7/28/99 I found an overdrive! Its an original A-type so I don't have to make any frame modifications to put it in. I do have to replace the tranny main shaft and have found a used one. It'll take a couple weeks to assemble all the parts to be ready for installation.
9/6/99 I guess it has been a while. The used mainshaft was trash and I sent it back. Found a NOS one still packed in grease. A beauty. The overdrive is assembled and ready to go, haven't received the solenoid yet so it can't go in the car, but its built up and working and ready to go.
I decided to reconnect the bypass valves on the carbs. I hoped it would reduce the pop-pop-pop on deceleration. It has somewhat, but not entirely. I have the early non-adjusting, vacuum tube to the manifold variety. Non-adjusting means you have to take 'em off and apart to get to the adjustment. The guys at AIAP recommended that I drive out the Brass plug in the end so they can be adjusted on the car. I did it. The o-rings needed "refreshment", but they seem to seal fine. Had to set them really tight to get them to stay closed. I like the look of things being connected under the hood. Never really liked the way things looked with hoses plugged off. I can't say that performance is noticeably better with them connected. I'll see if gas mileage is affected.. My original vacuum pipes were missing when I bought the car, but a half hour of searching among the bones at AIAP and I found a decent set. At first there was no vacuum to the back valve, the tube was clear. I took the banjo connector off and there was a piece of metal stuck in the hole. I left the vacuum retard to the distributor disconnected, the pipe goes under the carb to where the switch on throttle linkage is, but is plugged off
It idles quite nicely now that they are adjusted. As Bentley notes, idle at 2500 RPM means the valves are floating, I found a point at about 1500 when they were mostly closed, but once they were really closed idle fell to right where it ought to. One other note, the A/C had made the idle drop about 200 RPM before, seems to be about 100 now, easier to reach a compromise for decent idle regardless of A/C status.
9/10/99 Ready for the overdrive! Got the wiring harness, switch, relay and solenoid. Guess I'll try and get the wiring in place over the weekend then in the next week or two, get the o/d into the car. Oh boy!
The switch is in and the wire harness is in place. Its kind of odd the way they go through the passenger compartment rather than over the tranny from the engine compartment. Nonetheless, it is in.
10/2/99 The OD is in the car! I am having some trouble getting the solenoid adjusted correctly. It seems that the actuating lever attached to the solenoid is slipping on the lever some and warrants replacement. I got one ordered. So I haven't been able to use it much, but the little I have been able to use it has been really cool. I already can't believe how I lived without it. It reduced RPMs by 22%, so that at 70 MPH I am turning 2800 RPM instead of 3500. Its a big difference. Its like at 75 MPH you are cruising down the road instead of screaming down the road.
10/3/99. Today I removed sufficient inside the passenger compartment stuff and tranny hump to really get to the overdrive solenoid and adjustment levers. The stop for the solenoid at the bottom was missing and it was hyper extending in the off position and getting stuck. Originally there was either a screw adjustment or a rubber mushroom. Mine must have had the mushroom since the hole is not threaded. I removed the solenoid and slipped a screw in the hole so the screw head would act as a stop. I also readjusted the operating lever and tightened that sucker down good. You simply can not tighten the nut on the operating lever sufficiently from under the car as you can not grab the top of the nut and hold it. I am still going to get a new operating lever and stow it away.
11/6/99 My son and I drove down to Lake City, FL for the Southeastern Division VTR convention. We had a GREAT time. Met a lot of great folks and put some names to faces from the Triumph list. I have had a hankering for a TR8 for some time and drove one while down there. Gotta have one. I am looking at one here in town now, but its PI and I'd rather have carbs. We'll see how price negotiations go.
11/24/99 After a number of false starts, it appears a 1980 TR8 DHC PI is going to be mine. There is a problem with the fuel pump or pressure regulator as well as a bruise on the nose, both of which the seller is going to remedy before delivery. Its a blue color, but I am not sure which name yet. Pictures and more forthcoming. Does this mean I need to get another domain name for the 8? I have set up a separate group of pages for the 8 and there is a link below if you're interested in following that machine's progress.
1/13/00 I confess I have been playing with my 8 and not giving the 6 its usual attention. LH rear wheel bearings died and required replacement which I completed yesterday. Other than that its been normal maintenance only. It occurred to me yesterday that in the last 12 months the 6 has had 20000 miles put on her. Now, of course 5000 of that was the trip out west, but all in all I have had very little trouble over the last year.
4/12/00 Its been a long time since I made any notes here and for good reason! Aside from the fact I have been driving the 8 an awful lot, the 6 has been running perfectly. No need to do anything! This weekend I may change the oil to the summer weight oil.
6/25/00 The OD solenoid died and needed to be replaced. Major PITA to get to it, but an easy repair.
Here is a link to the latest print out of my maintenance database.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this.
people have been here.