What We Offer...
For starters, from recent editions of the club magazine......
THE
TRIUMPH TRUMPET
This a monthly publication and is distributed free to members. In the
"Trumpet" can be found articles such as the ones reprinted on this page,
Reports from previous meetings, Coming events and this club has a very
active Events Co-ordinator, who, if he had his own way would hold some kind
of event every week. There is also a section for Cars or parts for sale to
members, plus a list of services available to members and of course it
wouldn't be a magazine without advertisements from our generous sponsors.
Stag Segment
Triumphant History Makers
It's All in the Name
STAG SEGMENT
A Desirable Problem
Reprinted from the Melbourne Herald Sun, 31st January 1997.
So that’s what a Stag looks like with its bonnet down! Sooner or later you will hear this comment if you own a Triumph Stag. The Stag sold here from 1972 until 1978. It was, and still is, a remarkably desirable open tourer. It also appears good value as a used car, with prices starting around $10,000 and peaking at $20,000 for a very good one. But like many British cars of the time, the factory had a great idea but left the customer to finish the car. Triumph withdrew the Stag from the US in late 1973 because of a ruined reputation. Production trickled on until June, 1977, with local stocks lasting until mid 1978. Michelotti styled later Triumph sports cars and saloons and presented a neat convertible prototype of a Triumph 2000 saloon that Triumph jumped at.
In anticipation of tougher US laws, Triumph engineers added the distinctive T-top for extra rigidity and rollover protection, and a stylish hardtop. When British Leyland was still some years away and the Rover V8 still belonged to arch-rival Rover, Triumph engineers were forced to develop their own V8 when the saloon’s six was not powerful enough for the Stag.
Agreement
After Triumph and Rover finally came under the same Leyland banner, there was doubt that Rover’s generous GM licensing agreement for the Buick V8 would have extended to a V8 Corvette rival on US turf.
The Stag’s 3.0 litre V8 was effectively two Dolomite 1.5 litre units cobbled together – with twice as many problems. While there are few engines that are sweeter to listen to and drive than a Triumph Stag on song, it is not always easy to keep it that way. The Stag’s alloy heads suffered from poor coolant flow thanks to lousy casting and poor-quality aluminium. If the engine doesn’t get the recommended coolant which must be kept fresh and clean, expect disaster.
Unfortunately, not all Stags have received this treatment from new and while recent servicing may be up to par, the neglect of many years past may be ready to turn your life into a nightmare. A water pump that was mounted too high can add to the problems. An air lock or low coolant could starve the pump and lead to blown head gaskets. Because the engine consisted of two separate engines joined at the crankshaft, one side could be operating perfectly and show up correct readings on the gauges while the other side could be overheating itself to death. Inclined cylinder head studs can make it difficult to remove a damaged head or blown head gasket and, if a head needs to be skimmed, then look out for alignment and sealing problems.
Once these problems have been sorted by an expert, the Stag can be reliable. The basic 1500 Dolomite engine had a single-row timing chain which was adequate for a shopping trolley. The sporty Dolomite Sprint received a dual-row timing chain, a feature that the Stag needed. But its twin-engine construction would have required four timing chains hanging off the front.
Shortlived
When the Stag V8 revs more cleanly and is driven harder than a Dolomite four, the single timing chains driving each bank of cylinders can be shortlived and must be replaced every 50,000km. Transmissions included the basic Borg-Warner 35 auto that sapped power and dulled response until late 1976. The better Type 65 arrived for the last six months of production.
The four-speed manual version with the electric overdrive option was crisper but it was a fairly primitive and the notchy Triumph gearbox needs expert fettling once it starts to wear. The Stag's extra power soon showed up limitations of the basic independent rear suspension. The Stages rear camber changes are bad enough in high-speed cornering but throw the crude half shafts into the equation and it can get very dodgy. Instead of CV joints that are the norm today, Triumph relied on sliding splines to allow the half shafts to vary in length. If they are not greased regularly, the Stag's power can lock them up, effectively locking up the rear suspension.
Hit a dip at high speed with a locked-up half shaft and a rear hub can cry enough and let go, causing a rear wheel to sail onwards. Or releasing the power can suddenly unstick the half shaft and cause a sudden change in rear suspension attitude and handling. These quirks become a problem only at the upper limits, but the Stag's engine and sporty feel encourage drivers to explore these limits. A Stag must be thoroughly checked for rust, especially those that came in as second-hand private imports. The first cars had body-colour sills and tail panel, hood with three section rear window, no stripes and steel wheels with hubcaps. They are often updated, but the grey badges and filled-in seams between the rear tonneau cover and rear guards are usually a giveaway.
