09x12 - Triumph TR6

[bunniefuu]

This time on Wheeler Dealers,
I buy a best of British classic.

I forgot just how good these cars are.

Ed gets a masterclass
in precision engineering.

To the untrained eye, it looks rather like
you're just wobbling our valves around.

And I meet a man who wants
to save our leaky fuel tank.

We could save that bike.

I admire your confidence.

I'm here to save people, mate.

And the temperature rises when Ed tests
the latest waterless coolant technology.

We buy a tatty old motors and
manhandle them back to good health.

I track down the cars and Ed uses
his technical nails to turn them around.

And then we sell them
on, hopefully for a profit.

This time, I'm on a hunt
for a classic 1970s roadster

from one of the oldest
names in British car building.

I'm talking about Triumph and this is
the TR6, their most popular car ever.

Styled with help from Karmann in
Germany and screwed together in Coventry,

this brawny two-seater is
a sports car for real men.

It was a massive hit
in the late 60s and 70s.

And today they're still very much
in demand with flickable handling

and a sweet revving
2.5 litre, 6 cylinder motor.

With 150 brake horsepower,
0-60 takes around 8 seconds.

It's a quick little car and one I
can't wait to get my hands on.

The TR6 has always been
popular, but prices are on the up

and now decent runners at
£8,000, £9,000 and even £10,000.

What I'm looking for is a car
at the bottom end of the market,

something for about £6,000 or £7,000,
something that we can add value to.

But locked away with just the classic
websites for company, I'm getting one message.

All the cars that have an MOT and are not
a ball of rust are way beyond my budget.

But at last, on a fan site,

I stumble across a car within a
couple of grand of where I want to be.

Bingo, I think I found one.

This one's in sort of a sunburnt red, 1975,
good-looking car, excellent condition.

It's got overdrive in
third and fourth gear.

It's got everything going for it, this car,
and it needs a little bit of work as well.

And the price, it's the
right money, £8,500.

It's way up the other end of the
country, so let's give them a call.

Speaking to the owner, Mike,

reveals this car has been the
family pride and joy for two decades.

He says the sale is forced because
his wife just wants a new boiler.

He also promises this TR6 is
rust-free, a bit of a holy grail.

Well, Mike sounds like a top bloke,
and that sounds like a top motor

with just a little bit of
work need doing on it.

Now, it's going to cost me
a tank of fuel to get there,

but I definitely think it's worth a visit.

Now, I'm headed up north to near Bolton.

It's a bit of a schlep, but I've just
proved that finding the right car

for the right price and the right
condition is a bit tougher than I thought.

Four hours later, the brewer has landed.

Well, it's been a long journey.

I've travelled half the
length of the country.

to come to lovely,
peaceful, suburban Bolton

to come and see this motor.

Let's hope it's what I'm looking for.

Looks all right, doesn't it?

You Mike?

I'm Mike.

Mike, I'm Mike.

It's going to be easy
to remember, isn't it?

Well, this is the car, is it?

It is.

I love the colour.

This is 96.

It was originally yellow,
but it's a horrible colour.

In around about 2000, they had it
changed back to the original red.

The arches, there's no rust on there.

You won't find any rust on
the body weight whatsoever.

There is no such thing as a rust-free TR6.

Have a look.

No, it doesn't exist, I'm telling you.
Seriously.

There's no rust on there.

You're lying.

You couldn't have bought
a Triumph with no rust.

That's right, there's no rust.

Seriously?

If you check that, Mike,
underneath the bonnet there,

there's no rust underneath there.

It's like...

That feels like... Is this
a replacement bonnet?

No, just saying the bonnet
that came with the car.

Wow.

Well, that is fantastic.

Right, let's have a look inside the boot.

Just look at the bodywork.

I'll tell you what, it's solid, isn't it?

It is.

It's fantastic.

OK, I'm delighted with that.

Right, then, the selling part of
this car would be this soft top.

Yeah, Mike, if I was keeping it, I'd
replace it, because it's going yellow.

It's just looking a bit
shabby and it spoils the car.

OK, all right, just sit inside?

Yeah.

Does it all work?

Everything works, yeah.

Can I start a run?

You certainly can.

Sounds great.

It's meaty, isn't it?

Right, let's have a look
under the bonnet, then.

Yeah, it's lovely and straight,
very original across the front.

Have you done anything to it?

Nothing at all, mate, nothing at all.

So, with this engine, does it
run on leaded or unleaded petrol?

Leaded.

It sounds like a little Swiss watch
ticking away there, doesn't it?

Very sweet.

It's lovely, Mike.

It pulls really strong,
it drives really well,

it goes through the gears, there's no problems
with the clutch or anything like that.

