Blog

WHAT we’re doing, and HOW we’re doing it!

September 29, 2025

As previously explained on our Engine Rebuilds page, this term loosely describes both good and bad, and here’s yet another of the “Bad” ones. This TR6 engine was “rebuilt” by the owner’s local MG shop (hey, they know all about British cars, don’t they?), and if this engine was “rebuilt”, these folks shouldn’t be working on MG’s either! Under 1000 miles and they could never get it to run right. Finally, it came here seeking that obscure Triumph secret that Mr. MG didn’t know about. The immediate problem was that the “British Car Specialist” installed a “race” camshaft, and he didn’t replace the old and well-used stock valve springs (of which TWO were broken). He also didn’t pull the engine and have the block properly cleaned, nor did they service the cylinders (which we found to be .006” out of round) with anything more than some quickie sandpaper scratches. We could go on and on about the shoddy workmanship we uncovered, but the bottom line is that the owner opted to have us remove the engine from the car and perform our high-quality overhaul to correct all of the previous shortcuts and missed items. The sad part is that all of the money previously spent was wasted, gone up in smoke.

September 22, 2025

We have mentioned this here many times in the past, but it’s worthy of a mention yet again. Metal shaping is a critical skill to have when performing restorations of vintage autos (and just about every other antique piece of metal). First to come to mind are the exterior body panels which are the “seen” areas, but there are plenty hidden places which always need these skills as well. These fancy molded pieces are the lower outside corners of the TR4- TR6 cowl vent plenum chamber (fresh air), and they always rust out when the small drain tubes (red arrow) become plugged with dirt and debris. Look closely and you can see several small pin holes where the metal is gone from the original piece (right side). Then look carefully at the new replacement patch on the left, after a flat piece of metal has been stretched (and shrunk) into the complex shape needed to replace the damaged area. It still needs a new drain tube installed, and it’s quite a shame that all this marvelous effort will never be seen.

September 15, 2025

Just like most every other specialty needed to restore a vintage car, automotive trim shops are among a vanishing breed. Chrome plating, engine machining, metal fabrication and body paint and repair (beyond simply painting new parts and installing it on a damaged vehicle) are just a few of the services where finding a specialist craftsman is getting harder (if not impossible) to do. And when the choices are slim, it’s often difficult to locate someone who really excels at their craft. Whenever possible, we bring these specialized services into our own little Triumph factory so we can control not only the timing, but most importantly the quality of having these tasks completed. Regarding the upholstery, this is a service that we’ve performed in-house basically from day one. Mark took an interest in auto upholstery over 50 years ago, simply because a new professional interior for his 1940 Pontiac street rod was too costly for a teenager’s budget. Today, we still have the capability to sew from scratch, but it’s more economical for our Triumph owners to purchase a pre-sewn kit and preform a high-quality installation here at Macy’s Garage. It’s just impossible to buy materials and spend the time to cut and sew these components for a price anywhere near the cost of factory manufactured components. But should these kits ever start to disappear, you can rest assured that we’ll be ready to pick up the torch and bring this operation into our orbit as we’ve always done before.

September 8, 2025

As mentioned in our webpage regarding reproduction parts (HERE), just because something is available today, you shouldn’t assume that it will be available forever. In the past, we’ve always found it easier and more economical for our clients to simply install a new grille assembly in our TR6 restorations than to restore the old original parts. But recently the supply of new reproduction TR6 grilles has dried up, and we are forced to move on to “plan B”. We don’t know if the “shortage” is only temporary (which could be for months or even a year +) or permanent, but thankfully we have a team of very talented folks who are able to restore the old originals. This involves drilling out the rivets and completely disassembling the grille, then having the component pieces stripped and refinished before re-riveting the assembly back together again. The overall cost for this ends up being just slightly more than the reproductions sold for (which will no doubt go up if ever available again), but being able to save the originals avoids a “brick-wall” which can easily stall any restoration project.

