-7 & 8 ...... Ron Etty 905.547.2419 Larry Llewellyn 416.245.9217 ing sure we have all of our ducks in a row for the 33rd running of this fabulous event. Ron Brad Reynolds 905.332.3245 Etty will be searching for volunteers, so if you have a few hours to spare for set-up on Satur- Stag ...... Tony Fox Sr. 905.632.0479 Terence McKillen 905.855.2463 day and/or helping out on Sunday, please drop him a line at [email protected] Robin Searle 705.484.0071 We already have volunteers for two events next year. As you know Robin Searle will be Herald, Standard Vanguard, Roadster . . . . .Kem Jones leading the circumnavigation of Lake Superior in June/July 2017and he is building a list of kemjones [email protected] Event Coordinators those interested in this adventure. It’s TTC’s turn to organize Spring Fling in 2017 and I’m British Car Day Chair ...... Dave Sims 905.331.1496 delighted to report that Keith and Chris Stewart have volunteered to take this on. Centred Canadian Classic ...... Alex & Sharon McLeod in London, Ontario this will be an event not to miss and details will be provided as they When your claim requires finding some automotive needle [email protected] in a haystack, Davin’s your man. He has one job here at Spring Fling ...... MGCCT become available. Annual BBQ . . Warren Beech [email protected] The enthusiasm of our club members in volunteering to take on any number of activi- Hagerty: when a client needs a replacement part, he finds Mike Pearse [email protected] ties is mind boggling. The effort taken to hold a full slate of events, produce Ragtop, keep it. And though that sometimes involves hours of searching Fall Drive ...... (Vacant) 1/2 Day Drives ...... (Volunteers wanted) up with memberships, keep the web site fresh, write articles for Ragtop, monitor the Fo- and frustration – maybe even a few tears – he wouldn’t rum, keep the finances in order and many, many other things is huge and so I wanted to trade his job for anything in the world. It’s that kind of Club Photographers . . . . .Larry Llewellyn 416.245.9217 Chris Lindsay 416.233.7360 take the opportunity to thank you all for your contribution to our club. passion that makes him perfect for Hagerty, and makes So, sit down in your favourite chair and enjoy the summer edition of Ragtop! Hagerty perfect for you. Membership Mail CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE 74 West River Street Oakville Ontario L6L 3B5 Ragtop Mail & E-mail Dave Sims 800-92877-922-97012-4050 | HAGER T| Y HAGERTY.CA.COM | LOCAL AGENT Hagerty. We may sell insurance but we live classics. 2421 Poplar Crescent, Mississauga, ON, L5J 4H2 President – [email protected] [email protected]

Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 7 club hub club hub Meeting Reports Welcome New Members! April Monday, April 18 June Name Location Vehicle Sunday, April 17 Club Meeting / Quiz Night This year’s BBQ at Coronation Park in Doug Adolph Pontypool GT6 Mk3 1973 Ancaster British Car Flea Market and Car Terence McKillen assembled 50 illustrated Oakville involved a changing of the guard David Barrows Latham TR-6 1974 & 1972 questions to really test our knowledge of Brit- Rod Belaire Pickering TR-6 1975 Show as Warren Beech and Mike Pearse hosted Joe Bogdan Toronto What a fantastic sunny day, probably the ish cars of the 1960s and early 1970s. Wayne the event for the first time, taking over Brian Burgess Toronto TR6 1975 nicest day for the season’s opening event McGill and David Fidler achieved the highest from long time hosts Brian Clark and Jack Colin Campbell Innisfil in many years. Attendance was also up - score of 39 and won fabulous prizes. It was a Willekes. The weather was perfect, the food Stephen Cohen Toronto TR-6 1976 there must have been at least 300 cars in lovely evening and there was a good show- was delicious, the company was excellent Ellys MacKenzie Mississauga ing of Triumphs in the Legion parking lot at and the cars in the parking lot (as you can Tim Martins Mississauga the LBC compound. Clive and Wayne re- Barry & Dianne O’Rourke Acton ported that there were 34 membership Port Credit. Thanks to Terence for organizing see from the accompanying pictures) were Alan Porszt Toronto renewals some of which were lapsed and the quiz and to Larry for organizing the loca- outstanding. All in all a very good evening Scott Richardson Mississauga we also sold calendars, bags and back is- tion and usual refreshments and food. for which Warren and Mike are to be con- Kevin Storey Locust Hill sues of Ragtop magazines. The TTC table gratulated. Thanks guys! Richard Tisdale Waterloo GT6+ 1969 at Ancaster importantly provides a chance May Tom Wright Bracebridge GT6 1972 Tuesday, May 10 New Members from March 17, 2016 to July 5, 2016 for the Club’s Executive team to chat with many TTC members. A new flag, table cloth MG Car Club Meeting and backdrop recently acquired by Dave The MG Club extended an invitation to TTC Membership Renewal Reminder Sims for BCD also looked great. All in all a members to attend their May meeting to (Thank you if you have renewed since press time) pretty good day for the club and hopefully support a presentation on “The Electric Name Member# Date a very good day for the Hamilton British Spitfire” by TTC member, Paul Martin. m / d / y Car Club and Austin Healey Club. By all accounts, the presentation was well re- Shane Abbott 5569 07/28/16 ceived and Paul feels that there will be a few Jerry Abrams 5578 09/02/16 electric MGs on the road before too long! Sandra and Mario Boetto 1899 08/01/16 Mark Brown 5568 07/24/16 Tuesday, May 17 Barry Burnside 5571 08/12/16 Club Night Meeting | Drive YourTriumph William Copeland 2759 07/14/16 15-20 members braved a somewhat chilly spring evening and atrocious rush-hour traffic to Scot DeYoung 5575 08/16/16 drive their Triumph’s to the May Club Night held at the WEGZ Stadium and Bar on Ruther- Sean Doherty 5052 08/28/16 ford Rd., Vaughan – special parking was set aside for the Triumphs. Paul Greig 5564 07/13/16 The usual light refreshments were served. Phil & Mary Anne Harris 2342 09/01/16 Jocelyn Lovell Jack L Manock 5565 07/23/16 Jocelyn Lovell, the husband of one of our long term members, died on 3rd June at the young age of 65. You Chuck & Carmie McCormack 5146 08/25/16 may recall that Neil Annie Lovell, Jocelyn’s wife, showed her 1963 Black Spitfire 4 at the Canadian Interna- Peter McNair 5570 07/31/16 tional Auto Show in 2012. Wayne Mullins 5574 08/11/16 Jocelyn won more than 35 national titles, on road and track, at every distance. He represented Canada Alex Needleman 5566 07/22/16 at three Olympic Games (1968, 1972 and 1976), Morrie Nudelman 5576 08/19/16 and won six Commonwealth Games medals, in- Charles & Bertha Parish 1291 07/29/16 cluding four golds, as well as a world champion- Stefan Schwarz 5450 08/29/16 ship silver medal in 1978 and gold medals at two Charles Scott 5573 08/11/16 Pan American Games (1971, 1975). Kieren Smyth 2734 09/01/16 His career was cut short when he was hit by Archie Thomas 1069 09/01/16 a dump truck in 1983 while training near his Mil- Jeanette Voortman 5444 08/11/16 ton home. The accident resulted in spinal cord injuries, leaving Lovell a quadriplegic. He was an advocate for spinal cord re- Helmuth & Brigitte Vorkoetter 2265 08/06/16 search for the rest of his life and was a real inspiration to many people. Andrew Wasson 5567 07/23/16 Cycling Canada president John Tolkamp said of Jocelyn “He just was such Dion Widrich 3215 08/30/16 a world-class athlete on the track at a time when track cycling wasn’t well Valid as of July 5, 2016 understood in North America and he was also very strong on the road. He Please go to www.TorontoTriumph.com was one of my cycling heroes.” He will be missed. and renew today!

8 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 9 club hub club hub

A Taste of British Car Day by David Fidler Events Calendar AUGUST 2016 SEPTEMBER 2016 Brits on the Lake, Port Perry Labour Day Long Weekend Drive ast year, board executive mem- Sunday, 7, 9am Sunday, 4, 9am berL Patrick Caria presented an idea to help www.britsonthelake.com A leisurely drive along the highways and the Club achieve its goal to become more byways of Southern Ontario. philanthropic and pay it forward to deserv- Stay tuned for further details. ing charities. None are more deserving of our support than the SickKids Founda- tion. Children not only take our families forward, they are the future of our hobby. Sadly, all too many fall victim to life threat- ening illnesses and don’t make it to realize their potential in life. SickKids Hospital is probably one of the best known charities in Toronto and yet, maybe because of its fame, it struggles to get funding for vital research and equipment. For this reason, your board thought Patrick’s suggestion to hold a summer event that supports this worthy cause, would be a great thing to do. British Car Day is well known among Ontario and upstate US British car clubs, and yet we are constantly amazed at how many individual British classic car owners, UK Car Day – Rochester NY and members of the public, have never Sunday, 7, 10am heard of BCD. So it was decided that any The Greater Rochester Triumph Touring fund raising event we agreed to, must also Club and the Webster Lions Club present promote British Car Day, both to the media the 8th UK Car Day at Genesee Valley Park, and general public alike, to raise awareness Rochester, NY. British Car Day Club Meeting – Presentation by Rupert of BCD and money for SickKids at the same Please check out the website for details. uk- Sunday, 18, 8am Lloyd Thomas time. A true “win, win.” carday.com The 33rd annual running of British Car Day. Tuesday, 18, 7pm Last year we launched (quite literally) Join over 1,100 car owners in the presenta- Rupert has been busy researching histori- Taste of British Car Day at Black Creek Pio- 1000 Islands International Rally and Tour tion of the largest British car show in North cal records around classic car racing / hill neer Village in Toronto. The weather was Saturday, 27 America. climbs and he’s coming to talk to us again. terrible and only a handful of cars out of This new event will highlight the beauty www.torontotriumph.com/BCD For those of you who missed last year’s the 70 that registered turned out. Fortu- too, entertaining the youngsters and help- trations and window card distribution, plus of the Thousand Islands paradise found presentation, don’t miss this – it will be a nately, the ones who didn’t venture out in ing with our fundraising efforts. for his generous personal donation. Erika in the midst of the St. Lawrence Seaway OCTOBER 2016 fascinating discussion! More details will be the rain decided to let us keep their dona- Car owners and visitors were able to Wilson and her staff at Black Creek Pioneer at the Canada/US border. It is designed to British Car Council Toy Drive available closer to the time. tions to SickKids and, with some other pri- vote on their favourites out of the huge va- Village for their hard work promoting and emulate the classic European rallies and Sunday, 2, 9am vate donations, we raised just over $4,000! riety of beautiful cars (and a motorcycle!) preparing for the show. We also thank the particularly the world famous Monte Carlo This will be BCCI’s fifth annual toy drive and NOVEMBER 2016 On Sunday, June 26th, the weather was on display. Congratulations to the worthy following volunteers who helped tremen- Rallye, with cars being flagged off from it will be held at Country Heritage Park in Annual General Meeting fantastic for the 2nd annual Taste of Brit- award winners! dously on the day – Jean-Paul Gauthier, multiple “Start Points” and converging on Milton. Tuesday, 15, 7pm ish Car Day and 58 of the 67 cars that pre- Larry Llewellyn, Alexis Kelly, Michael Caria the Thousand Islands. www.britishcarcouncil.ca Location TBD registered, plus some who registered on 1. 1947 MG TC - Mike Rosen & friend, Johann Aaltink and Clive Huizinga. Please check out the URL for details. the day, enjoyed the scenic Village venue 2. 2013 McLaren - Raymond Smith And last, but not least, a big thank you www.mowoguniversity.com/burlwood-mo- and sunshine. Mr. Beep the talking car and 3. 1961 Ford Zephyr ‘Mr. Beep’ - Ross Bonn to everyone who brought their British cars torsport-group-services--events.html star of the late 50s/early 60s children’s road to Black Creek Pioneer Village and gave so safety films and recent Discovery Channel On behalf of Patrick and I, our thanks go generously of their time and money – we TV show ‘Restoration Garage’, was there to Terence McKillen for looking after regis- raised $5,000 for SickKids!