I'll tell you what, mate,
it's such a lovely day,

winding a ticket for a chest drive, mate.

Perfect, yeah, let's
get this out on the road.

Well, it's been a very long
time since I've been behind

the wheel of a Triumph
TR6 and I've got to tell you,

it's been too long because I
forgot just how good these cars are

because with Triumph, as
soon as you hit the accelerator,

the rear of the car with its
semi-independent trailing suspension

squats down and it shoots
you to these lovely hills.

Originally, this car would have
had about 150 brake horsepower,

but those bureaucrats out
in Europe, they told Triumph

they had to detune the
engine to meet regulation,

so it went down to
123 brake horsepower.

And then saying that, it can still get
from 0 to 60 in just over eight seconds.

And this one...

Well, it feels like it could do it today.

Negatives, unfortunately,
there's a big one straightaway,

which is the smell.

It absolutely reeks of petrol in here
and it's starting to give me a headache.

The other thing, if there
was to be a shower,

that roof is completely threadbare.

If I was to pull it up, I've got a
funny feeling I'd be just as wet.

And these seats, I
know these are bumpy

roads, but they ain't
doing my back any good.

It feels like most of the
stuffing's disappeared

out the seats and it's
very uncomfortable.

So the big question is, do I want the car?

There's something about
this car that's doing it for me.

The fact that it's completely rust-free

means that this car should
be coming home with me.

The problem I've got is
the price that Mike wants.

He wants too much money at £8,500.

I know what this car's worth
and it's going to be quite a

kick for him, but I have got
some good bargaining tools.

The roof, the seats,
that awful smell of petrol.

So I'm going to go back
and see if I can win him over.

Well, you do own quite
a rare beast, don't you,

because this is genuinely
a rust-free Triumph TR6.

But this car's not without its problems.

The first of which is that smell of petrol.

Even though I've got the roof off,

it floods the c*ck and
it's given me a headache.

Are you not feeling that?

Yeah, it's a recent development, Mike.

It's not something I looked at yet.

It's definitely there, isn't it?

Also, these seats, they're
really uncomfortable.

They've given me a bit of a backache.

The thing that makes this
car special is the convertible.

It's going to need a new hood.

And because it's a 37-year-old car,

I'm pretty sure the more that
you delve down inside this car,

the more problems that I'm going to find.

But saying all that, I do like the car

and I would like to make you an offer.

How much did you want for it?

£8,500.

I think you've been a bit
cheeky there, weren't you?

I'm just taking a leaf
out of your book, Mike.

Well, it worked, I'll tell you,
because you've got me here.

The problem you've got is your price.

You're asking too much money for it.

I know the price of this
car down at the letter

and I reckon it's going to be quite
a hit for you, but it's worth £6,000.

And I'll tell you for why
it's only worth £6,000.

And that's because
there's plenty out there.

If it's not this one that I'll buy,

I'll go and see another one and there'll
be a similar car for the same money.

What do you think? Should we have a deal?

£6,000.

Yeah, cash.

Yes, top work.

I've just bought myself a try of TR6.

I'm delighted with the deal,

but TR6s, like many old motors,
are notorious for causing trouble

and mechanical surprises could
get in the way of me and a profit.

Let's hope this TR6 is
all it's cracked up to be.

I've just bought a pure classic car,

a Triumph TR6, and you know what?

It's rust-free.

But it only runs on leaded fuel,

the hood screen, and that's not all.

It absolutely reeks of petrol in here.

I hope it makes the long
300-mile trip back to the workshop,

where I'll find out what ebb
makes of our classic TR6.

And I reckon it's a wind-in-the-hair hoot.

Yes, I've just bagged us a very rare car,

a rust-free Triumph TR6 for £6,000.

One thing's for sure, there's
definitely a profit in this motor.

All we need to do is find it.

Now, the good news is the
chassis and bodywork on this motor

are really solid, but there could
be a few headaches in store.

It reeks of petrol inside this c*ck,

and there's some screaming
noise coming from inside the boot,

and I reckon that's the fuel pump, so
the whole fuel system needs looking at.

These seats, they're rock hard and doing
no good for my back, and it's k*lling me.

Well, it's not all bad news, cos I reckon
we can rub some value into this motor.

Simple things like changing the soft top

and converting it from leaded to unleaded
fuel will definitely see some profit.

Ooh, look at that!

Hey, how you doing, Bungee, all right?

I'm all right, sir.

Looking very festive and sunny-like.

I mean, this is obviously
a Triumph TR6 convertible.

I seem to remember these things have
a bit of a reputation for unreliability.

Have a look at the good stuff first.

Have a sit inside.

