Soldato
- Joined
- 10 Mar 2006
- Posts
- 3,975
That looks brilliant. Love how that looks.
My '67 Triumph GT6 - An Ongoing Project Log
- Thread starter Wizardskills
- Start date
Associate
- Joined
- 12 Feb 2009
- Posts
- 514
Looking fantastic - that last photo makes it look like a toy car (at least to me!)
Yeah it does. I'm not too sure how that effect was gained as I didn't take the photo
.
Time for a bit of a thread update think as it has been a year since in last did one!
Noting too major has needed to be done on the car and it spent most of its time at shows, meets and being driven at the weekends throughout the summer of 2012 (Pictures at the bottom of this post).
I did however manage to track down why the car got so hot. The thermostat was not fully opening so it needed to be replaced. A simple job I thought. All I need to do is open up the housing an put a new one in. Oh no, nothing is ever that simple on this car. When I went to unbolt the housing the bolts has seized. This was not unexpected and just applying some heat should get them out. Nope that didn't work either and in the end the bolt sheared off. ****!
After various attempts at getting the stud out it was clear it would have to be drilled out. After doing this we had to use a tool called a helicoil as the original thread was destroyed.
This tool works by drilling a hole which is larger than the original and threading it. Then one of the “springs” that you see in the picture above is screwed down this. While it is hard to tell from the pictures the cross section of the spring is a diamond shape so it will screw into the larger hold and create a thread of the original size down its centre. Using this method the old bolt came out and allowed us to fit the new thermostat. While doing this I also replaced the top thermostat house as the metal had become brittle. Annoyingly this small housing cost £45 but I guess that is preferable to it failing.
The MOT came around in the autumn and it got through with only two advisories.
Fixing the anti-roll bar was pretty none eventful however pushing rubber bushes down it was a little time consuming. Here is the bar when I took it off and before it was repainted (Obviously the kitchen is the best place to do this sort of work
).
Fixing the front brakes turned into quite an annoying job but this time it wasn't that cars fault. My initial thought was just to change the front brake pads as they were most likely worn out. After jacking the car up and taking the old pads out it was evident that the old calipers were going to need replacing as one of the pistons on each side had seized. So I ordered a set of brand new calipers along with some braided hoses for the front and rear. Swapping over the calipers wasn't too bad just a little messy. Anyway I got them all fitted
The hand brake was then adjusted as the cable has stretched a little. This is done via this square adjuster on the back of the brake drum.
Bleeding the brakes was a massive pain as there was some air trapped in the tubes so I decided to let the car settle and come back to it the next day. This where things got interesting as when I came back to the car the next morning there were two puddles of brake fluid under each of the front wheels. I initially though it was some left over fluid from the bleeding but I had wiped the calipers clean and after leaving it again for another half day it was obvious that both of the new calipers were leaking!! After some reading around it tuns out that I'm not the first to experience this with these new calipers. Another example of china chucking out poorly made parts. So some original re-con Girling calipers were purchased and fitted on. Bleeding this time was quite easy with no trapped air which was a bonus.
The car has had a bit of a tune up as well due to the car running much cooler now. I still haven't got it quite right but the engine sure does go now. 40 – 70 is suprisingly fast for a 46 year old car. I'll have to get a video of it at some point.
The next thing to do is to replace the seat with some are are more comfortable. The current ones are period styled bucket seats which not very good over long journeys. I have purchased a set of original reclining seats but these will require recovering as they are knackered.
The seat re-con kit (foams and covers) cost me £260 which I didn't think was too bad.
The other thing the car needs is some body work doing to it. The paint has seen better days and there is some rust coming though on the front and rear arches. So a respray and body work will be needed, not looking forward to that bill as going to be around £6000.
Anyway, the car will be used over the next few months. It will be at the Silverstone classic on the Triumph Sport Six stand as well as going to some pistonhead events as well.
Pictures
.
My ideal two car garage. I need one of these Ginetta G4s in my life
Noting too major has needed to be done on the car and it spent most of its time at shows, meets and being driven at the weekends throughout the summer of 2012 (Pictures at the bottom of this post).
I did however manage to track down why the car got so hot. The thermostat was not fully opening so it needed to be replaced. A simple job I thought. All I need to do is open up the housing an put a new one in. Oh no, nothing is ever that simple on this car
. When I went to unbolt the housing the bolts has seized. This was not unexpected and just applying some heat should get them out. Nope that didn't work either and in the end the bolt sheared off. ****!