10 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 11 owner’s manual Getting to know our members Paul Martin

Name/Owner: Paul Martin Born [year/place]: 1966 Waterloo Residence: Toronto Background: Raised by a diesel me- Member Since: 2013 chanic and jack of all trades, and grew up Triumph: 1975 Spitfire 1500- “E-Fire” electric conversion with a large lathe and mill in my basement. Occupation: senior project manager at Zeton Inc. in Burlington My father could basically look at a machine TTC involvement: one Ragtop article and a few club events and come home and build one- all from Pets: 2 indoor cats scrap, with no plans. Educated as a chemi- Children: 2 regrettably too-often indoor children, Clara (10) and cal engineer at UW. Worked in the water treatment and environmental industry, TR2-8 Spitﬁre Herald Jacob (13) and now I design and build pilot plants to Significant other: Jennifer, a theatrical costumer, who is (slowly) test new chemical and energy technology. Stag GT6 Vitesse warming to the car-after 20 yrs Married the girl who never liked the car- Dolomite 2000/2500 Favourite place: Ha Ling’s Peak, Canmore Alberta we’re about as different as it’s allowed to Visit our website Favourite reading: Tolkien’s The Silmarillion be, I think, which keeps it interesting! Two Favourite movie: Coen brothers: “O Brother Where Art Thou?” sweet kids, a home we built ourselves, but for prices All the parts and accessories Favourite food: apple crisp made from Northern Spys too little room for any more cars! and availability: you will ever need Three people I would invite to dinner: my late father and ng mother, and the uncle I never met www.rimmerbros.co.uk rderi Free O Hobbies: woodworking, sand casting bronzes, energy Toll Free Favourite music: Danny Michel- KW songwriter tel: 01144 1522 568000 Catalogues Other vehicles currently owned: a Prius touring and a Prius C fax: 01144 1522 567600 8.30am - 5.30pm UK Office Hours Mon - Fri Past restorations: my brother had a TR-3, a Fiat Spyder and a 1966 Parts service for Land Rover, MG Rover and Jaguar also available email: [email protected] Volvo wagon- all amazing cars. Me? Other than the E-Fire it’s all LAND been just transport ROVER from 1998 to 2011 12 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I WInteR I 2013/2014 www.TorontoTriumph.comTriumph House, Sleaford Road, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, LN4 2NA. 17England

14 Ragtop.04.01.indd 17 14-01-14 11:28 AM Pssst! events Want Some Great Advice? SPRING

by Dave Sims FLINGMay 27th – 29th 2016

ach year, the Toronto Triumph EClub and the MG Car Club of Toronto alter- You could search big catalogues for the best price nate hosting duties for the annual “Spring Fling” event. This has become a tradition in You could buy parts from various suppliers both Clubs and is one of the first driving events of the season where we get to share You could pay huge shipping and crazy broker fees our love of LBCs and have some friendly rivalry with the “other marque”. It is a fine You could be returning the parts time to rekindle the spirit of camaraderie with fellow LBC enthusiasts. This year it was MGCCT’s turn to host the You could... fun and the Isaiah Tubbs Resort and Con- ference Centre in beautiful Prince Edward 1565 Hwy 5 West, RR#1 ...but why would you? County was our base for the weekend. Troy, Ontario, L0R 2B0 Two hundred years before the Free We are your local source for quality parts and only stock Trade Agreement between Canada and Toll Free 1-888-485-2277 the best. When you consider the benefits of friendly local the United States of America, Isaiah Tubbs farm to include cultivated acreage on Lots Local: 905-627-9995 married Rhoda Shepard in Greenville, New 5, 7, 8 and 12. Isaiah Tubbs served as a Pri- 24hr Fax: 416-410-6479 service, no quibble exchanges, next day delivery or same York, in 1795. Five years later in 1800, along vate in the Prince Edward Corps of Militia E-mail: [email protected] day pick-up, plus great advice and customer service, with his wife Rhoda, Isaiah arrived in Prince in the War of 1812, he subscribed to the British Auto Sport is hard to beat. Edward County, Ontario. They were not Quaker Meeting House, and in 1833 was considered to be United Empire Loyalists, a founding member of the Prince Edward but members of the Tubbs family had been County Agricultural Society. Establishing a Try us for your next project! squatters for a number of years in Hallowell history in hospitality, Isaiah and Rhoda of- Township. Isaiah and Rhoda settled on Lot ten played host and hostess to weddings. 8, Concession 1, south side of West Lake. Isaiah died at an undetermined age in Isaiah gradually purchased over 200 acres, 1844, and no grave has ever been found. British Auto Sport and over the next 40 years he expanded his His youngest son, Isaiah (II), died in 1844 as Toll Free 1-888-485-2277 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 15 well, at 11 years old (perhaps of cholera). Winery. Located on the shores of Prince whites to fuller bodied lightly oaked reds, time for wine tasting before heading into a Isaiah left behind his wife and 7 children: Edward Bay. In 1993 a small vineyard was leading to the famous Baco Noir. buffet lunch under the marquee. Phoebe, Joseph, William, Hiram, Mindwall, pioneered to prove that the “terroir” was We set up for the car show in amongst The afternoon drive was a choice of ei- Mary and Matury. ideal for growing well balanced quality the vines and very close to the lake, thank ther returning to the hotel on a set route Hiram followed in his father’s footsteps wine grapes, thus starting Prince Edward goodness, as the temperature was very or else one could explore the area on one’s and acquired an additional 100 acres on County’s Wine Industry. On 15th June 2001 hot and the effect of the lake was magical own. We decided on the latter and got a West Lake. He was married to Mahala Mas- it was time for Waupoos Estates Grand in keeping the temperatures down. As is better feel for the area before landing in tin, and they had five children, the oldest Opening and they haven’t looked back customary at Spring Fling Triumphs were Picton for a much-deserved ice cream. being Isaiah (III). The 1½ storey brick home since. Full steam ahead with the 13th anni- evaluated by the MG guys and gals and Did you know that Picton used to be the they lived in has been carefully restored versary this year, the winery features wines MGs by TTC folk. Following that there was centre of the canning industry? Anything and still stands as Isaiah Tubbs Resort and for all tastes, from crisp dry and semi dry Conference Centre. Isaiah (III), the eldest of the eighteen grandchildren who have been traced, carried on the farming tradition of the family on West Lake, but he was also a well- known cheese maker. There was a small cheese factory at the north end of his farm. He became one of the first Directors of the Bloomfield Cheese Manufacturing Com- pany Limited in 1894. He lived in the 1½ storey home until his death in 1923. He is buried with his wife, daughter, parents and grandmother, Rhoda, in Glenwood Cem- etery in Picton. The land on West Lake on which Isaiah and Rhoda settled, and upon which the Tubbs family grew and prospered, is now Isaiah Tubbs Resort and Conference Cen- tre, a beautiful and tranquil place. (source: Isaiah Tubbs Resort web site) To get to the resort a mixed group of Triumphs and MGs set off in convoy from Mississauga and drove over the top of To- ronto on back roads which ended up being quite a long drive in unseasonably hot con- ditions. Maggie and I left a little later as we had another obligation and it took us 5½ hours (with a couple of stops) to complete the 201 miles from Burlington. Check-in was at 4pm after which regis- tration packages could be picked-up. From 6pm to 10pm the MG folks hosted a “Meet and Greet” so we could get reacquainted after the long winter and exchange war stories. One TR-4 was notable by its absence… John Lille was waiting on new tires so had to resort to alternative transportation. After breakfast on Saturday morning the 63 cars left the parking lot every 5 minutes in packets of 10 LBCs and drove 2 lovely routes to the Waupoos Estate and

