It's been 8 years since my last post...

That's a long time.

Progress on the 2000 has been non-existent since then.

I have worked on other cars, but am now facing the fact that I'm 54 and probably don't have enough productive time left to finish all the projects I have.  What projects, you ask?  In order of "I'm not getting rid of this one" priority:

1) 1963 Triumph Italia (needs some restoration work but basically sound)
2) 1969/86 TR6-based Hathaway Hunter (same condition as above)
3) 1973 TR6 (so close I can taste it, a really nice car)

I also have the racing program (Austin Powerless Marina and Mustang).

And...

1967 Triumph Spitfire (good driver but poor cosmetics)
1956 Standard Vanguard Sportsman (great mechanicals, decent cosmetics, needs to go away)

And my wife & daughter's cars:

1963 Herald 1200 convertible (needs cosmetics)
1971 Triumph Spitfire (needs one clunk removed but that's all)

And the other family cars:

1970 Spitfire & 1970 GT6 (son in laws)
1969 Spitfire (parts car)
1979 Spitfire (parts car/future race car for son in law)

and the myriad of family cars.

Something's got to go.  I'm just not sure what (apart from the Sportsman).

I don't know if anyone will read this, but if you do, please feel free to comment...

Marina's Gone...but...

Well, the Marina is gone and being driven daily. Yea!

However, the disposal of the 2000 Mk. I Sedan didn't work out...so...it's going to stay for a while.

Additionally, we've added a 1975 TR6 race car to be that is being chronicled at my other blog, http://riffrafracing.blogspot.com. The TR6 will eventually race in ChumpCar and 24 Hours of LeMons races with my teammates.

Finally, one more addition will soon be transported from Arizona...a 1956 Standard Vanguard Sportsman. In case you don't know, Standard was the parent company of Triumph. The great thing is that this car is already restored, so it won't take much time away from the Estate. That's it's picture up there resplendent in red and gray. Or is it grey?

Anyway, I also looked over the front end of the Estate again and my friend Steve that is a fabrication whiz came over again...so...we know WHAT we have to do, just have to find the time to do it.

Wouldn't be my life if it wasn't filled Triumphs, would it... :-)

Jamie

One 2000 should go away...

Looks like the 2000 Mk. I saloon will be going away shortly.

However, that replacement I alluded to in the earlier post may come to pass. More to come!

Sanity Returns (maybe...)

November update, no pictures...

Marina is almost finished, bodywork done, minor electrical issues, soft brake lines and a week of driving her to make sure she's OK and she'll be with her new owners.

2000 Mk. I sedan from the last post is going to Mike Montoya to be put back on the road much quicker than I could ever do it.

There is one other 'project' that is planned, but for the immediate future I'll be finishing off the Marina & putting a clutch in the Spitfire. More to come if the other 'project' works out...

Take care!

Jamie

Wow...it's been a while.

Yes, I've been busy...with many different things. In celebration of finally getting internet capability back at home tonight for the first time in 2 weeks, I figured a blog post was well overdue.

If you're my friends, and reading this, you wonder where I've been...well...I've been out of state a lot for work. And one other trip...that's directly applicable to this blog.

Yes, there's another 2000 in the family. Why? Well...that's a long story. But first, there's the other British 4-door sedan to show you.

Here's a picture of the 1975 Austin
Marina I couldn't turn down, as I purchased her.

What you can't see in this shot is the mangled front right fender where she had met a Lexus.

After frame straightening and welding the front fender and valence back together (they were about 9" apart after the wreck) she's getting closer to being roadworthy. As usual with me, I've been able to procure all the parts, but not the time. Amazing how inexpensive parts for this car are...it led to the front suspension being completely rebuilt with NOS parts, including the lever shocks. And I thought Triumphs were built to a price...NOTHING like the Marina. But it's refreshingly honest in it's simplicity.

However...the Marina has already been promised to a family member pending it's completion, although with right of first refusal to get it back it may end up back home someday, and it's going to some very good folks that I know will take care of it. Why, you ask?

Because we have another 2000 Mk. I in the family. Her name is Holly.

Holly started out life purchased by a family in Coventry to US specs (just like the Estate we have) but this family spent some time in Holland after purchase. The family then took the car to California, and finally Houston, where I understand the original owner died. The car was kept inside and last year, I was able to connect the family, who were looking to give the car away as long as it was restored, to a likely restorer.