After various attempts at getting the stud out it was clear it would have to be drilled out. After doing this we had to use a tool called a helicoil as the original thread was destroyed.
This tool works by drilling a hole which is larger than the original and threading it. Then one of the “springs” that you see in the picture above is screwed down this. While it is hard to tell from the pictures the cross section of the spring is a diamond shape so it will screw into the larger hold and create a thread of the original size down its centre. Using this method the old bolt came out and allowed us to fit the new thermostat. While doing this I also replaced the top thermostat house as the metal had become brittle. Annoyingly this small housing cost £45 but I guess that is preferable to it failing.
The MOT came around in the autumn and it got through with only two advisories.
- Anti-roll bar bushes on the far side being a bit loose.
- Front brakes not being balanced.
Fixing the anti-roll bar was pretty none eventful however pushing rubber bushes down it was a little time consuming. Here is the bar when I took it off and before it was repainted (Obviously the kitchen is the best place to do this sort of work
).
Fixing the front brakes turned into quite an annoying job but this time it wasn't that cars fault. My initial thought was just to change the front brake pads as they were most likely worn out. After jacking the car up and taking the old pads out it was evident that the old calipers were going to need replacing as one of the pistons on each side had seized. So I ordered a set of brand new calipers along with some braided hoses for the front and rear. Swapping over the calipers wasn't too bad just a little messy. Anyway I got them all fitted
The hand brake was then adjusted as the cable has stretched a little. This is done via this square adjuster on the back of the brake drum.
Bleeding the brakes was a massive pain as there was some air trapped in the tubes so I decided to let the car settle and come back to it the next day. This where things got interesting as when I came back to the car the next morning there were two puddles of brake fluid under each of the front wheels. I initially though it was some left over fluid from the bleeding but I had wiped the calipers clean and after leaving it again for another half day it was obvious that both of the new calipers were leaking!! After some reading around it tuns out that I'm not the first to experience this with these new calipers. Another example of china chucking out poorly made parts
. So some original re-con Girling calipers were purchased and fitted on. Bleeding this time was quite easy with no trapped air which was a bonus.The car has had a bit of a tune up as well due to the car running much cooler now. I still haven't got it quite right but the engine sure does go now. 40 – 70 is suprisingly fast for a 46 year old car. I'll have to get a video of it at some point.
The next thing to do is to replace the seat with some are are more comfortable. The current ones are period styled bucket seats which not very good over long journeys. I have purchased a set of original reclining seats but these will require recovering as they are knackered.
The seat re-con kit (foams and covers) cost me £260 which I didn't think was too bad.
The other thing the car needs is some body work doing to it. The paint has seen better days and there is some rust coming though on the front and rear arches. So a respray and body work will be needed, not looking forward to that bill as going to be around £6000.
Anyway, the car will be used over the next few months. It will be at the Silverstone classic on the Triumph Sport Six stand as well as going to some pistonhead events as well.
Pictures
.
My ideal two car garage. I need one of these Ginetta G4s in my life
Associate
Such a stunning car, nice work, Wizardskills.
Soldato
Amazing car and an amazing ongoing effort. Keep it up!
Still looking great! Good work on the helicoil - sometimes it's easier to just drill it out and helicoil than it is to faff about trying to get the broken bit out.
Soldato
My dad's knee's will go all wonky if I show him this, He's absolutely in love with the GT6, And I can see why, It is stunning mate.
Soldato
I loved that engine, I used to own a Triumph Vitesse 2 litre six saloon. Same engine I think. It used to blow all over similar vintage Corsair and Cortina 2 litre jobs.
Humm, 3 and a bit years since an update. I think one may be due as a fair bit has been done on the car.
The seats that I mentioned in the last update were stripped, frames cleaned and repainted, re-upholstered and fitted back into the car.
They are a huge improvement over the old seats in terms of comfort. They don't hold you quite a well but I can live with that.
The car has also had a re-spray 2 years ago and it looks much better for it. It's missing the front lettering in this picture but that has been added back on now.