16 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 17 WINNERS Chris Stewart have stepped up and will be and everything was canned in Pict... even stopped and provided the necessary as- • Jamie Broad (TR8) for Best Wheels. hosting the event in London, Ontario – we pineapple was imported! The railroad ran sistance to get the wheel changed out in • Frank DeCarlo (TR3) for Best Engine Bay. look forward to it! through the centre of town... but not any- short order. Bob and Dot didn’t even have • Paul Boyd (TR6) for Best Interior. After the banquet we went back to the more. The major industry now is tourism. to get their hands dirty! • Chris Stewart (TR6) for Best Green Car. O’Neill Pavillion to enjoy some more hospi- I think everyone enjoyed the opportunity After a leg stretch and snooze it was time • Robin Searle (Stag) for Best Red Car. tality and a bonfire in the adjacent firepit. to see a little more of this lovely coun- to freshen up for the banquet which was • Peter May (TR6) for Best White Car. All too soon it was time to return home, tryside and Bob and Dot Corbin had the held at the resort’s Restaurant on the Knoll. • Steve Wilkie (TR7) for Best Blue Car. but this time Maggie and I decided to get chance to also appreciate the helpful lo- Following a very satisfying meal and an ex- • Merle Cole (TR3) for Best “Other” Colour Car. a very early start to avoid the traffic and cal community when their TR7 experi- cellent Sandbanks Reisling produced by a • Dave Sims (TR250) for Best Triumph in Show went home on the 401 and 407. This time enced a puncture. Before they even had local winery, it was time for the awards cer- Congratulations to all our winners! the journey was about 4 hours with stops time to think about it, several passing cars emony and here are the Triumph winners: to cover 180 miles. The TR-250 got us there and back in style and we covered more than 500 miles over the weekend. 31mpg, no oil used and the roof stayed in the boot for the entire trip. I did a spot of night driving and the LED lights I put in the speedometer and tachometer earlier this year makes an amazing difference. I could actually see what I then had the opportunity to thank eries are wonderful and there are lots of was going on. A simple fix which was very our hosts from the MGCCT for organizing activities to keep you busy. Great coun- worthwhile and not expensive. a splendid event in a lovely area of our try! I was also able to share the destina- See you in London next year for Spring Province. The roads are smooth, the win- tion for next year’s Spring Fling. Keith and Fling 2017. ragtop

ENGINE OILS | GEAR OILS | FUEL ADDITIVES

MILLERS OILS Driving Classics Into the Future West Yorkshire UK w w w . c o m a t m o t o r s p o r t s . c o m

18 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 RCMagtop Triumph I S Ad-2.inddummer I 1 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 4/1/14 1:44:5019 PM club events

TRF Is the World’s Greatest British Sports Car Company The Roadster Factory is large enough to be a major parts manufacturer and distributor but small enough to know our models very well, also small enough to offer very personal Of Kettle Holes, service to all of our customers. TRF is British Motor Heritage Approved, we are famous for high quality and reasonable prices, and we offer expert engine, gearbox, and rear axle rebuilds from our own shop, known as C.A.R. Escarpments and Moraines Components. Whether you show your car in concours by Terence McKillen – photographs by Dave Sims events, enter it in competitive driving events, or drive it to work every day, you can do so with confidence, knowing that The Roadster Factory will always be here for you—on-line or just a phone call away.

Subscribe to TRF’s E-Mail Newsletter Every week, twelve-thousand Triumph and MG enthusiasts in countries around the world receive an E-Mail Newsletter from Charles Runyan. The newsletter always includes wonderful offers on parts, shipping deals, and other TRF news. The newsletter includes links to current Web Site Specials and Weekend Features which change every week. To subscribe to the newsletter, please follow the simple instructions found on the TRF home page. Note that unsubscribing is also easy if you change your mind later. Join TRF Car Club Hundreds of customers of The Roadster Factory belong to TRF Car Club. The club exists to promote TRF Customer loyalty, and it includes $300.00 in gift certificates each year that you can use as cash to his year we chose to hold what has the spread of urban development and con- somewhat overcast in the morning, but purchase parts. Dues are $100.00 per year, but you also Tnow become an annual event, organized sequent conversion of many rural roads to with full sunshine through the afternoon get a parts credit in the amount of $100.00 every year by the author and the photographer of multi-lane arteries. and temperatures in the low 20s. after the first. You will receive a membership card and this review, on Saturday, May 21 and ex- A collection of 16 Triumphs assem- Our morning journey took us on a 45 perienced four glorious hours of top down bled at Tim Horton’s on Postridge Drive mile odyssey, initially northward on Trafal- sticker. Beautiful club logo. Great T-shirts available. driving in late spring weather along the in Oakville between 9:45 and 10:25am gar and then westwards across the Oakville Please join on-line, or just phone the sales line, and ask byways of Halton, Wellington and Guelph for a prompt 10:30am departure, in two moraine and the headwaters of 16 Mile and to join TRF Car Club… counties. Our goal on these ½-day out- groups of eight. The complete posse com- Bronte Creeks, along Lower Baseline Road ings is to try and accommodate a leisurely prised 2 Stags, a TR-250, a TR-3, 2 GT-6s, 3 to Bell School Line, northwards around the drive on some of the narrower, twisty and/ Spitfires and 7 TR-6s, in a variety of hues east side of the Burlington airpark and on The Roadster Factory or hilly by-roads, avoiding interaction with and colours, and perhaps one or two still to Britannia Road westward past Lowville P.O. Box 332, Armagh, Pennsylvania, 15920, U.S.A. regular traffic where possible and trying bearing original paint trim. As usual, the GC to Cedar Springs and northwards over Telephone: (800) 234-1104 • Fax: (814) 446-6729 not to repeat the route from one outing to cars provided a talking point for the regu- the Escarpment through Kilbride onto Twiss the next – not an easy task these days with lar Timmy’s customers. The weather was Road, continuing almost to Campbellville Internet: www.the-roadster-factory.com

Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 21 Road. Coming off the western edge of the With apologies to the musings of an Puslinch Lake near Morriston where the including an aviator performing touch and times of high water, the lake outflows into at Tim Horton’s, a distance of about 42 miles. Escarpment, we turned west onto Side early nineteenth century English poet, we cars were once again an added attraction go landings in a float plane. Puslinch Lake Creek which forms part of the For most, the outing comprised 100 Road 3 which, further along the way, be- enjoyed the noon time sun bursting vic- in the parking lot for other folks, both local Our destination of Puslinch Lake has the Grand River drainage basin. miles or so in total, with Dorien and Anne comes Mountsberg Road and followed that toriously through newly emergent spring and visitors, to enjoy. distinction of being the largest kettle lake in After lunch, our route took us north of Berteletti probably doubling, or even tri- over to and then across Highway 6. foliage that was tentatively overreaching Although they didn’t accept reserva- North America. Kettle lakes are shallow, sed- Highway 401, through Aberfoyle, along pling, that distance to participate in their This is a lovely route; narrow, some- across our path; our senses also taking in tions, the staff at the restaurant coped iment-filled bodies of water, usually circular Highway 34 eastwards to the Nassagaw- TR-3. Speaking of Dorien, I’m really glad the times twisty but invariably tree-lined with the smell of newly mowed grass and other very well with the influx of 26 hungry and in shape, formed by retreating glaciers. The eya–Esquesing Townline, in Halton Hills, TR-3’s brakes were working well – I did hear many hills and dales and the odd level bucolic aromas, both pleasant and pun- thirsty guests and an enjoyable hour or so “kettles” are formed as a result of blocks of where we turned northwards to connect the squeal of rubber coming pretty close to crossing; some of the hills have quite a gent, while also enjoying auditory inputs was spent digesting burgers, chicken, sal- ice calving from glaciers and becoming sub- with 22 Side Road eastwards to Limehouse the rear end of my Stag at one point! sharp apex which makes a nice distraction from a well-tuned Triumph engine and ads, sandwiches or whatever else caught merged in the sediment on the outwash and then south over the Escarpment on 5th Thanks to all who turned out to par- from driving on the main road which runs classical music broadcasting from 96.3 FM. our fancy. Some of our group were amused plain prior to melting and the creation of a Line (with a detour over to 6th Line due to ticipate and hope you enjoyed the outing. parallel to the north where the hills and Across Highway 6, we followed Gore by the working model railway that circum- lake or pond. Puslinch Lake has no perma- construction works at Steeles Avenue) and We look forward to seeing you at future dips have been essentially eliminated by Road westwards to our luncheon desti- navigated the dining room while others nent inflow streams, being normally fed by reconnected with Trafalgar Road at Burn- events planned for the driving season. the highway engineers. nation at the Old Marina Restaurant on watched the goings on out on the lake, surface runoff and underwater springs. At hamthorpe and then on to the finish point ragtop

22 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 23 Peninsula Imports Ad Final - Ragtop Summer 2016 v2.pdf 1 25/07/2016 11:28:09 AM LOTUS OF OAKVILLE