Unfortunately, the gentleman's fortunes took a turn for the worse, and he was unable to follow through. When he offered me the car, I decided to take him up on it. He was kind enough to meet me 1/2-way from Texas, so we drove out to Nashville, and apart from two flats on the trailer (you can see one of them in the lower left of the above picture on the spare tire bracket) the trip went very smoothly. So...it's probably good that the Marina is moving on, even if it's still attached by relation.

Holly is amazingly original, even down to the majority of the paint. Apart from the radiator cap and an aftermarket horn button, I can't find anything that isn't original. So...the plan is to put her back on the road as painlessly as possible, and drive her. We'll get to the cosmetics eventually.

I'm hoping to get back to the Estate this fall. We'll see.

It also seems that new tempting Triumphs drop into my lap every time I turn around this year. I'm currently deciding whether or not I can buy one that would put most of my other cars to shame. So watch for an update soon!

Jamie

Not much progress BUT determined...

Well, I made a monumental decision (for me) last week. I had the chance to increase my Triumph count (and therefore my Cylinder Index) by adding a beautiful little Herald convertible to the stable, but passed it up to concentrate further on the Estate. So...expect a rash of updates shortly as I remove the old front fenders and finally finish welding the front end together! All words of encouragement are appreciated!!!!

BTW, any of you that attended the South Central British Car Gathering on April 17-19...wasn't that a great event! I was lucky enough to have three cars there, including my Italia (on the road and legal for the first time in 4 years, thanks to Dave Crane) and had a fabulous time. We had 6 Italias in the same place! I'm told that's the largest grouping of the cars ever in North America...thanks to Tyrone Stoner, the VTR Italia Coordinator for organizing us and providing a beautiful commemorative 50th Anniversary model Italia for each Italia attendee! :-)

Since I don't have any more recent Estate pictures, here's one of the Italias. Mine is the white one in the left rear. And for those of you that have known me a long time, yes, the one in the front left used to be ours as well (Tyrone owns it now).

Air Conditioning becoming a reality...

I've purchased a new A/C system for my TR6 with an eye towards using most of the components to put A/C on the 2000 as well. The kit looks good; we'll be trying to install it on the TR6 at the TCOC Tech Session at Dave's Place the first weekend in April.

Here's a link to the A/C system, if you're interested. I had previously found a Vintage Air interior unit that I think will fit in the passenger side footwell on a Mk. I, and coupled with the underhood components from this guy should work pretty well. Once I get the TR6 system up and running I'll go ahead and purchase the components for the 2000 set.

Can't wait to get started on the fenders. I had actually taken today as vacation to start on it, but I ended up laying down all day as I was seriously "under the weather". Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

This is a picture of the underhood installation on a TR6 (not mine, yet). Since the unit doesn't use either the extended water pump OR an additional pulley on the crank, I have high hopes that it will fit in the constraints of the 2000 engine compartment.

They're Here!!! And They're Beautiful!!!

Picked up the fenders and valences from the bus station yesterday...they look terrific! Still in the original primer with both Stanpart and BMC (!) part number decals (BMC's were probably applied at dealership as the numbers are handwritten on those).

In addition, I got two valences. One is a duplicate of what I already purchased, a mint factory Mk. I lower valence. Second one is NOT from a 2000/2500...I'm thinking it may be a Herald but I forgot to look up the part number last night. I'll look soon and post it.

WhoooHooo! Now I don't have to worry about patching the hole!!!

Jamie

New fenders found (fingers crossed)

By pure chance, two NOS front fenders appeared on eBay just as I was searching for Triumph parts. They had a buy it now...so I did! They are on their way to me now via Greyhound bus...

They are also coming with two valences...so I may have extra there. We'll see!

Also, we installed the new suspension (from Richard Good) on the TR6 at Kevin Andrews' wonderful shop, Waynes Alignment in Siler City, NC. Between that and Dave Crane solving the charging problem with the Italia, I may actually have three out of four Triumphs on the road!

Not only that, but Ally, Cristina and Ani had a great time at the Pottery Tour as well. What more could one ask for!

Cutting a hole!

I finally found the pictures from where my friend Jim and I (and Ally, of course, couldn't have done it without her) hammered the fender back into shape...ok, roughly into shape, but he did far better than I would have done...and then the hole we had to cut out. The metal in that spot was just far too gone; it had previously been folded over and not prepared well, thus it was way too rusty as well as being creased and stretched. I'm still waiting to shape the replacement sheetmetal, but I have the cardboard pattern cut and waiting...

