Well. It's been a week, or two. The weather has been great and the TR7 has been performing perfectly. Well, really good. The top comes down and stows away easily. The car starts first try, every time. And, all you naysayers, it is a TR7.

The clutch ran dry and needed refilling and bleeding. The carbs ran low on oil and needed to be topped up. I checked these in March but should have checked them again as I have been using the car quite a lot lately. I haven't checked the differential or gearbox and, based on recent experience, guess I should soon. Those things are hard to do on an unpaved driveway. [Oh, my back!]

I have had several fantastic drives in the car lately; a 40 km run with a local club and a few private drives on my own. The club drive was great. There were 25 cars and about 1/4 were British; 3 Triumphs, 2 Minis, 1 Lotus and 1 Jag.

I have been on vacation and been using the car a lot. It is nice to get up in the morning and go for a drive with the top down. This is exactly what the car was built for.

OK, British cars were made in this climate but they're not much good for it. It has been cold and raining here since mid-May, 2011. I have been waiting for a run of good weather so I can take off the console and cowling to repair a few electrical issues. We have not had that time.

Take today for example, which is like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and so on...it is raining lightly with brief periods of fog, wind and drizzle. The high temperature today is 9 degrees Celsius, that's 49 for you Farenheit folks. Now, I don't normally mind the weather too much but this is depressing. The leaves are not fully out on the maple trees! I have had the top down about 5 times on the TR7. The car is outside under a cover and has been wet for a month. Not good for British steel, or electronics. Crappy weather for driving an older convertible as water finds its way in. Should I call coast guard? Help, I'm taking on water! I'm northbound on the crosstown arterial about half a kilometer from the Kilbride overpass.

Please mainland Canada, send us a nice high pressure or else a damn good storm from the American Eastern seaboard to break this pattern of cold, wet wind off the North Atlantic!
GK

I have started using the TR7 on a more or less regular basis. Annoying little problems caused by lack of use have popped up.

I went out for a proud drive in the TR7 with an LBC friend and stopped in to get gas. I opened the tank, filled 'er up and couldn't replace the cap. It wouldn't engage with the slots in the top of the filler neck. On the cap there are 2 moving tabs that need to line up with 2 fixed tabs so that their combined size fits into the slots. This wasn't happening. The movable ones wouldn't return to their home position plus the key wouldn't come out of the barrel. Crap!

Back at the workshop lots of lube, a few taps and gentle wiggling finally released the key from the barrel. I turned the key clockwise and ccw about 30 times and then put the cap in a vise with the key up and the movable tabs between the jaws and able to rotate about 45 degrees. I turned the key one way and twisted the cap so the tabs pressed agianst the vise jaws. No luck. I turned the key the other way and it rotated a little further than it had been doing. I then twisted the cap again and it popped and the tabs went together and all was right with the world. Note to self; put regular lubrication of the gas tank cap on the maintenance shhedule.

Next day was sunny. It's a convertible. It's sunny. Let's have that top down, shall we? It is easier to get a cat in a bag than to take that top down for the first time. I will need practice. It was equally hard to put it back up, harder actually because it was almost dark. Each hinge has a flat metal [rusty] bar that seems to keep the frame aligned and the hinge supported. The one on the passenger side wanted to buckle inwards instead of moving. Gentle [again] pushing was required. AND what's with those tacky plastic channels? Their purpose is...? Note to self; remove old duct tape and lubricate frame hinge points in the daylight and get a lesson on top handling.

Two of the snaps broke while I was unsnapping the top from the body. Not gentle enough I suppose. I guess they haven't been unreleased for a few months. Note to self; buy extra snaps and find someone with a tool to fasten them.

Now for the interesting bit. Triumph cars are not known for their heaters. I have a problem with mine. The pilot light works well but the heater doesn't ignite. Really! When I look into the slot for the fan control I see a nice orange and blue spark as I slide the control. I don't see any flame though....yet. Note to self; put a fire extinguisher in the trunk.

