Page 32 - Feb2023

A Wint er Pr oj ect

Rule 1: Never Mess with a Moving Machine,

Rule 2: unless, Needs Must

St ory and phot os by Todd Font echia

t
t
?If it ain? broke, don? fix it .?? pract ical advice used t o prevent yourself from
creat ing new problems, especially when dealing wit h old Brit ish cars.
"If it runs, looks good, and get s you from A t o B, leave it alone!"
t
Well, I LOVE t o drive t his car and can? seem t o leave well enough alone despit e t he
advice.

Seven years ago, I bought my 1970 TR6 from a work colleague, who was trying to get rid of an old car
in her garage so she could move in with her fiancé. Her ex-husband?s father had restored the car 24 years
ago with the help of an aircraft mechanic in an aircraft hangar. The amateur, frame- off restoration was
average at best. The paint was decent but not original color. The engine was rebuilt, but there was no
documentation as to what had been done.
The car was eventually left to my colleague, where it sat in her garage for 15 years because there was a
problem with the brakes. When I found it, the fuel was dried up in the lines, all the rubber bits had
deteriorated, and the motor would neither hold fluids nor run.

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