What do you think of that, then?

Well, I have to say, it
all looks quite original.

Does everything work?

Everything seems to
work inside the car, yeah.

It's all fine, it's just a bit...

I have to say, well, the
seat's really uncomfortable.

I was going to say, everything
works except for the seats.

I think the foam inside the seats
has been left back in the 1970s.

cos it degrades and falls out.

Of course it does, yeah.

So we need to address that.

OK, and it absolutely
reeks of fuel in here.

It's a problem with
this car, and I'll get to

it in a minute, but
first, open the bonnet.

It's a little bit fiddly, but
there you go, look at that.

I mean, the engine's a bit dirty,
but as you'd say, it's honest.

But it's not without its problems.

When you came to fill up,
what exactly did you do?

I'll see what you've done there.

You want me to say
to you that I filled this

car up with unleaded
fuel, and that was it?

No, unfortunately I didn't.

I had to put the lead
replacement in it as well.

OK, so we have to do
the head as well, then?

Yeah, but listen, mate,
if you're going to buy a

car like this, you want
it to be really saleable,

and one of the things that's going to
make this car stand out in the adverts

is the fact that it's
going to be able to run on

unleaded fuel, so it's
a nice little job for you.

I guess the weirdest thing,
again, you can really smell that fuel.

Yeah, and funny enough, it's not coming
from this end, it's coming from the boot.

OK, so let's have a little look.

Whoa!

That is quite strong, isn't it?

It's got the old Lucas fuel pump,

of course it gets hot and just
isn't very good at delivering fuel.

I'm glad you said that, because
all the way down the motorway,

that pump was screaming
away in the boot of the car.

But also, we mustn't rule out the tank.

It could be rusty, there could be pinholes,

and of course the fuel could be coming
from there, or even just tired pipes.

There's one other job,
jump round that side.

The thing that makes the TR6
special is this convertible roof.

It's a bit worse for wear.

The rear screen's gone, it's
got a hole in it, it's all yellow.

It's not ideal, is it,
really, let's face it.

Horrible, isn't it?

So, OK, so it's sort out the roof,

the fuel system problem,
the unleaded problem,

and of course, the seat.

So you're excited, aren't you?

All these jobs to do, brilliant!

It is a quality motor again,
Michael, thank you, sir.

Let's get it in the workshop.

I think Mike may have
done pretty well for us.

He's managed to find a TR6 that
might be one of the better ones out there.

It's got no rust, and that is really rare.

Unfortunately, though, it's not perfect.

There are still plenty of areas that
are going to need a lot of attention.

And I've had to Mark it right
now, I could only give it a C+.

But of course, before it leaves the workshop,
it's going to have to be at least an A.

We've got mechanical and
cosmetic jobs to do on the TR6,

but before I can crack
on with the big stuff,

I've got a little job
to do in the cabin.

Now, despite appearances, the reason
these seats are actually uncomfortable

is because the foam is degrading
under these nice seat covers on the top.

So clearly now, they're
just not doing their job.

As if any more proof was needed,

most of that foam is crumbled
up and ended up on the carpet.

So I'm going to send these off
to the trimmers to get sorted out

for some new foam while
I get on with the oily bits.

With the seats out, I can now get on
with converting the TR6 to unleaded.

The main job is to rework the head so the
valves are not damaged by unleaded fuel.

So to get this head modified,

we need to send it off to a
specialist engineering shop.

But of course, to do that, I
need to take it off the engine.

And as you can see, there's all kinds of
bits attached to it that need to be undone.

Now, a classic top tip is to make sure
you Mark everything before you take it off

so it's much easier to
put back together again.

I'm marking the spark beads as
they come out of the distributor cap

as the car won't run if
they're in the wrong order.

Next, I have to drain the cooling system.

This should be properly disposed
of at your local recycling centre.

I disconnect the fuel lines.

and remove the air box.

Don't worry, I'll be back for
that rubber connector in a bit.

Then the three dual-car
britches can be removed,

which in turn gives me
access to the exhaust manifold.

At the moment, it would seem
that the thermostat housing

and therefore the water
pump are attached to the head.

Well, it looks like
perhaps three bolts there.

So maybe if I undo those,
I can kind of peel that away

and then, of course,
reveal the head itself.

But before I do anything,

I do need to just loosen off this belt
here, which is attached to the alternator.

Removing the head of this
engine comes in at around £150

from a garage because
it's relatively easy to get to,

so it is possible to try yourself.

With the rocker cover out of the way, I
gain access to the rockers themselves.

As I remove the rocker shaft,

I try not to rotate the rockers too much
as it makes it easier to put back in place.

