John Bonnett

Hi Tim, it went to John Knibb who isn't a member of any Triumph Club. He owned a TR2 before the children came along so he has always had a soft spot for the model. The thing that sold him on this particular car is the history which blew him away and I put him in touch with Andy so that he could learn more about it firsthand. I was so pleased that he thinks the same as I do that its condition tells a story and that a restoration would be a dreadful thing to do. I think he will just tidy it which would be great. Could I suggest that you ask Andy to speak to John about joining CT? I do have his contact details but I never pass on information without permission but I certainly would ask John if you would like me to. However, I think it would be best coming from Andy and most likely to get a successful outcome. John has a 1958 Morgan Plus 4 so he is familiar with the TR engine and he also restores British bikes so definitely one of us and in my view a very good fit for CT. Kind regards John

The car is now sold

Yes so do I. I'd be delighted if a CT member took it on and continued to use it for competition and endurance events as Andy did during the 30 years of his ownership. Here are a few photos showing the car's heroic exploits.

Some vehicles, by virtue of their history and heritage, deserve custodians rather than owners and the Yellow Missile as it was popularly known in Club Triumph is one of them. It needs someone to care for and to protect its identity and above all, use it as intended on road trips and rallies. The previous owner campaigned the car during his thirty years and 240,000 miles of ownership in races, rallies and endurance events all over Europe and during that time developed it to make it the driving machine that it is now. Everything is fully documented in the huge history file inherited with the car and there for all to see and peruse. The car has also been the subject of a number of magazine articles all of which are in the folder. Take one look at the car and its narrative is clearly evident. It has been built to do a job and it bears all the hallmarks of a driver’s car that has been enjoyed, well used and upgraded to enhance the driving experience. The engine would benefit with a refresh but it burns no oil, there is no smoke and the oil pressure when warm at 2000rpm is 40psi. All it needs is the minimum of work to tidy up the paint but most importantly, retain its patina. A full bare metal restoration would, in my view, be a travesty because the integrity of the motor car and all that it stands for would be lost. But if that is what is desired there is enough in the price for a respray and engine refresh and the outlay would not exceed the value of the car. Specification I understand that the car has a galvanised chassis but cannot confirm this. TR4 engine with 87mm pistons, fast road camshaft, roller rockers, big valve cylinder head. TR6 gearbox and A Type overdrive. Revington rack and pinion steering conversion kit fitted Revington front wheel bearing conversion TR6 front suspension and brakes Front and rear anti-roll bars 123 Bluetooth programmable distributor mapped on a rolling road at 1000rpm increments New alternator with narrow belt conversion Fully relayed and fused. 12 volt auxiliary power supply Flick wipe. Lucas driving and fog lamps Reversing lamp Minator 6” alloy rims and Uniroyal Rain Expert 3 tyres. A set of standard steel wheels are included. Touring spares package. Hood, side screens and tonneau cover. I would consider part exchange for a Dolomite or MK1 Triumph 2000 but the shells must be exceptionally good.

Soldering needs three hands and generally I'm able to hold the iron in a vice whilst operating pliers and solder. In this particular case the vice wasn't possible but I suddenly remembered the clamping system I made a few years ago to hold a panel while planishing. It worked a treat. The second photo shows a saddle for a cable tie. I've been using these for some time now and find them really convenient for holding the loom or pipes. The saddle is either screwed or rivetted down but whatever is being clamped can be detached by simply snipping the cable tie.

Ian, good to hear from you. Hope you are enjoying your well earned leisure and finding time for the projects. cheers John

Do you know Nick, if I'd stuck to original, two or three fuses and far less cable it would have been done weeks ago. Sometimes I question why I have to deviate from original. 🙂

I see it's now two weeks since I promised photos. Well, since then the dash and power board all had to come out to rectify and oversight and whilst it was out fit additional plugs and sockets. But all back now and still everything works! The worst of the wiring is I I hope now over

Although I had checked the circuits on the bench, it was a great relief to find that with the dashboard wiring reconnected to the distribution board the circuits including the two speed wiper with self-parking all worked. I've paid particular attention to gathering in all the earths to fixed studs and running back to the battery. The main loom to the rear of the car is already made up and ready to go in. Photos to follow.

The risk of accidentally  damaging the paint is quite a worry Nick but I try to put that to the back of my mind. The instruments with the exception of the tacho which is BMW K1200 are new Smiths Eclipse purchased from Speedy Cables.

Probably the best stage of any restoration; the re-assembly and knowing you're on the last lap.

Fitting the pedal box was fairly awkward because the fixings are a bit difficult to access. The rotisserie once again came to the rescue allowing the washers to be dropped on and stay where they we put while the nut was started. To stop the screws dropping out, I held them in position using a couple of rare earth magnets. It was a time consuming business but all the fixings are now tight and another job ticked off.

Right, back to the matter in hand; the G15. I think I've won the battle with the steering joints so I've been able to clamp the column in its final position. The column itself is a hybrid;lower part Imp and the top part 1500 Spitfire. This gives the benefit of the column mounted switches. The dashboard has been offered up and fits quite nicely to the column cowling.

When I expressed my concern about how I was going to collect it, the same friend suggested a large bucket and shovel 😀

That's interesting Colin. Thank you.