September 2, 2025

Occasionally, we’ll need to have some machining work performed, either to repair an old damaged part, make a new part from scratch, or to tweak a redily available reproduction for a better fit. It doesn’t happen often, certainly not enough to justify the cost of the equipment, but the difficulty in finding a machinist to take on the small one- off jobs had become increasingly frustrating. So, as we’ve done so many times in the past, we set-up our own machine shop to bring the work in-house. We bought a new precision lathe and verticle mill, and all the extras we knew would be required to get up and running. Three of us went to night school at a local vocational high school to learn processes (outside of CNC) and safety precautions, and then set up a special dedicated clean room to perform our required machining quickly and efficiently as needed. No more interruptions, running around between shops and explaining what was needed, then following up (repeatedly) until they got around to our tiny job. Any machining now required can generally be completed here in the same day, which keeps our Triumph repairs and restorations moving along smoothly and efficiently. That benefit alone justifies the expense!

August 25, 2025

Rear fender stone guards for the sidescreen cars (TR2- TR3B) look simple enough, but like most everything else regarding restorations, those looks are deceiving. New reproduction stone guard sets are currently available, but they’re only a starting point. Though much better than beginning with flat sheet aluminum, they still have to be “fitted”, and this always involves trimming and filing away the excess edge material that remains after being drawn over a form. This is actually a good thing, as most of the fenders today have had some rust or collision or rust repair in this area, and chances are pretty good that the repair will not perfectly match an original factory profile. Now what gets most folks into trouble is that they wait until the car has been painted to install these stone guards, and now the fitting must be done on top of fresh paint. Believe us when we say that the process will go a whole lot smoother if you perform the “fitting” BEFORE any of the final color has been applied! And to take this one step farther, the new reproduction guards should also be polished to bring out a shine like this, and metal polish is not something that you’ll want to rub onto your new paint. Therefore, polishing like this (on the bench before installation) is another place where you can save yourself much grief later on!

August 18, 2025

At some point in your restoration, you very well might wake up from the fog and suddenly realize that you’ve gone too far down the rabbit hole. Unfortunately this has also happened with local “restorers” who’ve had your car forever, and they had the same thought long ago but are just too embarrased to tell you. Most times, they simply stop working on your car and hope that you’ll get frustrated and take it away so they don’t have to look at it. Fortunately all hope is not lost, as a call to Macy’s Garage can get your restoration over the rough patch and back on the road to completion. We’ve shown this TR2 home- restoration a few times before, but when adding the complete sequence to our Gallery “Before-After” page, we realized that we’d never shown the very beginning of our magical transformation here in the blog. So this is the first photo that the owner sent to us of the stalled project, in his garage, and it arrived with the usual question of our ability and willingness to help. Those answers were a resounding YES!, and you can see the transformation from loosly assembled panels to complete rolling vehicle on our “Before-After” page (under Gallery). All that remains for the owner to complete is the final bodywork and paint, then the fun parts of final assembly and soaking-up the driving pleasure.

August 11, 2025

Rusty frames are a common ailment of TR4A-TR6 (IRS cars), and this is a good example of how NOT to “repair” them. Scabbing a piece of new steel over an old crumbling frame section might give you a warm and fuzzy for a short time, but it offers questionable strength to this critical component of your Triumph. We’ll even go farther and mention that a “repair” like this will actually hasten the demise of your frame, as it creats an improved moisture trap between the layers that will accelerate the rusting process. The same is true for body panels which have been “repaired” in a similar manner. Far too many times we have seen cars repaired in this manner (frames and bodies) advertised as “no rust” and the sellers must think that if you can’t see it, it must not be there. This is why we always recommend that you NEVER buy a TR4A, TR250, or a TR6 without giving it a thorough inspection, and the bottom side is more important to check than the top. And if you have a car like this or recently purchased one, remember we have the most experience with making these types of repairs CORRECTLY.