Having removed the rocker shaft, I
can now take out these little chaps here,

which are the pushrods.

Now, when you've got any moving
parts working together in an engine,

they end up wearing slightly
and matching perfectly.

So if you then start
moving them all around,

you're going to end up having to bed
them in all over again, which is not cool.

So I want to make sure I put all of
these pushrods in exactly the right place.

And the best thing to do is get a bit of
card, or better still, maybe an old box,

pop some holes in it,
make sure you've marked

one to six, in this
case for the cylinders,

and then for each one, you just
pop it through its own little hole,

and that's the way it's kept
in exactly the right place,

ready for when you put
it back into the engine.

Simple.

So now I can start undoing the head.

I have to unbolt these nuts in sequence to
avoid any distortion of the metal casting.

The cylinder head has been in
place for more than three decades,

so it's no surprise
it's putting up a fight.

I use a hide hammer to free things off,

and then some levers to get things moving.

And after a bit of a
tussle, it lifts away.

This big lump of cast iron is
our head, and you can see,

nestling in there, we've got
exhaust valves and inlet valves.

Now, imagine you're driving on a full chap.

These little chaps will be bouncing
around at maybe 3,000 times a minute,

and you can imagine the
damage that's going to be done.

from all that metal pounding together.

Now, luckily, when this engine was
designed, there was lead in the fuel,

and the idea of the lead
was to help cushion the blow

between these bits of
metal smacking together.

Unfortunately now, of course,
modern cars run on unleaded fuel,

which means we no longer
have that protective layer.

But there is a solution,

and that is to rework the valve
guides to protect the engine,

and I'll be getting to that next.

While Ed sorts out the unleaded conversion,

I'm taking the Triumph
fuel tank to be checked over.

There's every chance the smell of fuel

is caused simply by a hole.

I've sent it to a
specialist to check it over.

How you doing? You all right?

Hello, fella.

One second.

Good to see you.

And you, mate.

How you getting on with our tank, then?

Brilliantly.

It's just been defumed,

so it's safe to work on.

Defumed? What was that, then?

Got to get the fumes of the
petrol away before we work on it,

because it will explode if it
goes near a flame or a spark.

And what was you doing then, steam?

Yep, that's steam, which
disperses all the fumes.

We need to do a pressure test
on it to find out how many leaks.

Right, and you do that by what?

By introducing air to it.

We bung these holes up with bungs,

pressure test it with air, find out
exactly the state of play with this tank.

Fantastic.

See if it's worth saving.

Well, let's do a pressure test, then.

Okay.

How we getting on, Dave?

Okay, mate.

We're testing it at 4 psi.

All right, okay.

You can see coming up there on the Gauge.

So we connect the airline on there.

There's definitely going to be a leak here.

Just before we go in the test tank,

we can probably find
that one almost instantly.

There you go.

We know there's one leak, but
luckily, we don't have any more.

We can save that, Mike.

Once we put lead-coated patches on it,

that's going to last another 50, 100 years.

I admire your confidence.

I'm here to save people
money and make good,

you know, something that's original.

A brand-new fuel tank is more than £300,

and Dave thinks he can
patch ours and make it as new.

For about a third of that,
he hand-shaped a tin sheet.

Uses acid to strip rust around the site,

and then applies a coat of solder.

Right, so I've got me Elfin safety
goggles, plus me gloves and me screwdriver.

What do you need me to do?

Right, I need you to hold the corner
down on this patch while I just tack it.

The final stage is a precise
process called tinning,

where a patch is soldered
over the hull to make it airtight.

Well, I've got to tell you,
that was fantastic to see,

and I'm delighted that you're
managing to rescue this whole

petrol tank, and it's going
to live to see another day.

Yes, well, there you have it, Mike.

Now you've just got a nice interesting
bit to clean it up, ready for paint.

What, me?

Yeah.

Once this is stripped down,

Dave will repaint the
tank, and it'll look like new.

So far, the TR-6 has been poured
apart, the tank is out, the head is off,

and there's lots of work to do
before the car will even drive.

This isn't the walk in
the park I was expecting.

We're fixing up a
wonderful British classic,

the growling Triumph TR-6.

I forgot just how good these cars are.

Its body is lovely, but the
bits underneath need attention,

and plenty has to happen before
the TR-6 will go as good as it looks.

Ed's removed the head and
taken it to a specialist machine shop,

where the engineer, James, is going
to fit hardened exhaust valve seats.

This will allow the TR-6
to run on unleaded fuel.

We strip the head back to its bare casting,

and then the valves are removed using
a pneumatic valve spring compressor,

which is the first thing that has to happen
before we can start cleaning everything.

