TR6

With a weekend trip planned with the car next month, i thought it would helpful to have a way to charge our phones along the way. I picked up a cheap dual USB charger on Amazon, and figured out i could wire it to the same power circuit as the radio, since it's switched power and i rarely use the radio anyway.

After looking at different options, i thought the easiest location for the port would be on the center panels of the car, where i could easily hide the wiring and it would be out of the way. Mine were missing, so i decided to make a set.

When i first started plating parts at home, i assembled the cheapest, simplest setup i could: a plastic solution bucket and a variety of cheap and re-used wall wart power supplies. I still use a plastic bucket for the zinc solution, but i recently upgraded to a variable power supply:

I'm still working down a list of smaller projects while waiting to start the engine rebuild. Since the wiper motor debacle (and subsequent fix), i fixed a non-working speaker in the crappy stereo (disconnected wire), fixed a long-time rattle that only showed up when i would coast or decelerate at speed and was driving me crazy.

The work on small projects continues, most of which don't need much of a writeup: fixed horns (had the steering rack ground in the wrong place), replaced the driver side window regulator (much easier than expected, partially thanks to using velcro for the inner panel), front-end alignment (string method, tedious), and now, the turn signal that wouldn't cancel.

This isn't the project update i was hoping to be writing. 

I was supposed to be just wrapping up a full engine and gearbox rebuild about now, but it seemed best to put that on hold while we stay at home for the pandemic. Instead, i went back to my list of small jobs as a way to keep busy: sew a new shifter boot, a couple of drops of oil to quiet down the noisy tach, and next on the list: the wipers won't park on their own.

There aren't many places outside of California where folks drive an old convertible year-round. In the south, they're often stored through the summer when it's too hot, and here in Minnesota they're put away in the winter when it's too cold. Or just as often, when the streets are too salty.

One of the cool things about the TR6, especially considering it was a fairly budget-oriented sports car, is that it came with a real wood dashboard like more upscale British cars, featuring a nice walnut veneer. They really put the board in dashboard.

One known weak area in the TR6 design is the front spindles. They aren't weak enough to be a safety issue, but they do flex a bit given enough lateral force. The flex is enough to push the brake pads away from the disk, so the next push on the brake pedal is soft, because part of the travel is pushing the pads back in place.

The early TR6 had an interior courtesy light at the back of the gearbox tunnel just a year of the cargo shelf. Mine was missing when I got it, but after a few drives home in the dark I realized that it would be really nice to be able to see the dashboard and the ignition switch in the dark. 

Reproduction parts are all available to replace this, but the mounting plinth is $50, and I found these bright little 12v LED light bars at Menard's, so why not make one?

I'm still hoping/planning to rebuild my engine and gearbox this summer, but waiting until after school graduation and visiting family to get a little driving time in while I can.

In the meantime, i'm getting some nice drives in and doing a few smaller projects that i've been waiting for warmer weather for, and in some cases using parts that have been sitting in boxes for 6 months because i got them during some fall sales.

First up was the new cover for the convertible top. The car never had one when i got it, so i bought one when there was a sale last year.