August 4, 2025

While we’re on the subject of cooling system corrosion, we’ll show this thermostat cover from a 4-cylinder TR2- TR4A. Even aluminum parts like this will corrode (rust) from the acids that develop in a cooling system, which once again makes it hard to keep a hose connection from leaking. You can minimize the effects of this cooling system corrosion by changing your coolant (50/50 green antifreeze mixture) every 2-3 years. Antifreeze contains additives which prevent cooling system corrosion, and these additives wear out or loose their effectiveness, even in collector cars which are parked for lengthy periods and driven infrequently. Do not run straight water in your cooling system (even if you live in a warm climate where it will never freeze) because you won’t have the benefits of the additives contained in antifreeze. You should also never use the modern pink or clear (not green) “permanent” antifreeze which is not engineered for the cast iron engine blocks and heads in our vintage Triumphs. (And just for the record, they aren’t really “permanent” either!) And speaking of acid build-up in our Triumph liquids, you should also change your engine oil and filter annually, regardless of miles driven. The same phenomena happens inside an engine and can eat away at bearings and soft internal components if allowed to sit and deteriorate.

July 28, 2025

This photo shows the bulkhead fitting, used for hot water to pass from the engine to the heater and back (through the firewall) on a TR4-TR6. The sidescreen cars (TR2-TR3B) use two similar fittings with only a single tube through each. These fittings are made from mild steel, and as such are prone to rust. They are also prone to plug up with sludge and muck that can form in your cooling system so if the heater doesn’t work, this is a good place to begin trouble- shooting. But back to the rust hole, when someone sees a drop of anti-freeze from a hose attached to this fitting, the natural tendency is to simply tighten the clamp and call it done. But after seeing the rust hole in this one, perhaps you’ll be inclined to disconnect the hoses and examine the fitting more closely when you see a leak in that area.

July 21, 2025

What a glorious day it is when we get to go out and take the final photos of a completed restoration! Like most of the complete restorations we do, this one has a lengthy family history, only this time it’s ‘with a twist’. In almost every case, the special Triumph was owned by a beloved family member, or perhaps the man of the family and used when the happy couple were first dating, but those “usual” cases do not apply here. This Triumph actually belonged to the wife in high school, and the TR actually pre-dates the husband! Many times throughout the restoration we were reminded that it was HER car, and she made the final decisions when decisions needed to be made. We’re certain that the car is now in better condition than at any time during her lengthy ownership, and probably even better than when it first rolled out of the factory doors back in 1959 (although titled as a 1960). Just as soon as the logistics are scheduled (which is really easy), the car will be headed back home to Colorado, where the proud owners will have plenty of scenic mountain roads to cruise and enjoy.

July 14, 2025

All of the TR2-TR6 cars that we service and restore are now 49-72 years old, and a lot has happened to them during that lengthy time period. It’s not unusual for us to find all kinds of maladies that remain from poor service techniques, non-available parts at various times, wrong parts installed, and prior accident damage, just to name a few. Some of this is quite obvious and jumps right out at anyone with even a slight amount of mechanical skills, yet other items are only discovered by our laser focus and intimate knowledge of the cars we accept. Once these various ailments are discovered, they need to be corrected, and again our concentration on the TR2-TR6 cars comes to the rescue. Presently we have a TR4 in the shop that had an accident many years ago. The disc brake stone shield was missing, and both lower suspension wishbones were bent. These replacement pieces were here and installed the very next day, pulled from stock in our 9000 sq ft used parts warehouse. This bypassed the need to do a lengthy and costly search for the necessary parts, and halted progress while we would have waited for better replacement components to arrive. It’s a sure bet that any place that works on a variety of car makes and models will not have all the Triumph aces up their sleeve that we do!

July 7, 2025

Even at this stage, when the painted body has been mated to the finished chassis and “loose” body panels are bolted on for the final time, a partially assembled TR is a thing of beauty. Soon, a “new” Triumph will roll (drive) out-the-door of the Macy’s Garage mini factory, and bring a smile to the lucky owner’s face once again! Has your Triumph been sitting neglected for too many years? Perhaps it’s time to give us a call and reserve a spot on our schedule. You’ve both waited long enough!