Special introductory offers including financing & flexible lease terms from 3.9%

Inviting current Lotus owners to trade-up

Y 2412 South Service Rd. West CM Oakville ON L6L 5M9 MY

CY 905-847-0838 CMY [email protected] K

Browse our parts catalogues online www.peninsulaimports.com

CANADA'S BRITISH MOTOR HERITAGE SUPPLIER

EST82

MOTOR VEHICLE GROUP www.lotusofoakville.com triumph tales

pump was located immediately behind chased from a friend. The Wolseley was scrapyard in the world. Once the fixes were the passenger-side glove compartment. certainly a step up in the luxury depart- in place we were left with a mechanically Life So my role was to bang like mad on the ment with its leather and wood interior – sound vehicle but with different coloured glove compartment as soon as the engine much more what I felt to be appropriate body panels. Having no spare cash for a faltered and that would almost always kick transport – and we experienced far fewer paint shop I offered to paint the car my- things back into gear. Did nothing for the mechanical issues than previously. This be- self, which I did, with a 1” brush and a can as a rather nice, hollow silver bracelet I used ing England, it goes without saying that of cheap green paint. Surprisingly, it didn’t Car-Nut’s to wear all the time and which I still have we often started our day by drying out the somewhere complete with all the dents distributor cap and fixing the plugs and by Maggie Sims and scratches. That fuel pump finally gave points on those damp mornings when up the ghost when we were on a camping most British cars simply refuse to start. I be- trip to France. My initiation into camping came quite the expert on plugs and points. was not quite the experience I expected. It But “Wally” ran well, right up until the time consisted of loading up the back seat and when we were just leaving the parking lot the boot (trunk) with a little bit of food, a after having been spectating at the RAC pre-war tent, two old sleeping bags and Rally (i.e. leaving the house before dawn every spare car part known to man. There to drive to a viewing spot where we stood became a “car-nut wife” even before I I quickly learned that top-down mo- that the Morris needed a bigger engine was little space left for clothes or personal in the cold, and often the rain, waiting for becameI a wife. Until I met Dave,Wife I gave cars toring was considered the only way to go (big in size as well as power) plus fancy big items but these were not considered es- a bunch of rally cars to whiz past at high little thought, considering them simply unless it was actually pouring or freezing. I wide wheels to go with all that extra pow- sentials. The car did well until we were speed – apparently loads of fun!). Some as transport and nothing more. When we soon figured out that I should dress warm- er, and so on. With the help of his mechanic on our way home and the pump finally idiot, driving on the wrong side and not first met (on a 42-mile, 24-hour-long hike ly if going out in the winter and to keep a friend, Graham, all was accomplished. Only refused to be beaten back to life so Dave paying attention ran straight into us and across the desolate, hilly and difficult ter- rainhat handy for the summer. Fashion had small problem was that the bigger engine decided to rebuild it from some other old smashed the front end and radiator, put- rain of the North York Moors whilst tack- to be a secondary consideration! The Mor- simply did not fit completely into the en- ones he had with him. Just our luck it was ting us out of commission. Fortunately, this “Wally” the Wolseley 1500 ling the Lyke Wake Walk, but that’s another ris did have a heater... of sorts, but warm gine compartment, so the bonnet (hood) a blazing hot day with no shade for miles. was a Sunday and my parents’ farm was story!) I had no idea how obsessed he boots were a necessity most of the time. I would not close. This was quickly solved At least it was a relatively quiet road where only about an hour away. I was able to per- look bad at all. was with cars – driving them, fixing them must admit I quite liked that car, but it did by the addition of buckle-down straps at- we had stopped, and the dead cat in the suade my farmer father to agree to come One of the educational experiences I when they broke down, rebuilding them, have a few quirks. The original convert- tached at both front corners. This worked ditch right beside us certainly added to the and tow us home. My parents eventually faced with the Wolseley was the fact that it rallying them, watching cars racing, see- ible roof was rather past its best, but not well provided, of course, that someone atmosphere of the place. But we did get arrived, we hooked up the car and set off. did not have syncromesh on all the gears, ing cars being shown off... you name it. On generally too much of a problem provided remembered to actually buckle down the home in one piece. For those who have never had the pleasure so changing down into 2nd required the our first date, the evening after the afore- you didn’t mind the scratched and opaque straps! Failure to do so gave us a nasty Eventually, Morry Thou went to that of being towed anywhere by a farmer let driver to double-declutch. No problem for mentioned 24-hour hike, he was obviously rear window – until the day we were driv- surprise one day when travelling, fairly great scrapheap in the sky and was re- me explain what happens. As the farmer Dave who, having driven old cars all his trying to impress as he came in his Dad’s ing along a three-lane highway with two speedily, along the main road and the placed by a Wolseley 1500 which we pur- drives along past various fields he drives driving life so far, was an expert with this classy Ford Escort. I was reassured. We had large transport trucks in the oncoming two bonnet suddenly lifted right up and over more and more slowly while critiquing and other driving shortcuts like heel-and- a nice time, sitting in a pub chatting for lanes side by side. The weather was quite us, blocking the windshield and scaring Fashion had to be a secondary consideration the state of the owner’s crops. However, toe braking etc. For this neophyte it was a a few minutes then falling asleep on our windy anyway and that plus the additional the @%$** out of me. Another challenge when driving through a more urban set- skill I needed to acquire. I knew the prin- bar stools! However, a future date was ar- slipstream of the two large trucks was just with the new engine was that Dave had ting he will speed up as there is nothing of ciple – brake, clutch, change into neutral, ranged for when we had recovered from too much for the roof – off it came and to rig an alternative exhaust system as the interest to view. As more fields appear he off the clutch, quick press on the accelera- the hike and this time he arrived in his own barrelled along behind us before finally original exhaust pipe would no longer fit. again slows, but speeds up unexpectedly tor, off that and back to clutch, change into car – a Morris 1000 convertible. sliding off into the ditch. Upon retrieval A length of bendy, slightly flexible pipe as the fields once again give way to bor- 2nd gear... sounds easy, doesn’t it? How- we discovered the frame was a bit bent was installed and worked well, provided ing streets. All consideration of a vehicle ever, I’m rather a visual person so found it and the fabric torn to shreds so a new one one always had several tins of Gun Gum in under tow behind seemed to disappear easier to learn this process whilst watching was required. We acquired that and fit- the trunk to reattach the thing whenever and the experience in the towed vehicle is my feet... an approach best not undertaken ted it ourselves, with a lot of grunting and it fell off, usually when travelling some- quite... exhilarating. Having got back more in traffic! I never did hit anyone while doing groaning, broken finger nails (mine) and where at speed. I grew used to the idea or less safely Dave made a quick visit to this but came close on one occasion while perhaps just a few swear words as these that no trip was possible without several his local “scrappy’, a home-from-home for Dave, as passenger/tutor, valiantly said things never seem to be the correct size for stops for on-the-go repairs! “Morry-Thou” all the guys I knew with cars, where one nary a word as I barrelled closer and closer the job. Still, it was a revelation to be able also had an endearing habit of just dying could find anything if one was prepared to the braking car in front. Fortunately, I to actually see out of the plastic back win- at unexpected moments, because the fuel to dare the rickety piles of wrecks and the looked up with moments to spare. dow! Some months later Dave came into a pump was flaky. A few good whacks would vicious, unrestrained German Shepherd Dave enjoyed rallying at this time, and The Morris Minor little extra cash and immediately decided generally fix this and, conveniently, the guard dogs which seemed to roam every he was the navigator for his friend Derek

26 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 27 Having no spare cash, Maggie offered to paint The first LHD Car – the Wolseley using a Datsun 240Z 1” brush

few months we replaced what seemed to so meanwhile we kept a damp chamois Now this meant we needed a second car so (this, of course, was in the days before me to be just about every part of the thing. cloth in a plastic bag in the trunk and that we had a way to get home again, but cell phones). Graham arrived in due In reality the key problems Dave fixed, with every time the pump faltered (usually at we didn’t want to spend much on some- course and towed us home. Over the who owned and rallied a Ford Escort Twin me acting as mechanic’s assistant, includ- some traffic lights) I leaped out of the car, thing we only needed for about 3 weeks un- next few days Dave sourced a replace- Cam with Cibie “Big Bertha” spotlights. ed the indicators, hood (roof), tachometer, opened the boot and applied the cloth til leaving the country. We acquired an old ment, slightly less old engine and in- Back in those days, overnight road rallies battery, windscreen wiper motor, washer while ignoring any sounds of frustrated Ford Escort estate car from an acquaintance. stalled it. Then I was initiated into the were quite common and the guys entered motor, a couple of tires, the clutch and a drivers stuck behind us. Fortunately, it On the day, we set off for Scotland in both obscure and cryptic world of firing or- a number of them, winning their class in whole bunch of other minor things which wasn’t too long before we were able to cars. It was a cold, dreary, wet winter morn- der. Now was that 1-3-2-4, or perhaps several and having a lot of fun along the were retrieved from a scrap early-model install a working replacement. ing and I was suffering from a bout of bron- 1-4-3-2 or maybe we should try 1-2-4-3... ? cups were to be expected. A few minutes way. I usually ended up as the “support TR6 which we bought for the princely sum chitis but we couldn’t afford to miss this (Note to self: write down the correct order for later the engine started easily and off we party” with another friend, which meant of £30... initially just for the half-shafts. appointment. All went well, we met up with future reference.). went again, until once more it cut out af- we lugged all the spare parts, tires, coffee, That proved to be a great investment as we our buyer and he was happy to complete With all our worldly goods finally ei- ter a mile or two. This pattern continued sandwiches and tools from place to place, later sold many of the parts separately for the deal. Now we had about a 3-hour drive ther sold or on their way to Canada by for several more miles until we gave up waiting in the cold and dark to meet up a good profit – the engine alone recouped to get home. The Escort went well initially, container ship we departed the UK and in defeat. We staggered towards home with the boys after each stage then help- the cost of the entire car! But those half- but after a while Dave figured it was burn- landed in Edmonton (in the middle of win- but eventually had to give in and call the ing to refit whatever was broken and offer- shafts... now there was a challenge. On ing some oil. We stopped at a service sta- ter!). We were met at the airport by a rep- CAA to get us the last few miles. Dave then ing sustenance as required. first hearing about these mysterious “UJs” I tion, added some oil and pressed on. Things resentative of the Bank who was driving spent several frustrating days attempting A few months after we got married, was not alarmed. We’d fixed so many other got worse. Adding oil became almost a full- a Hillman Minx! And one of the first cars to diagnose and fix the problem. Consulta- things by now I figured how hard could it time occupation... and we still had a good we saw on the road was a TR6. Dave was tions with various new friends in the TTC be? Then I learned the reality. If you got ev- hour’s drive ahead of us. Eventually, our immediately reassured – this new country and with Len Drake offered lots of ideas erything lined up perfectly, the ends slot- goal changed – we knew we’d never make was going to be fine if they had cars like but no solution. Eventually, as a last resort, ted into the ball bearings like silk. But if you it home but instead hoped to get close that! Once settled, we looked around for Dave took off the entire fuel line from the missed it the first time, then what a dread- enough that our friend Graham, who had a vehicle and eventually settled on a used gas tank to the engine and had it blown ful job it always seemed to be... rather like a tow truck, would come and collect us. As Datsun 240Z. This served us well for a year out with a compressed air pump. At first, threading a needle with your eyes shut. the inside of the car gradually filled with or so and then, with the need for reliable there was virtually no air flow through the The 1968 PI TR5 And I think there must have been about blue smoke, and our trail was marked by a transport for commuting becoming more pipe and then suddenly – poof... out flew The Ford Escort Rally Car twenty UJs on that car! But we did even- billowing cloud of thick smoke behind us important, we spent the next 30 years driv- a big wad of compressed material and ev- Dave’s hankering for a sports car finally tually get good at replacing them. On top my coughing got worse and worse. But we ing an assortment of new Nissans (240Z, erything suddenly seemed fine. Reinstall- bore fruit as we had the opportunity to pur- of these issues, we had some interesting just kept going, although by now the poor 300Z, 300ZX Twin Turbo) and then moved ing the pipe proved that this was indeed chase a 1968 TR5 PI. We had to drive down times with the frame. One day, whilst navi- old car was struggling to even keep moving. into Porsches with several new 911s. Little the case and so, with mystery solved, we to a small town called Bedford a couple gating a roundabout in town there was a Just a few more miles we begged, then Gra- need for anything beyond regular wash- have been enjoying various drives and of hours away to view it. In hindsight, I’m loud cracking noise and the front end sud- ham will meet us. ing which was just as well, given that our Club events ever since. sure it was not a particularly good buy but denly sagged at one side. The front suspen- The last little bit to our meeting point careers and busy lifestyle left little time for So – am I still a car-nut wife? Absolutely. Dave was so keen to have the thing and I sion had parted company with the frame, was a long slow incline and the Escort was car hobbies... well, watching F1 racing on Is it still necessary for me to act as mechan- must say it looked far more dashing than requiring some generous assistance from dying. As we got halfway up the hill a police TV was still a must, but fortunately I didn’t ic’s mate? Absolutely not! New friends in the the Wolseley. So we made the deal and the my brother-in-law and my father’s welding cruiser suddenly appeared behind us. Please have to participate in that! TTC, plus much more free time in retirement seller agreed to drive it up to our home gear. Not to be outdone, the other side did don’t stop us, we thought, knowing we’d More recently, retirement beckoned has meant that maintenance and problem- a few days later. On cue, the guy arrived exactly the same thing a short time later! never get going again. However, the flash- and with that came the time to reconsider solving is now a hobby rather than a crisis. and the TR was behaving perfectly, right By now I was no longer particularly embar- ing lights came on and we were signalled to preferred pastimes. In 2010 Dave attended With the luxury of other, more traditional up until it reached our driveway at which rassed to be the cause of yet another hold- Every time the fuel pump faltered Maggie leaped out of stop. The police officer approached on the BCD for the first time and was immediately (I was going to say more reliable but that the car, opened the boot and applied a damp cloth point it died and refused to start again. This up of traffic in our local area which was just driver’s side and Dave wound down his win- smitten all over again with LBCs. Shortly would seem disloyal to GerTRude!) vehicles didn’t instil a lot of confidence in me but I as well, because another “feature” of the After about 18 months, when we finally dow. A thick pall of smoke wafted out and we after that we purchased our TR-250 from available for essential transport the expect- was assured that it would be just a minor TR5 was its inclination to stop as soon had the TR in almost perfect condition, waved our hands to disperse it so we could Drake’s Motors in Kelowna and GerTRude ed effort of LBC upkeep has become much problem, easily fixed, and we completed as we slowed down after any fairly long we decided to emigrate to Canada so the see the policeman. “Sorry to stop you, sir” he arrived on a big truck in Spring of 2011. In more enjoyable... and I still like to keep my the transaction. Of course we had sold the or high-ish speed drive. This was due TR had to be sold. We advertised it in lo- said politely, although we could barely hear short order we set off for a pleasant jaunt hand in with odd bits of assistance as well as Wolseley by now as we could not afford to to a faulty electronic fuel pump, which cal auto magazines and eventually made him over my coughing bout. “Did you know to check out our new baby. We managed primping and polishing before the various have 2 cars, so the TR was our only trans- was housed in the trunk. It would over- a good deal with a guy from Scotland. He that you seem to have a bit of a problem about 5 miles before the thing died. Oh events. Did I find those early experiences port. I’m not sure what that original prob- heat and the temporary fix was to apply was willing to buy it “sight unseen” provided with your car?”. After this helpful advice he great, I thought privately... here we go frustrating and exasperating (not to men- lem was, and Dave did get it working again a cool, damp cloth for a few minutes to we would drive it up to a half-way point be- left us to our own devices and fortunately again! Dave assured me it would be noth- tion deadly to nice fingernails)? Absolutely. in fairly short order, but boy, oh, boy, had cool it down sufficiently to restart. We tween his home in Northern Scotland and we were close enough to a service station ing serious – it had, after all, been sitting Would I have missed out on them if I could? we got ourselves a project. Over the next could not afford a new one at the time ours in Yorkshire, We settled on Edinburgh. that we could walk there and call for help idle for years before its rebuild so a few hic- Absolutely not! ragtop

