The Triumph Experience Tech Library

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Buying a Used Vehicle

Triumph TR6 Buyer's Guide: What to look for when buying a Triumph TR6 including common rust points, frame condition, desirable upgrades for power and handling, wiring inspection, and interior and trim condition.
Used Car Buying Checklist: A great checklist when buying any kind of used vehicle, print this out and take it with you if you're considering a purchase.
Used Car Buying Checklist (Printable) (pdf): A nicely formatted, printable PDF version of the SOL Used Car Buying Guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Awakening a Sleeping MG: Checklist and procedure for starting an MG (or other similar classic British cars) that have been in long term storage.
LBC Fact and Fiction: 60 common LBC (Little British Car) questions answered by Motorhead Garages.
MGB vs TR6: Classic British Sportscars Compared: An objective look at a very old rivalry!
What's a DPO?: If you've ever bought a used car, you already know the answer!

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General Care

Car Lifts Compared: Choosing a car lift for your home garage: buyer's guide to four post lifts, two post lifts, in-ground, and single post lift systems reviewed and compared.
Leather Care for Classic Cars: How to keep your leather seats from fading or cracking, repairing old or damaged leather, and proper leather seat care instructions to ensure they always look their best.
Twist Drill Talk: How to get the most from your drill bits in the garage, and how to sharpen, inspect and keep them in top working order.

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Service and Repair

Basic Servicing

Tuning Standard Triumphs (pdf): Scanned PDF book by David Vizard published 1970. No longer in print.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Guide for Classic Cars: A step-by-step chart to help diagnose the cause of nearly any problem you might have with your LBC, and the corresponding solution.

Tops and Windows

Tonneau Cover Installation: Getting all the snaps (Lift-the-Dots) aligned on your new tonneau cover.

Suspension and Wheels

Leaf Spring Refurbish: Restoration of the transverse leaf springs on a 1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500.
Mounting Tires the DIY Way: How to change your wheel tires and tubes, and get a nice cardio workout for free.
Solving Rear End Sag on a Spitfire 1500: Fixing the common rear end sag on Triumph Spitfire by inspection and replacement of leaf springs, bushings or shock absorbers.
TR6 Accelerator Shaft Modification: Alternate method of installing the TR6 accelerator shaft and bushings for easier installation and removal.

Brakes and Clutch

Bleeding The Hydraulic Clutch System: A simple tip that might solve your clutch bleeding frustration.
Bleeding Your Brakes: How to replace the brake fluid and eliminate air bubbles from your car or truck's hydraulic braking system, known as "bleeding" the brakes.
Quieting Brake Squeal: Some tips on how to cure squeaky brakes.

Cooling and Heating

Modern Automotive Coolants: How engine coolant has evolved over the years, and what modern coolant is the best for our classic British cars.

Engine and Tuning

Make a Spark Tester: Diagnosing a weak spark with a few bits and pieces from the junk bin.
Oil Filter Study: A good website showing what oil filters are made of, and good and bad components to look for.
Piston Stop Cam Timing Tool: Making a handy tool to find TDC accurately.
The Gasket Basket: Making your own gaskets: materials, theory and installation.
Today's Oils and Our Classic Cars: Presentation from George Morrison, independent STLE Certified Lubrication Specialist, at a Central Ohio MG Owners Club Tech Session regarding the use of modern oils in classic cars.

Carburetors and Fuel

An Easy Way to Siphon Gas: An easy modification to make this jerry can pump work with your LBC's gas tank.
Evaporation Control System for Triumphs: Description of the evaporation control systems for the GT 6+, TR 6 and Spitfire MK III introduced in 1970.
How To Blow Through an SU: Notes on the use of the HS or HIF series SU carburetors in a forced induction turbo or supercharger blow-through configuration.
Service Bulletin: GT-6+ Throttle Modification: Service bulletin on modification of the throttle linkage for smoother accelerator movement on early Triumph GT6+ models.
SU Fuel Pump Troubleshooting Guide: Troubleshooting guide for all classic cars and trucks that use SU mechanical (points type) fuel pumps.
SU Fuel Pumps 101: Basics on the types and operation of the SU fuel pump.
Tuning SU Carbs (pdf): An out of print book covering general tuning information for all SU carburetors with needle charts.
Weber Carburetor Factory Settings (pdf): Stock settings for various Weber carburetors, a good starting place for tuning.

