Maintenance Handbook
Ongoing maintenance is a part of the Triumph enthusiast’s car hobby. If you choose to perform your own maintenance, these pages are intended to provide some helpful hints. Most of the information herein will pertain to most Triumph models. As with all areas of the Vintage Triumph Register, contributions to these pages are always welcome.
The information in this handbook is organized according to the “system” of the car of which it is a part. Some items which don’t fit in any particular system, but which pertain to the whole car are in a “Miscellaneous” Category.
The Vintage Triumph Register takes no responsibility for any problems you may encounter following the advice given herein. Take all suggestions with a grain of salt, and be sure to use your own common sense — it’s your car, and your health at stake!
- Body:
- Broken bonnet release cable (TR4-TR6) — how to fix, and prevent
- Painting your Triumph
- Gas Masks — overview of paint masks
- Paint Charts — scanned images of some period paint chip charts
- Polishing and Waxing Guide — one owner’s approach
- Touching up Small Scratches — a great touch-up technique for those with patience
- TR6 Bonnet / Window Seals — sketches of mounting details
-
Chassis/Frame:
- Electricals:
- Alternator / Generator:
- Converting Positive Ground to Negative Ground — summary explanation
- Triumph Alternator Overview — an excellent explanation of how an alternator works
- Triumph Alternator Diagnosis and Repair — step-by-step instructions and diagrams
- Battery
- Ignition System
- Ballast vs. Non-Ballast Ignition Coils — What’s the difference, and how to convert.
- Inductive Discharge Ignition Overview — a complete overview of how a points ignition, as on Triumphs, works!
- Setting the Stag Idle Speed — some tricks and tips
- Tuning and Improving the Stag Ignition System
— an overview of an ignition tuneup - Setting the Ignition Timing on a TR — an article by David A. Templeton
- Instruments
- Repairing Jaeger & Smiths Speedometers — by Anthony Rhodes, PDF Document
- Lighting
- Starter
- Starter Has a Life of Its Own — diagnosis and repair of a starter that wants to go by itself…
- Wipers and Washers
- Windshield Wiper Motors — a complete diagnosis and troubleshooting guide by Dan Masters
- Wiring
- TR8 Wiring Shield — a DIY repair to prevent wiring harness meltdown from the exhaust
- TR8 Engine Harness Replacement — This article describes how to completely replace the wiring in the same harness by Tim Buja
- Making or Repairing Wiring Harnesses — an excellent introduction by Dan Masters
- Alternator / Generator:
- Interior:
- Carpets
- Dashboard (Fascia Panel)
- Refinishing a Triumph wood fascia (dashboard) — a step-by-step guide
- Dash Top Pad
- Recovering a crashed dash top pad with new vinyl — a how-to guide
- Replacing a complete interior — tips
- Seats
- TR6 Seatbelts — the two basic types used, and approximate switchover point
- Top:
- TR4 Top Installation Hints — tips on replacing a TR4 top, but these are generally applicable to any Triumph
- TR6 Top Folding — how to do it without damaging the rear windows
- TR6 Top Installation — a step-by-step guide to replacing a TR6 top
- Audio
- Install a superb speaker system in a TR4 — an illustrated, step-by-step guide (PDF format, 2.9mb)
- Mechanicals:
- Brakes:
- Replacing Brake / Clutch Lines on Federal Specification Stags (PDF format, 44kb)
- Brake Adjustment — a quick tip to simplify adjusting the brakes
- Brake Bleeding — tips from those that have done it
- Brake Bleeding, M/C on the bench — a how-to on “bench bleeding” your master cylinder
- Brake Drum Screws — Hints on how to remove them
- 4 Piston Brake Caliper Conversion — detailed article for TR3/3A/4/4A/250 and TR6
- Brake Fluids — DOT3 vs DOT4 vs DOT5 discussion
- Lubricants Notes by Redline — recommendation against DOT5 for race use
- Pressure Differential Warning Actuator — Operation and rebuilding, including diagram & photo
- Cooling System:
- Annual Cooling Flush — a do-it-yourself guide
- Coolants:
- Coolant Manufacturers — Prestone
- Coolant Properties — properties tech sheet
- Lubricants Notes by Redline — some coolants information
- Keeping Your Stag Cool — some much-needed advice on avoiding overheating
- Radiator Removal on a TR6 — tips
- Water Pump Leaks — early detection
- Drivetrain:
- Engine / Gearbox / Diff / Body Numbers — [removed bad link] identify that used part in the corner of the garage…
- Clutch
- Clutch Hose Problems — one owner’s experiences, by Arthur Kelly
- Non-Operable Clutch Diagnosis — an overview by Mike Morelli
- Replacing a broken TR6 clutch fork pin — a quick “how to” by Peter Zaborski
- Trials & Tribulations of TR6 Clutches — To Laycock or not to Laycock??… an article by Brent Kiser, BSME
- Differential / Rear Axle
- Differential Mount Diagnosis and Repair — how to check and repair broken mounts, if you hear the telltale “clunk”
- Lubricants Notes by Redline — gear oil info
- Engine
- Stag Head Tension — a guide to torquing the head on a Stag
- TR6 Engine Modification notes — owner experiences
- TR6 Thrust Washer Check & Installation — a brief guide to this common malady
- Valve Seat Recession and Unleaded Fuel — an article by John Mitchell, designer of the Rover/Buick 3.5L V8 engine
- Oil:
- Lubricants Notes by Redline — basic oil information
- BRAD PENN Penn Grade 1 Racing Oils (PDF) — info from the manufacturer
- Oil Overview — Ed Hackett’s oil summary
- Oil Additives — are they snake oil?