28 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 29 restoration

here is always something special in the past, this was a new journey for both advice, or simply to trouble shoot or talk The following spring, knowing that Tabout attending the Canadian Internation- Generationof us. We were able to getNext our new found through a problem, and then we would our TR was going to be an ongoing proj- al Auto Show so in the past I have always passion running and cleaned up with new each head off to our respective computers ect and always looking for fresh parts or found the time to go, be it with friends, by rubber, hoses, bullet mirrors, wiper motor, to research and share our findings. simply an opportunity, I stumbled across myself or in the more recent past with my O-rings on the leaky carbs (thanks Fred), Addy’s first standout project was to a fellow in Whitby who was converting son Addy. It was at the 2012 CIAS that Addy and Addy even taught himself how to read replace the water damaged dash as the his ’75 TR-6 into an electric Six. Accord- (then 16) and I came across the Triumph the TR wiring diagram to trace/repair the original was beyond repair, clearly this ing to him he had a freshly rebuilt engine exhibit put on by the TTC where I was gen- malfunctioning lights, signals, horn... well “barn find” had not been kept inside the to get rid of along with all of the other tly convinced to become a member, even virtually the whole system. With the help of barn the entire time! Simply buying a components that he didn’t need such as though I have never owned a Triumph we Howie at R&B Automotive to do the brakes new dash and replacing was not enough fuel lines, rad, gas tank, Petronix ignition were assured that this was typical of many and check the car out (we didn’t complete- of a challenge, Addy decided to design & and a spin on oil adapter which we des- TTC members so out came the wallet and ly trust our mechanical capabilities at that fabricate his own using the original as a perately wanted, so we took everything the most amazing journey began. Follow- point) we were able to get the car certified template and a CNC machine at his high for $500. Considering that Addy, now 18, ing the advice of most experienced clas- and on the road that summer which meant school. The wood came from an old oak was making noise about doing an engine sic car owners I searched for the best TR-6 Addy’s first time driving a standard around that had been felled from my mother- swap, as the existing six engine was a that my money could afford (which wasn’t a local commercial parking lot, smiling in-law’s property in Mississauga. We had little tired and could use a re-build, buy- much!), but as the old saying goes “the from ear to ear the whole time. played around with a laminate, but it just ing this engine we felt was a no brainer best laid plans of mice and men...” The next steps were mostly cosmetic, wasn’t the same. We know that being although I never really thought he would I was consumed with finding a TR-6 and fortunately outside of a small tear on the solid wood (it was kiln dried) it will crack take it to that level. The words “patience every opportunity to speak with someone driver’s seat the interior was in pretty good at some point, but 4 years later it still is a virtue” is not well received or even who owned, drove, or even uttered the shape so we bought some upholstery paint looks great and I suppose when that time comprehended by the youth of today. words “classic car” was taken advantage and basically painted the seats, door pan- comes he’ll just make another one! Not long after the engine was sitting in of. Oddly enough the circumstances were els, and whatever else needed touching Over the following winter, much to our garage, and while my wife and I were actually reversed when a a classic Ameri- up. Also sent the bumpers and gas cap out his mothers chagrin Addy converted his out of town, Addy decided to strip off the can car buff overheard me talking to a our surprise they took it. Our new father/ a child up to building and racing RC cars to be re-chromed, was like Christmas for RC car workbench in his bedroom to his original head to have it rebuilt by How- colleague about my TR-6 search. Just so son project was loaded onto a flatbed in his early teens, most kids his age were Addy when I brought them home, he had own TR-6 workbench so that he could tear ie and while the work was being done happened that he had a ’72 in his garage and dropped onto our driveway where hanging out at the mall, but Addy was them installed within the week. Cleaning apart, clean and re-build the carbs... ”too swapped in the head that came with the which he had been storing for his brother- we threw in some fresh gas along and a hanging out at the RC track or building up the engine bay was a labour of love, I cold in the garage” which I whole heart- new ‘75 engine so that he could still drive in-law for the past 4 years and he wanted new battery and, with the TR Gods smiling computers in our basement, the TR-6 was believe that it was close to this point where edly endorsed! When he mounted the re- the car. This also included cleaning and it gone, asking price he said would prob- down upon us, it fired right up! just the next step in his evolution of hob- my role was slowly relegated to the “voice built and fully cleaned up carbs back onto rebuilding the carbs from the ’75 as well. ably go as-is for $3,000. With the TR Reg- Addy was always a mechanically mind- bies. Although mechanically inclined my- of reason” and “the bank.” Having said that the engine and it fired right up I was ad- The next large project on Addy’s “to- ister checklist in hand Addy and I drove ed kid from an insane addiction to lego as self and having rebuilt a few motorcycles Addy always (and still does) came to me for mittedly quite blown away. do” list was to attend to the rear end. At to Grimsby to have a look at the car only to find it in a miserable state of disrepair, not far from a typical barn find. Exciting for most, but intimidating your first time around the block. The car had no battery so we couldn’t see/hear it run, flat tires so we couldn’t even roll it, window seal was shot, water damaged dash and numerous other concerns. When we posted on the TTC forum for advice I believe it was Tush who commented that the best part was the steering wheel! We offered $1,000 due to the numerous “unknowns” and much to