Electrical and Instruments

Battery Storage, Fact or Fiction?: Will leaving your battery sitting on concrete cause it to discharge?
Car Batteries 101: Testing, maintenance, troubleshooting and charging advice for the common automotive 12V lead-acid car battery.
Car Radio Primer - Speaker Connections (pdf): Explanation of speaker connections on newer car radios and how they differ from older radios.
Dash Rocker Switch Repair: Rehabilitation of the "Clear Hooters" type dash rocker switches common to many British cars of the 1970s such as Triumph, MG and Jaguar.
Fuseology - Fuses 101 (pdf): What are fuses, how they work and how they relate to MGs.
Ground Point Preparation: Removing corrosion from your car's ground points often solves all kinds of electrical gremlins.
Lucas Wiring Colour Guide: Reference chart showing the function of any wire from the main and tracer colours alone.
Never Leave Your Lights On Again: Simple wiring diagram for installing a relay to turn off headlights when the ignition is turned off.
Pertronix Installation Secrets: Pertronix Electronic Ignition (Ignitor kit etc) installation tips for vintage points type distributor upgrades, that aren't listed in the manual
Servicing The Lucas Wiper Switch: How to restore the Lucas Wiper, Washer, and Overdrive switch stalk from the early 1970s MGB and other British vehicles of similar vintage.
Smiths Tachometer Servicing: Common faults, part numbers, calibration and negative ground conversion.
Spitfire MkIV Wiring Diagram: Electrical Schematic (Wiring Diagram) for RHD Triumph Spitfire MkIV (1970–1974)
Understanding Alternators: Operation and theory of the alternator, explained in simple terms.
Understanding the Ignition System: Operation and theory of the ignition system, explained in simple terms.

(Sorry, Haynes has requested I remove the colour-coded wiring diagrams due to copyright. I have requested permission to post them again, but doubt it will be granted.)

Interior and Upholstery

Dash Crack Repair with Epoxy: Very good results restoring a cracked, gouged and faded dash using supplies available at your local hardware store.
DIY Wood Steering Wheel: Part 1 Introduction, Design & Prototype: How to build your own wooden steering wheel: Justification, Budget, Objectives, Donor Wheel, Design, and building a Prototype.
DIY Wood Steering Wheel: Part 2 Choosing Wood, Making Blanks: How to build your own wooden steering wheel: choosing lumber for making the wheel, material list and cost, design and making the blanks for the halves, cutting segments and making splines, gluing the hexagons
DIY Wood Steering Wheel: Part 3 Machining the Halves & Rounding: How to build your own wooden steering wheel: making a router table, marking the wood, cutting the shape of the wheel and center groove, assembling wheel halves and rounding
DIY Wood Steering Wheel: Part 4 Fitting the Wood to the Steel & Finger Grooves: How to build your own wooden steering wheel: fitting the wooden wheel to the steel frame, cutting space for the spokes, making finger grooves with a wood file
DIY Wood Steering Wheel: Part 5 Attaching to the Steel Frame & Finishing: How to build your own wooden steering wheel: fastening the wooden wheel to the frame with epoxy, clamping, finishing hand sanding, mother of pearl inlay, wood stain and varnish
DIY Wood Steering Wheel: Part 6 The Finished Product & Conclusion: How to build your own wooden steering wheel: the finished steering wheel, final thoughts and total time and cost tallies (Final Part)
Easy Lubrication of the Pedal Shaft: An easy way to lube the brake and clutch pedal shaft on your MGB or Triumph.
Low Cost Cockpit Sound and Thermal Insulation: How I made low-cost thermal and sound insulation for my car's interior, and a comparison to Dynamat Extreme.
New Veneer On A Wood Dash: Refinishing the wood dash on a Triumph Spitfire