The Mark II from early 1973 has side stripes, five-spoke alloy wheels, black sills and tail panel, exposed rear guard seams, upgraded engine internals and minor trim and equipment changes. From late 1975, the Stag gained stainless steel sill covers and a body-colour tail panel. The 3.5 Rover V8 or the related 4.4 Leyland P76 engine is often fitted, but both rob the car of its special appeal even if they remove a major source of problems. These alloy engines are also lighter, which can upset the suspension and brake balance of the car. In the long term, a Stag with its original engine is a more appealing car and will hold its value better.
Triumphant History Makers
By Stafford Hall
I hope that what will become an occasional column or two in our magazine will not bore you too much! If anybody feels it does, too bad, I'm going to write it anyway, and it will be up to the Editor to pull the pin. Anyway, read and enjoy!
Roger Clark MBE
On Monday 12th January 1998, Roger Albert Clark, aged 58, passed away.
Roger Clark will always, to my mind, be the greatest British Rally Driver. He was a great competitor, often in less than perfect vehicles for the task at hand. Roger began rallying within weeks of acquiring his driver's licence. He drove for Reliant, Triumph, and then he drove for Ford for 16 years. In 1972, he and Tony Mason won the RAC Rally, and in 1976 he did it again, becoming the first of only two Britons to win a World Rally Championship event. Clark won more than 40 National and International events, including the Scottish on six occasions, and the Acropolis in 1968. He also had success Rally-crossing.
He was awarded the MBE in 1979 and is survived by his wife and two sons.
What Sin, A Name?
by John Paul Middlesworth
Reprinted from The Triumph Tribune, October 1997, publication of the Triumph Club of the Carolinas.
I was watching a TV program called "My Classic Car" last fall with a handful of fellow TCOC members. The episode covered some huge British Car show in the Midwest. One half-hour of English automobiles – surely there would have to be an image of a sparkling TR3 or row of TR6s. Nope, not even in the corner of the screen as they panned across the field. There were Triumphs at the show, you can be sure, but our cameraman never pointed at a single one.
Why don't Triumphs get more respect? This question filtered through the room as we fans of the marque tried in vain to spot one of our own among the Jags and Healeys and MGs.
Here's my radical suggestion: it's the name. This may be counter-intuitive, given that the name conveys victory, achievement, goals set, and surpassed. But there are other qualities in a name besides its mere meaning.
Think of Austin-Healey. It could be the name of a Lord or a Member of Parliament. It makes you think you're getting a classy ride when you buy one. And somehow, the "Healey" part of it sounds just friendly and unpretentious enough for the public not to be scared away. Had the company been called, say, "Austin-Kensington" then they could only have made limousines for the rich, not sports cars.
When people hear "Austin Healey", what's the next thing they know? That there's a model called "3000". Never has simple engine size been put to such good use in naming a car. (The actual displacement was 88 cc's shy of 3000, but they wisely didn't call the car the "Austin-Healey 2912"). Something about "3000" suggests enormous power; it may even hint at the future, the distant "year 3000". In many ways the 100 is a better car than the 3000, but it just doesn't have as cool a name.
I won't discuss "Sunbeam" here. They've got their own respect problem, from always being asked if their car company also makes blenders. "Morris" and "Morgan" are also names that inhibit popularity rather than encourage it, being more appropriate as names for house cats.
Jaguar, on the other hand, has a jungle cat as its mascot, and also has the mystery of "X" in the names of its sports cars (because of the XK engine). This explains why Americans prefer to call the E-type by the name "XKE". People like a car name with X in it. It sounds new and revolutionary (EXperimental is usually what it means). We think of spy planes, espionage, adventure.
Even MG, dare I say it, has the edge over Triumph in the sound of its name. Very clever to go with a pair of initials rather than "Morris Garages". Say the initials three times in a row: "emgee, emgee, em-gee". You smile don't you? You nearly have to in order to get that "em" sound out of your mouth. Now try "Triumph". Say it three times ... something about that "uumf" sound just gets in the way. What kind of advertising campaign can come from such a sound? "Try power. Try excitement. Try uumf". Not real catchy.
So what can we do? We've got cars as stylish, powerful, and reliable as anything in their class. There's no obvious reason for us to play second fiddle. The only thing left is to act as if the car has the most musical name imaginable. "Umph" after all, is the sound that comes in the middle of "some fun!"