2008, On The Road Again with Electronic Ignition

Having re-discovered the car, putting it back on the road was not too difficult. It started fairly easily but I couldn't get gears because of the stuck clutch.  My method for freeing it off (used before on several other cars) may seem a bit brutal but it has never failed me yet.
1. Get the engine warmed up and switch off..
2. Put the car in first gear and start the engine, this results in a kangaroo style progress down the road.
3. Holding the clutch pedal down drive the car with on-off-on-off  gas pedal until it releases. May take a few hundred yards but IT WILL release.
This can be an exciting event and should only be attempted in a traffic free area!

Seized rear brake cylinders were replaced and the front calipers freed off by pumping them in and out, with cleaning and application of lots of WD40.  New pads and discs completed the brake overhaul.

My local garage gave it an MOT and we were back on the road, but driving showed up quite a few things that needed work or that I wanted to change.

First thing was those points and the ignition timing.  It didn't take long to discover that changing the points on a TR7 can be a bit of a pain.  The distributor location at the back of the engine makes access difficult and then you discover the bolts that hold the distributor are tucked away under it and even more difficult.  The manual refers to a special tool for this job called a distributor wrench or obstruction wrench.  Its basically a 7/16" ring spanner bent to go round and under the distributor body,  Triumph special tool S349 and SnapOn part no.S9467 and rare as hens teeth.

the TR7 Holy Grail, a Snap-On tool S9467, distributor wrench

Now as it happens, I also wanted to change the inlet manifold as there was a leaky looking stain where a steel insert is located in the casting. The guy I got the car off  had obviously noticed it as well and he had included a shiny new manifold with some other bits when I got it.  Taking off the carbs/inlet manifold also makes access to the distributor much easier so good idea anyway. But then, having got those pesky bolts out I then found that the distibutor body was stuck firmly in the block and it took a lot of  work to get it free.

Having gone through all the aggravation to get at the distibutor there was no way I wanted to do that very often so the obvious next step was to fit electonic ignition.  No more points.  About this time I found a guy on Ebay selling new old stock fully electronic TR7 distributors for £69 which I think is a bargain. It came complete with an amplifier module.   I also found one of those special tools in the USA which cost me about £15 with the postage, but worth its weight in gold.  It all went back together and now ran much better so time to go out and drive it.

Electronic Ignition Amplifier Module

Insides of the New Electronic Distributor