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Body and Paint

BMC/BL Paint Codes and Colors: BMC and British Leyland car & truck paint color options from 1964 to 1978, with names, paint chip sample, and paint codes for makes such as MG (MGB), Triumph (Spitfire, TR6), Austin (Mini), Austin-Healey (Midget), Morris Minor, Riley, Wolseley
Car Bodywork 101: Lesson #1 Prep Work: The first part of the series on automotive bodywork, Prep Work, covers basic preparation before painting such as rough sanding, applying and sanding filler, applying and sanding primer, and fixing high spots.
Car Bodywork 101: Lesson #2 Sanding Jamb Areas: Part 2 in this series on automotive bodywork, Sanding Door and Hood Jamb Areas, covers "jambing", basic sanding technique, supplies like sandpaper, Scotchbrite and blocks, sanding technique, cleaning and paint masking tips.
Car Bodywork 101: Lesson #3 Painting Jamb Areas: Part 3 in this series on automotive bodywork, Painting Door and Hood Jamb Areas, covers Tools for Automotive Painting, Fixing Paint Runs and Overspray, Block Sanding Final Primer, and color hold-out (even color).
Car Bodywork 101: Lesson #4 Final Paint Prep: Part 4 in this series on automotive bodywork covers Final Body Preparation, Masking the Body, Masking Curves and Letters, Masking Cracks and Tight Areas, and Final Air and Solvent Cleaning.
Car Bodywork 101: Lesson #5 Painting: Time for Paint! Part 5 in this series covers Mixing Automotive Paint, Automotive Paint Systems, Painting in Your Garage, and Painting Tips.
Car Bodywork 101: Lesson #6 Undercoating: The final part of this automotive bodywork tutorial series covers undercoating your car and final words on bodywork and painting.
Color Sanding Instructions: Supplies list and method to get an excellent finish after repainting your car.
How to use Body Filler on Repair Panels: How to blend in a new body panel with filler and block sanding for a perfect paint job (Bodywork for Beginners Series)

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Restoration

Build a Body Rotator: The ultimate low-buck body restoration aid (mirror)
Media Blasting and Air Compressors Explained: How to choose the right blasting equipment for car restoration; sand, slag, alox, and glass beads; gun and nozzle selection and air compressor buying guide.

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Reference

1972 BMC USA Price List: Dealer price list for BMC/British Leyland vehicles and factory options in 1972.
Bolt Torque Specification: Universal torque specs in ft-lbs for SAE Grade steel hex bolts.
British Car Production Figures: Total production data for all British makes and models.
CO% to Air Fuel Ratio (AFR) Table: Handy chart for CO based tuning.
Standard Threads Reference: Table comparing UNC, UNF, USP, BSW (Whitworth), BSP (Pipe) and Metric threads.
TR6 Specification 1970: Technical specification of the 1970 model year Triumph TR6 sports car.
Triplex Window Date Code: If your car has the original Triplex windows, you can read the date code and estimate when your car was assembled using this secret decoder key.
US-British Technical Terms: Translations of terms with different meanings on different sides of the Atlantic.
Wrench and Socket Reference: Reference table of US (Imperial), Metric and Whitworth wrench sizes.

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Streaming Video

Secrets of the SU Carburetter: Video tutorial on inspection and rebuilding of the SU carburetor(s) fitted to MGBs prior to 1975, Triumph, Jaguar, Mini, Austin, Morris and many other British cars as well as classic Volvo and Saab.

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Scanned Publications

British Leyland TSB Archive: TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) issued to BL dealers from British Leyland starting in 1973.
Period Accessories for the Spitfire: Some of the period accessories available for the new Triumph Spitfire at the time of its introduction in 1963.
R&T Comparison Test: Four Sports Cars: June 1970 - The MkII MGB goes head-to-head with the Porsche 914, Fiat 124 Spider and Triumph TR-6.
Triumph at the 1974 Chicago Auto Show: Some great colour photos from the 1974 Chicago Auto Show - Triumph TR6, Spitfire, Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Fiat, VW.
Triumph Service Tips 1970: A collection of service tips and bulletins from 1970 including: TR-4A Hood Jams, TR-6 Gear Lever Chatter, Cold Starting with the Stromberg CDSE, Fitting Wire Wheels, Gearbox Assembly and GT-6+ Accelerator Linkage.
Triumph Stag Introduction 1970: Announcing the new V8 powered Triumph Stag, from a 1970 publication.

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Humour and Miscellaneous

Holiday Prose, LBC Style: A Little British Car themed "Night Before Christmas".
The Ugly Wedgling: The saga of an MGB owner's adoption of a ratty Triumph TR7.

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