After five years of sitting, I’ve decided it’s finally time to get my 1974 Triumph TR6 running and back on the road. In 2016 (I think), I had it running after repairing a damaged head gasket. That fix only lasted a handful of miles. I did a compression test at the time, and determined another failed head gasket is likely the problem. I think they keep blowing because the engine overheats. The radiator is full and the water pump is good, so I think the ignition timing is the culprit. To cover all the bases, I have a 160° thermostat to put in to keep things cooler.
It took so long because I haven’t had the right combination of money and time until now. About a year ago, with pandemic benefits coming in, I bought almost everything I needed to get the car going. I couldn’t get rocker shaft studs though, so the project was put on hold again. I rounded up the remaining parts today and ordered them. Hopefully they’ll be in by next week. In the meantime, I need to get the alternator rebuilt, which a local company can probably handle. I’ll be dropping it off tomorrow.
Once the parts are in, the whole thing should probably only take a few hours, potentially spread over two or three days. I have a vacuum gauge to accurately set the ignition timing now, so hopefully I can avoid overheating this time.