An exciting Triumph TR6
project with high-end components

Introduction

This 1971 Laurel Green Triumph TR6 originally belonged to my father-in-law, and he gave it to me about 15 years ago as a project we could work on together when he moved out to Colorado. I trailered it out to my home in Golden, Colorado from Clearwater, Florida where it was being stored under tarps in a shed. I moved it into straight into my climate-controlled workshop where it sat until about 2010 before we got around to the initial restoration. Most of the replacement parts for this restoration project were purchased at Moss Motors, The Roadster Factory, GoodParts and Victoria British. Based on the commission plate, this car had a build date of JAN 1971 with a comm number of CC 61316 LO with paint code of 55 and Trim of 33.

Chassis & Powder-coating

I first stripped down the whole car to the bare chassis when I realized that the frame was not 100% straight. I took it to a local collision center, where it was straightened using laser optical measuring, so that after it was done, it was straighter than any stock TR6! I then media blasted and cleaned up all the chassis and suspension components and took them to Paul at Sports Car Craftsman in Arvada, CO, who specialize in classic british sports cars. They added some welds and some other strengthening braces to known weak points of the frame. After that, they powder coated everything in black for a super-clean look.

Suspension, Brakes, Nuts & Bolts

I cleaned and blasted most of the nuts and bolts, and also purchased several packs of high-quality new nyloc nuts from the Bolt Depot, so most of the components were put together with these. All bushings were replaced with new ploy bushings, and I bought rebuild kits wherever perished items were found, for example in the lower control arms. I also purchased high-performance GoodParts springs for both front and rear that should also lower the car by about 1" (I also purchased some spring spacers, but they are currently not installed). I also installed Koni adjustable shocks as well as fully adjustable rear trailing arm brackets (also from GoodParts) to allow for easier suspension setup compared to the old 'shim' solution on the original car.

Regarding brakes, the front brakes are upgraded with Wilwood Calipers (black) for better looks, increased stopping power, and much lighter unsprung weight. The rears use the stock drum brakes, but have upgraded pads and upgraded rear wheel cylinders for increased performance. Brake lines are all new with a copper tubing and braided lines.

Also from Goodparts, I installed a new aluminum steering rack mount kit as the stock one with thick rubber bushings is notorious for slipping and providing suboptimal handling characteristics.

Oh! And check out those sweet Michelin Redline Tires! Very desirable.

Drivetrain

The stock engine was completely rebuilt by the guys at [Sports Car Craftsman][ports-car-craftsman] with many enhancements including a mild-performance cam, hardened valve seals to allow for modern unleaded gas, new piston rings, bearings, caskets, water pump, thermostat, etc. The cherry on the top, is of course the addition of an Eaton Roots-type Moss Motors Supercharger with a Holley 350 two-barrel carburetor which claims to add 40hp and 75ft-lbs of torque to a stock TR6 engine.

To tame this engine, I decided to replace the stock overdrive-enabled 4-speed transmission with an HVDA 5 speed conversion kit utilizing a refurbished 5-speed from an '1985 Toyota Celica. While I was at it, I also upgraded to an R200 limited-slip different from an Infinity Q45, and also upgraded the CV Joint Axle and Hubs using a kit from GoodParts again. I also had a custom driveshaft built by a specialty Denver shop as there were no off-the-shelf options for my R200 to Toyota 5-speed transmission.

Exhaust

To full take advantage of the new super-charged engine and also create the look I was going for, I bought a new Stainless Steel Sports full exhaust system with Twin pipes from Rimmer Bros in the UK and had it shipped to me in Colorado. Currently on the exhaust manifold is fitted, and the rest of the exhaust system is still in the original box.