30 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 31 this point I’m questioning whether the blasted) replaced all of our rear bushings to use while we were waiting for ours to 6-Pack forums are my best friend or worst and replaced all of the U-joints, and while be returned, so on they went, but not be- enemy as the wizened six veterans have he was at it he did the rear brakes. One of fore the dreaded stripping of the trailing lots of advice for things to watch out for the best presents I bought for Addy was arm threads on re-assembly, Fid to the and things to do in order to keep your car a counter top sandblasting unit, which rescue again by lending Addy his TA repair last couple of years and I knew it was a don who we had purchased some parts healthy and safe (all good of course!). After is great for cleaning all of those niggly jig and he was back in business. boring, new pistons job Addy really wanted to tackle, but from in the past had been on the path careful trolling of the forum Addy decided little parts. Anyhow as the days crept into Fast track to the fall of 2015/16, Addy and ring set plus, plus. never in my wildest dreams did I think to swap in a ‘94 BMW M50 engine/Ger- that he would tackle the very undesirable weeks I (the bank) was summoned to now 20, still had concerns about the bot- Total estimated cost was about $1,500 it would actually happen. When look- trag 5 speed tranny (bonus) into his six, chore of dropping the diff to reinforce the the garage to discuss the rear hubs and tom end of the engine, he wanted to re- and that’s with Addy doing the complete ing for advice on 6-Pack (you can still but ended up selling his TR and was left mounts, of course as everyone knows you the need to have them rebuilt. So after a place the thrust washers, but also had con- re-assembly. After lots of discussion and read the thread) there were some harsh with the BMW engine, transmission and can’t “just” pull the diff and then throw it little more research off they went to Phil cerns with smoke and poor compression. research it became clear to me that Addy critics who claimed that a non TR swap a bevy of parts. No challenge to large for back on without completing some other in the US who, as touted on 6-Pack, did So out came the engine, disassembled had a whole new path on his mind... a full of any kind couldn’t be done for the Addy, we bought the package for $1,000 very important maintenance items while an amazing job. In the meantime we were and then the whole bottom end was off non-TR engine swap. $1,500 budget proposed by Addy and and the 2nd part of this amazing journey we have the chance. So Addy also decided fortunate enough to have our very own to R&B to have Howie check it out. Verdict An engine swap is something we the gauntlet was quietly thrown. As cir- had begun, stay tuned... or read about it to pull the trailing arms (had them sand Ragtop editor Fid loan us his spare hubs was pretty straightforward, required re- bantered around quite often over the cumstance would have it a fellow in Lon- on 6-Pack! ragtop

t t We p i ee R K

Flat Tappet & Ethanol fuel problems Solved! TRIJET FUEL TREATMENT • Will not degrade rubber, hoses, o-rings. • Lubricates & cleans rings, valve recession, injectors. • Combats effects of Ethanol – phase separation. • Retards corrosion & oxidation. • Passes Digitron tests – racing. • Increases compression. • Elimates gum, varnish & sludge. • Reduced emissions. • Fuel savings. • Application rate – 1oz. to 55L./ 15 US gallons.

Day Distributing TOLL FREE 1-888-808-3185 176 Victoria Street OFFICE 905-898-3185 Newmarket, ON 416-697-0891 L3Y 4E1 Day Distributing www.daydiTOLL FREEstributing.ca1-888-808-3185TOLL FREE 1-800-363-6457176 Victoria Street OFFICE 905-898-3185 OFFICE 905-898-3185Newmarket, ON CELL 416-697-0891 L3Y 4E1 CELL 416-697-0891 www.daydistributing.ca www.daydistributing.ca

32 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 33 BACK THEN WE WERE THE EXPERTS tech & resto AT INSURING ‘57 CHEVYS What Could Possibly Go

Wrong?by Ron Etty

ritish Car Day in 2012 was clear Band bright (as usual) and I was helping to park the thousand or so cars in some sort of order. I was overwhelmed with the task, an- AND WE STILL ARE. swering a million questions, doing my best to bring order to the chaos. I did, however, take time to look over the line of beautiful TR-4s. One in par- ticular caught my eye, a beautifully restored black TR-4 owned by Doug Barclay. I managed a small chat with the owner, remarking what a beauty he owned and A LOT OF INSURANCE COMPANIES SAY THEY KNOW CLASSIC AND ANTIQUE CARS. B UT WE BELIEV E NO ONE KNOW S THEM how proud he must be and how jealous I BETTER THAN STATE FARM. A FTER ALL WE WERE INSURI NG MANY OF THESE CARS LONG BEFORE THEY BECAME CLASSIC S. was. A few hours later, Doug and I crossed AND AS THE WORLD’S LARGE ST CAR INSURE R, WE CURRENTLY INSURE WELL OVER 120,000 OF THESE UNIQUE MACHINE S. paths again and he mentioned that he WITH STATE FARM YOU ’RE ALWAYS SURE OF GETTING COVERAGE THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU --- AND YOUR CAR. AT SOME OF had a TR-250 at his shop in Milton and THE MOST COMPE TIVE RATES AVAILABLE. P ERHAPS THAT’S WHY SO MANY CLASSIC AND ANTIQUE CAR OWNERS INSIST ON maybe I might be interested? INSURI NG THEIR AUTOMOT IVE TREASURE S WITH STATE FARM THAN WITH ANY OTHER COMPANY . The next day found me in Milton where SO CALL YOUR STATE FARM AGENT TODAY AND YOU ’LL LEARN THAT JUST LIKE SOME CARS, SOME INSURANCE COMPANIES I learned that the car was being stored ONLY IMPROVE WITH AGE. there for the owner, Mike Roberts, who had found the car in Virginia. I fell in love with the car despite its many issues. So now to ZENON KOLTALO the part I hate... haggling, negotiating, call AGENT it what you will. A phone call to Mike and a no haggle deal was arranged in under 702 BURNHAMTHORPE ROAD EAST, SUITE 7 STATE FARM (CORNER OF CAWTHRA ROAD) a minute... must be some sort of record. INSURANCE COMPANIES MISSISSAUGA, ON L4Y 2X3 Wow, I owned a TR-250, just like that! CANADIAN HEAD OFFICES 905-276-2440 FAX: 905-276-2450 : But now to get it home to Hamilton. I [email protected] AURORA, ONTARIO asked Doug if he could recommend a tow truck. Doug replied that I should just bor- row his car carrier. I was stunned that he L IKE A GOOD N E IGHB OUR S T A TE F A R M IS T H ERE. would make this offer to someone other

Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 35 than a close friend. But that is what car Painting was next on the agenda and guys do... help out other car guys. Thank we chose POR-15, a special epoxy paint, you, Doug. So now, all I have to do is supposedly the end to rust. There are many change the ownership. I quickly found “dos and don’ts” with this paint, one of out that the “Service Ontario” sign over which is to wear gloves while painting be- the vehicle transfer office is a misnomer. cause the paint will not come off your skin. These people are definitely not car guys.. Right they were about that one... why can’t not helpful at all. It is like they didn’t want men follow instructions? I’m still wearing to take my tax money until they have me black POR-15 on my hands weeks later! completely frustrated. There is even a sign In an earlier life I was a machinist for a in the office warning of dire consequences large factory and rebuilt many gearboxes. for yelling or screaming profanity towards So the gearbox and differential were no staff. Must happen a lot! trouble... I had the equipment, or most of So now it is time for the frame off res- it and what I didn’t have, I could improvise. toration. The major problem is my lack of So, when the factory manual called for a space. I have only a single car garage and ing about covering the frame with a tent to into the basement for welding and paint- specialized tool, I could “make do” with it is presently occupied with a TR-8. Winter control the mess from sandblasting. Surely ing. My wife is a real saint... can’t think of something I had. Sort of like my other red- is fast approaching and the TR-8 needs a couple of the rafters in my garage. Problem naked, we checked it out for correctness this is too complicated! Then a chance another woman who would allow this in neck treatments mentioned earlier. new home. I don’t like the idea of renting was the rafters began to protest with snap- using the blueprint in the Bentley “bible”. conversation with Fred at British Auto her home. Ben was fun to watch in his But the rear wheel bearings proved space, so I decided to construct a lean-to in ping and cracking sounds. My grandson, (This book is worth about seventy dollars, Sports sent me on the right track. He told first attempt at welding... stand way back the error of my ways. The manual called the driveway. A thing of beauty this lean- not used to my methods, ran for the door. but like the ad on TV says... it is priceless!) me about a company near Jerseyville that with arms outstretched to their limit and for special tool number 318 I believe. But to, constructed of the finest scrap two by So, to get my helper back, I had to brace This car had been in a pretty good accident does sandblasting. Talk to Gord, he said. try not to jump with the striking of the I knew better... I could just use my wheel fours, walls of thick plastic wrap and a tarp, my rafters with house jacks that I had kick- at some point in its lifetime and so some So, long story short, Gord gives me a price arc. But, pretty soon he was getting the puller... same thing right? Wrong! After I topped off with thin paneling and rolled ing around. While I worked the come along frame straightening was required. The I cannot refuse (about a fifth of the price of hang of it and we no longer needed to bent the right rear wheel flange, I still could roofing. So far, the neighbours are quiet lifting the motor, I was giggling at Ben still trunk area was about an inch out along the a compressor and a tent). grind all of the big globs of weld off. And not believe these could be so difficult so I and the building department hasn’t paid hanging around the door. What a wimp! centerline so out came my state of the art Now, the next problem is how to get right before my eyes, Ben learned to be a proceeded to try my method on the left me a visit. Surely he could see the beautiful engineer- frame straightener. This consisted mostly the frame from downtown Hamilton to very good welder, probably because his rear wheel bearings. Yes, they are that dif- Both cars now have a home, but the ing. What could possibly go wrong? of a bottle jack, some two by fours and an Jerseyville. More high tech solutions on hand doesn’t shake like his welding in- ficult to remove and yes, I have learned a project needs an apprentice, someone to Removing the body from the chassis acetylene torch. Heat the metal where it the way. Why not strap the frame into the structor. We devised a pretty good fume very expensive lesson. Twice. help me get up after crawling around un- was easy using much the same wonderful needs to bend and use the bottle jack and back of my old Explorer, put a flag on the extractor... a big box fan running at high More bad news was to come my way, my derneath a car, someone who tries not to engineering. Two by fours were bolted to the two by fours to gently ease the frame back and just drive it out to Jerseyville? speed blowing all the fumes (as well as trusty grandson and partner decided that laugh at my arthritic bones. My grandson the body front and rear and come alongs back to its original condition. Almost as I tried to appear confident and look like most of the hot air in the house) out the grease, rust and dirt were not in his future. Ben is perfect. I love to spend time with were attached to the wood. While my good as the professional frame straighten- I knew what I was doing just to ease the basement back door. Gosh, how I miss him and his ever present Ben and this gives me an opportunity to grandson stood watch at the door, I alter- ing shops! nerves of my wife who was driving with smile! But, when one door closes, often an- teach him new skills in exchange for a help- nated lifting the body front and rear until me. We got there fine and the next day other opens. My wife Linda jumped in to ing hand up from the concrete. He seems a the body cleared the chassis. Then I rolled Gord called to come and get it... I wasn’t help, she is invaluable at finding all of the willing participant so off we go! the chassis out of the garage and lowered expecting such quick service, but I loaded parts that I have stored and completely We started by taking lots of pictures. the body back down onto a workmate and the frame back into the trusty old “Explod- forgotten where they were. A one woman Did I mention dementia and arthritis are a sawhorse. Finally my helper at the door er” and drove it home. Must have been a inventory specialist is Linda! somehow related? Without pictures, I just started to breathe! He could see that a mir- sight... an old Exploder with a frame hang- She can also tell when I am making know this jigsaw puzzle will never get back acle had just happened... the garage was ing six feet out the back hurtling down things way too complicated and suggest together correctly. Boxes of headlights, still standing and grandpa hadn’t been flat- the highway! Can you believe people a much simpler and equally effective alter- tail lights, upholstery, dashboard gauges, tened by some falling hunk of steel. Best of were still silly enough to tailgate this Ford native. Silently, I mutter “Why didn’t I think hood, trunk, doors, are all catalogued and all, the car was still in one piece. and Triumph strapped together? of that?” followed by a well deserved head hauled off to the basement. Next, we put the rolling chassis on the The frame went out to the sandblaster slap. So we have an excellent new team in After completely stripping the car down patio and proceeded to strip it completely. with a few minor holes, but came back place, ready to take on the next phase of to its “bones”, Ben and I removed the trans- By now, Ben had figured out the “righty, Sandblasting is next for the frame and a with a few more minor ones and a few restoration. mission and the motor. The transmission tighty, lefty, loosey” rule so things pro- few other parts. I spent a couple of weeks new major ones. As the snow was now a This story will be continued with news was easy, but the motor removal proved ceeded really quickly. More stuff carried off learning about the huge compressor that foot deep, Ben and I decided to weld the of our successes and mistakes, trips to the too much for my inadequate equipment. I to the basement... getting really crowded sandblasting requires and the mess that frame in the basement. So, after a slight paint shop, the upholsterer, and the reas- was using a “come along” chained around a down there! When the frame was stripped my neighbours will endure. I’m wonder- reorganization, we wiggled the frame sembly process. ragtop

