Tweet
The Lobby
Enjoy the blog this week with Supertramp, Take the Long way Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pts0jqX-yY&list=PLnzWxFWr_jTmzyj1tVXs0BdmZZZOK5B5H&index= 1
Great album – seems everyone had it. So much good music on it. Makes you remember those great albums that you could put on and listen to the whole side. Not a production year song, but one that I listened to while I had the 72 car thru 1985. And one of those songs that speaks a little to the thanksgiving journeys we take to celebrate with family. More on that in the throwback.
I survived Broken Bow. How does one describe this place. First, pretty new on the destination map. I don’t know how it became this field of dreams push pin, but that’s what this tiny section of Oklahoma is. Second time there, with different family groups. A few days squeezed in before Thanksgiving this time. Seems hotter for spring break. And the next few days becomes this prep for my beer can turkey exercise. I may put that on tiktok – would be my first video. Hmmm. Maybe.
I make the most of work in this disconnected week. We have destination clients on a beach and New York, so the hotel business never stops. Cold and rainy week in Dallas, but safe and healthy. Should be a great day, although very wet.
Whats new
Car sits, still. I have these windows where I think, I’ll make VTR, or I’ll make a holiday dinner. Our D6 holiday gathering is a few weeks away – and unless I drive that sled in the rain, or cold, with no windshield, muffler, or even door handles, I’ll be in the daily driver. I don’t think it will be finished even by then anyway. Nothing against the Sureshot crew – they are short staffed, and this work seems sideline for them, right? I mean, there are very few shops that all they do is tub and frame vintage. You gotta turn cars, and that means a CRV rear end in a parking lot job. Like a production line.
A sit down with the shop last week – some final thoughts before they begin to reassemble. The discussion turns to my expectation that the car needs an alignment. Let me clarify. It needed an alignment before I threw in that intersection back in January. Now, I suspect, it needs more than an alignment. I suspect it needs that crew of warlocks that know how to use chain and hydraulics. Those warlocks that use some technology? I guess some measuring tools outside Harry Potter.
As always, the diary of the The School Car Wreck Blog is here
Did you put gas in your car? Go do that, even if it’s a gallon. And please drive with your lights on – we need all the visibility we can get with other motorists.
Lets have a pint
My usual spot for less organized ramble. Ramblings that pop into my head. Things that somehow tie me back to my TR6.
Its world cup season, so I get my fill of that for a few days. Season is the wrong word – Its really not the season for world cup – that’s usually summer. I don’t know the jist for why its winter, except that its in Qatar, and I assume its surface of the sun hot in the summer there. And lets face it, all sports need some shake up, even racing. And ironic, that this section is now Lets have a Pint, and you can’t drink in Qatar. Have a pint, anyway. And enjoy your holiday.
Jay Leno is retiring. Some facial reconstruction, I reckon, akin to Michael Jackson. I had MOH surgery on my cheek over the summer, for basil carcinoma? Some scaring, but Leno will survive and thrive. He is in great hands, right? And lucky to be alive, lets face it. Mentioned last week, this stuff is dangerous. We forget that. Maybe its modern cars, and their comfort and reliability. And this guy – surrounded by cars from eras that had no concern over safety. My friend Hank has a 38 Cadillac. That car, to this day, has asbestos wrapped around the carb to keep the heat down. Now imagine that, and all sorts of crazy chit. Like handling plutonium, or welding without a mask.
Ok – on the rest of this ramble.
Tech: Clean the Stalks
Thanksgivings
Throwback. A Road Trip
Tech: WD 40 on the stalks
I have shared this before, but like some of the other repeats, one of those that needs a little repetition. All cars have 2 stalks, at least, right? Turn signal, head lights, some with an OD stalk. Lever – stalk, if you catch my drift. The guts of these things are rarely maintained, and I don’t think were ever intended to. But, like much of our designed, there wasn’t much downfield R&D from Leyland or any of the companies. I throw Leyland in, as I am sure our stalks are the same for other cars, or the guts are.
My OD stalk started to get firm, hard to move. And it took some taps on it for the OD to engage. I fiddled with that a few years ago, cleaned the area, improved the function for about a week. Gave up, and then went back with a spray that repair people might use for a stereo circuit board. Deoxit, can be found on amazon. Great stuff – I have a can, but expensive. When sprayed, it cleans the surface of the contacts, and improves the function, of say, a volume knob. For us, it improves the contact, and helped my OD switch for a few months. Then back to sticky. This time, I just said – fudge it, and grabbed some WD 40, sprayed all my contacts, and put the cowls back on. Who doesn’t have wd 40 laying around. I sprayed a few times, car off to avoid any sparks. Left the cowls off, let it drip dry. Put the cowls on the next day, drove off. That was a few years ago. Let me say this. My stalks are so smooth. Perfect function. And an added bonus – my turn signals return after a turn without help. Who doesn’t that problem? All of us. Somehow, that lube helps everything under those cowls. I’m sure there are alternative lubes, but do yourself a favor – remove those cowls, clean up those contacts – you’ll be happy you did.
Good luck, McGiver
Thanks. Giving.
Seems like a throw this kind of segment in over the holidays. I looked at my song playlist, and for one year, I had like 5 songs for the consecutive weeks, with Christmas music. That’s too much. But we grind all year, work, life, dodging recent health bullets, and we get to these last few weeks of the year and find a happy place to look back. I’ll pull some of that in for this segment, and chat up some of the stuff that has consumed he this year. Thankful for so much in this community. And doing my best to give to those who will listen, or let me help with a wrench.
