Aaron's TR6 was used as the test bed for the very first TBI conversion. Still running strong after two years and a lot of trouble free miles. rp.
Aaron says:
"The TBI conversion speaks for itself and performs as advertised. The car starts immediately, without a choke and without any of the normal carb problems. Power was increased slightly but the single biggest change was the increase in throttle response and drivability. But the best part of the whole set-up is the person behind the product. Rick is genuinely concerned about making sure the set-up performs as advertised and offers incredible support for his product. The conversion has been on my car for two driving seasons and about 6K miles with zero problems or adjustments. I have put the car away in early November and started it again in early May and the car starts with no hesitation and idles perfectly."
Aaron Cropley
71 TR6 (Throttle Body Injection!)
http://www.triumphowners.com/108
Topsham, Maine
Excerpts from some of Aaron's email correspondence:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: acekraut11@aol.com [mailto:acekraut11@aol.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 1:04 PM
> To: ////////////
> Subject: Re: 1971 TR6 TBI
>
>
> Hi Greg,
>
> I have saved a few emails from the past in which I have given my
> general impression of the set-up. I will copy them at the end of this
> email so you can see my thoughts and I can be lazy and not have to type
> a whole lot of the same stuff again.
>
> I do not market this product but a friend of mine(Rick) does. I am
> copying him this email and I am sure that he will respond to you later
> on this evening(for us). I was lucky enough to live locally to him and
> have a car that was stock when he wanted to develop the TBI set-up.
>
> The set-up is quite easy for a person with fair mechanical abilities.
> If you never touch your car other than to drive it to a mechanic then
> you probably don't want to set it up yourself. But if you feel
> comfortable tackling many of the maintenance or repair items on your
> vehicle than you would probably be pretty comfortable with the
> installation. I am sure Rick would help out wherever necessary. If
> you are restoring your own car than I suspect you would have no problem
> with the installation.
>
> Since the PI wasnt sold in the US and I have yet to drive one of those
> cars I cant give you a knowledgeable comparison. However, I can make a
> few educated guesses. One of the main reasons the PI was capable of
> greater horsepower was the more aggressive cam that was installed with
> the PI and not with the US carb version. As far as I know, my car
> retains a stock cam. Power to me feels improved, though not the same
> as say, adding a supercharger. Throttle response and drivablilty are
> incredible though. The set-up really transforms the car into a modern
> feeling car in that regard. Also there is the fact that you get away
> from all the carb associated problems, like choke and waiting for
> warm-up, etc. I put my car away in early November this year and didnt
> start it until the beginning of May and it started up without any
> problems after the engine turning over a few times and then it idled
> without a hesitation, or miss.
>
> Dont hesitate to ask any other questions you might have.
>
> Aaron
>
> Aaron Cropley
> 71 TR6 (Throttle Body Injection!)
> http://www.triumphowners.com/108
> Topsham, Maine
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> [TRIUMPH Owners.com] www.triumphowners.com
>
> TBI stands for Throttle Body Injection. This is a fuel injection
> system for the TR6 that uses machined aluminum inserts that sit in the
> bodies of your carbs after you have removed the top of the carbs. The
> system uses two injectors from a late model GM car, and the various
> other components needed to run the system.(throttle position sensor,
> computer, electric fuel pump, fuel regulator, wiring harness, etc.)
>
> Rick Patton is the brains and talent behind the product. Since he
> converted his own car to multi-port fuel injection he used my car as a
> test car for the system. My car met the basic requirements he needed
> since it has a stock motor and was running well originally with carbs.
> It also helps that I live 5 miles from him. Last fall we started the
> conversion and completed the TBI set-up the night before heading on a 5
> hour trip to Stowe, Vermont. The trip was the first time the system
> had been road tested. Yes, we were brave. We felt comfortable taking
> the trip since we knew if we had a major problem with the set-up we
> could switch back to carbs in about a half hour on the side of the
> road. The car performed incredibly well, even though it was running on
> a computer chip that was an "educated guess" since we had never tried
> the system before. The only two problems were some sediment that
> clogged the fuel filter and an intermittent high idle problem that
> ended up being a vacuum leak. Gas mileage was great, close to 30 mpg
> on back roads and up and over the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
> Power is noticeably improved, as is throttle response. But the car is
> simply transformed in how it feels when driven. With the TBI set-up it
> is just so incredibly smooth. To me the TBI set-up made the TR6 feel
> very much like a modern car.
>
> I have tried to be thorough, but brief. There is a bunch more
> information for those who are interested. I have a couple pics posted
> at www.triumphowners.com/108.
>
> Rick has started a discussion group on yahoo.com. The link for that
> group is:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TBIinjection
>
> Others have heard me say this before so I will be brief. Rick has been
> very kind to me and is one of the "good guys" in this "hobby". He is
> one of the owners of a NAPA store but is pursuing this and other TR6
> modifications because he has a real passion for it. If you email him
> you can be put on a mailing list for the TBI set-up. He just recently
> sent out an update that is a great explanation of the set-up. I have
> just skimmed the surface in this email. You can email him at:
>
> rick@sidedrafttbi.com
>
> A company named CustomEFIS is providing some of the parts necessary,
> including a specifically built wiring harness, the computer, a chip,
> etc. John at CustomEFIS knows his stuff and was very close with his
> "guesstimate" for the chip set-up with my car. Two slight changes later
> and the car is right on the money. His portion is $800 and if you
> want a chip programmer so you can use emails to update your chip with
> specific changes for your car it is an extra $100. Without the
> programmer the chip would just have to be sent to you via snail mail.
>
> Rick's portion is the TBI inserts and a few other necessary parts.
> Ricks portion is $350. These prices are correct as of March 06 to
> the best of my knowledge. While I think they are accurate check with
> Rick for final pricing.
>
>
> I have been learning quite a bit from Rick over the past couple years.
> We use each other as a sounding board for ideas, problems and solutions
> with many different TR6 situations. I have no financial stake in this
> project what so ever. I was lucky to have received the TBI system on
> my car. I do not work for Rick, nor will I see any financial gain if
> this project works out well for him. I am just glad I am able to repay
> his kindness whenever and wherever I can. And trust me, if the system
> sucked, you wouldnt be hearing anything about it because it wouldnt be
> offered for sale. It is nice to be able to help out nice people. That
> is one of the main reasons I enjoy this list so much and I am taking
> the time to post this message.
>
>
> If you have any questions dont hesitate to ask, I will be glad to
> answer as best I can.
>
> Aaron
>
>
>
>
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