The black is from both Eastwood Rust Converter and POR-15...I'm using the POR on the inside panels and the Rust Converter (which is friendly to delayed top coating) on external panels.

It's interesting to look at these pictures today; as you can tell it was warm -- on the other hand, we had about 6 inches of snow last night through noon today. I've also attached a picture of Ally today in the snow just 'cause I felt like it... :-)

Parts still needed (not many, thankfully!)

Ok, here's a list of what I still need or would really like to have (really just an excuse to update the blog). Any leads on the following would be most helpful:

• manual transmission driveshaft
• Stag front seats
• Miscellaneous stainless trim strips (to replace drilled or bent ones)
• Method of mounting cable operated gas pedal from Mk. II into Mk. I
• One more pair of new (repro is fine) MGB overriders
• AMCO bar for front like the one on Vern's car
• Time, time, time......

I hope the holiday season was wonderful for all of you!

Jamie

Work Continues, Albeit Slowly...

No pictures of further work at this point, but suffice it to say that after many hours of pounding by my friend Jim Croce, the fender is salvageable. I did cut out about a 5" x 6" area that was both too wrinkled and too rusty to save...it was apparent that the folks that preceded us merely beat the fender in and sculpted with body filler rather than actually doing bodywork. So, I've made the cardboard template and the next step is to cut the sheetmetal patch and weld into place.

I'm also on the lookout for another 2000/2500/2.5 to give me something to drive in the meantime...must be running or very close to running, but rest of condition and location are relatively unimportant. It would be nice to have a 4 spd or 4spd+od, but I'd buy an automatic if the car was right. Again, it doesn't have to be pristine, just be running or close to it.

Ally is REALLY looking forward to having her car (the Estate) on the road.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying driving the new TR6 (see pictures) and the Spitfire (see pictures). Thank you all for the continued messages of support and love.

Jamie

Pictures of current status

After grinding away the paint over bondo over paint last night, I decided to post some pictures of the current status of the project.

• All the items in the car are parts for the car
• All the boxes on the roof, hood (bonnet) and windshield are empty boxes for shipping the Triumph parts I'm selling weekly on eBay (here's a link to my current auctions)
• I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the damaged front fender. I have several friends that are better with sheetmetal than I am, I will be asking them to take a look before I decide what to do. Chris Witor has new front fenders, but at 195 pounds plus shipping from the UK, I'm looking for a more affordable alternative...
• The post-it notes on the rear window are the working plan for the restoration...i.e. what I need to do next!
• The weird looking thing stuck to the back of the car is the neatest trouble light I've ever seen. Comes with a magnetic back, a separate flex-head spotlight AND a built in magnetic tray courtesy of Black & Decker.

Anyway, here are the pictures:

Before I started grinding...

And after....

You can the problems best in this last picture:

So, now you know where the project stands. PLEASE write a comment or drop me a line at

tr6driver@yahoo.com I'd love to hear from you!

The project begins again...

For the few of you that are following this blog, I wanted to let you know that Ally and I are doing OK, and that last night I resumed work on the Estate. After taking off a LOT of paint and body filler from the left front fender, I am left wondering whether or not I should just replace the fender or not. They aren't priced too badly, but shipping from England is incredibly high.

I have a couple of friends that are much better at bodywork than I am, so I'll get a second opinion before doing anything rash. UNLESS SOMEONE OUT THERE ON THIS SIDE OF THE POND HAS A LEFT FRONT FENDER SITTING THERE FOR SALE!!! (hint, hint!)

Anyway, thanks to those who have provided emotional support during this time. You know who you are and we love every one of you... :-)

Jamie

Loss and Sadness

I've lost the most wonderful woman in the world. My wife, Cheri, unexpectedly collapsed April 29 and died May 8 without regaining consciousness. There probably won't be any posts for a while as Ally and I find our footings.

12 days before her collapse, Cheri bought me a Spitfire for my birthday...she remarked how I hadn't seemed myself since I sold my yellow one to fund this Estate project. I therefore am including a picture of Ally in the Spitfire (taken the day I brought it home) and my favorite picture of Cheri and Ally.

Update

It's hard to believe I haven't updated the blog since December. I'd LIKE to say that much has been accomplished, but that hasn't been true...at least on the car. Home maintenance and repair, job, and time with Ally have taken their toll on car work time. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and some progress has been made.