I will have spent the entire year not behind the wheel of a TR6 – not technically, but my annual mileage will be in the double digits, not quad digits. A time for me to be in the garage. Part of my journey will be a minor restoration. Not sure what to call it, cause technically, it’s a crash repair. But in this repair, new paint, new color, new parts, changes to the car, removing some 76 features, adding some early model stuff. Pulling my car further away from original, as if I sat in the garage sipping whiskey, flipping off judges.
This Thanksgiving, for me, is about year. A healthy year of post covid. A year of better personal health, improved diet, and life approach. And my car is getting attention it wouldn’t have received had that fender bender not have happened. Destiny. I would put off cleaning an engine bay. Or Cleaning my tail light assemblies. Or replacing a door panel. I can go on and on. Now forced to do some of this. Before with tired paint, stuff blended in. Not now, with new paint and color. Like I threw a spotlight on some of the areas of this car. Wow. So, Happy Thanksgiving to you. I am thankful for you and your support. I and I hope I am giving to others around me, helping them with their car, and beyond.
Throwback. A road trip
I think back on travel when I was a teen, and in college. Almost hard to believe or imagine anymore. US highway speed limits at 55 back in those days. CB radios, and the term, double nickle, very common. Our family was uprooted to Texas, entire extended family in North Carolina. A flight on Piedmont was a couple of hours to Raleigh, and a roadtrip there, 1310 miles, was essentially 24 hours in a car.
No GPS, but I had taught myself some navigation with a wristwatch and highway mile markers. Don’t ask me to make that computuation today, but I could take those 2 pieces and get a pretty accurate mph number – regardless of what the dash gauge said. I’d use that number to calculate when we would arrive at any city on the way. A flat map, piece of small paper with tick marks on it to measure off the legend from that map, and then with the tip of a pen, hold the edge on the map route, moving the paper along where the change in direction would be, using that pen tip as the corner of the change in direction. Calculating the mileage, then using my speed to measure when would pass thru, Jackson, Mississippi, for example, on Interstate 20. I don’t share all this to impress anyone – look deeper at the exercise. It was kin to someone in solitary confinement, finding ways to keep from going crazy.
If memory serves, you could travel around 62 and you could avoid a highway ticket. However, we got a few on those trips. Probably at 65 in a 55. I drove recently, on some highway – don’t remember – where the speeds are regularly 80, and alone on that section, slowed to 55. I felt like I could step out and walk next to the car. The torture of 55 – even my kids won’t know that, unless we revert for some reason. These trips, isolated with family, in my case, mom and dad, forces you to talk to each other. Today, we get lost in media or the internet. Trips seemed to take longer, but we didn’t have anything to compare to – they just took a long time. And we would get excited about it. Like prepping for a marathon.
The airline trips were great, but exaggerate how different 24 hours in a car can be. 2 hours in a cramped airline seat pales in comparison. The hustle at the airport is exciting, and we could wax on that someday. But I hope for those traveling this holiday, that your journey is memorable, and trouble free. Enjoy your time together and make time for others. Cheers to each of you, and thanks again for being a part of this journey with me.
That’s enough for today. See you on down the road. Remember. Smile when you drive, and whenever possible, take a kid driving.
Thank you for caring for your Triumph TR6. Lets also thank those considering one. This is a great mark for young and old. This mark is blessed with an amazing network of development, parts, owners, experts and car availability. A TR6 helps people everyday, lifting spirits, bringing smiles. A TR6 brings happiness to the painter at the shop, who has painted many cool cars. Please start your car with it out of gear and foot off the clutch to save your thrust washers – they struggle with oiling at start up. Please pop your hood and have a good look around the engine bay. Please put fresh gas in your car each week, even if just 1 gallon. Please have good insurance, and review your policy regularly. And please drive your 6 defensively, as if it was a 4 wheeled Harley, and keep your driving lights in good condition.
Please join my journey here:
Enjoy The Guvna Blog Playlist:
The D6 Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/d6tr6
The Guvna Blog Youtube Channel
I am the 3rd steward of CF50460UO, born September 1975 with paint code 19 and 11 black interior. Nicknamed “the school car”, is now over 100K in miles, with new Cayman Blue Mica 2 stage paint, and 11 interior. Car was delivered with original hard top and factory overdrive. Current upgrades include Volvo overdrive internals, König Rewind 16x7 rims, Michelin Pilot Sport 205.55.16s, 4Runner calipers and 7/8 rear wheel cylinders. Poolboy carbs, FlexAlite electric fan, Patton Fan Eliminator, Pertronix ignitor ignition, TR5 cam, pacesetter header, 70amp Lucas direct fit alternator, solid state Rheostat, Silverstar Halogen headlights, Wishbone blueprinted oil pump, Bastuck 9LB flywheel, Goodparts suspension on all 4 corners, Goodparts sway bar, Goodparts trailing arm brackets, Uprated Armstrong lever shocks with cycle fork oil, high torque starter, JVC Bluetooth audio with front and rear USB, 4 speakers, stainless steel bumpers, flip up scuttle vent, hidden antenna, window tint, custom gear knob, and other concours frustrations.
My to do list
New carpet, new panels, custom dash.
r200B diff with goodparts cv joints and hubs
fresh head with roller rockers.
At some point, a fresh square motor with lightened crank, cam bearings,
Hard top inside insulation, and dome light.
Oh, and AC.