This is my early '69 TR6. In 2018 it has about 75,000 miles on it and running well. It has an unknown early history, bouncing around different members of my family in Oregon and California before ending up with me in Minnesota. It was rebuilt at some point maybe in the '80s with a paint change from yellow to red, seats recovered and door panels replaced with home-made versions, and other fixes that were more shade-tree than original. I've been gradually fixing mechanical systems and doing a sort of rolling restoration as I go.
Log of work done so far.
The engine on the TR6 was unusually noisy, especially on acceleration, with sort of a slapping popping noise in time with the speed. I eventually figured out it was a bad exhaust manifold gasket, and now i can pick out that sound from a mile away - it seems to be especially common on Ford trucks and SUVs.
I've done a fair amount of other cleaning work around the engine, but had never really dismantled the top end past the carbs, when we rebuilt them. Everything was pretty crusty under there.
My TR6 has the original steering wheel, again a unique part of the 1969 model year. It is (i think) the only year of TR6 that had holes in the spokes. Starting in 1970 the spokes had slots instead, which are apparently less likely to trap your fingers while you're driving.
It's a 15" wheel and thin, which is in keeping for the time, but often replaced with a smaller diameter, thicker wheel more like modern wheels. While I admit that an extra inch or two of leg room under the wheel would be welcome, i like the original too much to replace it.
