Crazy to see all the rust on UK vehicles, I just bought a 76 TR7 for parts here in California. It's been sitting for 40 years and totally rust free, No oxidation anywhere either.
@@HenrysGarage it’s pretty scary to see what you guys across the pond are putting together over there. It’s a lot of work dealing with rusts especially the undercarriages
That's a pleasant surprise. Late model Canley fixed head, worthy of preservation. I would store the drophead and start the work on this one, you would learn so much about the TR7 construction and have something to refer to when working on the drophead. Oh, the bonnet is bonded to the frame. Which ever direction you go in I will follow with enthusiasm.
Hi Alan, I'm inclined to agree with this approach but I'm not going to be able to do that for a while. I'm back here in about 5 weeks, so I'll hope to have my plans mapped out by then
That’s good to know although it is in slightly worse now as the broken hinge has maxing lifting it difficult and that has then caste the frames to break across the rust
Ultimately the decision is yours, however, if it were me, I would store the drop top, finish the hard top and then comeback to the drop top with the knowledge that you have a reference car for those bits that raise uncertainty. Which ever way you go, keep posting your videos.👍🏻
Thanks Mark, I'm also thinking that is the way to go but storage is going to be a problem. I'm not going to get back here for 5 weeks so I'll make some decisions by then
The stepped pin with the round bit at the bottom is a 'KING PIN ' should come with a couple of brass/phosphor bronze bushing/bushes and is possibly for either an MG B or MG Midget .. the bonnet support strengthener is usually 'glued' in-board of the edge and spot welded round the edge . Store the drop head and sort the hard top , easier project ? and will give you reference for completing the drop head , suggest you finish the passenger floor first !
The floor definitely the passenger is original. The edge you can see is sound deading pads painted body colour as factory. This car deserves to be saved i feel. Raydot was period driving lamps you could buy for cars of the period. You see them on eBay often. The black covers are just covers. The lamps are behind. I do feel the donor car is far better then the soft top your building. If it was me I’d sell the soft top as a project and restore this car. You don’t need two really. You already have the Mg and stag. But it’s upto to you!
Thanks Paul, it is definitely in better condition than the soft top and I would like to do it 'first' but I'm running into an issue with finding the vin so I'm not sure if I'll be able to register it
Good find. I thought you could find a decent parts car. Not sure what that steel part is but it looks a bit like a swivel axle. The Ray dots are add on spot lamps I think. Try taking off the covers on the front of them.
If you want a car you can drive, then restore the white one. The red one is scrap really unless you want a really long term project. Although it is W reg, the white one is a '79 car? Check the VIN plate. The Solihull FHC's had a full fabric sunroof, alloy wheels, blue or beige upholstery, grey dashboard, different door and boot locks, different steering wheel, radiator header tank on the other side, fuel cap. bonnet badge. Loads of detail differences. The anomaly is the bonnet lid. I though the double hump bonnet was a later feature.
Yes, looks like a 79 model year Canley car with indicator stalk location carried over from Speke. I think the factory change over cars are parts bin specials. My Speke coupe was registered Jan 79 but probably built early '78 or between strikes.
Thanks Velo, I'm leaning that way (although I won't scrap the red car) but I'm unable to find the vin on the red car. I knew the V5 was missing but assumed the VIN plate was there. I'm trying to find out if it was also stamped anywhere on the bodywork. This car has a glass sunroof and doesn't have alloy wheels so I don't know which factory it came from
@@HenrysGarage The white one was built at Canley, and the glass sunroof is aftermarket. The VIN should also be stamped into the boot lid guttering on the right hand side. You can decode the VIN/Chassis number here www.triumphwedgeowners.org/vin-numbers-decoded.html
Hi mate !!! ... I follow "Reds Garage" also ... . Hey you need to just take the plugs out and spray release oil down into the bores ...(not WD40) and just let the pistons soak a while then spin the engine over with the plugs removed again !!! ... I think from memory that by "W"-reg .... the tartan red interior and black steering wheel were upgraded .....(as were the wheels) .. and they had big sunroofs as standard ??? ... I had a red one "S"-reg with the same interior .... it was a great and fast car !!! ... They were a fantastic design when launched ..... (up with the Lotus) ... and their reliability ??? . i wonder today weather it was propaganda sent out by Ford ....(they were notorious) . (i remember reading an internal Ford memo just slating the competition) ... ... I always thought back when i owned mine that the car needed a slightly more insulated cabin ? ... GREAT CARS THOUGH .. cheers
What does the VIN number begin with? It's odd that the indicators are on the right hand stalk which I thought was only on the Speke built cars up to mid '78.
Hi Lima, we might have found out why I've got a good price. I cannot find the vin plate on the car anywhere and knew the V5 was lost. I don't suppose you know if the number was also stamped onto the car anywhere?
@@HenrysGarage Can you see where the VIN used to be? Missing plate from inside the passenger door or on the strut tops? Later cars had it stamped in the boot. I bought a door from a early Speke car recently and there's a VIN on there, whether you can get a number plate from that I've no idea. It appears your car could be a '79 model year Canley car in Leyland White (NAF) with the red/black trim. As it's a early Canley car it could have the earlier stalks used at Speke, it has a Canley bonnet. I'm no expert though. If it was me and I wanted to keep it I'd source a car which has a VIN and number plate from someone like S&S Preparations and use that. It's hardly ringing, just preserving.....
@@HenrysGarage if you apply for a log book can you omit the VIN from the form as it's not stamped on the body and therefore could be missing if the door was changed.
Haha Andy - needs a bit more than that but surprisingly good. I'm a little concerned the engine may be seized but we;ll see about that in the future - I need a plan first
For the work involved in rescuing the red car and the limited parts availability, I'd chuck the towel in and look at an alternative project (not necessarily the white car). Decent TR7s are surprisingly cheap, so renovating something in the condition of the red car seems a waste of time, money & effort to me.