I moved house after the respray so work on the car has been minimal over the last 18 months. The car was driven over the summer. During this time the condition of the gearbox has got worse. It has never been great in this car, mainly because GT6 gearboxes are notoriously rubbish, but it has managed OK during my ownership. It has always been in the back of my mind that I'm going to have to do something about it but finding a good gearbox for one is next to impossible now as the parts are not made any more. When an upgraded, stronger gearbox came up for sale the other night on one the many Triumph groups I'm a member of I snapped it up. Pricey but it'll be worth it as I'm never intending on selling this car.
So I have now challenged myself, a novice mechanic, to do a gearbox swap in the garage of my new house that hasn't been fitted out yet. It seemed like a good idea at first but now I'm not so sure haha.
Anyway the method of getting the box out doesn't seem to bad on the face of it. As the transmission tunnel can be removed, the car the gearbox can be taken out from inside the car. This means the engine doesn't have to come out and I don't have to have the car on a lift. Here is someone doing it on a Spitfire.
So a lot of work to do over the next few weeks in the cold, dark garage which hasn't got electric running in it yet.......wish me luck!
The seats that I mentioned in the last update were stripped, frames cleaned and repainted, re-upholstered and fitted back into the car.
They are a huge improvement over the old seats in terms of comfort. They don't hold you quite a well but I can live with that.
The car has also had a re-spray 2 years ago and it looks much better for it. It's missing the front lettering in this picture but that has been added back on now.
I moved house after the respray so work on the car has been minimal over the last 18 months. The car was driven over the summer. During this time the condition of the gearbox has got worse. It has never been great in this car, mainly because GT6 gearboxes are notoriously rubbish, but it has managed OK during my ownership. It has always been in the back of my mind that I'm going to have to do something about it but finding a good gearbox for one is next to impossible now as the parts are not made any more. When an upgraded, stronger gearbox came up for sale the other night on one the many Triumph groups I'm a member of I snapped it up. Pricey but it'll be worth it as I'm never intending on selling this car.
So I have now challenged myself, a novice mechanic, to do a gearbox swap in the garage of my new house that hasn't been fitted out yet. It seemed like a good idea at first but now I'm not so sure haha.
Anyway the method of getting the box out doesn't seem to bad on the face of it. As the transmission tunnel can be removed, the car the gearbox can be taken out from inside the car. This means the engine doesn't have to come out and I don't have to have the car on a lift. Here is someone doing it on a Spitfire.
So a lot of work to do over the next few weeks in the cold, dark garage which hasn't got electric running in it yet.......wish me luck!
Soldato
Good luck indeed!
Soldato
That's a beutiful car car, wizzardskills. Very nice
Associate
- Joined
- 12 Feb 2009
- Posts
- 514
I've not been on the OCuk forums for a long time (probably about 3.5 years ) but I got a notification that you'd updated the thread and couldn't resist popping in!
Car looks stunning after the respray. and those seats look the business too.
) but I got a notification that you'd updated the thread and couldn't resist popping in! Car looks stunning after the respray. and those seats look the business too.
I did however manage to track down why the car got so hot. The thermostat was not fully opening so it needed to be replaced. A simple job I thought. All I need to do is open up the housing an put a new one in. Oh no, nothing is ever that simple on this car
After various attempts at getting the stud out it was clear it would have to be drilled out. After doing this we had to use a tool called a helicoil as the original thread was destroyed.
Note for next time.
With studs/bolts that have broken off in a cast iron cylinder head, you can usually (with care) start with a small drill bit and work up until the hole is just inside the existing threads and then (also with care) use a suitable tap to clean the threads out.
If you can do this, it is a better solution than the helicoil
Soldato
Glad you've still got the car and it's looking so good! All the best with the gearbox swap!
Soldato
I had a bolt shear on my thermostat housing too on my old Spitfire!
Truly a nice GT6 you have there and I hope your gearbox swap goes okay. Best time to do it this winter to be honest
Truly a nice GT6 you have there and I hope your gearbox swap goes okay. Best time to do it this winter to be honest
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 45,570
I think that happened to my dad's too. Brilliant car!
So work started the other day and I have gearbox exposed
The gearbox is a lot smaller than I was expecting so I can see now why people take it out through the car. Not too sure how to progress now as I've winged it so far. Going to take a look in the workshop manual and the Haynes manual to see if they can offer any guidance.
The gearbox is a lot smaller than I was expecting so I can see now why people take it out through the car. Not too sure how to progress now as I've winged it so far. Going to take a look in the workshop manual and the Haynes manual to see if they can offer any guidance.