My 1981 Triumph Tr8 V8

[eamonnf]

At last fella about time you got this thread up and running! Love these don't know why as they were complete rust buckets. Is it running? I's say dangerously fast? What's the plans to finish it? I reckon very wide super lights or deep dish Rota's for the wheel choice! I must admit I am jealous I want a big project.

 

[Azzam]

At last fella about time you got this thread up and running! Love these don't know why as they were complete rust buckets. Is it running? I's say dangerously fast? What's the plans to finish it? I reckon very wide super lights or deep dish Rota's for the wheel choice! I must admit I am jealous I want a big project.

to be completely honest British leyland used the same P.C.D off a rover metro meaning it will only fit metro wheels...... heres something interesting......

Did you know the MGF has two front ends for the chassis off a metro?

meaning the wheel stud patterns are exactly the same on a MGF. Right not i have austin princess 4 pot brakes and rover montego steel wheels.

In the last pic i tried to fit a MGZR alloy but completely failed, it runs amazing and sounds like a dodge charger (rough idles!), as for speed i have NEVER taken it out of my street because everyday theres something funky on the electrics!
But it has SOOOO much torque! and a close ratio box

british leyland used a monkey to wire their cars up! Im trying my hardest to get the wipers to work!

thats the main reason i bought a new chassis because the floor pans were non existant and the car was covered in filler
Bodywork is solid as a rock now

 

[maddogmorg]

Very nice specs! Quite fancy a tr7 myself it seems to of gained a poor reputation as a car probably due to the Poor build quality of the era and it's several factory moves meant it didn't have a chance. Aren't they basically a shortened sd1 platform. Near 50/50 weight distribution too which surprised me!

Was yours originally a tr8 or was it a converted tr7? Is that the intended colour? And I hope the seat cover is going, and not sure on the gauges, I had one like that but threw it out as it was too brightly lit and White gauges are wrong anyway!

 

[dave]

dont know how the tr8 handles but the tr7 was crap, the back always wanted to get around a corner before the front did

 

[maddogmorg]

You say that as though that's a bad thing? Same wheelbase as a stratos!

 

[dave]

You say that as though that's a bad thing? Same wheelbase as a stratos!

it was bad, went from a spit to a tr7, sold the tr7 with in a week it was no fun at all, kept the spit another 20 years.
the back of the tr7 didnt just want to get round the corner before the front, it won

 

[Azzam]

yes this is a propper legit triumph tr8 (not a convert), apart from the 2.0 litre engine in the tr7 the tr8 was exactly the same.
These tr8's are well known for the antiroll bars making the front end dive quite badly, but ive got a kit that stops it from diving
as for the suspension it really matters what tyres your using (to a certain extent!)
I guess these cars are know to me a British Corvette
Fast off the lights, crap around corners

 

[maddogmorg]

The TR8 trounced the corvettes in trans am! There's a video on YouTube of the race at laguna seca. Think it's 1979? Looks amazing in the White with green group 44 racing colours and big rear wing.

Dave that sounds like fun, apart from the back winning.. Would you say it just lack of development in the chasis or a fundamentally flawed car? A very different car to the spitfire though.

 

[dave]

fundamentally flawed car that finally killed triumph, they should have put the engine in the middle

 

[Azzam]

fundamentally flawed car that finally killed triumph, they should have put the engine in the middle

Fiat X1/9
mid engined alternative

why do people say how bad they are and their reputation, nobody has taken into account how much ive looked after the car and how well its performing!
Yes triumph cut alot of corners making the tr7 but you have to keep in mind that these types of cars are what driving is really about, no driving aids, power steering, airbags, electric hood or even fuel injection!
Ive spent alot of money, time and late nights to make this car right


off topic
i also have a Lancia Beta Montecarlo both spider and hardtop, the spider is like brand new but kept away from home in my dad's old garage (previous house)
There are 3 lancias at my house - 2 are used for donor cars parts
one is kept garaged under alot of tarpaulin and wheels lol ill try to get picss

 

[maddogmorg]

Fiat X1/9
mid engined alternative

why do people say how bad they are and their reputation, nobody has taken into account how much ive looked after the car and how well its performing!
Yes triumph cut alot of corners making the tr7 but you have to keep in mind that these types of cars are what driving is really about, no driving aids, power steering, airbags, electric hood or even fuel injection!
Ive spent alot of money, time and late nights to make this car right

Their poor reputation is mainly down to the hard tops styling, which lots of people don't like, but i quite like it and the massive quality problems these cars suffered from, these can however be ironed out, like how you have done.

By the way, what colour is it? the pics seem to show it part matt black and part blue?

Here's the video of TR8 beating the Corvettes.

Oh and don't leave it parked over grass for too long, my cousin has picture of a weed coming out of the gear knob gaiter on his lol.

 

[Azzam]

It is matt black right now (spray can) because it needs more bodywork (stop rain rusting bodywork)
heres the two donor lancia montecarlos, 1 had a good engine, 1 has a good interior
lol yes they are scrap really but they have alot of genuine parts (whatever's left)lol

 

[Azzam]

engine pics
tr8

i hate my mum's trees lol

 

[Azzam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmeO0FpHOqI&feature=youtu.be
cleaned all the intake system and injectors