Seriously, I guess the movement of the heater controls have chafed a wire. Funny there's no blown fuse that I can see. Neither do I hear a fan noise come to think of it. Maybe I'll find a fuse or the wire or both to be the cause of the fan not working.

On a positive note I can get the key out of the ignition 9 times out of 10 now, and the car pulls like a train!

Happy British Motoring.

April 26, 2011
I finally got the TR7 on the road. Two trips to MVR, 3 hours at the garage and some driving around.

There was a line-up at MVR. Lots of people registering trailers and motorcycles. I did most of my paperwork and the clerk set it aside until I came back with the inspection slip. She issued my In Transit and I was off, $533 later.

I brought the car over to C&C for the inspection. The horn didn't work, the handbrake wasn't pulling on the right side and both front wheel bearings needed tightening. Three hours and $259 and I was off.

I arrived at MVR to be told it was a 2.5 hour wait. The clerk had said top come back to her so I did, she served me next. I paid for my plate, $140 and I was off.

I drove home and offerred to take my wife for a drive. She slid into the car and I turned the key, nothing. SHe looked and me and said "It begins". She slid out and asked me to call her when I was ready. It sounded like a battery issue so I checked closely. The manual shut-off was broken from the repeated closing of the bonnet while the shut-off knob was in the up, or off, position. I connected the lug directly to the terminal and tried again. Problem solved so we set off.

After about 2 minutes we agreed it was a guy thing. We agreed because we couldn't discuss it over the noise. I brought her home and went off to gas up and put the car away for another 2 weeks. I filled it up for the first time. It was partly full already so $20 and I was off. I took the long way to the storgae location and put her away for another little while.

I popped down to start the TR7 today. When I arrived I found a small pool of motor oil on the garage floor. It had run out and slightly soiled the edge of the car cover loaned me by a friend. It appears the oil is leaking off the end of the bolt on the bottom of the oil filter. There is about 1/2 cup that has leaked out over the last 3 months I guess. I checked the dipstick and there is no noticeable loss.

I suppose this is simply remedied by tightening the bolt or removing and reseating the oil filter [during an oil change]. I couldn't get at it today as I was in my business clothes and had no tools with me. Perhaps this is a good reason to convert the reuseable oil filter to a "spin-on"?

While on the subject of oil, the prior owner and the manual recommend 20w50. I wonder if this is what TR7 owners use these days?

It is March 27 and the ground is covered with 5 inches of new snow. A slurry of salted slush covers the streets. Potholes wait in hiding for careless tires. But British cars, wrapped in their nylon cucoons, rest through these winter months, sheltered from the wind and snow. Soon the warm spring sun will filter through chinks in garage doors, will find winter windows once hidden by snow and solstice now ready for beams of April promise. Paint will warm beneath the translucent cucoon. Stiff rubber soften in the warm rays, viscous fluids loosen and slide, grease icicles that drip unto the warming concrete floor.

Out comes oil and rubber. With a clank and a thump there's shiny steel tools, and greasy parts, and keys. Keys patiently waiting on a nail to the left of the cupboard door. Simple keys, flakes of patterend metal with ancient symbols of triumph. Keys that fit slots that turn slowly and slide tumblers into place to close contacts to supply power to grind a starter that turns and turns and coughs and grinds a lazing motor to life. Choke, choke, throttle, stumble then a confident rattling roar. The aroma of oil and gas and mildew. Unmistakeably British. Inexplicable fun. Ahh, THAT is the first day of summer!

Don't know where THAT came from! If I am going to think like that I will have to buy a Bentley or something. Looking forward to summer I suppose. I have been to start the car twice in the last 3 weeks. Brought my Dad down once. He told me of British cars he resurrected in the 50's, scant years after Newfoundland had switched from right hand drive to left hand drive. Anyway the TR7 started perfectly. I had a little key trouble that I resolved by "...if all else fails, read the manual, stupid!"