36 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 37 bits & pieces EXOTIC Alexander Plestid Tel: 905.806.7127 MOTORWORKS Goodwood, Ontario I Learned About Cars From That by John Lille

British & European Restoration & Service Specialists

n November 1985, liking the look, I Ibought a set of 72-spoke 15x5.5” Dunlop chrome wire wheels for my 1967 Triumph TR-4A. At 85 Quid (£85) per wheel, thanks to a friend, I could not pass up the deal. Some thirty year later, having gone through several sets of Michelin XAS’s (185x15), it was definitely time for new rubber. Once the tires were removed, I discovered that the inside surfaces of the wheel rims had corroded quite badly, even though the exteriors were still relatively Head Mechanic, Alex pristine. Over the years I had broken some Our wealth of mechanical and restoration experience includes 36 spokes, all on the rear wheels. These, I Plestid, formerly of the replaced as required with stainless steel Triumph, Jaguar, MG, Austin Healey and Rolls Royce and many spokes. Interestingly, none of the longer hit TV series Restoration others. When you entrust your special vehicle to Exotic Motorworks, spokes gave out. Since the nipples of the you can rest assured that we will treat your car like our very own! short ones were all located close to the Garage, has over 20 outside rim of the wheels, I developed a years of experience with Our passion for working on these vehicles and making them better system for replacing these spokes without than new, comes from our love of owning and driving them ourselves. the need to disturb the tires or the inner of clear finish. The rims sat for several Bros. in the UK, I took the bait and ordered all makes and models tubes. Hence, I never noticed the corrosion. weeks to harden the paint. Before tap- two new wheels for the rear axles. These Also the tire store people who mounted ing the spoke holes on the rims, I coated rims require no tubes with “modern tires” of Classic cars and has We would be pleased to answer any questions you might have. new tires never mentioned that the inner the repaired surface with a sealant. Upon and all the spokes and nipples are stainless personally restored more Give us a call for directions to the British Barn or to make an surfaces were becoming compromised. careful inspection, a pair of the rims steel. Hopefully there will be no further appointment for a quotation. It will be our pleasure to meet other After several days of using phosphoric showed a slight wobble and one of them need to deal with spoke breakage. than 150 cars to their vintage car enthusiasts and we look forward to helping you enjoy acid, it looked like most of the rust was had a high spot. Since Michelin XASs now go for $450 your passion for years to come! gone. I followed this by a couple of coats After all that work, enticed by a 15% dis- per tyre (plus tax and the cost of tubes), I former glory of good anti-rust paint and two of coats count for Canadian customers by Rimmer decided to put in an order for a set of Vre-

[email protected] Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 39

Exotic Motorworks 05.indd 1 16-04-07 10:19 AM The lesson learned: “Every time you have your tires replaced, inspect the wheels personally for any damage or dete- rioration.” ragtop [John Lille has owned his TR-4A since new in 1967. He has done all of the maintenance on the car over the past 49 years himself, shunning both dealership and third-party service shops. Although his comments relate to a Triumph TR-4A roadster, the implications have a direct bearing on any car with wire rims. Interestingly, destein Classic tires (from Holland) at $295 tires used by other TR owners at a recent I replaced the original wire wheels on my per tyre (plus tax and the cost of the tubes). British Car event, the decision was made to Stag this spring with period Triumph alloys After a four week wait, I was assured that it go with modern tires. A local tire shop in (GKN 5-spoke). Other than the inner “rub- would only take another four weeks! After Burlington, ON mounted a set of Michelin ber band” covering the spoke heads be- yet another similar promise, I had enough Defenders (205/70 R15) on the rims. Once ing somewhat dozed, the interior surfaces of the waiting. back on the Triumph, I returned to the shop were almost pristine. Perhaps John’s car Guided by an article by Terence McKil- to have the wheels and tires balanced on was used more consistently in wetter con- len in Ragtop a few years ago on Tire Sizing the car (there aren’t too many places left ditions and/or exposed to more road salt and after checking out the various types of that can still do this). than my car? – Assistant Ed.]

J.D. AUTO SERVICES TOYOTA TO TRIUMPH 5–Speed Transmission Conversions TR-2 through TR-6

Josip (Joe) Dukova IMPORT, DOMESTIC & SPORTSCARS 301 Rexdale Blvd. Unit C, Etobicoke, Ont. M9W 1R8 TEL: (416) 746-1048 • FAX: (416) 746-9935

BRITISh CAR N REpAIR ShOp

• TRIUmph Rexdale Blvd. Phone: 289.738.2035 • mG Herman van den Akker Website: KlearKustoms.com • LOTUS P.O. Box 6812, Pine Mountain Club, CA 93222-6812 • JAGUAR Phone: (661) 242-1253 • E-mail: [email protected] www.hvdaconversions.com 205 Cross Street East, Dunnville, Ontario • SAFETY & E-TESTING Martin Grove

40 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 41 bits & pieces SEAT

SWAPby Alan Findlay purchased my ’75 TR-6 back 30 minutes previously. I contacted the person, made sure Iin 2002, it was in rough shape to they were the correct year and bought them. ( Photo1) 2 say the least. Over the course of its I arranged to meet the seller at a Home Depot parking time with me I have taken it from lot in Hamilton, kinda like making a drug purchase“ I’ll be in rough to a nice car. One of the first a black Torrent, you bring the stuff and I’ll bring the cash.” IN THE BEGINNING upgrades was to repair the origi- We made the cash for seat exchange and I was now the Before you start, tag everything either nal seats. If I was to drive the car, owner of a pair of 1991 Miata seats. Now for the plan- ‘driver’ or ‘passenger’ and bag the bolts ac- I needed to be comfortable, so ning to do the restoration. cordingly. Home Depot does carry bolts to I had the original seats recov- First order of business was to determine and replace the originals if yours are really rusty ered and fixed the foam. When source where the seats could be recovered. Local and you can’t clean them up. I decided to upgrade the seats pricing was too much. So I contacted Mr. Mike’s Back to the process. The seat pans were I looked at and tried the earlier Interiors in Florida (www.mrmikes.com). He has a badly rusted so the first order of business model seats, but I was not really small business and he has a wide variety of seat was to grind the rust off. (Photo 2). satisfied. covers with loads of add ons if you like. An angle grinder or a drill with the wire 3 I had read articles on the I chose the leather seats with a multi pleat and a brush attachment works great and be- 6-PACK forum and saw the ar- logo on the head rest. The cost to have the covers fore too long after you knock off the rust ticles from Bob Danielson (www. made + shipping to a U.S. mailbox was still cheap- you’ll start getting closer. This is the most use to tighten the covers to the tr6.danielsonfamily.org) and Paul er than having them done here. tedious part even though no one will see seat pans, the hog ring pliers, Rego‘s (www.74tr6.com) sites on Mr. Mike is one of the easiest people to the seat pan you’ll know that they are a large roll of cotton padding using Mazda Miata seats and after a deal with and I highly recommend him done properly. in the event you need to bol- lot of hand wringing I decided to bite to any of you should you ever need I even enlisted the help of my 6-year old ster the seat foams and a can of the bullet and find a pair of seats. If I was seat covers like I did. grandson Jackson to help out. I will cau- spray adhesive to keep the pad- expecting my wife to join me on a trip He actually asked for a picture tion you however to wear eyeglasses and a ding in place, plus very detailed or two, I needed to make sure she was of my car so he could match the mask. The mess that comes off of the pans instructions on how to do it comfortable. What the hell, I’m retired thread colour of the emblem I is significant so do it safely. (Photo 3) yourself. What an easy business and this was as much therapeutic as it chose to the colour of my car. Once the rust has been removed, rub to deal with. Plus on his site he was anything else and besides I needed Next I had to look at the them down with some degreaser, dry them also has instructions on how to a winter project. mounting of the seats. The Miata off and prime them with a rust primer and do it yourself. Searches through the local auto wreck- seats will not bolt on to the TR-6 seat finally paint them. This is how they turned I admit that I lack some con- ers, Kijiji and eBay proved fruitless, then mounts, but they will after you purchase out. (Photo 4 and 5) fidence when it comes to doing one afternoon I tried searching Kijiji again the mazda seat brackets from Rick Patton of Now came the covers. The seat cov- something like this so I sourced 4 and an ad had just been placed less than 1 Patton Industries www.pattonmachine.com. ers came with the hog rings which you out a local company near me, 42 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 43 5 5

