Factory Modifications

I have been trying to understand the differences at the front of the car in the radiator area, from a standard 2500, a better knowledge of 2500's would have helped, but all is now clear.

The car uses a stag radiator (with fan shroud as fitted to certain export USA Stags), these don't mount like a standard 2000 radiator ( 4 fixings into the vertical radiator panel) but have 2 bolts on their lower face which mount on to a horizontal panel, with the upper 2 mounts on the vertical top surface of the radiator.

So we find that triumph used a stag lower radiator mount, with the ends made flat, and bent in to a U shape welded to the chassis rails, and tacked to the back of the radiator support panel.

What remains of the lower mount is shown here

At the top they have cut the radiator panel, and fitted the top curved stag one, and cut away the top panel above the curve.

Please note in the top left of this picture the crude cutting of the original radiator support - that diagonal line is where it was cut

As you can see from this picture from my stag, this allows fitment of the stag air intake (although I don't use it as I have a holley fitted).

Next battery fitment - as the V8 fills the engine bay, the battery is relocated to the Stag position, using stag battery box, after simply cutting away the radiator support panel on this side.

The line of pop rivets joining the battery box to the inner wing appears original - Do I replicate this on the rebuild, or weld it ?

This is how the Stag looks

So repair work can start at the front.

I chopped out the headlamp panel

This picture shows the rear of the stag battery box, the flap of metal at the top is part of a repair to the top panel in front of the bonnet.

This shows the distance piece between the headlamp panel and the radiator panel

Headlamp panel trial fitted


This is important as I need this to reference the rest of the front end repairs. I can now remove and replace, battery box, radiator panel, front valence etc, using the headlamp panel as the fixed front reference point for distance, working backwards towards the engine.

Sounds simple, but the real work begins now.

The chassis legs are sound at this point, but it needs new mountings for the auto transmission oil cooler fabricating as these have rusted away