It's placed into an
industrial-sized washing machine

for a long soak in hot, soapy water
to remove the surface carbon and oil.

The head is then placed on an airtight,
oiled rubber mat to check for any cracks.

So now, James, this is
a vacuum test, isn't it?

So the idea is to find out
whether the head is porous

and whether it needs to be
repaired or scrapped, whether it's fine.

That's right, yeah.

Well, fingers crossed.

Yeah, it's pulling up a vacuum now.

When the needle stops,
we lock the machine off.

Okay.

Disconnect the airline from it.

So now if the needle
moves, we're in trouble.

We've got a problem.

If it stays, we're okay.

Yeah, that's right.

And it looks okay.

Yeah, it's not moving.

It's a good cylinder head, good casting.

Result. That's lucky.

To remove any carbon deposits,

the valves are cleaned in
a media-blasting cabinet.

The valves are then inspected to
make sure the stems are straight.

Each valve is then spun on a lathe so it
can be cleaned with ultra-fine Emery paper.

The tops are refaced to make sure they
sit flush in the head and seal properly.

I have to say, James, to the untrained eye,

it looks rather like you're just
wobbling our valves around.

Yeah, I'm checking to
see if there's excessive

clearance between the valve
stem and the valve guide,

which on your cylinder head,
there is a little bit too much there.

This would cause it
to be a little bit smoky.

Because it's just drawing oil in
through from the rockers, I guess.

That's right, yeah.

To prevent the engine
from burning oil in the future,

we're knocking out the
old worn valve guides

and pressing in new ones.

The new valve guides
are tapped into position.

James uses a Vernier depth Gauge to check
how deep the valve guides go into the head.

Too far and the valves
might not sit properly.

The tolerances are within
a thousandth of an inch.

He mounts the head on a cutting machine.

These holes are for the
new, harder valve seats.

Leaded fuel has a cushioning
effect as the valves slam

into them, so without lead,
they need to be tougher.

The cutting tool is made from a
super-hard alloy called tungsten carbide.

So you're now boring a hole into the head.

I've noticed you're only
doing the exhaust ports.

Why are you not doing the inlets as well?

We only do the exhaust because
it's only the exhaust that runs hot.

The inlet has the cool charge
of air and fuel pushing by it,

so the seat never gets that hot, really.

Got you. So because of that cooling effect,

really it's the exhaust, all
those hot gases going through

that's getting warmer, therefore
it's more susceptible to wear.

Yeah, that's correct, yeah.

The original valve
seats are balled out to the

correct diameter to make
room for the new ones.

Here, the new seats are
bonded to the head using a

super-strength ceramic
glue and pressed into position.

Okay, so that means you've got
the last of our valve seats in place.

Now, these are made out
of sintered steel, is that right?

So they're much harder than the cast iron.

Okay, so now they need to be machined,
I guess, to match the back of the valves.

Yeah, we've just got to
finish machining the seats.

just to get them all nice and the
right angle and size and things like that.

That popping sound is music to my ears

because the vacuum inside indicates
each valve has sealed perfectly.

This is really the final
stage of what we're here for,

which is actually putting in
our hardened valve seats.

You're now just
cutting, or just re-cutting,

the seats for our valves
at 45 degrees, I guess,

so that they sit beautifully.

Yeah, that's right, yeah.

We're just putting the new angle on now.

to make it gas-tight in the cylinder.

That one's now done.

So with all of the engineering
work now complete,

James is just popping our
head into the parts washer

for one last time just to
get rid of all of the swarf.

So how long's that actually going to take?

It'll take four hours to
completely clean the

cylinder head, get
all the swarf out of it,

and then we've got to paint
it and assemble it for you.

And the results are worth the wait.

One fully converted cylinder head.

The price of £300 reflects
the labour that goes into it.

James has done a fantastic job.

He's finished everything off, cleaned it,

he's even painted it and then
put it all back together again.

And if we just turn it over,

you can see our nice clean valves in there,

and of course underneath these little
chaps are sitting the new valve seat.

So now this head and the whole engine can
run on unleaded fuel without any additives.

But before I can pop it onto the engine,
of course I'm going to need a new gasket.

The conversion does add a hint of power to
the engine and it will run slightly better

because the old valve guides
were found to be pretty worn.

To tighten the bolts on the head correctly,

I'm using a torque wrench.

because it can be precisely
adjusted to apply a specific force.

Rebuilding an engine is always fiddly

but the new valve seats make
the process even more difficult

because all the original
settings are out of kilter.

When engines get hot, they expand

and because of that, all the
moving parts are designed

with a certain amount of
clearance in them to stop them

smashing themselves to bits
once the engine's up to temperature.

