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Luton's 1968 Triumph Herald 13/60


Loopy Luton

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My name's Alex and my story begins a little over 2 years ago when my dad came home from work one day and announced, nonchalantly, that he had bought me a car. Two weeks and much faffing about later, we were off to pick up my new 'whip'.

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Less than 10 minutes after bringing the old boy home we began to inspect and strip the little triumph down.

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Undertaking this 'little' project with the help of my dad Tim, i believed i could have myself a cool little classic cruzer for the upcoming summer.

Much to our misfortune, the little Triumph was so far gone that it would turn from a simple 'fixer upper' into a full blown 'nut and bolt' restoration.  

Skip forward 2 years and Project Harold is nearing completion. With a promise of Harold's maiden voyage to a New Years party in the bays, I've been working harder than ever to get the old boy going. 

 

Discuss - //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951

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So unfortunately for me i didn't take too many photos throughout the build, simply because there wasn't too much interesting going on.

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The first year and a half seemed to just push the completion date further and further back, the more we striped down the more rust we found.

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After a year and a half it seemed as though there was nothing left to strip off the old boy. 

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By this point i had grown accustomed to the fact that this project was going to take a long, long time. 

Once there was nothing left of the little Triumph, i started to realize that there were so many paths i could take with the rebuild.

 

Discussion - //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951

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So now that i got my least favorite part of the resto out of the way, its time to start putting Harold back together.

At the current point in time, my dad and i have been finishing up with welding, bogging and just getting things finished.

The little Triumph is so close to completion, i can almost feel the wind in my hair as i roll around in classic style. 

So this is how Harold is sitting at the moment.

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So after trawling through many, many Speedhunters features, i decided that the Triumph would have to ride low.... Very Low!! 

It would also have to run the widest set of wheels i could possibly run, with plenty of camber for that all important 'tuck'. 

This decision to run the Triumph 'rail scraping' low has annoyed some of the more 'traditional' Triumph owners.

This was a little mock up of how i want the rears to sit. 

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So the plan for action is; Lowering block for the back, custom rose-jointed vertical links for height and camber adjustment, adjustable rear dampers ,front coilovers and banded factory steels (2 inch wider fronts and a whopping 3 inch wider rears!)

To fit all that dish under the factory arches, some serious cutting and bashing was required.

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So that's all the updates for now. Harold will be back once i have finished with my exams in 2 weeks, after which i will be road tripping down to Christchurch to pick up some very special bits for the car.

 

Discussion - //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951

  

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

So my last post i was just about ready to jump on a plane and head down to Christchurch for some awesome goodies in the form of car parts. 

But before i caught my flight i had a little time to finish up some more work on the front bulk head.

I cut out the old battery mount as it was rusty and i wanted to mount the bat in the boot.

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Painted the bulk head in primer

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Then painted the foot well white.

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Also decided to make good use of my mates and put them to work sanding down the rear tub to prep it for the paint booth.

Nothing like some good ol hard labor

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After this it was time for me to jump on my plane 

The parts i would be picking up were a complete roof of a Herald saloon in Nelson, and some adjustable rear shocks.

Picking up the parts would give me an excuse to go on a mean road trip up the south and north island in a caravan we go a hold of for free!!

 

Discussion post ://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951

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So when i got to Chch i decided to spend a few days out in Akaroa with a friend of mine who promptly showed me a Herald around the corner from where he lived. It was in a sell than desirable condition but i wanted to take it home with me so badly!

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And on our way back to the flat we came across not 1, not 2 but 3 E Type Jags!!!! They were just siting there while their owners had a beer on the balcony. 

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This was the roof after i got it home

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And the shocks attached to the car, excuse the crappy camera angle.

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The trip back up in the caravan was an experience that i will never forget. It was such an eye opening trip, I got to experience the true beautify of NZ. And although Gavin our caravan was helplessly slow in its non turbo diesel form, we became very attached to him by the end of our 3 day road trip.

Any way back to the car.

To do list: Paint, fix up roof, assemble the car and cruse!

 

Discussion post : //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951 

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  • 2 weeks later...

PAINT UPDATE!

After what has felt like an endless 2 years I've finally been able to send the rest of the car off for paint!

The transport methods used to get the car to the booth were.... Resourceful is the best way to put it haha.

"Yo dog i heard you like cars, so we put a car on yo car!"

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And a much more sensible way to transport a car. 

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The various parts sitting in primer

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Note the condition of the rear bumper. It was in an accident and is therefore a little stuffed. We are just going to bog the hell out of it and hope for the best

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I'm still slowly working repairing the roof and getting miscellaneous tasks sorted before the body goes back on the chassis. 

 

Discussion post: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951%C2%A0

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  • 6 months later...

Trying to keep myself occupied, while waiting for the little Herald to come back from paint, i thought it a would be a good idea to go trawling through TradeMe for car parts. I'm quite happy with my latest purchases. 

Firstly i found some cheep widened steelies, with plenty of dish!

Standard wheels on the left and wide wheels before being sand blasted and painted.

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A comparison of just how much wider the new wheels are

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And after a lick of paint!

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My other find was this pair of beige seats to replace the crappy, rusty seats that were originally in the car. 

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Had to turn the little MX5 into a 3 seater to get them home. 

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Next post: MOAR PAINT!!!!!

 

Discussion Post: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951%C2%A0

 

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MOAR PAINT!!!

I've had a few more bits back from paint and they are looking slick!!

A before and after of the bonnet shows just how bad the condition of the car was.

Before

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After

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The front scuttle/bulkhead has come out really good and now has a loom and dashboard hanging off it.

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With the scuttle in place we could drop the engine back in 

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All bolted in

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Progress has been slow while I've been finishing up my final year of uni, but exams are very nearly over so it'll soon be time to crack on again.

I'm expecting the rear tub section back early next week so that i can get the car in an almost road worthy state. 

 

Discussion post: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45607-loopy-lutons-herald/#entry1407951%C2%A0

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  • 4 months later...

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