- Oil Manufacturer’s Pages — links straight to the manufacturers
- Oil Pan Gasket Replacement — how to replace that gasket and stop that leak!
- Oil Pressure in a TR6 — owner’s experiences
- Spin-On Adapter Filter Selection for a TR6 — learn what to look for in a TR6 spin-on filter
- Gearbox (Transmission)
- Lubricants Notes by Redline — ATF and gear oil info
- Synchromesh, how it works — a layman’s description of synchromesh
- TR6 A-Type Overdrive Conversion — a summary of how to do it
- TR6 Transmission Tools — tools needed for rebuilding a TRansmission
- Rebuilding TR transmission and A-type overdrive (Greasy Hands Garage Guides):
- Introduction to Rebuilding the Triumph TR Transmission and Overdrive PDF, 42kb
- Rebuilding the Triumph TR Transmission Part 1 – Disassembly, PDF, 304kb
- Rebuilding the Triumph TR Transmission Part 2 – Reassembly, PDF, 403kb
- Rebuilding the Triumph A-Type Overdrive Part 1 – Disassembly, PDF, 274kb
- Rebuilding the Triumph A-Type Overdrive Part 2 – Reassembly, PDF, 515kb
- Emissions Equipment
- Exhaust System
- Fuel System
- Adjusting the Carburetor(s) — guide to carb tweaking
- Gasoline FAQ — more than you could ever want to know about gasoline! (petrol)
- Homebrew Gasoline Octane Boosters — DIY Formulas
- Picture Book of Spitfire Carburetors — lots of pictures of Spitfire carbs
- Stag Carburetor Tuning using Colortune® — a do-it-yourself tuning guide
- Temperator Compensator Adjustment — an article describing an “undocumented” procedure for adjusting these for a Zenith-Stromberg carb
- Valve Seat Recession and Unleaded Fuel — an article by John Mitchell, designer of the Rover/Buick 3.5L V8 engine
- Zenith Stromberg Tech Tips — an article by Scott Suhring, with advice on Persistent Loss of Damper Oil and Repairing Bypass Valves
- Heating and Ventilation
- Steering
- TR4-6 Steering Column Wobble — a simple cure for a common malady
- TR6 Steering Rack Mount Replacement — an installation “trick”
- Suspension
- Air Shocks for a Triumph Spitfire — an excellent article on Air Shock conversion on a Spitfire
- Axle Seal Replacement on a TR2 — owner experiences
- Do-It-Yourself Alignment — detailed explanation
- Lubricants Notes by Redline — grease and CV joint info
- TR4A/TR250/TR6 Front Suspension Repair and Rebuild — a how to guide
- Trunnion Oiling Technique — an alternative method of oiling those trunnions
- Tires
- Choosing Tires for a TR6 — owner experiences
- Tire Codes — how to read tire codes!
- Tire Manufacturer’s Pages — Goodyear Tire & Rubber
- Wheels
- Overview of Wire Wheels — one owner’s experiences
- Tightening Wire Wheels — a how-to guide with experience from many over the decades…
- Tips for the Maintenance of Stag Wheels — advice for Stag wire and alloy wheels
- TR6 and Panasport Wheels — owner experiences with 15″x7″ Panasports on a TR6
- Brakes:
- Miscellaneous:
- Nuts, Bolts, and Washers — a quick guide as to how to decipher the factory part numbers
- Storing your Triumph — collation of many sources
- Extend The Driving Season with a Heated Jacket — Heated seats? No, a heated jacket! (PDF, 3.27MB)