But because we've now machined
the head and all the bits inside it,

of course I now need
to set those clearances

again to make sure the
engine runs beautifully.

I check the clearances with a
feeler Gauge and tighten if needed.

Then I bolt everything back
together and top up with oil.

At last, we've actually completed a job.

While the engine's all back together,

I really want to hear it
run but of course we're

missing one vital
ingredient, the fuel tank.

So, in the meantime, I'll be
using this temporary measure.

And listen to that, it
sounds fantastic already

but of course I can't
keep it running for

too long because
there's no coolant in there.

Well, it's been quite a job,

but now finally our Triumph has converted

to run on unleaded
fuel without any additive.

And according to Mike, that should actually
add quite a bit of value to our TR6.

But as always, I've still got loads
of other bits to be getting on with.

Ed, how you doing, son? You all right?

I'm all right, sir.

Wow, look at the TR6, how
are you getting on with it?

Well, the fuel conversion
was a little bit of a faff.

Obviously, I had to take the head off,

get it modified and pop it all back
together again but now it works a treat.

Fantastic.

That means I can go
into a local petrol station,

fill it up without
the need of additive.

It means this TR6 is a lot more saleable.
Well done.

Well, remember the fuel tank that you was
worried that it could have some holes in it

and that's where that smell
was coming from in the c*ck?

Yep.

You were right, it's been
refurbished and here it is back.

All you've got to do then,
Ed, is fit this to the car.

and that hood, it still needs refurbishing

and then we could have a car
that we could earn some profit out of.

Do you reckon we can do it?

Well, it's a bit of a tall order but as
always, we'll find a way to pull it off.

Like many older motors,

Triumphs have a bit of a bad
reputation when it comes to overheating

and we may have just
compounded that problem

slightly by actually
converting it to unleaded fuel

because modern fuels tend to
make older cars run a little bit hotter.

Now, at the moment, there
is no antifreeze in the engine

but to fix the problem, rather than put
in a conventional water-based coolant,

I'm actually going to put in
a revolutionary new liquid.

Now, even though pretty
much every vehicle on the

planet uses some kind of
water and antifreeze mix,

there are inherent problems with
using water as a basis for your coolant.

One of them is corrosion.

Now, you have a look at this
little water pump out of a Mini.

You can see it doesn't look actually
that old but it is covered in rust

and that's actually part
of the job of the antifreeze.

Obviously, it helps to
lower the freezing point,

slightly raise the
boiling point of the water

but also it's those of inhibitors
in there to stop corrosion.

and I bet you, if I have a little
look at our expansion bottle...

Now, we'll have a look
at the contents of this.

Okay, here we go.

Look at that.

So, we've basically got
kind of liquid rust here

and that's really our engine being
dissolved away, which is pretty mad.

So, just pour it back the other way.

You might find some sludge,

which is further evidence
of another problem.

If you leave a water-antifreeze
mix long enough,

it'll actually separate.

The inhibitors will fall out of the water

and then that water is then free to
cause even more corrosion damage

and worse, in a difficult
winter, it can actually freeze.

There you go, you can see all
these little particles and all that sludge.

Even more, at 100 degrees, water boils and
pressure in the system will have built up.

So, even though it's readily available,

water certainly isn't the
best stuff to cool your engine.

I'm going to install a coolant which
doesn't have any water in it at all.

But before it can go into the engine,

I'm going to need to purge the
system of old coolant, dirt and scale.

In addition to compressed air, I'm
also going to be using this prep fluid,

which will circulate around the engine

and like a liquid sponge,
remove all traces of H2O.

I need to run the engine up to temperature.

Once the thermostat is open,

the fluid is drawn into every
part of the cooling system.

When I'm satisfied the
water has been completely

ingested and this could
be after as long as a week,

I can drain the system
and for good measure use

compressed air again to make
sure the purging is complete.

And one aspect of this prep fluid I like

is that you can filter it
and reuse it another time.

The waterless coolant itself
will last the lifetime of the engine.

Finally, it's time to put
in our waterless coolant.

Now just think about water for a minute.

It freezes at 0 degrees
and it boils at 100 degrees.

And when you add those
standard coolant additives,

you can push those boundaries a little bit.

But this stuff, at minus 40 degrees,

will actually still behave rather like a
slushie so it will flow around the engine.

But also, it doesn't
boil until 180 degrees,

which is way, way above anything
your engine is going to be running at.

So we can drive our Triumph to
somewhere as cold as the North Pole

or as hot as the Sahara
and it's still going to be fine.

So now the waterless coolant
can be added to the engine.

The downside of all these benefits is that

to replace your engine's
coolant will be around 90 pounds,

compared to say 20 pounds
of standard water-based stuff.