No new pictures of them, but the nose cone and front valence have been bead blasted and are awaiting coating with Eastwood products for rustproofing and prevention. A few more parts have been sourced also:

• a nice nose cone badge finding it's way across the ocean courtesy of eBay


• a second set of wood pieces so that I can try refinishing them myself (eBay)


• a center console without the speaker hole but with that cool Triumph script (eBay)


• much better condition Stag brake rotors (eBay)


• and finally, something really cool, adjustable camber/caster plates from Australia (KMac, off of eBay)

Once the TCOC Gathering is finished (April 18-20) I hope to be starting on the car again. Maybe next time I post I'll have real progress to show....

And if you're reading this before 10 PM EST on April 10 and you're in the triangle area, be sure and tune in to WPTF am 680 from 10-11 pm and you'll hear Paul Morro and myself talking about British cars on the Tom Kearney show!

I'm Not Using a Sawzall Anymore!

For a long time, it seemed that the last tool I used on the car was always a "sawzall" (a power reciprocating saw if you aren't familiar with the term). Now, it's starting to go back together. I haven't touched the car in December (and probably won't until January), but wanted to post some pictures of where we are. I had to visit Harbor Freight tools to get enough vice grips to hold the front end together to take these shots. I fabricated the silver pieces using 2X4's in a vice and plain sheetmetal...basically they were to fill up the space between the other two pieces. Thankfully, they will be behind the grille! But at least it looks like they fit OK. Here's some closeups as well. You'll see I still have some beating and pounding to do, especially on the ends of the brown nosecone part. I think I'll have to tack the top edge first and then alternate persuading with tacking as I go around.

Another one for sale & more bodywork progress

Here's another chance to join me in my madness...there's another sedan for sale on eBay. It may not have as solid bodywork as the last one I posted did, but it sounds much better mechanically. I wonder why they took it off the road?

BTW, while I'm thinking about it, if anyone out there has a really nice trim piece for the fake hood scoop I'm interested. The one I have is quite pitted, but I'm not sure I'm willing to shell out $100 or more for the reproduction ones that appear from time to time on eBay.

If you're interested in the sedan, here' s the link to check the auction out:

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Triumph-2000-1966-Triumph-2000_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6469QQihZ018QQitemZ280154285660QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW>

As far as Chrissy (my car) goes, right now the nose, lower valence and two new panels I fabricated for between them are being held on by vice grips. I had to make a trip to Harbor Freight tools to get enough...but it's nice to see the car starting to look complete again. There is still some shaping work to do to make sure all the panels lineup but I hope to get to some of that this weekend. Once all trimming and tapping is done, I'll take the panels off one more time, protect everything I can with paint, reposition them back and start welding. That should take some time and I'll definitely need some help with holding part of the nose in the right place. I'm also going to be welding up the holes for the original nose badge as it won't be reinstalled. I've never really cared for it, and as the "TRIUMPH" letters will still be there I think that's ornamentation enough for now.

Reconstruction at Last!

Finally! After many nights of pounding, copious applications of sanding, elbow grease and POR-15, as well as my humble attempts at welding, the "under the nosecone" section of the Estate was finished today. It's a terrific feeling to be putting the car back together instead of deconstructing. Now, on to the side panels just below and to the outsides of the center portion. I'll have to temporarily position the nosecone, lower valence and grille to get the spacing right for the paper patterns.

No, the welding is nothing pretty, but it is strong. I wanted to make sure that if the car was ever in an accident again, the front would hold up at least as well as it did when it was new. I'll be carrying my wife and daughter with me and I can't imagine more precious cargo.

You can see from this closeup shot that I actually ended up replacing the entire corner of the piece. What you can't see is that both the front and side edges are formed under to create a flange for other parts to weld to. The front flange was OK...the side flange didn't exist...so I measured the other side carefully (assuming IT was right...) and tried my best to match up with it. We'll see how the nosecone fits. Just laying it up there this afternoon it looked pretty good, but once I clamp things into place I'll know for sure. That's it for this installment; more soon I hope!

OH, what a deal....

I'm probably lucky this isn't in North Carolina...a RUST-FREE saloon just surfaced on eBay. At this point it's $300 no reserve. AAARRRGGGHHH!



Here's the link. Good luck to someone living near Oregon...

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1966-Triumph-2000-Saloon-Rust-Free-Complete_W0QQitemZ150146351634QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150146351634>

Having visited the hospital this week as a patient, I have no other news to report. I'm feeling fine now so hopefully there will be more progress this week... :-)





Jamie