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| Triumph Stag Buyers Guide |
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Almost everyone knows someone who used to own a Triumph Stag. And almost everyone knows how bad they were for falling to bits, breaking down, and of course overheating. But is this really the case? If so why are they still so popular today with such a widespread and loyal following?
Maybe the Stag owner of today knows something everyone else doesn't!
The following pages should point you in the right direction when it comes to viewing a potential purchase, or for looking after your pride and joy.
BL build quality, or lack of it, and the fact the engine was not developed properly, gave the car a bad reputation early in production. But years after production ceased, owner and specialist development now means all the problems can be overcome.
Read on to find out how to pick a good car.
Bodywork
With the youngest cars now being almost 30 years old, its not surprising to find a few rust bubbles here and there. Although the quality, and thickness of the steel used in production from around 73-74 on, was of a poorer quality, therefore MK1, and early MK2 cars do tend to survive better.
Starting at the front of the car the main rust spots are as follows:
Front valance and bottom radiator support panel, grille panel surround top and bottom behind the headlights.
Front wheel arches inner and outer.
Windscreen surround lower corners and adjacent area of the A-post.
Full length of sills and floor panels including chassis outriggers, lift carpets to check floors, be suspicious if glued down.
Door bottoms.
Seam between sill and rear wing bottom.
Rear inner and outer wheel arches.
Trailing edge of boot lid, rear valance and boot floor, including front corner of the fuel tank, which can rust out due to condensation in the boot.
Water can also enter the boot area from the seam between the top of the rear wing and the rear deck panel, which rusts.
Lift tonneau cover to check rear shock absorber top mounts and metalwork below cubby for holes near drain tubes, and also check underneath the back seat base.
Engine
It is true that when the cars were new, Triumph had a lot of problems keeping them on the road.
The main culprits being overheating and crankshaft problems.
One theory for the Stags reputation for overheating is that during the manufacturing process, casting sand was left in the engine blocks, leading to blockages of the waterways and radiator, and of course wear of the engine internals. It is also reported that there were some faulty heads cast in the factory with narrower coolant passages which can cause a problem. Because the water pump sits at the top of the engine block if the coolant level drops much then the pump will cavitate and stop pumping coolant.
Whether due to blockages, or low coolant level, if the engine is allowed to overheat much then the cylinder heads will almost certainly warp, making the problem worse.
Always use good quality coolant with corrosion inhibitor in the cooling system, but remember to replace it when the inhibitor looses its effectiveness, normally after one or two years but check the container. Corrosion inhibitor is only effective for a limited time period after which corrosion can creep into the waterways leading to blockages, so thoroughly flush, and backflush the system then refill with coolant using at least 30%, but no more than 50% coolant mix. Uprated radiators are available but some are no better than a standard radiator due to the extra thickness not allowing enough air through to cool the extra rows. Also, if the car only runs too hot at slow speeds or in traffic but is fine at high speed, or has an electric fan fitted, chances are the viscous coupling which drives the fan has failed.
Crankshafts suffered in the manufacturing process from not being hardened enough, which led to premature bearing failure and a lot of costly warranty work for Triumph. When rebuilding an engine the crankshaft should be properly hardened, or Tuffrided to ensure longevity.
The timing chains have hydraulic tensioners to take up any slack so listen for a rattle when starting a cold engine, which should disappear before the engine heats up. If it doesn't the chains need replaced as soon as possible. If an oil pressure gauge is fitted, it should read at least 35psi at 1000rpm and above with the engine hot, when the correct grade of 20/W50 oil is used. It is possible to fit an adapter to use a modern spin on type of oil filter, but whichever type of filter is used, it should be changed together with the oil every year. Listen for a rumble when blipping the throttle, and be suspicious of an oil pressure light that's been disconnected from the switch. A loud tapping sound coming from the cam covers on a worn engine could be worn cam buckets or valve guides, although some owners report a tapping noise from the LH camcover. This may be due to the cam buckets tapping part of the head casting, or cam lobe faults, but does not seem to affect engine performance or longevity.
Have a look in the V of the engine for water, which could be a leaking inlet manifold gasket or water pump. Either way the manifold assembly has to be removed to rectify, which is not a 5 minue job, so check the condition of all hoses and clips as the ones at the front of the engine can leak into the V. Oil in the V could be a failing head gasket but again check the simpler things like the cam cover gaskets and breather pipes before removing the heads. As with any V engine, if the heads need skimmed then the inlet manifold should also be skimmed by the same amount otherwise the bolt holes will not line up correctly. Also if one head is skimmed more than the other it can upset compressions, resulting in an uneven engine.
