THE TEAL REGISTER
Car history
| Reg No | FIB4192 |
| Car type | 4 seater |
| Colour | Green |
| Current engine | 2500 Triumph |
| Current owner | Roger Frank, TOC Member, Cumbria |
| Previous owner | James Harris, Fareham up to Feb 2003 |
| Orig owner | Mike Powell, Dormansland, Surrey |
| Further info | See below, former T.O.W number 24 |
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TEAL OF THE WEEK – No. 24
FIB4192
Cumbrian Tealers Roger and Carola Frank demonstrate the joy of Tealing on the Lakes and Borders Run in the sun in their fine Teal Type 35 four-seater. Roger and Carola are respected members of the Teal Owners’ Club, and are also keenly involved in local car clubs in the North-West of England with fellow Tealers Ian and Lavinia.
Roger and Carola are also keen fund raisers for charity, at home and abroad. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and the Franks and their handsome Bentley-green Teal are always a welcome sight, certain to enliven any show or rally…
FIB 4192 History, by current owner (July 2023)
Ordered on the 14th Jan 1992 by a Mr Mike Powell of Dormansland, Surrey against a very detailed specification for the sum of £19975.
Factory built ( full build ) by Bob Jones, based upon a June 1972 donor Marina. Teal Tourer 4 seater with 2500 cc Triumph engine, gearbox and electric overdrive finished in British Racing green.
On the 26 Nov 2002 ownership was transferred to Michael Parry of Piddle Lane, Cerne Abbas, Dorchester.
On the 06 Aug 2003 ownership was transferred to James Harris of Titchfield, Fareham.
I purchased the vehicle on the 17th Feb 2008 following a successful ebay bid at the time it had 6350 miles on the clock.
Upon driving the vehicle home from Fareham to rural Cumbria several points came to light that needed addressing.
Front end tramping. This could become severe above about 55mph. Balancing the front wheels did not rectify the problem. Strengthening the front mudguard stays helped but not fully resolved. Adjustable SPAX’s were added into the suspension but again these helped but did not fully resolve. The ultimate solution was a set of Blockley tyres. Upon close inspection of the original Indian tyres it was found the wall thickness were considerably variable in thickness and hence strength.
Engine. When built Bob fitted a supposedly refurbished 6cyl 2500 cc Triumph unit. Upon close inspection it was blowing a bit of oil and suffering from variable cylinder compression pressures. Upon a complete overhaul of the unit ( by myself ) a couple of the cylinders were found to be well worn and the block was therefore bored, honed etc and the complete motor rebuilt with new parts. Following a running in period a rolling road tune found the carburation to be way out from what it should be. I suspect that the removal of the air cleaners in order for the motor to fit into the much reduced bonnet had never been addressed. The engine was tuned for low end power to address the larger diameter wheels which necessitated a significant change in the carb needles.
Cooling. Initially the car suffered from cooling issues despite the installation of a large Kenlow electric fan. High speed Continental running was challenging especially when backing off the pace and the residual heat in the motor had to be got rid of.
The issue was created by the small radiator required to fit into the Bugatti cowl. The problem was solved by installing a 3 row radiator core ( the original was 2 row ) utilising the original header tanks. An oil cooler was also added.
Performance was now excellent and the car was totally reliable however this lead to another significant problem. The rear axles used by Bob were normally from Marina vans in order to get a suitable gear ratio to suit the large dia spoked wheels. The differential ratios of these units being above 4 to 1. The 6 cyl power unit proved to be to somewhat excessive for the axle leading to the removal of some teeth from the crown wheel when making a speedy get away. Not wanting to replace it with a similar unit and be faced with a similar failure a TR7 5 speed / TR8 axle was fitted. Being a 5 speed it had a relatively high dif ratio of 3.9 but with the motor tuned for low end torque this has not been a problem. Fitting the axle was a major challenge as the track was several inches wider and the axle was originally on coil springs so had to be significantly modified to suit the cart springs.
The considerably larger diff necessitated a new prop shaft and the much larger drum brakes improved the overall stopping of the vehicle.
Over the years we have travelled well in excess of 30,000 miles mainly on tours / navigation rallies in the N of England, Scotland with several Northern Europe excursions thrown in. We don’t seem to have an appetite to travel S – the roads are far too busy to allow enjoyable motoring !!
Now that the vehicle is fully sorted it is a great car to drive – real seat of the pants motoring especially on a fine day.
Extract from Teal Owners Club Newsletter August 2003, page 20
Last Updated on 2 years by David Brown
