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Triumph TR6 - Sump Removal

Thank you for the interesting and informative BBS. This is my first posting. I owned a Spitfire in the 70's and had a blast. In April I bought a '71 TR6 (CC60260).

It's complete, looks and runs well, but nearly everything needs attention. (PO had kept a maintenace record, but the small town mechanic doing his work did only tune-up, carbs, brakes and lube changes since '95.)

I need to change the thrust washers. (I'm hoping to put off a complete rebuild until winter.) I have the Haynes manual and a nice article that will help me get them in right. (TRF catalogs, etc. too!)

I can't tell if the sump (oil pan) has ever been off this car, but if so, it was a long time ago and the pan seems bonded to the block. (PPO may have used epoxy for all I know). Out of fear of bending what appears to be soft metal, I haven't been too agressive yet. (The lateness of the hour last night also prevented me from using a mallet.)

Does anyone have a suggestion for freeing the oil pan?
Should I try to start at a corner with a screwdriver or wedge? Since the left edge of the pan can been seen from above, I was thinking that a trusty 2x4 placed
against the pan and a hammer might do the trick.

Thanks again for the for all the info.

Charlie Smith
Grafton WI
ECS Smith

Hi Charlie

Somebody likely got carried away with form-a-gasket :)

Pans quite strong. I would start at the back corner with as wide a device you have to prevent bending and slowly pry all the way around. Some of the sealers get real strong.

Bill
Bill Brayford

Charlie,
replaced the thrust washers a couple months ago and had the same problem. I used a piece of 1x2 and a hammer to get the pan loose and then used a wide putty knife for the final pry off. On the side of the engine by the dip stick (top of the engine looking down), enough of the pan sticks out to get a piece of wood against it and I just used my hammer to give it a good amount of down force. By the way, if you are changing your thrust washers, now would be a good opportunity to replace your bearings for both your crank and rods. Pretty easy job except for the front bearing, that just takes a little extra work. My 6 has 80,000 miles and were worn.
Mike
Mike Parkhill

ECS, I just got a 1971 also-CC60621. Like yours, it is complete and runs well. No major rust at all, and it was painted in the original Signal Red probably 3 or 4 years ago. The previous owner bought it about 1 1/2 years ago, had some fairly significant work done on it and then had some personal issues that caused him to sell it. It sat for almost a year in his garage without being driven, but it started right up. Right now, I'm in the process of getting lots of little things fixed. It sounds like you can do a lot of the work yourself, and I wish I could. I plan to learn how, but for now, I am paying exorbitant sounding amounts to get all the little stuff taken care of. The good news is that the price of the car was well under my budget and still will be under budget after someone else fixes all the little things (bearings, tie rods, rear shocks, etc). Then I want to learn how to do those things myself! Good luck with your new LBC!
John

I got the pan off by using a stiff putty knife that had a 45 degree bend 1.5 inches from the working end. Placing it at a front corner of the pan, it rests securely against the frame and cross-member. A few sharp taps with a rubber mallet later I had the pan loosened. Then I just had the old gasket and sealer to clean up. Now awaiting replacement parts - today?

John - I may be a little farther along the learning curve than you, so if you'd like to do some of the work yourself perhaps I can help. E-mail me your list of issues and I'll be happy to give you my opinion of difficulty. (My list is still growing, but the completed list IS longer!)

Thank you all,

Charlie
ECS Smith

This thread was discussed between 23/07/2003 and 24/07/2003

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