When test driving the engine should pull strongly and smoothly almost from idle and feel torquey all the way to the red line. Any hesitation could be split carb diaphragms or a lack of oil in the dashpots. If the dashpots constantly need topping up then the culprit is the o-ring at the top of the metering needle. Fuel starvation can be caused by the points inside the electric fuel pump from sticking, an intermittent tick should be heard coming from the left hand area of the boot when the engine is running. Whilst inside the car check that the heater valve on the drivers side of the heater unit moves when the temp lever is operated, as the valve can seize and the cable comes adrift from its clip.
Transmission
Most stags left the factory as autos, but many of those have since been converted to manual. Either way, both gearboxes are relatively trouble free. The manual box is a development of the TR6/2000/2.5 saloon gearbox but with thrust washers instead of shims. On manuals check the clutch works smoothly with no rumbling noises, which could be clutch release or gearbox bearings. Also check that reverse works as it should, and that the gears are not too difficult to engage, although the gearbox isn't as slick as a modern 5 speed, it should be positive in use. Overdrive problems are usually electrical faults, so check connections, fuses etc before condemning it.
Fluid in automatics should be red or light brown in colour depending on which manufacturers fluid is used. Dark brown or black could spell trouble and should be changed. Gear changes should not be too jerky or clunky, and the kickdown should also be checked.
Differentials can whine, but so long as they are kept topped up they often last for years. Look for a leaking differential nose piece which requires a new seal, but the bearing inside should also be replaced at the same time. Drive shaft splines should be greased with molybdenum grease to prevent them locking under acceleration, the cause of the famous `Triumph twitch`, which can be disconcerting when backing off round a corner. Make sure the 4 bolts holding the front of the differential to the suspension cross members do not loosen, causing the bolt holes to elongate, the front of the differential to drop, and the rear wheels to take on excessive negative camber, (point inwards at the top). Never jack the car at the front of the differential as the nosepiece is not designed to take the weight of the car bearing down on it.
Suspension
Handling should be stable and feel secure, even at speed, and surprisingly modern, with no undue sogginess or wandering. Inspect for leaky dampers, or weak springs, also all the rubber bushes should be inspected for perishing and cracking. In particular, rear trailing arm and sub frame bushes, and front track control arm, or wishbone bushes, can wear causing peculiar handling. Anti roll bar bushes and links can wear, and drag struts can break where they are bolted to the track control arm. All the bushes can be replaced with polyurethane items, which give the car a more positive feel.
A peculiar characteristic of the Triumph rear suspension enables the rear wheels to shift from side to side slightly, only noticeable when looking along the side of the car from the back after parking, one wheel will be recessed into the wheel arch more than the other side. If turning right before parking, the right hand wheel will sick out a bit more than the left and vice versa. Have a look and see, but don't worry if it is just slight, only major movement is a cause for concern.
Steering
Steering should feel tight, slightly weighted, and positive. Over-light power assistance could be a faulty spool valve which controls the flow of fluid to the rack itself. Inspect the steering rack mounting bushes, which can be replaced with polyurethane ones if they are soggy or split, and the rack gaiters which can fill with fluid when the rack is past its best. If the steering wheel itself feels loose even when the fore/aft and height adjustment clamp is tightened fully, the fault is either the splined washer which holds the column top bearing, or the inner top outer column tube sleeves have broken up, (look for plastic fragments on the carpet near the pedals).
Brakes
Well maintained Stag brakes are perfectly adequate for stopping a standard car. Main problems tend to be sticking front callipers and problems with the handbrake linkage. The operating lever that the handbrake cable connects to behind the back plate wears inside the rear drums where it hooks through the shoe, and can cause the handbrake to be inadequate even if the cable is adjusted correctly.
Wheels
All Stags up to the end of 1975 would originally be fitted with steel wheels with wheel trims, but from 1976 five spoke alloy wheels were standard. The alloys had been an option since 1973, and wire wheels were another option up to 1975.
All wheels were the same size 14" diameter with a 5.5" rim but by far the majority of Stags now have five spoke alloys fitted. Original alloy wheels had the tyre valve adjacent to a spoke but reproduction wheels have the valve between the spokes at an open section. Tyres were either 185 HR 14 or 175 HR 14, although a small batch of cars in 1973 were fitted with 185/70 HR 14 as an emergency measure. These three tyre sizes give different overall gearing and therefore speedo readings. As Triumph were not overly concerned with this, any of the above sizes must be considered ok, although the most accurate size is 185 HR 14, (largest overall diameter), which gives the best performance compromise.
Trim
Trim tends to be fairly hard wearing but there are a few items to check. The passenger side of the dashboard can crack around the glovebox lid area due to the seat backrest, (MK1, or headrest for MK2), leaning on it when the seat is folded forward to gain access to the rear seat, (drivers seat rests on steering wheel in this position. The top of the dash can also crack near the speaker grille on the dash top. Seat foam can go crumbly with age and the front seat base rubber diaphragms can split and lead to saggy seats. Also check for rear seat base foam and the metal frame on the underside for rust. Door trims can warp when water is let in to the doors from the glass seal and no polythene is fitted between the trim and door itself.