Maplecrest Upholstery on Racine Road in Etobicoke. Small Bring them out and rinse them. family run business and easy to work with. This is how they Now the part of the seat rail that is bent needs to be straightened turned out. (Photo 6) so that it will sit flat on the Patton seat brackets. Use a vice, gently push You’ll also have some difficulty getting the back rest ad- them in the direction they need to go and you should be ready for prim- juster off. I tried inserting a wooden dowel and hit it with a er and paint. hammer with no luck. I was forced to cut them off and I fig- After painting, re-assemble them. You may need to put a little grease ured well if I can’t re-install them I could always use a glue in them to make them slide easier. to hold them in place. But as luck would have it I stopped The seat mounts are so easy to use. Four mounts per seat plus all into my local Mazda dealer and asked the parts employee if of the required mounting bolts. The brackets use the same holes as they have these in-stock somewhere (showing him the cut- the original seat track. You may want to re-tap the holes before you off plastic adjuster). Within a couple of minutes he found start in the event that there is a different thread than what you have what I needed, ordered them and they were sent overnight with Rick Patton’s package, but check first to see if there is an issue and I picked them up for $12! with the old holes. Next were the seat rails. Parts of the rails were rusted Rick Patton makes a great product that is idiot proof. I am proof as badly as the seat pans. Caution... there are ball bearings of that. in the rails to aid in sliding back and forth. To get them out I can’t stress enough to use the businesses that I have mentioned in you need to drill out the rivets and then you will have access this article. They are there to support us and our hobby. I would be re- to the ball bearings. For a variety of reason I chose to pass miss if I didn’t thank Fred McEachern for his help in all of this. The web- on this process. sites are invaluable and very detailed and offer more than I have put After separating, I placed them in a wallpaper trough in here, but then again I was under the editorial hammer of our friend and filled it with degreaser and left them for a few days. David Fidler! ragtop

London Trading Post Classic British Countrywear www.londontradingpost.ca Spencefield House 189 County Rd 49 Bobcaygeon, ON K0M 1A0 Tel/Fax: (705) 738-1956 Open most weekends Sat. 10am-3pm Sun. 11am-3pm or by appointment

• Diesel Engines • Parts Store • Gasoline Engines • Complete Engine Machine Shop • Marine Engines • Gasoline Injector Service • Race Engines • Engine Balancing & Blue Printing

Winslow Delaney | Creative Solutions 9 Forster Park Drive Oakville, Ontario Canada L6K 1Y5 • Vehicle Services • Cylinder Head Porting & Flow Testing 416.871.2358 [email protected] Phone: 416-822-0096 or 905-616-0421 www.winslowdelaney.com Toll Free: 1-866-532-3630 2338 Wyecroft Rd., Unit K5-7, Oakville, Ontario L6L 6L4 Email: [email protected] Tel: 905-825-2045 Fax: 905-825-0208 Web: http://www.a-professional-appraisal.ca Your source for all your repairs

44 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 Ragtop I Summer I 2016 www.TorontoTriumph.com 45 tail lites by Terence McKillen YOU PAID HOW MUCH?

If you don’t mind paying too much Not a classic car in sight – on a two neer, Dennis Barbet and rally legend Rus- V – not a flood but sufficiently to cause week visit to London, England earlier this sell Brookes’ personal take on the Stag at me concern that either the head gasket for your parts, there is no need to winter, I couldn’t help but notice the sorry its limits. At £6.99, this publication should might be leaking or the intake manifold state of British car ownership as I walked be on every Stag aficionado’s book shelf. might not be snugged up sufficiently to around the City of London. Not only were There is also a ‘Collector’s Edition” available the heads or that the water pump cover read any further. If you would like there absolutely no classic cars in sight, I at £20.00. might not be sealing properly. I dealt with didn’t see any exotic supercars or other- each of these issues in turn by torque- to buy your parts at the best prices wise expensive hardware in sight, even in ing down the head bolts and studs and the Tony areas of Mayfair, Kensington and torqueing down the manifold bolts and in Canada, read on. Drakes’ British Chelsea. Perhaps, I would have needed to applying some Permatex Right Stuff to travel further out of the City to the emerg- each of the 12 bolt threads as the machin- ing upmarket districts of South Acton and ist had, when tapping the heads for heli- Motors can supply any part from Peckham Rye where the ‘in-crowd’ now ap- coil inserts, carelessly drilled through into 1975 TR-6 parently reside, in order to see an examples the waterjacket in a few of the bolt holes. the Moss catalogs at the most We purchased this car from one of our customers who had owned it almost of a Mulsanne or Continental (Bentley), or a I also removed the water pump cover since new. All service records come with it. The previous owner took very good care of the car and it is about as nice as you could hope to find. Ev- Ghost, Phantom or Dawn convertible (Rolls and inserted helicoils, to be sure that the reasonable cost to you. But, don’t Royce), let alone a DB10 or DB11 (Aston three bolts were tightening properly. At erything is in order and works & looks as it should. The paint is about 10 Martin). Unfortunately, I just missed the op- Triumph Prices – for the week ending the same time, I decided to replace the years old and shows very well with no rust and no accidents. Notice the wire portunity of visiting the London Classic Car January 29 of this year, the UK publica- Stromberg carburettors with a 4-barrel take our word for this. The next wheels which were originally fitted by the dealer when the car was new. The Show in mid-February which looked like it tion Classic Car Weekly, had 63 Triumph Holley 390 carburettor. Not long after- interior was redone correctly with Moss Motors components about six years would have been a great event to attend. A Stags listed for sale ranging from a low wards, I noticed fluid still accumulating on time you need something, send us ago and is very nice. The engine was also recently rebuilt, along with the friend of mine in London who has owned a of £6,500 ($14,000) to a high of £20,000 the V after an outing – again, not much in carbs. We have just fitted a new Borg & Beck clutch as well as new gearbox Mark 5 Spitfire since new in 1974 recently ($44,000). These prices appear to be very terms of volume, but still disconcerting. I seals to the overdrive transmission. The car looks and drives great and needs sold it for £2,500 ($6,000), even though it significantly ahead of Canadian or U.S. would mop it up with a rag until the next an email for a quote. We will get nothing. Priced at C$21,800 was a basket case having been left sitting prices which still languish in the $7,000 time. Interestingly, the coolant level in the at the family farm in Kent for more than 25 to $16,000 range, probably as a result of radiator did not appear to be significantly right back to you with a price. 1976 Triumph TR-6 years. Good examples of Spitfires are cur- the model not being so well appreciated lowering. When mopping up the V, I was This is a really nice TR-6 we bought from rently selling in the UK for £12,000 and up- in North America. At the same time there using long, needle-nosed pliers to move a long term owner. It wards (that’s $27,000 folks!). were 89 TR-6s on sale from a low of £7,000 the cloth around and then lift it up to has been restored in ($12,000) to a high of £30,000 ($52,000) throw in the trash can. On one occasion, stages and while not for a 1972 PI model described as being I happened to sniff the cloth and noticed Many TTC members are already perfect it is very nice. he Complete Guide to the Triumph Stag in original, unrestored and immaculate it had a gasoline smell whereas the Evans T Late 1976 model that – with a sub-title of ‘all you need to know condition. When it comes time to sell your coolant has no odour. It now turns out believers. Get in touch for a quote – is 149 cars from the about buying, fixing and enjoying the precious Triumph, perhaps shipping it that the coolant leak had been more or end of production. It sporting British V8 Legend,’ this is a 100- back home to England for sale might be less fixed by one or more of the remedies had a quality repaint page book (in magazine format) recently worth consideration! earlier described, but it turned out that [email protected] several years ago in the original ‘1 year only’ Tahiti Blue, which still looks great. published by Practical Classics magazine in the accelerator New seats & interior and the engine was fully rebuilt 10,000 miles ago with the UK. “The Triumph Stag combines clas- pump rubber raised 9.5:1 compression, a mild performance cam, lightened flywheel, a spin sic car style with on the road fun. The noise, Never assume anything – it is interest- diaphragm on oil filter conversion, high torque gear drive starter & electronic ignition. Fac- the looks, and the effortlessness – it’s an ing how one issue can easily morph into on the We are also a Canadian distributor for tory overdrive has been serviced, new clutch and rebuilt rear hubs. Recently intoxicating driver’s car and has been un- another. After rebuilding the engine in my Holley Dayton Wire Wheels. rebuilt suspension with tube shock rear conversion, uprated springs and sway- derrated for years.” Lavishly-illustrated, this Stag, I have previously related how I chose was com- bar kit. All in all this is a really nice, sharp looking TR-6. C$18,900 volume collects a wealth of historical, tech- to change over the cooling system to Ev- promised (a $9 nical and personal insight from the pages ans waterless coolant and the issues I ex- item) and had started to let of Practical Classics magazine, including perienced with what I called ‘pseudo over- gasoline slowly drip out instead. It pays the full Stag story: from drawing board heating’. Around the same time, I began to not to assume what you think is happen- Drakes’ British Motors Inc. to production, an exclusive foreword by notice what I thought to be some of the ing is actually happening. Consider more (250)763-0883 Ph., (250)861-8051 Fax, email [email protected] ex-Standard-Triumph Development Engi- coolant collecting towards the rear of the than one possible cause. ragtop 2286 K.L.O. Road, Kelowna, B.C., V1W 3Z7 WWW.DRAKESBRITISHMOTORS.COM 46 www.TorontoTriumph.com Ragtop I Summer I 2016 BUILDING CHARACTER SINCE 1948. Want to prepare a young person for life in the real world? Get an old sports car that needs some work.

That’s what the Morris family is doing. www.Facebook.com/MyBarnFind

SAME DAY SHIPPING FREE CATALOGS TECH SUPPORT EAST & WEST COAST WAREHOUSES

800-667-7872 MOSSMOTORS.COM