But that would have
to be replaced after two

years and our waterless
coolant is for life.

Our Triumph has been
running for quite some

time now so it's definitely
up to temperature.

Now if you think about what that
actually means for a water-based coolant,

the water would have got
hot, it would have expanded

and therefore the whole system
would then be under pressure.

Now if you were to release that pressure,

you'd end up with that
water then turning into steam

and there'd be scalding
water absolutely everywhere,

which would mean you
could never, ever do this.

Look at that, I've removed the radiator cap

and because we have no
water with our waterless coolant,

there's no pressure and
therefore there's no expl*sive mess

when I remove that cap.

What more proof do you need?

There is no water in our system. Brilliant.

Work on the TR6 is taking shape.

The engine has been stripped to its
bones and rebuilt to run on unleaded fuel.

But we've a backlog
of jobs to be completed

before the sale and as
classic car fans will know,

the TR6 can surprise you at any moment.

The TR6 is one of the most sought
after everyday sports cars on the road.

Nothing compares to that top down,

wind in a hair motoring blast.

and a two and a half litre inline six.

Ed's got the last few jobs
to complete on the cheap

if we're going to turn a
dime on this Brit sportster.

Next job is to replace the tatty old hood.

When Mike dropped
our triumph off at the

workshop, he did point
out the state of the roof.

I'm going to have to agree
with him, it is in quite a state.

Now thankfully I'm only going to
have to replace just the skin of the roof

because the frame itself is
actually in pretty good Nick.

That's good news because a hood
and frame can run to 500 pounds

but the fabric is a much
more reasonable 150 pounds.

The hood is riveted to the body
and those have to be drilled out.

Then I have to unbolt the
bottom edge of the frame.

Now the last five bolts
that are holding the roof on

are just right back in there
above where the tank will be

so it's actually quite
handy that it's now missing.

With the replacement
hood, start from the back

buttoning the fabric to the
frame's rear and middle hoops.

Then protect the paintwork and
hood and spray on contact adhesive

which will secure the front
of the hood to the frame.

Once this is touched
dry, I stretch the fabric

into position with a
hand from new boy Phil.

It's almost like putting on
a glove, a tight fitting one.

Fit the channel for the rubber seal and
secure with rivets, then trim off the excess.

Well with the last seal in place
we should see what it looks like.

Well that looks a whole lot better.

Mike will be quite
chuffed with that I think.

Now Mike was complaining
about a whining fuel pump

but rather than spending
loads of time trying to

sort it out and recondition
it, there's actually already

a better solution out there
so the quickest thing to do

is to just replace it.

This Lucas pump suffers
from air locks and overheating.

The smart DIY fix among owners
is to upgrade this to a Bosch pump.

It's durable and less troublesome
but it is pricey at around 260 pounds.

Next to be plumbed in is
Mike's refurbished fuel tank.

The petrol lines are reconnected
and it's hooked up to the fuel Gauge.

With the petrol tank
and fuel pump installed

it's time to test they're
working properly.

Not a whiff of petrol anywhere.

Excellent news.

Well that's quite a result,
it didn't take too long

but we now have a fuel system that doesn't
reek of fuel and a pump that doesn't

scream as you're driving along
and that can only be a good thing.

The last job is to refit
our newly refoamed seats.

There are only a couple of bolts which
helps make this a quick and simple job.

The cost was 150 pounds.

Not cheap but replacing the seats
would have cost three times that.

The bodywork on this car
was always its strongest

selling point. It was
the mechanical stuff

that was letting it down and having sorted
out a whole raft of classic TR6 niggles

this car should now be a
whole load easier for Mike to sell.

Let's just hope for some
triumphant weather.

And with that we seem to have
reached the end of the road,

at least in the workshop
for our fine British rag top.

Tally h*!

The Triumph TR6 is a
popular British classic car but it's

a car that's known for needing work.

Ours isn't one of those cars.

Not anymore.

This well cared for TR6

was up for a high price but I
took a deal at just six grand.

I've just bought myself a Triumph TR6.

We decided conversion to unleaded
would make the car more sellable

and Ed was given a
front row seat for the job.

Ed knew the TR6 had a
reputation for overheating

and tried out a new
waterless coolant.

The leaky fuel tank was also
patched up. You're managing

to rescue this whole petrol tank and
it's going to live to see another day.

The saggy seats were bolstered
and the flaky fuel pump upgraded.

Even a hood was swapped over.

Well that looks a whole lot
better. This TR6 has got the lot.

I bought the car for £6,000
but the fuel conversion

and fixing the overheating
problems didn't come

cheap. Our total spend
was just over £7,000

but that's good
money for a tiny TR6.