Exterior chrome trim can corrode and especially with bumpers, re-chromed originals are far better bet in terms of quality and fit, than cheaply made new items.
Hood
All Stags were fitted with a softop irrespective of whether they had a hardtop or not. Early MK1 hoods had quarterlight windows behind the B-post, but were soon deleted due to problems with the window being caught in the hood mechanism when the hood is folded away. Later hoods, without the extra windows, can still be trapped and damaged in the same way. Also make sure that the rear window is unzipped along the top and sides before it is folded away and that the frame operates smoothly and easily. There are catches on the hood frame behind the B post, (only 1 on the RH for early MK1 cars) to hold the rear frame up when folding the hood down, which must be used to avoid the hood from jamming when it is raised up again.
Hardtop
Apart from rust along the front edge and below the windows, the only problem with hardtops is obtaining good replacement stainless trim which is no longer available new so used is the only option. Good hardtops do turn up, as most owners don't bother using them due to most cars being used only in summer, and hardtops are tricky to store safely, and require two people to fit.
Electrics
Dodgy connections, bad earths and sticky switches are the main causes of electrical woes. Although the wiring is not known for unreliability, with any 30 year old car, problems can arise. Especially if less than ideal `alterations` have been made to fit accessories or repair the wiring. If the brake lights appear dim then the night dimming relay could be to blame. The relay is a curious BL addition, situated in the front left corner of the boot compartment behind the trim, it dims the brake and indicator bulbs when the sidelights are on. Whether faulty or not, it can be bypassed easily to give brighter tail lights, a good idea if you want drivers behind to see your brake lights clearly.
Engine transplants
In the seventies and early eighties it was very common to replace a knackered Triumph V8 with another engine altogether. Nowadays, the trend is reversed, with all the Triumph V8 problems well and truly sorted, a lot of cars are being converted back to Triumph power.
Something to consider when looking at engine options is that it is often cheaper to rebuild a Stag lump than convert the car to take another, unless you opt for the Triumph straight 6.
The 3 main candidates, with power outputs for comparison, (twin carb standard spec, comparable to Stag V8) are listed below with some pros and cons to bear in mind:
| Engine |
Power |
Torque |
Notes |
| Triumph 3.0 V8 |
146 bhp @ 5500 rpm |
170 ft lb @ 3500 rpm |
|
| Rover 3.5 V8 |
137 bhp @ 5000 rpm |
190 ft lb @ 2900 rpm |
Twin SU SD1 |
| Triumph 2.5 Straight 6 |
106 bhp @ 4700 rpm |
139 ft lb @ 3000 rpm |
TC/S 75 on |
| Ford 3.0 V6 |
138 bhp @ 5000 rpm |
174 ft lb @ 3000 rpm |
70`s Essex V6 |
Rover V8
Pros: still a V8, powerful, tuneable, still British (sort of), some say the engine the stag should have had.
Cons: expensive conversion to do properly, which can be dangerous if not, as the lighter weight upsets handling, can have ugly bonnet bulge.
Triumph Straight 6
Pros: still a Triumph engine, strong reliable unit, easy conversion, same weight as Stag V8 so no handling issues, the engine the car was designed around.
Cons: not a V8, doesn´t sound as nice, less power and torque.
Ford V6
Pros: still a V-engine, similar weight, small enough to fit.
Cons: not easiest or cheapest conversion, least sought after.
As can be seen from the table, the most popular Stag engine conversion, the Rover V8, in comparible form (twin carb, engine from 70`s) actually has less power than the Stag but a slight torque advantage, but not much considering your paying for an extra half litre of fuel consumption. Even the Ford V6 has similar power to the Rover, and comparible torque to the Stag. Although the Triumph 6 cylinder looks weedy in comparison, it is the smallest capacity, a strong performer, and, like most of the engines, tuneable for more power.
There are a variety of engine versions for each engine mentioned above, for instance the Rover V8 goes from 91bhp in early Land Rovers, right up to 190bhp in SD1 Vitesse form. It is a similar story for the Triumph 6, and there is also a huge choice of Ford V6`s, both Essex and Cologne. If you are viewing a car with a transplant, find out as much as possible about the origins of that specific engine, not only for comparison but also to aid any search for spare parts.
Remember also that a converted Stag is worth less than one with its original engine.
Summary
Buy the right Stag and look after it properly and it should be reliable for many years. With all the problems now being understood there is no reason why, with some proper regular maintenance the Stag cannot be as good as it should have been from the start.
Contrary to popular belief they are not as fragile as you may be led to believe, so ignore all the self-proclaimed "experts" from the pub who will no doubt tell you how bad Stags still are.
Buy the best car you can afford, look after it properly, and revel in the knowledge that you have chosen a stylish, two door, four seater, V8 powered convertible, with an unbeatable exhaust burble.
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