Ed! You alright son?

I'm good sir. Wow look at the TR6

it's looking really tasty very
smart indeed. Well thank you

not much different from when you
dropped it off of course but it has got

a new roof now and I've sorted
out the engine so it runs on modern

fuels and the best bit is it's
never going to overheat again.

Perfect.
Well I reckon we should get it out on the

open road.
Get that engine up to temperature

and give it a test because I've
got a little trick planned for us.

Sounds intriguing.

Everyone thinks TRs are all about their
Coventry routes but another town, Blackpool

has historical significance
for Triumph. To Mark

it's 60th birthday we're going to
pay tribute to it's most famous journey.

So Ed get that lovely
roof off we're off on an

adventure and the
clock is ticking. In 1954.

a motoring enthusiast named
Johnny Woolwork entered

he's triumphed into one of the most
prestigious driving events in the UK

the RAC Rally an endurance test of
man and machine that spanned 3000 miles.

We're retracing the final leg of the rally
which went from Blackpool around 150 miles

off into the splendid Lancashire
scenery and back again

around 12 hours of proper driving
but will our TR go the distance?

Go on Ed, so what does it
feel like behind the wheel?

Well I've got to tell you converting it
from leaded to unleaded won't make much

difference to the performance but I can
certainly tell the engine's been apart and

screwed back together very
well because it just seems to have.

a lot more bigger and
when I Bury my right foot in

the carpet it just sticks
it's bum down and it goes.

Do you know what the other thing
I've noticed Ed? When I bought this

car there was that screaming noise
coming from that fuel pump. Now

it's absolutely silent and I can
enjoy this wonderful countryside.

Well actually and
also the lovely fresh air

because of course
there's no hint or stench

of fuel eking from the back of the
car either so it's all good. Perfect.

Come on then Michael put your foot down.

I'll give it a go.

You can feel this car ease fast but I don't
want to go quite as quick as the boys did

on the RAC rally because this is one of
the stages. It would have been amazing

wouldn't it but this car everything
about it seems to be working.

absolutely perfectly.

How nice is this?

It's proper British countryside isn't it?
It's lovely.

It is nice.
Listen I brought this down to show you.

See that? That lovely
little TR2 and that's

Johnny and that's his
co-driver Harold Brooks.

Great isn't it? You know
they've done the whole

trip and their only provisions
were tea and savages.

Unlike the cake that we've got today.

Sustenance of kings mate.

Fantastic.

We make it back to Blackpool
at nightfall to see the famous.

illuminations.

I must say I'm quite impressed with
this new seat foam it's very comfortable

I've been sitting here there
what 12 hours in the saddle

I'm actually really very
comfy indeed how are you

doing? My derriere is very
happy as they say a job well done.

Well we made it but what happened to

Johnny and Harold did they
bring it home for triumph?

They certainly did Ed yeah they won the.

1954 RAC rally. After driving for
three days and 3000 miles they beat 229

other competitors. Now that win.

certainly put TR in the spotlight and
undoubtedly led to the success of the TR6.

Well a story like that
makes me kind of sad to

sell it really. Well let's
hope Ed they are tears of joy

because I reckon we can get
eight and a half grand for that.

At eight and a half thousand.

pounds our Triumph TR6
isn't too expensive for a rust

free car and as soon
as I got it out there online

I had quite a bit of interest but this
young lady Sue behind me she was

first to arrive she's been
out for a test drive and she

seems to like it well she's
smiling anyway but let's see

if I can turn that smile into cash.

So then Sue.

what would be the story behind this if you

were to go for something like this then?

Well it wouldn't be for me it would
be for my other half as a gift. A gift

for your other half wow what a lovely
thing to do. Well he's been looking

for a TR6 for a while he used to
have one and has been looking for

another one this is a beautiful
example I can see us out having lots

of fun on a Sunday
afternoon top down driving this

lovely car but that would
depend on the price.

So I'm quite happy
to take £8,500 for it.

I was thinking more or £8,000.

It'd be 8 o'clock by the time your
train rolls you back home because

you won't be going home
in this car not £8,000.

Now I think I can
sell this car for £8,500

quite easily so if
you want it it's £8,500.

He's worth it I'm sure.

He is indeed. Well done.

You just bought yourself a nice TR6.

That's wonderful thank you.

At that sale price I've
scooped around £1,500

in profit. I really couldn't
be happier with that and

we've managed to do it on
a British classic sports car.

Top work.

What a fantastic.

result. Another great British
car that's been finished

turned around and gone off to find
a new home. If you want to see more

iconic cars being readied for sale then join
me and Ed soon on Wheeler Dealers. Tala.